Tag Archives: Washington

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Sprinkler system aids firefighters in assisted living facility fire (Seattle, WA)

Fire sprinklers are being credited for the safe evacuation of residents of an assisted living facility during a fire which began in the basement the morning of October 7. Firefighters arrived and were able to put out the remaining flames, which were centered around a clothes dryer, within four minutes of arriving to the scene. There were no injuries reported.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Damage minimized at hotel thanks to fire sprinkler system (SeaTac, WA)

Fire crews responded to a late night call to a fire at a hotel on September 5. They arrived to find smoke that filled the laundry room on the hotel’s first floor thanks to the fire sprinkler that had contained the fire. Occupants of the hotel were able to enter back into the hotel room soon after firefighters extinguished the remaining fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Apartment Building, Residential

High rise fire suppressed by sprinkler system, keeps fire from spreading (Bellevue, WA)

At 10:44 a.m. a fire was reported on the ninth floor of the Elements Too high-rise on the 900 block of 112th Avenue Northeast.  Firefighters arrived in three minutes, and made their way to the ninth floor. The building’s sprinkler system kept the fire from spreading to other units. The cause of the fire has been determined to be discarded smoking material into a wastebasket spreading to the mattress. No residents or firefighters were injured in the fire.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Fire sprinklers save two area business (Redmond, WA)

In a 24 hour period, two fires in Redmond, Washington were controlled by a single fire sprinkler in each of these buildings.

The first fire occurred overnight at an occupied commercial building. The fire was confined to one room in the building, centered by a few blower fans thanks to the building’s fire sprinklers, and the business was able to continue business within a couple hours of the fire.

The other fire started in the kitchen of a townhouse and was unoccupied save for the resident’s dog. The home’s fire sprinkler extinguished the majority of the fire, thus protecting the dog until firefighters arrived to evacuate the animal.

No injuries were reported in either incident.

Apartment Building, Residential

Sprinkler system, Firefighters save woman from apartment fire (Kent, WA)

Kent firefighters rescued a woman following an apartment fire at about 8:30 p.m. Monday in the 24000 block of 104th Avenue Southeast.  The fire was controlled by a sprinkler system which had been retrofitted into the building approximately five years ago.  When they entered the apartment, they found the occupant unable to escape on her own. The cause of the fire was cigarettes improperly discarded in a container that caught fire and spread to the apartment’s carpeting, according to fire investigators.  No one else was injured. 

According to firefighters at the scene, the outcome of this fire could have been tragic if there had not been a sprinkler system.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Fire sprinklers show worth in retirement home fire (Gig Harbor, WA)

Fire sprinklers were credited by State Fire Marshall Charles Duffy with helping to save both property and life at a fire that started in the kitchen of a retirement community. Two fire sprinklers activated and kept the fire contained until fire crews arrived. Residents were all evacuated until the fire was completely put out, and no one was reported injured from the fire.

Retail, Shopping Mall

Fire sprinkler credited with saving ten businesses from fire destruction (Bremerton, WA)

A fire that started in the kitchen of a restaurant activated the unit’s alarm as well as its fire sprinklers. The sprinkler system extinguished most of the fire, which was contained to the kitchen, before fire crews arrived.

In 1998 in the same location, a different restaurant had a fire break out in their kitchen. However the outcome of that fire was quite different – that restaurant, which did not have fire sprinklers, sustained an estimated $1.2 million loss. Comparatively, the restaurant fire that was protected with a fire sprinkler system sustained an estimated $5,000 in property loss.
 
According to Central Kitsap Fire and Rescue spokesperson Ileana LiMarzi, “The fire was significant enough that three sprinkler heads were activated. Without the activation of the sprinkler system this fire would have quickly spread throughout the structure and potentially destroyed the nine other businesses housed in the building.”

No injuries were reported due to the fire.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Sprinkler system extinguishes laundry room fire at Alzheimer’s care facility (Edmonds, WA)

Dozens of residents at a Alzheimer’s care facility escaped injuries in an early-morning laundry room fire that was quickly extinguished by a fire sprinkler system. “The building’s fire sprinkler system really made a big difference in the outcome of this fire. It kept the fire from spreading, prevented injuries and limited damage,” Leslie Hynes, public information officer for Snohomish County Fire District 1, said in a news release. No injuries were reported.

This is not the first time a fire sprinkler system has extinguished a blaze at the facility, fire officials said. In August 2011, a sprinkler put out a fire in a hot water tank near the facility’s kitchen.