Tag Archives: Vermont

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Brattleboro, VT – Sprinkler system activated for fire in parking garage

A car caught on fire in the Transportation Center on Sunday morning, causing damage to others.

“The sprinkler system activated and kept the fire at bay but then the crew that arrived had to finish extinguishing it,” Brattleboro Fire Chief Len Howard said. “So the sprinkler system did its job.”

The fire occurred on the third level of the parking garage on Elliot Street. Emergency personnel received the call at about 6:19 a.m. Sunday.

Howard expects the vehicle that went on fire will be deemed a total loss. Two or three other cars were damaged from the heat, he said.

It’s unclear how the fire started but it’s believed to have originated in the engine compartment. Howard anticipates more details will be released Monday.

The fire isn’t considered suspicious.

Fire / Police Station, Government/Military

Colchester, Vt – Fire contained by sprinkler system

A Colchester Fire District building is closed because of damage from an early morning fire Friday.

The Colchester Fire Department says it responded to the District #2 building just after midnight for a sprinkler/water flow alarm. They say this building shares a parking lot with the Mallets Bay station on Church Road. When they got there, the fire was showing from the roof. Crews say thanks to properly placed sprinkler heads, the fire was able to be contained.

Because of water damage in the office, the building will be closed for an unknown amount of time, but they can still be reached by phone for water-related emergencies.

The cause is currently under investigation but is not considered suspicious.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

St. Johnsbury, VT – Sprinkler system activated for dryer fire at senior care facility; No injuries reported

Senior residents of the Canterbury Inn Residential Care facility in St. Johnsbury are being housed in a hotel after a fire this weekend.

Fire officials say the fire started Sunday night in the laundry room and was contained to only that room.

After interviews with the building owner, officials say he started a gas fired clothes dryer and 15 minutes later, the fire alarm went off.

Crews are now working on removing residual smoke from the building.

No one was injured during the fire.

Officials say if the building didn’t have functioning fire sprinkler and fire alarms systems, it could have been a different outcome.

According to the facility, residents are staying at the Comfort Inn and will be back as soon as it is deemed safe.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Bennington, VT – Fire at senior housing complex contained thanks to fire sprinklers; No injuries reported

An emergency response was launched by firefighters, police and rescue personnel Wednesday afternoon after a fire was reported at the 50-unit Brookside Apartments senior housing complex on South Street.

Bennington Fire Chief James Wright said a fire in one of the apartments was called in at 2:55 p.m. The fire was confined to a closet area, he said, and did not cause significant damage.

However, the “sprinkler system did was it is supposed to do,” he said, resulting in smoke and water damage in the apartment on the building’s second level and damage on the ground level when water seeped through the ceiling near the front entrance.

Many residents evacuated when smoke alarms sounded, he said, while others were advised to shelter in place while firefighters dealt with the fire.

Residents standing outside near the parking lot at about 3:30 p.m. said some tenants likely would have required help evacuating because of limited mobility.

Wright said no injuries were reported, but the tenant where the fire occurred was not expected to be able to move back in for a few days. He said the Red Cross was called in the event temporary housing was needed.

Other tenants on the first level were temporarily kept out of their apartments while the water was cleaned up by Bennington Housing Authority personnel, he said.

As to the cause, Wright said, “We are looking at a candle,” which he said the woman said she had lit.

Firefighters were at the scene until shortly after 4 p.m.

The brick complex at 323 South St. has 26 one bedroom apartments and 24 efficiencies on five floors, according to the housing authority’s website. It was constructed in 1975.

Department Store, Retail

Bennington, VT – Fire at J.C. Penny maintained by fire sprinklers; No injuries reported

 A suspected electrical fire at J.C. Penney on Saturday morning resulted in heavy smoke and water damage but no injuries, officials say.

Bennington Rural Fire Chief Joey Hayes confirmed his department received the call for the fire, which started at about 8:15 a.m. Saturday.

“It was a clothing rack that caught fire,” he said. Crews contained the fire within 10 minutes, and remained on scene for about another four hours. About 50 people responded.

Officials are “leaning towards” the fire being electrical, Hayes said.

Bennington Police Chief Paul Doucette confirmed there were no injuries in the fire.

Besides Bennington Rural, Hayes requested crews respond from the Bennington Fire Department and North Bennington Fire Department.

“This being the holiday weekend [and] not knowing who’s around,” he said.

When crews arrived, the fire was visible from the front of the store, he said.

“By the time we got into where the fire was, the sprinkler system went off,” Hayes said. Crews used only about 100 gallons of water to put out the fire.

“The sprinkler did its job maintaining it,” he said. “We had to use very minimum water.”

The building sustained heavy smoke and water damage, but “very light” fire damage, he said.

“The smoke was throughout the whole building,” he said. “They had water damage. The sprinkler system went off. They had to get all the water cleaned up and everything.”

