Tag Archives: Washington

Manufacturing, Paper Mill / Saw Mill

Spokane, WA – Fire at paper manufacturer put out with help from sprinkler system

What could have turned into a raging inferno was instead a smoldering mess thanks to the sprinkler system installed at Inland Empire Paper.

Fire crews responded to the paper mill on Argonne just after 2:30 p.m. on April 15 for a fire in the recycling building. Employees were unloading giant bundles of recycled materials that were held together with metal bands, said Spokane Valley Fire Department spokeswoman Melanie Rose.

The metal of one of the bands scraped across the floor, got hot and ignited the bundled paper, Rose said. Crews were able to put out the fire quickly with help from the sprinkler system. The quick response was due in part to the department’s pre-incident planning, Rose said. “We already knew what was in there,” she said.

Crews from Spokane County Fire District 8 assisted at the fire and crews from Spokane County Fire District 9 staffed several Valley Fire stations while crews were at the paper mill.  Inland Empire Paper is owned by Cowles Co., which also owns The Spokesman-Review.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Puyallup, WA – Fire at Walmart kept in check by sprinkler system; No injuries

Firefighters controlled a large, smoky fire that forced customers and employees to leave a Puyallup Walmart store on Tuesday night.

KOMO-TV reports that Central Pierce Fire and Rescue spokesman Ed Hrivnak said the fire started about 9:30 p.m. The fire department received multiple reports of a fast-moving fire in the garden area.

No injuries were reported.

Hrivnak says the store’s sprinkler system kept the fire in check. It was under control by about 11 p.m.

The cause of the fire was not immediately known.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Everett, WA – Sprinklers help contain fire that jumped from burning vehicle to building

At 4:15 a.m. cell phone callers reported a loud boom and truck fire in the alley next to a building on the 2700 block of Rockefeller Avenue.

Everett Police were the first to arrive on scene and reported a truck fire spreading to the building. The fire was able to spread to the basement and second floor setting off the fire sprinkler system. The first arriving engine made an aggressive offensive attack knocking down the fire within minutes. The incident commander ordered a search of the building while the fire attack was in progress. Firefighters used chainsaws to open the roof looking for any hidden fire. The fire was completely controlled in approximately 20 minutes.

Due to a quick response by firefighters and the fire sprinkler system the fire was contained to the exterior of the building. The rest of the building was impacted by smoke and water damage.

There were no reports of injuries. Everett fire and police detectives are investigating. There is no estimate of a dollar loss at this time.

Apartment Building, Residential

Vancouver, WA – Mattress fire at new apartment complex contained by sprinkler system

A fire that started when a candle set a mattress ablaze damaged a Hazel Dell apartment Monday afternoon. The fire was reported at 2:15 p.m. at the ArdenWood Station Apartments, a new complex at 9517 N.E. Hazel Dell Ave. Firefighters arrived to find smoke coming from two sides of a second-floor apartment in the middle floor of a three-story block of six units, said Sarah Walton, a spokeswoman for Clark County Fire District 6.

ArdenWood Station opened last year and is equipped with modern fire sprinklers and alarms. Both systems were triggered, limiting damage and alerting the neighbors, Walton said. The fire was quickly extinguished, but there was some smoke and water damage.

Four people live in the apartment but were not at home when the fire started, Clark County Deputy Fire Marshal Susan Anderson said. The occupants have a dog, which was out running errands with them. A pet tarantula in the house was not harmed.  The Vancouver Fire Department assisted Fire District 6. In all, four engines responded.  Anderson determined that a lit candle set the mattress on fire.

Government/Military, Other-Government/Military

Redmond, WA – Sprinkler douses fire at teen center

The Old Fire House Teen Center (OFH) in Redmond is closed today and Saturday due to a small fire that occurred in the building’s media lab early Thursday morning.

The fire was limited to a mixing board in the room and was contained by the sprinkler system.

Rana Shmait, program coordinator for the OFH, said the center will be closed just for clean up and there are no safety concerns.

Residential, Sorority / Fraternity

Pullman, WA – Sprinkler helps limit damage in fraternity house kitchen fire

Sunday morning at 6:00 a.m., members living in the Delta Tau Delta house [on the Washington State University campus]  were woken up by a fire alarm. Someone had left the stove on after cooking an early morning snack.

“The fire started here and it went to the back of the stove, it lit up,” said Sam Cook, Fraternity President.

Pullman Fire Department officials said the stove had a significant amount of built up grease that hadn’t been cleaned. “That provided a good fuel source for the fire and so once it got hot enough and ignited then away it went,” said Rick Dragoo, Fire Prevention Officer.

The grease flames activated the stove’s hood extinguisher and a nearby sprinkler.  “That kept it from moving into the exhaust system and out and possibly maybe even up the side of the house,” said Dragoo.

Apartment Building, Residential

Renton, WA – Sprinkler system extinguishes apartment fire before it can spread

A sprinkler system extinguished a fire at a Renton apartment complex Tuesday night before it could spread, according to Renton Fire and Emergency Services Department.

The call came in at 8:06 p.m. as an activated fire alarm at the Benson Downs Apartments, 11000 S.E. Petrovitsky Road.  No one was injured, but three families were displaced from their water-damaged apartments, according to Renton Deputy Fire Chief Chad Michael. The American Red Cross responded to assist them.

Four units suffered water damage, with the unit where the fire started the most affected by water and some fire, according to Michael.

The fire was started by flower-shaped decorative lights resting on the carpeted floor in the dining area, he said. Fire crews didn’t need to deploy their firefighting equipment but helped clean up the water damage.

Two engines, one ladder truck and two aid units responded to the fire. Michael stressed that the sprinkler system kept the fire in check. “The sprinkler did its job and kept the impact to a pretty minimal amount,” he said. A damage amount wasn’t immediately available.

He noted that recent fires at apartment complexes in Renton grew in size because they didn’t have sprinklers.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Seattle, WA – Sprinklers control fire in underground parking garage, according to West Seattle Blog

Update: Car fire inside Admiral underground garage; no one hurt.

5:09 PM: Sizable Seattle Fire response right now for a car fire reported in the underground garage by the Admiral Bartell Drugs. Per scanner, the sprinkler system has it under control and ventilation is the big concern now. 

5:36 PM UPDATE: Our crew at the scene says one car was involved and the fire didn’t spread to others. Lots of water on the floor inside the garage because of the sprinklers. Nobody hurt.

Manufacturing, Other - Manufacturing

Yakima, WA – Fire at packaging company controlled with help from sprinkler system

Workers at Michelsen’s Packaging Company came back to work after a fire Tuesday.  Stacks of paper two stories high caught fire in Michelsen’s basement on North 2nd Ave.  The building’s sprinkler system helped control the flames.  It took firefighters more than 10 hours to clear the scene. No one was hurt. They’re still investigating how it started.