Tag Archives: Night (9pm-5am)

Residential, Residential High Rise

Austin, TX – Fire in downtown residential high-rise held in check by sprinkler system; No injuries

Two people have been displaced after a Wednesday night fire in a high-rise in downtown Austin, fire officials said. Firefighters responded at 10:22 p.m. to a fire that started on the stove of an eighth-floor unit at 85 Trinity Street, the Austin Fire Department said.

No one was injured. The sprinkler system activated and held the fire in check until firefighters arrived and extinguished the remaining fire, the department said. The apartments were evacuated, and everyone returned to their homes except the two displaced residents.  The Austin Housing Authority is assisting the two residents, firefighters said.

Manufacturing, Paper Mill / Saw Mill

Port Moody, BC – Sprinkler system contains fire at sawmill; No injuries

No one was injured following an explosion and fire at a Port Moody sawmill early Tuesday morning.

Firefighters received a call at 2:30 a.m. that there was a fire at the Flavelle Sawmill. It turns out that a nitrogen tank that was part of a hydraulic system had exploded, due to a nearby fire.

When crews arrived, there was a small fire at the mill, but the sprinkler system had activated and contained the fire.

Investigators are still trying to determine the cause.

The explosion did blow a “significant hole” in the sawmill wall, according to the PMFD.

Workers were on break at the time so there was no one in the area.

Other - Retail, Retail

Laconia, NH – Early morning fire at salon extinguished by sprinkler system

A salon in Laconia sustained smoke and water damage in a fire early Monday morning, according to authorities. Crews were called to Jerico’s Salon on Union Avenue around 3 a.m.  Firefighters found heavy smoke inside, but the building’s sprinkler system extinguished the flames.

Officials said the fire was located in the hair salon area. No one was there and no injuries were reported.  Officials said the salon sustained smoke and water damage and will likely be closed for some time.  The cause of the fire is under investigation, but it is not believed to be suspicious. 

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Hastings, MN – Sprinklers contain dump truck fire at excavating business

Firefighters stopped what could have been a major fire Saturday, Jan. 9, at DSM Excavating in the 2900 block of Enterprise Avenue. Crews responded at 9:33 p.m., after the building’s fire alarms activated.  According to Fire and EMS Director Mike Schutt, smoke was visible on the south side of the building when firefighters arrived and the automatic sprinkler system was already operating.  Crews entered the building, which was filled with thick black smoke that allowed zero visibility.  Inside, they found a dump truck on fire, which they extinguished.

The dump truck’s engine and cab were totally destroyed, with damage estimated at about $200,000. However, the fire could have been much worse, as there was other heavy equipment parked very close to the engulfed truck. Schutt credited the sprinkler system with saving the rest of the equipment and the building, which would have been a $4 million loss.

“While the firefighters did a fantastic job tonight, much credit goes to the automatic fire sprinkler system and the monitored fire alarm system,” Schutt wrote in an email the night of the fire. “As the fire grew in size, the automatic fire sprinkler system activated, keeping the fire contained to the dump truck and not allowing it to spread. Literally, other dump trucks and heavy equipment were parked within two feet of this fire and had no damage.”

Hastings firefighters were assisted by Hastings police and the Miesville Fire Department. The fire department, which also operates an ambulance service, also responded to two separate medical emergencies and one other fire response for downed electrical lines in Marshan Township while battling the Industrial Park fire. Investigation into the cause of the fire continues this week.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Prescott, AZ – Room fire at La Quinta Inn extinguished by sprinkler system

The Prescott Regional Communications Center received multiple notifications of smoke coming from a hotel room and the fire alarm sounding at the La Quinta Inn and Suites Conference Center, 4499 E. Highway 69, at around 10:15 p.m. on Friday Jan. 8, according to a press release from the Prescott Fire Department. It was the second hotel fire in Prescott within two days.

Prescott Fire Department and the Central Yavapai Fire District responded with three truck companies, an engine company, a battalion chief, a division chief, a utility truck and the Prescott Police Department, the release stated.

“Fire personnel made access to the second floor finding a wing that was being remodeled, to find moderate to heavy smoke but no flames,” the release stated. “Upon entering the involved room, they found the fire under control because an automatic fire sprinkler head was flowing water that had extinguished the fire, although there was still electrical arcing taking place in the area.”

Crews assured the fire was fully extinguished by checking wall and ceiling spaces around the fire, the release stated. They remained on the scene for two hours, evacuating water and assisting occupants with retrieving items from six rooms that were deemed unsafe to occupy. The occupants were relocated to another hotel, according to the release.

