Tag Archives: Oregon

Bend, OR – Apartment patio fire extinguished by a single sprinkler head activation

An apartment patio fire in southwest Bend Saturday night was put out and stopped from spreading inside by a single activated fire sprinkler, officials said.

Bend Fire & Rescue responded around 10:15 p.m. to the reported fire on a first-floor patio at the Stillwater Crossing apartment complex on SW Atwood Drive (near Highway 97 and Ponderosa Street), Battalion Chief Scott Wyman said.

Two fire engines, a medic unit, a ladder truck and a command vehicle went to the scene, where residents of the apartment building had evacuated.

The first engine crew to arrive found a smoldering fire that already had been extinguished by the fire sprinkler, Wyman said.

Firefighters confirmed the fire was fully out and shut down the sprinkler system. Wyman said all residents were able to return to their apartments.

Deputy Fire Marshal Cindy Kettering said, “This was an exterior fire that was held in place, held in check by an exterior sprinkler.”

“Commonly, when we see fires that start on an exterior side of a building, they can go up the siding into the eaves and spread into the attic space and turn into a very large and challenging fire,” Kettering said.

But in this case, she said, “There were fire sprinklers in this building. That single one sprinkler head activated and basically extinguished the fire before we even arrived on scene.”

An investigation determined the fire’s likely cause was improper disposal of cigarette smoking material, Wyman said.

Damage was limited to $2,000 worth of contents and minor damage to the structure.

“The sprinkler system prevented significant loss to the structure and displacement of multiple occupants,” the battalion chief said in a news release.

“National data show that the presence of fire sprinklers in residences drastically reduces the fire damage and potential for loss of life,” Wyman added.

Bend, OR – Sprinkler system controls fire at two businesses

A fire sprinkler system saved two northeast Bend businesses from major damage when a fire broke out in a bathroom Monday night, a Bend Fire official said.

The fire in a commercial building on Northeast 18th Street was reported around 9:35 p.m. by a fire alarm company, Deputy Fire Marshal Dan Derlacki said. As crews responded, the business owners called 911 and reported seeing smoke on their security cameras, so more firefighters were dispatched.

Crews found the fire had been controlled by the sprinkler system in an upstairs bathroom.

“The cause is still under investigation but not believed to be intentional,” Derlacki said in a news release Tuesday. Damages were limited to about $10,000 an the two businesses were able to resume normal operation by Tuesday afternoon.

The cause remained under investigation Tuesday, but Derlacki said it was not believed to be intentional.

Derlacki said the fire sprinkler system extinguished the fire with only one head activating.

“National data show that the presence of fire sprinklers in a building drastically reduce the fire damage and down time for businesses,” the fire official said. “In this case, staff were able to clean up the water within a few hours and prevent any damage to stored goods in the building.”

“With no one in the building at the time of the fire, without the sprinklers, this fire would’ve gotten out control before it was large enough to be noticed in a large industrial park,” Derlacki added.

Bend, OR – Sprinkler systems activated for two separate apartment fires

Bend firefighters responded to two apartment fires over the long weekend. The first was on Atwood Drive, Thursday. Everyone evacuated the building after the batteries of an electric skateboard caught fire while charging in a bedroom. The building’s sprinkler system extinguished the flames and damage was limited to the bedroom.

Friday evening, a new tenant moving in to a newly constructed building in southwest Bend inadvertently turned on a burner while setting something on the cooktop. They quickly used a hallway fire extinguisher before the sprinklers activated.

Oregon City, OR – Sprinkler system controls early morning arson fire at store

Bales of hay at a Wilco Store in Oregon City were set on fire early Thursday morning. Clackamas Fire District says a fire alarm brought crews to the store on Molalla Avenue. The sprinkler system helped control the fire, and firefighters put it out before it caused any more damage. Surveillance video shows a suspect wearing a baseball cap, mask, a T-shirt, and short pants lighting the fire. Investigators are asking anyone who recognizes the suspect to contact Oregon City Police.

Bend, OR – Sprinkler system activated for structure fire at clubhouse; No injuries reported

At approximately 5:30pm Friday Redmond Fire & Rescue was notified of a possible structure fire at 65765 Pronghorn Club Dr. Before the arrival of fire crews, onsite staff quickly evacuated the building of guests. As fire crews arrived there was visible smoke coming from the roof of the building. Fire crews made a quick attack on the fire but had to quickly evacuate the building due to the collapse of a chimney onto the roof and fire extending into void areas. The buildings fire sprinkler system was able to help keep the fire in check under fire crews were able to access the void areas in the roof.

