All posts by viking210

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Tampa, FL – Sprinkler system activated for hotel dryer fire; No injuries reported

Aloft Tampa Midtown Hotel was evacuated Saturday night after a drier caught fire, according to Tampa Fire Rescue.

Firefighters arrived about 8:30 p.m. at the six-story hotel at 3650 Midtown Drive to investigate a report of a fire. The hotel is located in the Midtown Tampa development near N Dale Mabry Highway and W Cypress Street.

They found the source of the fire just one floor above them: A dryer in the second-floor laundry room had caught fire.

The hotel was evacuated and no one was injured, according to fire officials. The automatic sprinkler system was activated and helped contain the fire. It took firefighters about 20 minutes to extinguish the fire.

The fire was deemed accidental by a fire marshal. However, Tampa Fire Rescue did not say when guests were allowed back inside.

Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

Omaha, NE – Fire Sprinkler activated for fire in university dorm building; No injuries reported

The Omaha Fire Department, Omaha Police Department and Creighton University’s Department of Public Safety responded to an incident at a Kiewit Hall early this morning.

According to Cindy Workman, the university’s director of public relations, three small fires had been set at hand sanitizer stations. One of these fires triggered the fire suppression system in the building.

The students were safely evacuated to the student center and no one was injured.

The building was cleared for re-entry, and those students whose rooms were impacted by the sprinkler system were relocated.

Omaha Police and Public Safety are investigating the incident.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Plantation, FL – Sprinkler system activated for fire at Walmart; No injuries reported

An early morning fire at a Walmart in Plantation caused minor damage, closing the store and other adjacent businesses.

There were no reported injuries at the Walmart Neighborhood Market but smoke and water from the sprinkler system caused enough damage to keep the store closed until after clean up and repairs.

The fire started just before 2 a.m. Friday in the store at 1885 N. Pine Island Rd., located in the Jacaranda Square plaza near Sunrise Boulevard.

A Walmart employee outside the store would only say there was an emergency and the store is closed.

An employee at Davita Kidney Care, located next door, confirmed that there was a fire at the market overnight. She said it’s possible their medical office would be open later Friday after the smoke had cleared.

The Bealls Outlet sustained water damage from fire sprinklers and an employee tasked with cleaning up the mess said they would be closed for at least a couple of days, though there had been no fire in the department store.

Apartment Building, Residential

Dayton, OH – Sprinkler system assisted in extinguishing apartment kitchen fire

Dayton firefighters were called to an apartment fire at a high-rise early Tuesday morning.

Firefighters were called to 108 Melba Street just before 5 a.m.

The district fire chief, Fred Haney, says when they arrived they heard fire alarms going off.

On the 6th floor, he says it smelled like burnt food.

Inside one of the apartments, they found a fire in the kitchen.

He says crews were able to put the fire out quickly.

The fire he said started from a pot of food burning on the stove.

Haney says the buildings sprinkler system helped a lot putting out the fire.

But there is water damage from the sprinklers.

He says a considerable amount of water flowed before firefighters were able to turn it off.

No one was in the apartment where the fire started.

Because of that an investigator has been called in.

No other apartments were damaged in the fire.

And residents were able to stay in the apartments.

Apartment Building, Residential

Yuma, AZ – Apartment kitchen fire extinguished by fire sprinkler; No injuries reported

A fire that started in the kitchen could have turned into something much worse without the help of a fire sprinkler.

The Yuma Fire Department received reports of an apartment fire at La Posada Apartments last Sunday around 1 p.m.

Fire crews found a stovetop fire in the apartment at the scene, but the fire sprinkler had extinguished the fire.

They say a pot of oil had splashed and burned the stove’s burner. The fire was thankfully extinguished before it could spread to the rest of the kitchen.

No injuries were reported.

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

South Brunswick, NJ – Sprinkler system activated for warehouse fire; No injuries reported

A warehouse in South Brunswick Township caught on fire last night around 7 P.M. Over 50 firefighters arrived at the scene, including all three South Brunswick Companies (Monmouth Junction, Kingston & Kendall Park), Monroe Fire District 3, Jamesburg, Plainsboro and North Brunswick Fire Co. #2.

No one was injured in the fire, according to a press release. At 7:05 P.M., February 19th, South Brunswick police were alerted about a fire at the Sunoco Warehouse at 5 Stults Road near Route 130.

According to a preliminary investigation, the fire started due to the finished cardboard canisters manufactured by the facility which were stored on plastic pallets and shrink-wrapped, then stacked three pallets high. “Fortunately the sprinkler system and fire pump contained the fire to several stacks of the palletizing goods. Unfortunately, the fire and water caused several pallets to collapse, making it difficult for firefighters to locate and extinguish the seat of the fire,” said Monmouth Junction Fire Chief Scott Smith in a released statement.

At the time, fire hydrants on Stults Road were frozen. Firefighters used tankers from Cranbury, Jamesburg, Plainsboro and Monroe for water supply.

