All posts by viking210

Department Store, Retail

Maysville, KY – Sprinkler system controls fire set to lawn furniture at Lowe’s; No injuries reported

Maysville firefighters were called to their second fire at a lumber retailer in less than week when the alarm sounded for Lowe’s Home Improvement on Thursday.

Maysville Fire Chief Kevin Doyle said MFD was called to the Lowe’s store at about 3:30 p.m., to answer reports of a fire inside the business located on East Maple Leaf Road.

When firefighters arrived they found a rack of lawn furniture cushions in the Lawn and Garden section in flames, he said,

The store’s sprinkler system had already activated to control the fire, Doyle said. Firefighters had the fire out in short order, he said.

“It was out pretty quickly,” he said.

There was no obvious source to have ignited the fire, Doyle said. The merchandise was not newly displayed and had been stocked for some time, he said.

Although there was electrical power source nearby it was not affected or damaged by the fire and remained intact, Doyle said.

No one was injured and the store was shut down for a short time, he said.

Detectives T.C. Rice and Michael Parsons of the Maysville Fire Department are reviewing security video to see who was in the area at the time the fire started, Doyle said.

Anyone with information about the fire is asked to contact Doyle at 606-564-2541 or Parsons at 606-564-9411.

Firefighters were called to a fire at Hardymon Lumber in downtown Maysville on Saturday evening. The fire destroyed the business’s office and showroom but did not spread to areas where lumber was stored. The business was up and running by Monday.

The cause of that fire has officially been listed as undetermined.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Rapid City, SD – Kitchen fire at elementary school extinguished by fire sprinkler system; No injuries reported

The Rapid City Fire Department was called to General Beadle Elementary located at 10 Van Buren Street for an automatic fire alarm around noon today.

As the crew from Truck 1 was arriving on scene, Pennington County 9-1-1 dispatch advised that a caller was reporting an active fire in the kitchen. A full first alarm was called that included additional units from Station 1 as well as Stations 3 and 7.

When Truck 1 was inside, they found that there had been a fire on the stove in the kitchen. The fire had been extinguished by the commercial hood system as well as a single sprinkler head from the fire sprinkler system.

The full first alarm system was canceled while Truck 1 remained on-scene.

The building was occupied at the time of the fire by Rapid City Area Schools personnel that were making and distributing lunches. The Rapid City Community Health Office was also open and operating during the time of the fire. No injuries were reported and occupants safely and quickly evacuated.

The fire was contained to the stove area while smoke was quickly cleared by firefighters who also assisted with the clean-up of water from the sprinkler system, and was determined to be an accident by an investigator from the Rapid City Fire Department.

Boxes being used for lunch distribution by the stove caught fire and were quickly extinguished by the sprinkler and hood systems. The fire shouldn’t negatively impact ongoing lunch distribution.

“The sprinkler system did exactly what it was designed to do”, said Lt. Brian Staton with the Rapid City Fire Department’s Fire and Life Safety Division. “Only the number of heads needed to put the fire out were activated. Instead of dealing with a big fire, we’re squeegeeing up water”.

The Rapid City Fire Department wants to remind everyone that it advocates for fire sprinkler protection, especially with large, public buildings.

Apartment Building, Residential

Racine, WI – Fire sprinklers save tenants and apartment building from loss; No injuries reported

No one was injured in a Sunday afternoon kitchen fire that aused an estimated $3,300 in damage at the Regency West Apartments in the 2300 block of Loni Lane.

At 2:45 p.m. Sunday, the Racine Fire Department was dispatched to a report of a fire in an upper apartment at 2328 Loni Lane, west of Highway 31, according to a Fire Department news release. Occupants were standing safely outside when firefighters arrived.

After arriving on scene, firefighters found an automatic fire sprinkler system spraying water from a single sprinkler head into the kitchen at the apartment, where a fire started on the stove top and had spread to the cabinets before the sprinkler system activated. A smoke alarm was sounding in the apartment.

Instead of battling what would most likely have been a fully involved apartment fire, firefighters had to merely turn off the main water control to the fire sprinkler system to stop further damage, Fire Department officials said.

The Red Cross was contacted to assist the four people in two apartments who were displaced due to the fire.

The tenants are expected to be able to return to their apartments within a few days.

The Fire Department said that lessons learned from the incident were:

  • Fire sprinklers likely saved tenants and an apartment building from a catastrophic fire loss.
  • Tenants involved in this fire did not have renter’s insurance, which would have helped protect them from the thousands of dollars of financial loss. Renter’s insurance also helps protect tenants from actions of neighbors, fire officials advised.
Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Kalamazoo, MI – Sprinkler system saves building from additional damages

Kalamazoo firefighters put out a fire in the building that formerly housed Rupert’s Brew House and Boogie Records.

Firefighters were dispatched at 11:06 P.M. to 773 W. Michigan Ave., formerly Rupert’s Brew House, April 20, 2020, and found fire coming from the front of the building.