Hayes said the store was closed Saturday and Sunday. The store manager said on Facebook Sunday that the store remained closed while cleanup was being completed.

The fire is no longer being investigated by the fire department, Hayes said. It is not considered suspicious.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Williston, VT – Sprinkler system activated after minor explosion at cosmetics business

Fire and rescue responded Tuesday morning after a small explosion at a cosmetics business in Williston caused a fire.

One person suffered minor injuries and burns from the fire. They were checked out at the scene and did not need to be brought to the hospital.

The building’s sprinkler system assisted firefighters in fully containing the fire.

Fire officials believe they know what caused the fire.

“They used Isopropyl alcohol as a cleaner as part of their processes and one of the alcohol bottles had in fact caught on fire and that had a minor explosion inside the building,” said South Burlington Fire Department’s Tim Gerry.

Fire officials say the building is being ventilated and they monitored the building’s air quality. Repairs need to be made before the business can get back up and running.

Office Building, Other Business

Montpelier, VT – Fire on fourth floor of downtown office building extinguished by sprinkler system

A small fire broke at the National Life Building in Montpelier Saturday. According to firefighters, the call came in around 2:45 p.m. for smoke on the 4th floor of the Davis Building. that section of the building houses state offices. Multiple departments responded to the scene. A National Life spokesperson say the building’s sprinkler system activated and extinguished the fire. There is considerable water damage on the east side of the second, third and fourth floors of the Davis building. There were no injuries. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Waterbury, VT – Warehouse fire is kept from spreading by automatic sprinkler system

Officials are investigating what sparked a warehouse fire in Waterbury.  Waterbury Fire Chief Gary Dillon said crews were called to 35 Foundry Street just after 2:30 a.m. Wednesday.  Dillon said the fire started on the outside of the warehouse, and eventually spread to the inside of the building.  On Wednesday afternoon, Vermont State Police said the fire started in an open storage area that had a metal roof over it.

“There were some items being stored in this area, which caught fire and spread outwards and upwards to nearby combustible materials,” Vermont State Police said in a press release. “It was learned this area is known to be a hangout where people smoke and drink at night based on what was discovered in the fire remains.”

Dillon said the sprinkler system inside the warehouse prevented the fire from spreading. Officials say no one was in the building at the time of the fire. No injuries were reported.

Anyone with information is asked to call Vermont State Police Detective Sgt. Todd Ambroz at 802-229-9191 or the Vermont Arson Tip Award Program at 1-800-322-7766.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Derby, VT – Motel room fire contained with help from sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Close to 11:30 Friday night, Vermont State Police say Derby Line Fire Department responded to a report of a fire in a room at the Border Motel.

Upon arrival, crews encountered a fire in an occupied room on the second floor of the motel.

The fire department was able to extinguish the flames and keep the fire contained to the room of origin, along with the help of the building’s fire suppression/sprinkler system.

State Police say there were no reported injuries from the fire, but another tenant was transported to North Country Hospital for an unrelated medical emergency.

After his initial scene examination, Chief Craig Ellam requested the assistance of the Department of Public Safety Fire Investigation Unit.

Investigators were able to confirm the fire originated on a couch in the room.

Police say the room sustained significant damage and is considered a total loss. Other nearby rooms sustained smoke and water damage, and several tenants had to be relocated within the motel.

According to a media release, the male occupant of the room, Romuld Kuczek, was placed into protective custody due his level of intoxication.

There are no criminal charges at this point, but police say the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Residential, Single Family Home

Brattleboro, VT – House fire controlled with help with help from sprinkler system; No injuries

The Brattleboro Fire Department made quick work Friday afternoon in snuffing out an electrical fire at 100 Clark St. Brattleboro Fire Chief Michael Bucossi said the department got the call at 11:55 a.m. “It’s a very tight area,” Bucossi said. Though Clark Street is narrow, Bucossi said that firefighters knew how to get their trucks in, because they’ve responded to fires on Clark Street before. “But it does concern us, especially with the ice and snow that is starting to form here,” he said.

According to a press release issued Friday afternoon, firefighters sent to the building’s basement found a fire spreading to the ceiling. It was quickly extinguished, but firefighters discovered that some of the flames had spread to the space between the ceiling and the first floor. That was also quickly extinguished. Bucossi noted that a sprinkler system above the furnace helped to contain the fire before the department could arrive.

Another concern for firefighters was the proximity of the buildings. “It’s very packed here,” Bucossi said. “There are also some very large buildings.” However, said Bucossi, “Spread was not a concern today.” While the fire was under control pretty quickly, Bucossi said he was having issues communicating with the family that lived in the home. The family is all Chinese speaking. Despite the communications problem, Bucossi learned no one was harmed by the fire. He also believes the house will remain livable.

All of Brattleboro’s units and personnel showed up to the fire while firefighters from Putney and Hinsdale and Chesterfield, N.H., covered Brattleboro’s stations. Green Mountain Power and Rescue Inc. also showed up to assist.