Monthly Archives: July 2017

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Peterborough, ON, Canada – Sprinkler system activates to help control early morning manufacturing fire

A fire that broke out in the city’s industrial area Friday morning has left three businesses with heavy smoke damage.  Firefighters responded to the blaze at 100 Jameson Dr., off Fisher Drive, at about 5 a.m.  It happened at Andritz Hydro, which is located in the same complex as FedEx and Measure Max.  The small fire was contained Andritz and no one was injured.

“Unfortunately there was heavy smoke damage throughout the complex,” said Chad Brown, Peterborough Fire Services deputy chief.  Firefighters were on scene until about 10:30 a.m. Streets in the area where closed, rerouting morning traffic. Workers were inside the complex at the time, but in Andritz. The fire alarm went off and the sprinkler system was activated.

The cause of the fire hasn’t been determined yet, but Brown said it’s not suspicious.  No estimate of damage was available Friday afternoon. Andritz, an Austrian company, opened the 17,000-square-foot plant in February 2014, where it makes stator coils used in both new and refurbished hydroelectric generating stations around the world.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Jeffersonville, IN – Fire at automotive supplier extinguished by sprinkler system

Employees at Autoneum in Jeffersonville’s River Ridge Commerce Center were evacuated last Thursday after a minor fire in one of the machines.  The Jeffersonville Fire Department responded to a report of a structure fire at the plant, which makes insulation parts and carpet for GM products, just after 3 p.m. When they arrived, the sprinkler system has extinguished the fire and employees had been evacuated.

Fire crews checked to make sure there was no spread of fire and secured the scene before employees could return to work, Jeffersonville Fire Department Sgt. Justin Ames.  Ames said that although this is the fifth fire the company has had since opening and the second or third this year, he doesn’t have concerns about the safety of the facility.  “It’s common for the work that they do, but they have a great response plan,” he said. “We’ve preplanned this building so we’re prepared.” Ames said the fire department meets with Autoneum owners several times a year to revisit safety protocol.

Apartment Building, Residential

Vancouver, WA – Late night apartment fire controlled by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Four families are without homes after a fire broke out inside an apartment complex in Vancouver late last Wednesday night.  The Vancouver Fire Department said firefighters were called to the Aurora Apartments in the 8100 block of Northeast Fourth Plain Boulevard around 11 p.m. Crews said they arrived to see smoke coming from the side of the three-story complex. Firefighters quickly entered the structure and found a sprinkler-controlled fire in a second-floor unit. They were able to knock out the fire within 15 minutes.  All residents made it out of the complex safely and no injuries were reported.  The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Retail, Shopping Mall

Irving, TX – Sprinkler system contains fire in shopping mall electronics store; No injuries reported

A two-alarm fire has been extinguished at an electronics store inside Irving Mall, officials say.  The fire was first reported at about 9:17 p.m. inside a room at Express Electronics. Heavy smoke was reported inside the mall, and fire crews evacuated customers and employees.  The mall’s sprinkler system kicked in, and by 10:20 p.m. the fire was under control.  No injuries were reported.  The fire was contained to the room where it originated, but smoke poured into other parts of the building. Fire crews brought in a venitlation fan to help clear the smoke overnight.

 

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Edmonton, AB, Canada – Arson fire in pub at historic building contained with help from sprinkler system

Firefighters were called to a downtown Edmonton pub early Tuesday morning, after several kitchen appliances were turned on during a break-in. Crews responded around 4:20 a.m. to alarms at Mercer Tavern, located inside the Mercer Warehouse on 104 Street near 104 Avenue. “The second call came in stating that the delivery gentleman at the back of the building opened up the back door and found smoke coming out and extensive heat from the building,” district Chief Brian Lees said, adding that at that time, the call was upgraded to a structure fire.

Crews arrived on scene and found what appeared to be smoke billowing out of the kitchen’s back door. When firefighters entered the building, their equipment detected very high levels of carbon monoxide so they quickly went back outside.

“When you get 260 [parts per million] in an old concrete building like this style, there’s no way of ventilating it when the gas gets moving because of the design of the building. They made a good decision to pull out of the building and start ventilating and get the CO levels down,” Lees said.

Firefighters discovered all of the burners on the stoves and gas-fuelled toasters were on when they arrived. Mercer Warehouse spokesperson Justin Archer said after the tavern was closed early Tuesday morning, someone broke in and turned on the gas stoves. The heat from the industrial appliances set off the sprinkler system, which in turn produced steam.

