All posts by viking210

Apartment Building, Residential

Burlington, WI – Sprinkler system extinguishes third-floor apartment fire

An early Thursday afternoon apartment fire displaced residents at the Fox Crossing Apartments on Bridge Street along the city’s riverfront.

All occupants were safely evacuated from the multi-unit apartment complex at 180 Bridge St., with one resident sustaining burns and being transported to Aurora Burlington Medical Center, the City of Burlington Fire Department confirmed Friday. 

City Fire Chief Alan Babe reported that the fire was contained to one third-floor apartment, where sprinklers extinguished the blaze.

“We got a general (automatic) fire alarm at 12:33 hours,” Babe said. “Prior to us going en route, we got a call back from Racine County Communications Center that a proper pass code was given to clear the alarm, so I had the cancel tones set off. What ended up eventually happening is we were re-toned for smoke in the building.

“We were on scene at 12:40 and first crews in realized we did have an active fire at one point in Unit Number 306. Sprinklers were activated, with some water damage. Evacuation was already in progress upon our arrival,” Babe said.

A press release from Babe on Friday morning said the activation of the fire sprinkler system stopped the fire from engulfing the third-floor unit within minutes and expanding quickly to the other apartments.

“Without the fire sprinkler system in place, the aftermath would have been devastating, resulting in serious risk to life or even total property damage,” Babe said.

Burlington Police Department Lt. Brian Zmudzinski reported that 180 Bridge St. has 32 apartments with approximately 65 to 70 occupants.

Babe reported that displaced residents from the four-story complex were initially gathered together in the community room at the neighboring Fox Crossing Apartments building at 120 Bridge St.

“We do have EMS personnel with all the residents at this time,” Babe said at the scene, adding that COVID precautions were being taken and that pharmaceutical medication, food and hydration needs of residents were “being taken care of.”

Red Cross called

Babe said that some residents would be allowed to return to the apartment building in certain areas deemed safe to do so. But he added there “are going to be some permanent displacements” in an unknown number of units due to water damage.

The chief said he had been in contact with the American Red Cross regarding “proper accommodations” for any possible permanent displacements in connection with the incident, noting it was likely that some displaced residents might find accommodations with friends or family.

“We’re looking long-term if we have to put people up for a period of time … to make sure that they’re taken care of. We have those plans in place,” Babe said.

Firefighters continued helping displaced residents collect belongings and pets well into Thursday evening. Damage estimates were not available and the incident remained under investigation as of Friday.

As part of the incident response, Babe said the City of Burlington Fire Department set up a unified command system with the Burlington Police Department and responding fire departments. Multiple emergency units were on scene, including units from the Town of Burlington, Rochester, Lake Geneva, Salem Lakes and the Racine Fire Bells Emergency Services Support and Rehab unit. Babe said city staff, including the mayor, city administrator and public works crews were also on scene.

“We had good representation,” he said. “Everybody’s working together.”

The Racine County Sheriff’s Office and We Energies crews also assisted at the scene.

Babe said the cause of the fire is under investigation. There was no estimate on the dollar amount of damage to the apartment building as of Wednesday afternoon.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Dixon, IL – Suspicious hotel fire put out by sprinkler system

Dixon City firefighters responded to a fire alarm around 8:14 this morning at Quality Inn & Suites hotel, 136 Plaza Drive, just off state 26 and north of Interstate 88.

The engine company arrived to find heavy smoke in a first-floor room; the majority of the fire was put out by the hotel’s sprinkler system, Deputy Chief Dave Lohse said in a news release.

The fire is suspicious, and the state fire marshal is investigating the cause, the release said.

Parking Garage

Visalia, CA – Parking garage dumpster fire controlled thanks to fire sprinklers, ruled arson

A Visalia man with a history of lighting fire was arrested in connection with a downtown Visalia Dumpster fire. 

Around 12:55 p.m. Thursday, Visalia firefighters responded to a fire behind 227 E. Main St, near the Main Street Theatre. The Dumpster was in an enclosure that is part of the east Acequia parking structure, which is equipped with a sprinkler system.

Smoke activated the sprinklers which kept the fire from spreading. The fire caused only minor damage, according to Sgt. Russ Gauger.

On Friday, officers were called to the corner of Main and Court streets by a downtown security guard. The security guard told police he saw a man he’d seen near the Dumpster just moments before Thursday’s fire.  

Officers found and spoke with Charles Spurlock, 40. After some follow up investigation, Spurlock was identified as the suspected arsonist, Gauger said.

Spurlock was arrested in August 2016 in connection to a string of Visalia fires set just hours apart. During the incident, Spurlock tried to outrun officers but was eventually arrested after a perimeter was set up in the backyard of house near Savannah Street and Judy Street.

In 2017, he was held to answer on numerous felony charges related to the case. 

Spurlock was arrested on suspicion of arson, possession of a controlled substance and a parole violation. He was booked into Tulare County Pretrial Facility. His bail is set at $50,000. 

