All posts by viking210

Adult Care/Rehab Center, Hospital/Care Facility

Slinger, WI – Fire sprinkler system puts out fire caused by malfunctioning heating unit at rehabilitation center; No injuries reported

There was a bit of smoke and a minor fire at The Pavilion at Glacier Valley, 1900 American Eagle Drive, on Monday afternoon.

Slinger Police Captain Joshua Gullickson said the initial call came in at 4:20 p.m.

The call was for a sprinkler system activation. “When officers arrived smoke was visible but no flames,” said Gullickson. “Slinger Fire Department was dispatched to the scene and the cause of the sprinkler activation was an overheat malfunction of a heating unit in one wing of the facility.”

Gullickson said residents were moved to a different part of the building.

No injuries were reported to residents, staff or emergency responders.

The Pavilion is described as “short-term rehabilitation, respite and long-term care.”

Residential, Single Family Home

Austin, TX – Residential sprinkler system extinguishes fire after candle sets Christmas tree on fire; No injuries reported

A candle too close to a Christmas tree ignited a fire at an East Austin home early Sunday, Austin fire officials said.

Firefighters responded to the fire at the 4500 block of Kocurek Street, near Mueller and Airport boulevards, just before 4 a.m.

A residential sprinkler system extinguished the blaze before firefighters arrived to the home and contained it to the area where the tree stood. Firefighters helped mitigate the smoke and water.

Fire and water damage were estimated to be around $30,000, fire investigators said.

“It is past time for dry trees to be removed from your home,” officials said in a tweet Sunday.

No reports of injuries were made.

Apartment Building, Residential

Keene, NH – Mattress fire on second-floor of apartment put out by fire sprinklers

A mattress fire at a Keene apartment Monday night caused an estimated $25,000 in damage, according to the Keene Fire Department.

The fire at 26 Citizens Way was contained and extinguished thanks to the building’s sprinkler system, according to a news release from the department.

Firefighters were called shortly after 9:30 p.m. to a second-floor apartment in the eight-unit building. The occupants were out of the apartment, and Keene police helped evacuate the two adjacent units, the news release said. The fire was declared under control at 10 p.m.

Three people were displaced by the fire, fire officials said, and the fire alarm worked properly to alert people to leave the building.

Though the fire was contained to a bedroom, there was heat, smoke and water damage on the second floor and water and smoke damage on the first floor, the news release said.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Damage to the building and contents is pegged at about $25,000. Part of the Keene Highland Housing complex, it’s a property of Southwestern Community Services.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Rochester, MN – Sprinkler system credited for containing fire at local nail salon

Firefighters credit sprinkler system containing fire at a business in Northwest Rochester on Saturday.

The Rochester Fire Department said in a statement, they responded to a call for a general fire alarm at 3780 Marketplace Dr. NW around 7:16 a.m. Saturday. When they arrived at the scene, firefighters say they heard alarms sounding outside the building and found heavy smoke in Suite 107 where Polished Nail Salon is located. Crews say they found a small fire at one of the workstations inside the nail salon that was being held in check by a single sprinkler head. Firefighters put out the flames using a fire extinguisher and the building was completely ventilated. 

The sprinkler system was shut off until the sprinkler head could be replaced and the water that had accumulated was removed. A Rochester Fire Marshal was called to investigate the cause and origin of the fire, which is standard procedure. 

Fire damage can be seen to a workstation and smoke damage throughout the business suite. No smoke, flames, or water extended beyond the original business affected.   

RFD says “this is another excellent example of a sprinkler system keeping a fire at bay before it could do further damage or cause potential harm to humans. Quick notification of the fire department through on-site monitoring as well as the early activation of a sprinkler head was what kept this fire as minimal as it was.”

Experts say a fire doubles in size every 60 seconds and that sprinklers have been proven to effectively control fires where they are installled.

Apartment Building, Residential

Portage, MI – Arson fire in apartment basement extinguished by fire sprinklers

Police arrested a 48-year-old Portage accused of starting a fire in an apartment building basement on Christmas Eve.

Robert Warren O’Brochta faces up to 40 years in prison for felony arson of a building and up to 12 years and six months in prison for felony first-degree recklessly endangering safety.

He is also charged with felony arson of property other than a building, which carries a maximum prison sentence of three years and six months.

According to the criminal complaint, Portage police responded to a fire alarm at the apartment building at 544 E. Slifer St. at 8:25 p.m., Dec. 24. Upon their arrival, they spoke to a resident who said he heard the alarm go off and went to the basement to see if anything was on fire. The witness saw flames in one of the storage units and ran back upstairs for a fire extinguisher. He returned to put out the fire and called 911.