Fire investigators late Friday were on scene conducting interviews and analyzing the fire to determine a cause.

Redmond Fire & Rescue was assisted by Bend Fire & Rescue, Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office and Sunriver Fire & Rescue.

 

Bend, OR – Sprinkler system stops kitchen fire at apartment complex

A sprinkler system stopped a kitchen fire in its tracks at a northeast Bend apartment Saturday evening, but the resulting water and smoke damage displaced six residents of five nearby apartments until cleanup is completed, officials said.

Bend Fire & Rescue responded around 5:35 p.m. to a fire in a third-floor unit at the Legacy Landing Apartments on NE Tucson Way, Deputy Fire Marshal Dan Derlacki said.

Most of the residents already had evacuated the building before fire crews arrived, and the fire had been controlled by the building’s sprinkler system, Derlacki said.

Crews worked to stop the water and clear smoke from the building, which has 60 apartments on the upper three floors and a Mosaic Medical clinic on the ground floor. Derlacki said water damage also was found in the clinic, “but shouldn’t keep the business from opening for regular business on Monday.” Damages are estimated at $50,000.

An American Red Cross disaster team was called in to help the six affected occupants find hotel rooms for the night, while the rest were able to safely return to their apartments, after the sprinkler and alarm systems were restored, Derlacki said.  A restoration company was on scene to begin the cleanup process.

Derlacki said the fire sprinkler system stopped the fire quickly and helped keep the damage to a minimum. With the fire stopped before it could spread out of the kitchen, the amount of smoke in the building was kept to a minimum and allowed the occupants to evacuated safely. 

“Bend Fire Department reminds everyone to keep a watchful eye on anything you’re cooking,” the fire official said in a news release. “Cooking fires are the leading cause of home fires in the country.

Bend, OR – Restaurant fire extinguished by sprinkler system

An early Thursday morning fire at Broken Top Bottle Shop brought Bend Fire and Rescue to the scene.  Fire crews arrived about 4am and Battalion Chief Trish Connolly says there was no fire showing when crews arrived, so they did a walk around of the building. She says alarms were going off and people in upstairs apartments were evacuating. Connolly says crews got inside the restaurant and found a small fire that had been put out by the sprinkler system. She says there is no doubt the sprinklers saved lives and the apartments. Connolly says the fire was caused by spontaneous combustion of rags that had been cleaned but still had residual oil on them.

Portland, OR – Sprinkler system activated for arson fire outside warehouse; No injuries reported

Investigators with Portland Fire & Rescue say someone intentionally set something on fire outside a vacant warehouse in Northeast Portland on Thursday morning.

There were no reports of injuries.

The fire was reported at about 3 a.m. in the Sullivan’s Gulch area near Northeast 25th Avenue and Multnomah Street, across from Interstate 84.

Portland Fire said the building’s sprinkler system put out most of the flames.

Bend, OR – Sprinkler system extinguishes laundry room fire at rehabilitation center, No injuries reported

A laundry room fire Sunday afternoon at Pilot Butte Rehabilitation in northeast Bend was stopped by the facility’s fire sprinkler system, an official said.

A fire alarm report was received by Bend Fire & Rescue just after 3:30 p.m. It soon was upgraded to a structure fire response after staff found smoking coming from the laundry room of the facility, in the 1800 block of Northeast Highway 20, Deputy Fire Marshal Jeff Bond said.

Crews arrived to find that the sprinkler system had activated and completed putting it out, Bond said. There were no injuries and minimal heat and water damage. No smoke entered the patient area of the building, the official added.

The exact cause of the fire was under investigation, Bond said. The fire sprinkler and alarm systems were back in operation in about two hours.

Albany, OR – Sprinkler system activated for kitchen fire at apartment complex; No injuries reported

An apartment house fire occurred at 707 SW 10th St. around 7:50 a.m. Friday, Oct. 22, displacing 10 residents.

Twenty firefighters, two chief officers and a fire investigator responded to the incident, which was caused by unattended cooking in one of the units.

“Fortunately the fire was quickly suppressed by a sprinkler located in the kitchen,” said Carmen Westfall, a fire prevention officer at Corvallis Fire Department. “The sprinkler did exactly what it’s supposed to do.”

While the fire damage was contained to the kitchen area, 10 people are now displaced because of the water damage caused by the downward trickle of the sprinkler system. There were no reported injuries.

“Unattended cooking is the No. 1 cause of home fires,” Westfall said. “When you’re finished cooking, make sure you turn off your burners.”