Firefighters mounted an exterior attack knocking the fire down right away. They were able to send a crew into the attic, investigating to make sure there wasn’t any more damage that they couldn’t see from the outside.

It is not clear what caused the fire or the extent of the damage. In a written statement on Tuesday, Kalamazoo Public Safety officials said the building was unoccupied at the time of the fire.

The Fire Marshall was on scene.

Sergeant Chuck Mason with Kalamazoo Department of Public safety said that the sprinkler system which was activated, likely saving it from additional damage.

Mason said the fire was under control in 15 minutes.

The brewery operated for about six years, but hosted a comedy show for the final day on Sept. 8, 2019.

According to the Kalamazoo Public Library, the building has hosted many businesses throughout the years, including originally being the location of the Oakland Pharmacy, which opened in 1926. A fire hit the business on Feb. 26, 1935, but it was repaired.

In 1972 the building turned into a popular music store called Boogie Records that lasted until 1995.

Government/Military, Prison / Jail

Stock Island, FL – Electrical fire in county jail contained by fire sprinklers; No injuries reported

A small electrical fire broke out at the Monroe County jail on Stock Island on Sunday morning.

No one was injured in the blaze. The fire started at 6:41 a.m. in an electrical box at the sally port of the jail on College Road, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Adam Linhardt said. The fire started right under a sprinkler head fore a fire protection system, which allowed the fire to be easily contained, Linhardt said.

Firefighters arrived within minutes and quickly extinguished the blaze, Linhardt said. The fire did damage some electrical equipment and the jail was operating on back-up generators on Sunday, Linhardt said.

Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

Missoula, MT – Dorm hall fire sprinkler system puts out fire; No injuries reported

Officials with Flathead Valley Community College confirmed that a fire broke out in Founders Hall Sunday morning.

FVCC says no one was injured in the fire. They added that the building’s fire and sprinkler system worked properly, and the Kalispell Fire Department put the fire out.

Campus officials said some students were still living in the dorm. While only a few were affected by the fire, they say all of them were relocated to other rooms.

Authorities were not able to confirm the cause of the fire.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Pahrump, NV – Sprinkler system controls fire at senior living facility; No injuries reported

The evacuation of a senior care facility was one of several emergency service calls for local first responders.

Pahrump Valley Fire and Rescue Services Chief Scott Lewis said crews were dispatched for a report of a structure fire at Inspirations Senior Living facility on Honeysuckle Street just before 7 p.m. on Monday, April 6.

“While responding, crews were notified of a laundry room fire, with an evacuation underway,” Lewis said. “Crews arrived on location and found white smoke coming from the open doorways. They completed a 360 size-up, risk assessment and determined that evacuations were underway and we had to coordinate that.”

As a result, Lewis also said additional crews were added to the assignment, including Nye County Sheriff’s Office deputies.

“We located a working fire in the laundry room with a sprinkler activation, so not only did we have to deal with the fire issue, but also the water that was pouring out of the sprinkler heads,” he said. “Crews quickly controlled the fire and the flow of water out of the sprinkler system at the riser. They were able to ventilate the smoke out of the building and return the residents back to their respective rooms. There were no injuries.”

Apartment Building, Residential

Richmond, TX (no media coverage) – Sprinkler head extinguishes kitchen fire in apartment

“The area of origin for the fire was the back, right rear burner on range top. Radiant heat ignited the microwave and cabinetry directly above. Responding FD found no flames or smoke, burner still glowing red as it had not been turned off. Fire was extinguished by sprinkler head on ceiling approximately 10′ away from fire. “

Residential, Townhouse / Condominium

West Bend, WI (no media coverage) – Condo cooking fire put out by fire sprinklers

04/11/2020 20:28 #20-1148 The West Bend Fire Department was dispatched to a multi family condominium, 470 N Silverbrook Dr., on Saturday, April 11th, 2020, at 8:28 p.m., for a grease fire on the stove in one of the second floor units. Engine 1, Truck 2, and Battalion 1 responded. The owner of the condo met firefighters outside and stated that the fire was out. He stated that he was cooking on the stove and the oil in the pan flared up when he pulled the cover off. He attempted to use a fire extinguisher but the fire grew in size with flames from the stove reaching the bottom of the microwave. The sprinkler system activated and suppressed the fire.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

New Orleans, LA – Sprinkler system helps extinguish fire inside community center; No injuries reported

The New Orleans Fire Department is investigating a 2-alarm fire in Central City. Firefighters say they got a call around 4:21 a.m. Thursday about a fire at an abandoned building on S. Liberty & First Streets.

The fire did spread to a community center nearby. One person was inside and was able to escape. The rear of the building burned and the fire also spread to the attic. Firefighters say the sprinklers inside the community center helped extinguish the flames.

The fire was under control by 4:51 a.m. NOFD is investigating witness accounts that someone nearby started a fire to stay warm. No one was hurt during the blaze.