Tag Archives: South Carolina

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Gloverville, SC – Sprinkler system helps extinguish fire at senior living facility

It was a long morning for the people living at the Village at Horse Creek.

Captain Harold Cain at the Langley Fire Department responded to the call he said, “When we got there we had people upstairs and there was smoke coming from the room, dispatch let us know one of the residents said there was smoke coming from that room.”

The Langley Fire Department says one elderly man caused the fire around three-thirty this morning.

“He was smoking and he fell asleep and it caught the couch on fire,” said Cain.Aiken County Police and the Langley Fire Department were able to get more than 30 people out of their apartments, including the man who started the fire.

Sherill Mikell, a resident at the Village at Horse Creek was there to see it.”He brought him outside and sat him down on the sidewalk and i just thought that is a hero,” she said.

The residents were taken to clearwater baptist church because of water damage from the sprinkler system.

“They took them to the church this morning, they have a gym up there and the emergency management and the bus took them from there and they opened the church up for them to stay there,” said Cain.

Red Cross stepped in to help everyone, by supplying them with food and water.

“This morning red cross comes and they fed us sausage biscuits and then this afternoon for lunch we had subway,” said Mikell.

Most people were allowed back in their rooms around three o’clock this afternoon, but red cross made other hotel arrangements for at least four residents who could not move back in just yet because of water damage.

Apartment Building, Residential

Aiken, SC – Sprinkler system keeps overnight apartment fire from spreading

The Aiken Department of Public Safety is investigating an early morning fire Sunday at an apartment complex on Hollow Tree Drive in Aiken that left multiple people homeless. Sgt. Michael Grabowski, with Aiken Public Safety, said fire crews responded to Hollow Tree Drive around 12 a.m.  “It was a small fire,” Grabowski said. “Crews came in quick and got it under control as fast as they could.”

Two apartments caught fire, but the buildings sprinkler systems helped prevent the fire from being worse, Grabowski said. No one was injured in the fire, he said.  American Red Cross disaster-trained volunteers reported Sunday morning that they are assisting multiple families whose homes were damaged by the fire.

Other Business

Charleston, SC – Firefighters and sprinkler system help limit spread of intentionally set vehicle fire

The Charleston City Fire Department says a car fire in downtown Charleston Thursday evening was intentionally set. Emergency personnel from Charleston Fire Department were dispatched to the vehicle fire, with additional units dispatched from Charleston, North Charleston, and James Island Fire Departments responded to Archdale St and West Street just before midnight on June 1. Charleston County EMS and Charleston Police were on standby.

Crews reported seeing a car on fire at the loading dock area of the Majestic Square building. The building fire sprinkler system had activated to protect the building, generating the alarm, and slowed the fire spread. Firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze and prevented further damage in the area. Members of the Fire Marshal Division responded to the scene and determined the fire was intentionally set. Fire Investigators from CFD and members of the Charleston Police Department are now investigating. Damage to the building was limited due to the activation of the fire sprinkler system and the quick response and suppression by responding personnel, officials say.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Charleston, SC – Arson fire at charter school suppressed by sprinkler system

Authorities are investigating after someone intentionally started a fire at a Charleston school.   The fire happened just before 10 a.m. at the Charleston Charter School of Math and Science on King Street.  When firefighters arrived they found the school evacuation under way and were told of a fire in a bathroom on the second floor.

“Crews entered to find a single fire sprinkler head that was activated and contained the fire to the bathroom area,” CFD officials said.”Firefighters completed extinguishment and proceeded to control the water flow to the sprinkler system and evacuate smoke from the building.”

A report states members of the Fire Marshal Division responded to investigate the incident and determined the fire was intentionally set in the bathroom. Fire investigators along with the Charleston Police Department and the school administration are reviewing the incident.  “Once the smoke was removed from the building the majority of the school reoccupied, one area of the school remained closed as staff worked to clean smoke and water damage,” CFD officials said. 

No injuries were reported.  The Charleston Fire Department, North Charleston and Saint Andrews fire departments, Charleston County EMS, and the Charleston Police Department responded to the scene. 

Residential, Townhouse / Condominium

Myrtle Beach, SC – Townhouse fire put out by residential sprinkler system; Neighboring homes spared

Myrtle Beach Fire Rescue credits a home’s sprinkler system for saving the house and the family. Lt. Jonathan Evans says a cooking fire was put out at a home in Market Common before firefighters could even arrive.

“First off, the sprinkler system is already in your home, so it goes off, it’s going to be a lot easier for it to put out the fire than us. Sometimes it takes us a little bit longer to get to you, get the hoses off and all that stuff. Plus, the amount of water it puts out – it puts out about 20 gallons per minute compared to the 250 or 300 gallons per minute that we put out, so on top of the fire damage you already have, by the time we get there, that water damage is going to be that much more because we want to make sure that fire is out,” Evans said. Evans says if you can’t afford to have a sprinkler system installed in your home, having a fire extinguisher or installing the Stovetop Firestop can help prevent extensive damage from small fires.

