All posts by viking210

Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

Tempe, AZ – High-rise fire at Arizona State University residence hall kept in check by fire sprinklers; No injuries reported

More than three dozen people have been displaced after a fire broke out at a high-rise apartment building in Tempe on Friday morning.  

When crews arrived, smoke was coming from the 8th floor, according to the Tempe Fire Department. 

Fire and medical units from Tempe, Phoenix and Mesa responded to the fire call at the University Towers on Mill Avenue and University Drive around 11 a.m.

Firefighters say they found food burning on the stove in one unit. The building’s sprinklers went off and kept the fire from spreading.

The high-rise is a residence hall for Arizona State University students. 

About 40 people from 16 units are unable to return to their apartment primarily because of water damage, according to ASU. 

No injuries were reported. 

ASU’s Fire Marshal Office is investigating. 

Casino, Other Business

Las Vegas, NV – Fire sprinkler helps control mattress fire at casino hotel

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department released more details surrounding a small fire that broke out at the Excalibur Hotel and Casino Wednesday morning.

In a press conference, Capt. Dori Koren said a sexual assault victim was in the hotel room when a fire broke out 11:30 a.m. and that a search for a suspect was underway.

According to Clark County Fire Department deputy fire chief Jeff Buchanan, firefighters responded after a reported fire on the sixth floor.

When crews arrived, they found a mattress on fire inside one of the hotel rooms where there was a sprinkler activation.

Buchanan said hotel engineers and fire officials were continuing to work to ventilate smoke from the floor and no evacuations were necessary.

A suspect description was not released as the investigation was in the “preliminary stages,” said Capt. Koren.

No additional details surrounding the fire were released.

Office Building, Other Business

Meriden, CT – Sprinkler system contains fire in dust collection system at office building

Hundreds of employees of a business in Meriden were evacuated after a fire on Wednesday.

Firefighters who were driving by the Meriden Enterprise Center on the way to another call around 10:10 a.m. reported what they believed was a furnace malfunction in the basement of the business, fire officials said.

After an investigation, firefighters said they found a working fire in a dust collection system in the basement. The dust collection system spread through the vents of the building.

The fire is under control, however, there was significant smoke, authorities added. A working sprinkler system contained the fire to one room.

Three hundred employees of the business were evacuated, fire officials said.

A nearby church was also evacuated because of the fire.

The Twitter account for Episcopal Church in Connecticut in Meriden says all church staff who were there are safe and evacuated.

No additional information was immediately available.  

Apartment Building, Residential

Des Moines, IA – Fire sprinklers contain kitchen grease fire; No injuries reported

Residents were evacuated from an apartment on the south side of Des Moines early Wednesday morning.

Fire crews were called to 1516 Evergreen Avenue at around 5:45 a.m.

Fire officials say there was a grease fire in the kitchen of a first-floor apartment that caused water and smoke damage to the apartment and the hallway.

Fire Captain Tim Patava said there were no injuries in the fire and more than a dozen were evacuated.

Alarms and sprinklers were tripped by the fire and the fire was contained to that apartment.

Apartment Building, Residential

Dallas, TX – Early morning fire at high rise apartment sparked by wheelchair put out by fire sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Flames inside a high-rise apartment were caused by a wheelchair that caught fire, officials say. 

Dallas Fire-Rescue crews responded to a fire call around 6 a.m. Wednesday at the Cliff Manor Apartments near the 2400 block of Fort Worth Avenue. 

Investigators say the blaze was sparked by a wheelchair at the elderly housing community. 

Firefighters say when they arrived at the complex they could see light smoke coming from the top floor. When they reached the unit where the smoke was coming from, they say the sprinkler system had already extinguished the fire. 

Medics say an elderly man was in the unit when the fire sparked. He was transported to the hospital for a pre-existing medical condition, according to officials. 

Authorities say no one was injured during the incident. 

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Las Vegas, NV – Fire inside Amazon warehouse contained by fire sprinklers

Firefighters in North Las Vegas were called to an Amazon warehouse about 10:30 p.m. Tuesday after a fire started inside the building, Deputy Chief Travis Anderson said.

Anderson said sprinklers did go off and firefighters were working the structure fire. The warehouse is located at 3837 Bay Lake Trail.

One person was taken to a hospital for treatment for smoke inhalation, but no other injuries were reported, according to Battalion Chief Gary Stover.

The fire is still under investigation, Stover said.

Government/Military, Other-Government/Military

Woodland Park, CO – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire at bank overnight; No injuries reported

An investigation continues into an internal fire that occurred inside the Park State Bank & Trust facility on the early morning hours of Jan. 27.

Authorities still haven’t determined the exact cause of the incident, which didn’t result in any injuries.

On the upside, the bank has returned to normal operations, after undergoing some intense mitigation efforts for several days.