The complaint states that police observed smoke throughout the bottom level of the building. An officer knocked on all of the apartment doors to make sure all the tenants were clear of the building. He opened the door to the basement and observed a large cloud of smoke, unable to tell if there was an active fire or not.

At the scene O’Brochta reportedly told an officer that he was the person who set the fire and the roommate of the person who called 911. O’Brochta admitted he had gone into the basement and set items on fire to get back at his roommate for antagonizing him. Officers obtained consent from the roommate to search the apartment and found the Bic lighter that O’Brochta said he used to set the fire.

Prior to admitting he set the fire, O’Brochta had approached an officer at the scene, dropped to his knees and placed his hands behind his head in a “surrender” position, according to the complaint. O’Brochta, who showed signs of intoxication, yelled for police to take him to jail and said he was the person they were looking for.

The complaint states the fire caused damage to an electrical wiring harness that ultimately cut power to four of the apartment units. The fire inspector determined two sprinkler heads went off and had extinguished the fire. The inspector said if the sprinklers were not activated, the fire would have done significant structural damage to one of the apartment units and possibly to much more of the building.

Property damaged in the storage unit reportedly included plastic chairs, a pop-up canvas canopy, a black hard case suitcase and possibly two bike tires.

O’Brochta, free after posting a $500 cash bond, has a pretrial conference scheduled for Jan. 21 in Columbia County Circuit Court.

Apartment Building, Residential

Rockford, IL – Apartment fire on eighth floor contained by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

No one was injured in a fire Saturday that damaged an eighth-floor apartment in a nine-story high-rise.

The fire at Valkommen Plaza, 310 Seventh St. was reported shortly after 6 p.m., and was contained to the apartment by a sprinkler, according to a Rockford Fire Department news release.

The apartment had minor smoke damage, but substantial water damage extended to the second floor and is estimated to total $50,000.

The cause of the fire was accidental, according to the news release. One adult occupant of the building was relocated by the Red Cross.

Four engines and 29 firefighters responded.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Wasilla, AK – Fire that started in cinemas tool room put out by fire sprinklers

The Valley Cinema in Wasilla was evacuated and closed Saturday after a fire started in the building’s tool room, according to the Mat-Su Borough.

The fire started sometime around 12 p.m. Saturday according to Malinda Beiler, a customer who says she was there when the theater was evacuated. Beiler says she saw at least 75 people evacuated by emergency responders.

The theater reopened on Sunday. MSB Emergency Services Director Ken Barkley says they have cut off power to the tool room and as far as he knows there is no other safety threat at this time.

“The sprinkler system did as designed,” Barkley said. “The only damage is water damage. The fire department got there and secured the sprinkler system, shut it off, and really that was all they had to do.”

A Valley Cinemas recorded message said the theater would honor the movie tickets of anyone evacuated Saturday.

“If you have purchased a ticket for Saturday, or if you were here earlier in the day when the fire alarm went off, we will still honor that,” the recorded message said, “as long as you have the booking collection code or the ticket stub.”

Valley Cinemas opened in 2011, and is owned and operated by the Coming Attractions Theaters chain. KTUU reached out to the chain for comment but did not hear back in time for publication.

MSB says the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Uncategorized

Brentwood, CA – Residential fire contained to garage by fire sprinklers

A residential fire Saturday afternoon in Brentwood was contained to a garage and had largely been extinguished by a sprinkler system by the time firefighters gained access, East Contra Costa Fire Protection District officials said.

The fire, reported about 3:30 p.m. at 2719 Reddington Way, activated two sprinkler heads in the garage.

The fire caused minor damage to the contents, while the sprinklers caused moderate water damage to the garage, officials said.

The cause of the fire is undetermined.

Department Store, Retail

Springfield, IL – Sprinkler system helps knock down fire at department store; No injuries reported

Springfield Fire crews responded to an electrical fire at Gordmans in Southwest Plaza, 3231 S. Veterans Parkway, at 12:15 p.m. Sunday.

There was a light on fire near the dressing rooms in the middle of the department store, which is part of a Midwestern chain. A spokesperson for the SFD said investigators indicated that the fire was accidentally set.

The call came into the SFD from a store employee.

A sprinkler system in the store was activated, helping crews to knock down the fire quickly.

There was residual smoke damage as well as water damage to the store.

City Water, Light & Power was dispatched to the scene, but fire crews were able to isolate an issue with an electrical breaker.

The store was evacuated and didn’t re-open to the public.

No injuries were reported.