“You know what, it could be that he was hungry and wanted to make himself a meal. I’m not too sure, ” said Mercer Warehouse owner Devin Pope. “The fellow, we do not recognize so we aren’t too sure what he was thinking. The police are going to figure that out.”

Archer said several bottles of alcohol were also stolen. He said the tavern would be open at 5 p.m. Tuesday. Crews ventilated the building, got the gas turned off, and put the fire out with the help of the sprinkler system. The Mercer Warehouse is home to several eateries, over a dozen small businesses, and entrepreneurial mentorship company StartUp Edmonton. There’s no word on how much damage was caused.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Miami Beach, FL – Overnight electrical fire at resort hotel extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Hundreds were evacuated from a Miami Beach hotel early Tuesday morning after an electrical fire broke out. Crews responded to the scene outside the Deauville Beach Resort at 67th Street and Collins Avenue around 3 a.m. A hotel employee told NBC 6 that a generator caught fire outside of the building and that no one was injured.

“The wires came loose and apparently burnt up. So the only thing that burnt up was the wire, a temporary wiring that was going to the electrical room and the fire sprinkler for the building actuated and it controlled and extinguished the fire,” Miami Beach Fire Rescue Capt. Jorge Linares said.

Guests were forced to evacuate their rooms as firefighters shut off the power for safety precautions. FPL crews were on the scene and guests are still being kept out of the building as a precaution. The Red Cross was on the scene to help those who have been displaced. “We’re going to have the building officials and engineers check it out. It could be a couple of days or it could be a week, we don’t know yet,” Linares said.

Apartment Building, Residential

Longview, TX – Apartment kitchen fire extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries

The Longview Fire Department responded to a report of a kitchen fire in Longview, Friday.  The fire occurred at 1501 E. Whaley at the Churchill of Longview Apartments.  The fire reportedly started in the kitchen as a result of unattended cooking.  The department tells KLTV the fire was extinguished by the fire sprinkler system inside the apartment building.  No one was injured. Four occupants were displaced and will be staying with relatives. 

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Greenville, MI – Fire service credits sprinkler system in helping to control fire at plastics plant

An industrial fire at West Michigan Compounding’s (WMC) reclamation center Sunday morning was quickly extinguished by firefighters before it could spread to do additional damage. At approximately 9:15 a.m., the Greenville Department of Public Safety was dispatched to the WMC reclamation center, located at 634 Greenville West Dr. at the former Electrolux property, to the report of a structure fire at the building. According to Public Safety Officer Jamie Sorsen, no one was in the building at the time a water flow alarm was triggered.

“The alarm went off, and when employees arrived on scene, they found smoke,” he said. Sorsen said he requested assistance from the Belding Fire Department for additional manpower and equipment, and together, the departments sent in teams of two and three firefighters at a time to locate and extinguish the fire within the large industrial building.

“We knew that we had a lot of smoke and we knew the area it was coming from, but we didn’t know what was on fire,” he said. “But within minutes they located it.” Sorsen said there were a number of boxes containing plastic that were discovered to be burning about “100 to 200 feet” south of the northeastern corner of the building.

“We were able to locate it quickly, which allowed us to put it out quickly,” he said. It becomes a problem when you can’t locate the fire quickly.” The fire was contained within about one hour after the initial time of call.

“It did not burn through the roof and it was contained to a 30 by 30-foot area,” Sorsen said. “I credit the sprinkler system that was activated and all of the manpower, everybody responding quickly, both part-paid and full time firefighters from here and Belding, as well as the first responders here assisting us.”

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Richmond, VA – Sprinkler system keeps fire at restaurant from spreading

Richmond Fire crews are on the scene of a fire at the Peking Restaurant. This is happening in the 1300 block of East Cary Street. The fire marshal says the sprinkler system activated, keeping the fire in check. Crews are dealing with a lot of smoke as they search for hot spots in the rest of the building. The extent of damage is unknown at this time. Investigators are still looking into the cause. The Health Department is inspecting the restaurant. No word on how long it will be closed or when Peking will reopen.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Rochester, NY – Spontaneous combustion fire at textile plant contained by sprinkler system

No one was hurt after a fire on St. Paul Street Wednesday night. An automatic fire alarm went off at the Alsco plant on St. Paul around 7 p.m. A third alarm was declared because of the heat, manpower and the size of the building – approximately 65,000 square feet. Firefighters said the fire was put out without anyone being injured. They said the fire started in the back of the building, and that a sprinkler system helped keep the fire from spreading. The extent of damage to the building is not yet clear. The cause was due to a spontaneous combustion of textiles, according to Rochester firefighters. There was no one inside and no one injured.