According to Park State bank officials, the fire occurred under a soffit on the east side of the building shortly after 3 a.m. on Jan. 27. The fire damage was mitigated by the bank’s sprinkler system. In an official statement, bank president Tony Perry said, ‘The sprinkler system did such a great job that we are now assessing the damage, root cause, and have begun mitigation efforts.”

The fire, though, did cause extensive damage in parts of the facility.

After being closed on Jan. 27, only the drive-through was operating both Tuesday and Wednesday, as teams were assessing interior damage and air quality was low, according to bank officials. All first-floor flooring has to be removed and will be replaced. As of Thursday, operations resumed for team members with all employees working on the second floor.

Yellow tape was displayed in front of the bank entrance during much of last week to allow experts to assess the damage.

In a statement on the Woodland Park Chamber of Commerce’s Grapevine page, the bank offered thanks to emergency service officials, insurance and damage exerts and    local customers.

“PSBT wishes to thank Chief (Tyler) Lambert and the NE Fire Protection team for responding quickly and preventing the fire from spreading throughout the building. Thanks are also due to both Joy Pickett of The Insurance Center, who quickly had a team out to assess the claim, and Michael Whittemore and his 1-800-Water Damage team which immediately began mitigating damage and preparing to return the building to full service as quickly as possible Thank you also to the city of Woodland Park and the many, many bank customers who offered help. It is a privilege to be a part of this wonderful community.”

The one casualty is the forthcoming Woodland Park Chamber of Commerce After Hours gathering, originally planned at the bank next month.

Due to building repairs, the Chamber After Hours event for Feb. 18 will still be hosted by PSBT, but the event will occur at the Ute Pass Cultural Center. This is the third time the site for the forthcoming February After Hours has been changed.

Hospital/Care Facility, Hospital/Medical Clinic

Sioux Falls, SD – Equipment fire at hospital extinguished by fire sprinkler; No injuries reported

Authorities say a small equipment fire at a Sanford Hospital building in Sioux Falls forced staff to temporarily move some patients to a different part of the building.

The fire broke out around 11 p.m. near the radiology department on the ground floor of the medical center.

According to Sioux Falls Fire Rescue, an equipment maintenance cart started on fire, but it was extinguished by a sprinkler before firefighters arrived.

A Sanford spokesperson said patients were briefly moved from the emergency department and The Birth Place while firefighters evaluated the situation. Once the smoke in the air had been cleared, patients were returned to their rooms.

No one was hurt during the incident.

Sanford said its fire response worked “as designed.” The spokesperson said patients will not experience any disruptions due to the incident.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Yorktown, VA – Sprinkler system controls fire at school after electrical fire in equipment room

Grafton High School and Grafton Middle School in York County were evacuated Monday afternoon after an electrical fire set off the sprinkler system. The two schools will now be closed for the next two days for cleanup.

York Fire and Life Safety crews were called to the school complex around 3:45 p.m. Arriving units found heavy smoke and fire in an equipment room. The initial fire was controlled by the sprinkler system.

Regular classes had dismissed for the day at that point, and all students and other personnel who were there for after-school activities got out safely.

If your kids were there for after-school activities, you can pick them up at the nearby Amory Funeral Home, located at 410 Grafton Drive. All remaining activities at the schools for the day are canceled.

As a result of the fire, Grafton Middle and High Schools will be closed Tuesday, February 4, and Wednesday, February 5.  All after-school activities on those days are also canceled.

School employees will receive a communication from their building principals regarding staff schedules.

A plan is being worked on for students and staff to reclaim any personal possessions left on campus.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Santa Barbara, CA – Hotel fire kept in check thanks to sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Firefighters responded Sunday to a fire in an area under renovation at the Hyatt Centric Hotel on the beachfront in Santa Barbara.

Crews were dispatched shortly after 10 a.m. to the hotel at 1111 E. Cabrillo Blvd., Santa Barbara City Fire Chief Eric Nickel told Noozhawk.

The fire was on the roof in an area of the hotel being remodeled, Nickel said, adding that when firefighters arrived, they found workers attempting to put out the blaze.

The fire likely was caused by the roofers, Nickel said, noting that a propane tank and a hot torch were found near the ignition point.

Firefighters used a ladder truck to make access to the roof, and pulled apart some of the roofing material to gain access to the flames.

The fire was declared under control at 10:52 a.m., Nickel said.

He noted that the flames were kept in check by the hotel’s sprinkler system.

“With the building under construction and the walls all opened up, we could have lost the whole thing if not for the sprinklers,” he said.

Crews searched the first and second floors of the affected area to make sure everyone was out, Nickel said.

Firefighters remained on scene late Sunday morning doing overhaul, and an investigator was called in to search for the cause of the fire.

No injuries were reported.

With all of the city’s fire engines and trucks assigned to the incident, crews from Santa Barbara County and Montecito were called in to provide coverage in the city, Nickel said.

Check back with Noozhawk for updates to this story.