Crews were routinely rotated due to the intensive manpower to reach the seat of the fire 300 feet deep into the warehouse. It took several hours to ventilate the heavy smoke from the fire using large trailer-mounted fans from the Edison and Millstone Valley Fire Departments.

The fire is currently under investigation by the South Brunswick Township Fire Safety Bureau, according to a press release.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Camp Hill, PA – Fire sprinkler system assists in extinguishing fire at hotel; No injuries reported

The Radisson Hotel in Camp Hill caught on fire in the early hours of Wednesday morning, according to authorities.

An air conditioning unit in one of the rooms caught on fire and destroyed the entire room, while several of the nearby rooms sustained water damage from the sprinkler system.

According to the East Pennsboro fire chief there were no injuries.

Apartment Building, Residential

McKinney, TX – Single fire sprinkler extinguishes apartment fire; No injuries reported

The McKinney Fire Department (MFD) responded to a report of a water flow alarm Friday morning at Times Square of Craig Ranch apartments located at 7951 Collin McKinney Pkwy. Firefighters arrived to find light smoke in the hallway.  

Upon investigation, it was determined that single fire sprinkler had extinguished the fire started by lit candles inside one apartment. Fire investigators say the resident had lit several candles and then fallen asleep. 

No one was injured.

“Fire sprinklers are on duty 24/7. They never sleep even when you do,” said McKinney Fire Marshal Mike Smith. “They are always there, ready to extinguish a fire before it can spread and cause a large amount of property damage.”  

According to the National Fire Protection Association, candles start an average of 21 fires a day across the country. 

Residential, Single Family Home

Petaluma, CA – Sprinkler System activated for residential structure fire

Two adults including an elderly man were displaced by a residential fire in Petaluma on Sunday afternoon, Petaluma Fire Department Battalion Chief Mike Medeiros said.

The fire department received a report of a structure fire on the 1800 block of Fieldstone Lane at about 3:10 p.m. Sunday and dispatched the battalion chief, an engine, a ladder truck and an ambulance to the residence.

Upon arrival, firefighters saw that light smoke was coming from the front door of the home, Medeiros said. Firefighters quickly gained access, and they found a couch fire that had activated the overhead fire sprinkler and an elderly man who needed assistance to evacuate.

The man was evaluated for smoke inhalation and transported to Petaluma Valley Hospital for a further evaluation by a doctor, Medeiros said. A woman was outside when firefighters arrived on scene and was not injured.

An additional engine arrived to assist crews with salvage and overhaul to minimize further water damage from the sprinkler, Medeiros said.

The City of Petaluma Building Department and Fire Prevention responded to the scene. After an investigation, the residence was “red tagged,” due to the sprinkler system being activated, and the utilities shut off.

The preliminary fire investigation determined that the fire possibly started from an overloaded extension cord under the couch, but the exact cause of the fire is still under investigation, Medeiros said.

“Had it not been for the activation of the sprinkler system this fire would have grown to become much larger,” Medeiros said. Smoke detectors also alerted the residents to the fire.

The displaced adults have family who can care for them until their home is safe again, Medeiros said. Smoke and water damage is estimated at $25,000.

Rancho Adobe Fire and Cal Fire were also on the scene.

Apartment Building, Residential

Warwick, RI – Sprinkler System assists fire fighters in containing apartment fire

Alarms woke residents of a 46-unit building at Les Chateaux, 1403 Warwick Ave., at 3 a.m. Saturday, and they ran out into the freezing night.

Sixty people escaped, 49 adults and 11 children in 35 families, according to a Red Cross spokeswoman Sunday evening. They were given temporary shelter in a hotel.

Warwick Battalion Chief Thomas F. Brady said he heard the zone alarms, from first to second to third, track the smoke rising through the stairwells of the three-story building that is parallel to Warwick Avenue.

Smoke filled the lobby, Brady said, and firefighters could see flames entering from the hall.

He said the fire started in a basement storage area, set off a sprinkler near the boiler, then rolled across the ceiling and up the stairs to the first-floor hallway. The fire door on the right was closed, which he said prevented damage on that side, but rooms along the hallway going left from the elevator had burns on their doors from the top to about three feet above the floor.

Without knowing that everyone had escaped safely, the first engine called a second alarm to bring more help in searching. About 32 firefighters worked the scene.

No firefighters were hurt, Brady said, but two residents suffered smoke injuries and one slipped and fell on the ice.

The temperature was 18 degrees, Brady said, and residents did not have time to grab car keys or warm clothes. Buses arrived to take them to the Pilgrim Senior Center, so they could be warm while the Red Cross enrolled them for services.

Flames were arrested at the first floor within about a half hour of the first truck arriving and attacking the the origin area with a single hose, he said. Two companies worked the roof. The wind helped clear smoke after firefighters opened sliding glass doors in each room.

At about 5 a.m., firefighters provided escorts to allow one resident from each unit to retrieve keys, medications, cell phones and other necessities before the building, which had no water, heat or electricity, was secured.