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Elizabethtown, KY – Manufacturing plant fire held in check thanks to sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Emergency responders were called Monday morning to an industrial fire at the Hendrickson plant in Elizabethtown.

According to information released by Elizabethtown Fire Department Deputy Chief Everett Roberts, the department was alerted to a fire at 940 N. Black Branch Road, at 8:48 a.m.

Roberts said the battalion chief was first to arrive and reported heavy black smoke coming from the west side of the production area. The battalion chief quickly confirmed with plant supervision that all employees had been evacuated.

Roberts said a rescue pumper crew made entry with hose lines to extinguish the fire, which was being held in check by the plant sprinkler system. Another crew gained access to the roof but found the fire was not extended.

Roberts said it was determined the fire originated near a hydraulic oil storage vessel causing a flash fire and heavy smoke.

Initially, there were reports of several employees needing medical attention. Hardin County EMS sent several ambulances and a supervisor to the scene. Roberts said it later was determined only one employee was checked on by EMS on scene and that employee did not need medical treatment or transport.

The fire was extinguished, overhauled and ventilation of the structure was completed and all EFD units were clear by 10:55 a.m.

“Fortunately, there were no injuries or major damage to the building,” Roberts said in the statement. “This incident does bring out an opportunity to remind folks to be careful not to block any fire lanes or fire equipment such as sprinkler connections. It is important for fire crews to have immediate access to these areas.”

Manufacturing, Paper Mill / Saw Mill

Montrose, CO – Sprinkler system slows fire at saw mill; No injuries reported

Montrose Forest Products is operating at a temporarily diminished capacity, as repairs are made to electrical components that were damaged in a fire late Friday at the timber mill.

“It wasn’t catastrophic, but it wasn’t good, nonetheless,” Mike Kusar, general manager, said Monday.

“We had mainly electrical damage to our de-barker area. We are running production today, but it is at less than full capacity. We are still making repairs. No one was injured. The fire district did a great job, getting right out there and getting it out,” Kusar said.

A fire alarm summoned the Montrose Fire Protection District and deputies to the timber mill on 65.30 Road at about 10:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 7.

Crews found fire showing in and around manufacturing equipment in an open area of the building. The sprinkler system activated, slowing the fire, which firefighters extinguished. With plant employees, they were able to shut down power to the system and machinery.

The fire district’s report says one of the areas of fire was at a hydraulic fluid tank and electric pumps, where rubber piping had burned through and was leaking. Containers of hydraulic oil had burned and above them, was wiring that had been exposed when the insulation burned off.

The fire also burned around and under a conveyor belt motor, and around a large saw in the metal building.

The amount of sawdust made it difficult to determine distinct burn patterns; per the report, workers said welding might have been done near the saw earlier in the day.

The fire district surmised the blaze was heading south and the sprinkler heads activated after crews arrived.

“I think our sprinkler system paid for itself this weekend,” Kusar said Monday.

As firefighters began clearing the scene Friday, employees used hoses to keep wetting the sawdust and worked to replace sprinkler heads to reactivate the system.

According to the report, dust, fiber, lint, sawdust and excelsior caught fire first, due to “failure of equipment or heat source.” It listed “heat source too close to combustibles” as a contributing factor. There were no human contributing factors.

Preliminary damages were estimated at $25,000. The involved property was valued at $5 million and the contents at $1million.

Montrose Forest Products is having the electrical damage repaired so it can resume full-capacity operations, Kusar said.

“It was obviously a very big deal, but we’re back running today. We worked all weekend to get her going,” he said.

The mill hopes to be at full operation again in about a week.

Uncategorized

St. Louis, MO – Apartment fire likely started by lightning strike controlled by fire sprinklers

A devastating fire that happened eight years ago likely helped save a new building in the same spot Wednesday afternoon.

The St. Louis Fire Department responded to a call for help at an apartment building in the 3900 block of Lindell. There was a report of a fire in the attic.

Crews and building management evacuated residents while firefighters worked to put out the flames. The fire ended up causing some damage in the attic and water damage to the top couple floors.

However, Fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson told 5 On Your Side the fire could have been a lot worse.

Eight years ago, a building in the same spot caught on fire and burned beyond help. The apartment building was rebuilt almost exactly the same with one exception – sprinklers were added in the attic.

Jenkerson said a bolt of lightning likely sparked Wednesday’s fire, and that it hit in same spot where the fire started eight years ago, although that fire wasn’t started during a storm.

He said the sprinklers stopped the fire from spreading and put firefighters in a position to save the building.

Apartment Building, Residential

Austell, GA – Fire sprinklers extinguish apartment fire after woman sets boyfriends closet

A Cobb County woman is charged with arson after authorities said she set fire to a bedroom closet during a fight with her boyfriend over the weekend.

Nioyca Nicole Lusega, 40, was arrested Saturday morning, less than three hours after firefighters responded to a blaze at the couple’s Austell apartment, investigators said.

