Primary / Secondary School Asheville, NC – Sprinkler quells fire that started in art kiln at charter school November 2, 2015 viking210 An indoor kiln’s exhaust fan at Evergreen Community Charter School failed Thursday night, causing heat to build up and the sprinkler to activate. The Asheville Fire Department responded to the school shortly after 8 p.m., said spokeswoman Kelley Klope. The sprinkler system cooled the kiln and prevented a fire, she said. Had there not been a sprinkler system, the heat buildup could have ignited nearby combustibles and the overhead ceiling, which could have caused a structure fire, Klope said. The school’s art room sustained minor heat damage to some overhead lighting and minor water damage. Sprinkler systems use less water to suppress early onset fires than fire crews do, Klope said. According to the National Fire Protection Association, if a home fire occurs, the risk of dying decreases by about 80 percent when the home is equipped with a fire sprinkler system.