Investigative efforts determined that a wall heating and cooling unit was involved in the ignition and investigation is currently underway to determine the cause, the release stated. There were no injuries and there is no current estimate for the damage caused

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Leipsic, OH – Nursing home fire kept in check by sprinkler system

Putnam County Sheriff’s Office says at 12:48 Wednesday morning it received a 911 call about a fire at the Meadows of Leipsic nursing home on E. Main Street.

The Leipsic Fire Department says when firefighters arrived on the scene they noticed heavy smoke coming from inside the building. They say the fire started in one room and a sprinkler system kept the fire from spreading.

Two residents were taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation, but are expected to survive.

A cause has yet to be determined.

The fire has been reported to the Ohio State Fire Marshall’s Office.

Retail, Shopping Mall

Panama City, FL – Sprinklers help contain fire at Best Buy

A fire at Best Buy on 23rd street in Panama City Monday night has damaged the interior of the store.

The first call came in around 10:20 pm about smoke coming out of the building. When Panama City fire crews arrived on scene they saw a “good amount” of smoke and went into attack mode.

After getting inside, crews were able to put out the fire just after 10:45pm.

As of the time of this writing, 11PM, no cause of the fire had been determined, but smoke continues to pour from the building.

An investigator with PCFD is in route. It’s also unknown if the smoke from the blaze has damaged any adjacent businesses.

Investigators with the Panama City Fire Department and State Fire Marshall’s Office say the fire began due to a possible electrical short from a printer and has been ruled accidental.

Two properly working sprinkler heads are being credited with helping contain the fire to a small area. According to PCFD, none of the business next to Best Buy sustained any fire damage.

Apartment Building, Residential High Rise

Westboro, MA – Fire in trash chute of high rise apartment building controlled by sprinkler system; No injuries

Fountainhead Apartments residents who were displaced Friday night after sprinklers were set off by a fire in a trash chute will be allowed back into their units starting Saturday afternoon, according to management.

Danielle DeHart, regional property manager at the Fountainhead Apartments, said most of the displaced residents will be allowed back into their units, starting at 2 p.m. Saturday. “At 2 o’clock, we’ll start letting the building in slowly with the assistance of local police,” Ms. DeHart said.

Ms. DeHart said “well over 200 residents” from about 170 apartments were affected. She said the Fountainhead is asking the tenants of 11 units to allow additional drying time. “We were very fortunate that nobody was hurt and everybody responded very quickly from the management team and also the local police and fire personnel,” Ms. DeHart said. “It was the smoke, of course, that triggered that the sprinkler system. It wasn’t the fire itself.”

Ms. DeHart said the lesson to learn here is to be conscientious about what you throw away. She said estimates on the damages is not available yet.  “Right now, our focus is on the residents and getting everybody where they need to be, certainly, cold January time, so that’s our priority No. 1, and then we’re worry about the building after that.”

Residential, Townhouse / Condominium

Lawrence, NJ – Laundry fire at condominium complex doused by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Police are investigating a fire that broke out early Saturday in the laundry room of a condominium complex, according to the fire department.   Firefighters responded to the complex on Town Court South around 1:30 a.m. Saturday after getting a call about a fire in the laundry room, Lawrence Fire Chief Gary Wasko said.

When they arrived they found that everyone had evacuated the room and that the sprinkler system had extinguished much of the fire. They had the rest of the fire under control almost immediately and worked to deal with the smoke removal for a long time after that, Wasko said.  

The investigation into how the fire started was turned over to Lawrence police, who were not immediately available for contact Saturday evening.

Apartment Building, Residential

Grand Forks, ND – No injuries in New Year’s Eve apartment fire suppressed by sprinkler system

Residents of a Grand Forks apartment complex rang in the new year in the cold because a fire broke out inside a second floor unit on Garden View Drive shortly after 11:00. About two dozen people were inside at the time.  However, people living in the unit where the fire started were not home.

The fire was contained to the single unit, but several other units and the hallway sustained smoke and water damage. Everyone was allowed to return to their apartments last night except for the one where the fire started.

“The fire was pretty much extinguished by the sprinkler system, or at least contained by the sprinkler system, so there would have been minimal fire as I understand it by the fire crews that responded,” Grand Forks Fire Capt. Bob Kramer said. The fire marshall said the fire is accidental because of unattended cooking on the stove.