Crews were called to the Lake Crossing Apartments along Riverside Parkway about 6 a.m. after the fire began during a domestic dispute, Cobb fire’s chief investigator Brian Beaty told AJC.com.

“The fire suppression system extinguished the fire, fortunately. But that did not negate the intent or the endangerment part,” Beaty said. “It was a multi-family dwelling, and that’s where it gets a little more complicated than just setting your boyfriend’s stuff on fire.”

Though the apartment’s sprinkler system extinguished the fire before crews arrived, several of Lusega’s neighbors suffered water damage in their units, authorities said.

Lusega, who faces one count of first-degree arson, remains held in the Cobb County Jail on a $27,720 bond, online records show.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Sandy, UT – Fire sprinklers help put out fire after tractor-trailer full of fireworks caught on fire;No injuries reported

A tractor-trailer, parked at a loading dock at a Smith’s in Sandy and filled with fireworks, caught fire Thursday morning.

Crews responded to the fire near 2000 East and 9400 South just after one a.m.

Investigators said the cause of the fire is suspicious.

“Concerning, definitely, there are some things that are suspicious about it,” said Ryan McConaghie, Deputy Chief of the Sandy City Fire Department.

Firefighters said the fire didn’t start in the trailer. It appears it started underneath and they could see several wood pallets stacked under the trailer when they arrived.

“That fire spread into the tractor-trailer box that they found out was full of fireworks,” McConaghie said. “Started the fireworks and started burning in the interior that opened up through the aluminum roof of that tractor-trailer and then it spread into the Smith’s building loading dock area and that actuated the fire sprinklers that helped put out the fire on the inside.”

FOX 13 viewer, Ben Perry, captured the fire just moments after it began with his cell phone. Perry said he was driving home from work when he noticed the huge cloud of smoke and called 911. He said he stayed on scene until firefighters arrived.

“There were fireworks that were exploding and you could hear it in the radio traffic coming out the top of that trailer and I’m sure into the loading dock into the Smith’s area,” McConaghie said. “So probably kind of exciting for the first ten minutes or so.”

A handful of employees were inside Smith’s and they evacuated. There were no injuries.

Investigators will comb through the evidence and check security cameras and other evidence in order to determine the cause of the fire.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Brevard, NC – Assisted living facility laundry room fire contained thanks to fire sprinklers; No injuries reported

Fire crews spent their early morning tackling a fire that broke out in a Brevard assisted living facility’s laundry room early Sunday morning.

A press release posted by Connestee Fire Rescue to Facebook on Saturday said crews responded to The Cedar Mountain House facility on Sherwood Ridge Road at 4:20 a.m., responding to a reported structure fire. Within minutes, CFR says they were on scene, with facility staff already in the process of evacuating residents. CFR said the working fire was within the laundry wing of the facility, and that crew members did additional searches of the facility to ensure all residents and staff were out safely.

Just before 4:30 a.m., fire suppression efforts began, and the sprinkler system activated. CFR notes this kept the fire contained to a commercial gas dryer in the room, and helped CFR personnel in putting out the flames.

35 residents were evacuated with help from other departments. Those departments also helped with salvage and overhaul operations. Fire, Rescue, EMS, and Emergency Management personnel aided with patient care and resident assistance throughout the incident.

While the residents were going to be moved to a different facility, fire personnel and building maintenance removed a large amount of water from the facility, along with removing smoke from the first floor of the structure. The sprinkler system was back online, and residents were able to be moved back in.

CFR and the Transylvania County Fire Marshal’s Office investigated, and believe an unknown issue with the dryer caused the fire. For now, The Cedar Mountain House will not be able to use the laundry wing until repairs are made. 

No injuries were reported. 

Agencies that provided mutual aid included City of Brevard Fire Department, Cedar Mountain Fire Rescue, Rosman Fire Rescue, Little River Fire Department, North Transylvania Fire Department, Transylvania County Rescue Squad, Transylvania County EMS, Transylvania County Emergency Management, Transylvania County Fire Marshals Office, Transylvania County Sheriff’s Office, Transylvania County Code Enforcement and Transylvania County Department of Public Health. Asheville Fire Rescue and Prisma Health EMS were on standby with multi-patient transport ambulance busses if residents needed to be taken to another facility.

Uncategorized

New London, CT – Kitchen fire at 30-unit apartment extinguished by fire sprinklers

Two people have been displaced after a kitchen fire broke out in a 30-unit apartment building at 73 Washington St. on Friday afternoon. There were no injuries.

Battalion Chief Jeffrey Rheaume said the fire was quickly extinguished after a building sprinkler system was activated, containing the fire to the kitchen from which it originated. The fire was called in to the department about 4:16 p.m., Rheaume said.

Rheaume said fire crews are still investigating the cause of the fire and the Red Cross is assisting those displaced. Their apartment has smoke and water damage, Rheaume said.