Other - Residential, Residential

Charleston, SC – Early morning fire at short-term rental property contained by sprinkler system

Firefighters with the City of Charleston Fire Department responded to a fire in downtown Charleston this morning just after 3:30 a.m., according to Fire Marshal Mike Julazadeh. The alarm company reported an automatic fire alarm at a residential short-term rental property on Spring Street.  Emergency responders from the Charleston Fire Department were dispatched to the alarm and arrived in less than three minutes, according to Julazadeh.

Additional information was provided by a 911 caller advising that a fire had occurred in the kitchen and the incident was upgraded to a structure fire, sending additional resources from Charleston, North Charleston, and Saint Andrews Fire Departments, Charleston County EMS, and the Charleston Police Department, he said. Emergency responders arrived to a four story building, that included retail sales on the first floor and a three story rental unit above, as the tenants were self-evacuating.  Responders searched the property, verified the fire was contained by the fire sprinkler system, controlled the water flow from the sprinkler, and ventilated the building. Investigators from the Fire Marshal Division Fire Investigation Team responded to the scene to review the incident.

The home was occupied at the time of the emergency and the residents woke to the sound of the activated fire alarm, he said. Occupants discovered the fire in the kitchen area and noted an activated fire sprinkler, called 911, and utilized a fire extinguisher to further suppress the fire. The occupants then proceeded out of the building as the fire department arrived on scene. Investigators determined the fire originated within the kitchen trashcan and was likely caused by discarded cooking items.

“A number of critical fire safety elements were instrumental in providing for the safety of the occupants and minimizing the damage to the building,” said Fire Marshal Mike Julazadeh. “First, fire inspections were previously completed as part of the approval process of the rental in order to verify code compliance and maintenance of the fire protection systems. Second, the fire alarm system detected the incident, alerted the occupants, and provided automatic notification to 911. Third, the fire sprinkler system contained the fire and prevented a significant loss to the property or the adjoining properties that are in close proximity. All of these components created a life safety system that prevented injury and minimized the potential loss.”

Office Building, Other Business

North Charleston, SC – Overnight fire at office park held in check by sprinkler system

Emergency crews have extinguished a fire at a business in Park Circle Tuesday night.  Crews with the North Charleston Fire Department responded to the fire at the ALSCO building on 4921 Chateau Ave.  NCFD officials reported at 10:47 p.m. that the fire was under control.  Authorities said the fire was kept in check by the sprinkler system until crews made entry to extinguish the fire fully.

There were no reported injuries.  Residents in the area reported multiple fire trucks responding to the incident.  A motorist said authorities had shut down a portion of the road as crews worked the fire.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Wellford, SC – Fire at chemical plant suppressed by sprinkler system; No injuries

Firefighters said Hazmat was initially called in after a fire broke out at a chemical plant in Spartanburg County Tuesday morning.  The fire broke out in a loading room at StarChem on Greenville Highway in Wellford, according to Startex Fire Chief Barry Ward.

The fire happened when a truck opened an equipment door and fumes from an open valve ignited.  The building was evacuated and the facility’s sprinkler system put out the fire.

Hazmat crews were called in to make sure no dangerous chemicals were involved and the water from the sprinkler system had not been contaminated.  Ward said Hazmat crews quickly determines there fire was not caused by a hazardous chemical.

No one was hurt in the fire.  Click here to read more about the StarChem plant’s manufacturing capabilities.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Spartanburg, SC – Sprinkler system activates after explosion at Sleep Inn motel

Several fire department were called to a motel Saturday night after reports of an explosion that came from one of the rooms,the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office said.

County dispatchers said crews were called out to the Sleep Inn on South Blackstock Road in Spartanburg County just after 6 p.m.

Deputies said the motel was evacuated and the house sprinkler system was activated.

The cause of the explosion is unknown at this time, and deputies said there is no indication it was a result of a meth lab, officials said.

The Sheriff’s Office is continuing the investigation.

Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

Rock Hill, SC – Dorm room fire held in check by sprinkler system at Winthrop University

Firefighters extinguished a small fire in a dorm room on the Winthrop University campus that forced the evacuation of 300 students Thursday morning, an official said.

The fire was called in around 7 a.m. in Richardson Hall, Deputy Chief Mark Simmons of the Rock Hill Fire Department said. The building’s sprinkler held the fire, which was isolated to one dorm room, in check until firefighters arrived.

No injuries were reported. Simmons said about 300 students were staying in the dorm for orientation and were evacuated.

There was minor fire damage to the one dorm room, and water damage caused by the sprinkler system, Simmons said.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.