All posts by viking210

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

East Lyme, CT – Sprinkler system keeps fire contained to seafood department at grocery store; No injuries reported

Responders quickly knocked down an early morning fire Saturday at Tri Town Market in Flanders, saving tens of thousands of dollars in potential damage to the grocery store.

Acting East Lyme Fire Marshal Raymond Hart said the store would be closed the rest of the day as the damage is evaluated, repairs are made and cleanup is completed. He said his office and Ledge Light Health District will evaluate the building to determine when it is safe to reopen.

According to Hart, dispatchers received a call reporting the fire around 6:11 a.m. Flanders Fire Department responded to the fire, which was upgraded to a second-alarm fire, along with mutual aid from Waterford, Old Saybrook and Poquonnock Bridge.

He said the fire originated in one of the deli cases in the seafood department; he said it appears the compressor in the unit overheated, igniting the insulation and creating flames eight to 10 feet tall. The sprinkler units kept the fire contained to the area, and firefighters got it knocked down by 6:19 a.m.

There were no injuries or structural damage to the building, though some of the suspended ceiling and electrical work will need to be replaced. Due to the smoke and water damage, much of the merchandise had to be disposed.

Apartment Building, Residential

San Antonio, TX – Suspicious fire set to Halloween decorations contained to outside of apartment thanks to fire sprinklers; No injuries reported

Arson investigators have been called in to investigate a suspicious fire at an apartment complex on the city’s Southwest Side early Wednesday morning, San Antonio police said.

Firefighters responded around 4:30 a.m. to the apartment complex in the 7100 block of New Laredo Highway after receiving reports of a ringing alarm.

Firefighters said it appears someone set fire to a Halloween decoration hanging on the door of a third-floor apartment.

Authorities say the fire never went beyond the door, but it did set off the sprinkler system and the building alarm, alerting residents.

The sprinkler system dumped water onto the concrete landing outside the apartments but very little got inside anyone’s home, firefighters said.

There were no reported injuries.

Apartment Building, Residential

Wheaton, IL – Apartment fire stopped by fire sprinklers; No injuries reported

Fire officials say a faulty dryer may have been to blame for a blaze that broke out in a Wheaton apartment building Wednesday evening. The incident took place around 9 p.m. in the 100 block of North Cross, according to a press release.

When fire crews got to the scene and found a dryer on fire in a fifth-floor apartment. They say the unit’s fire sprinkler system brought the blaze under control, but that smoke and water damage left it uninhabitable.

No other units were affected and no injuries were reported, fire officials say.

According to the Wheaton Fire Department, the cause of the fire appears to be accidental.

Apartment Building, Residential

Scranton, PA – High-rise apartment fire held in check by sprinkler system

Fire crews in Scranton are on the scene of another high-rise fire.

The call came in around 5:45 a.m on Thursday for a fire at the Adams High-Rise Apartments on Adams Avenue.

Officials say the fire started in a storage unit on the second floor.  The sprinkler system did go off.

Two residents were taken to the hospital for breathing in smoke, and a firefighter does have a minor injury.

A fire inspector is looking into the cause.

This is also the second fire at a high-rise in Scranton in less than 24 hours.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Ramona, CA – Sprinkler system quickly extinguishes fire at Boys & Girls Club; No injuries reported

A small fire that broke out in the kitchen of the Conrad Prebys Ramona Branch of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater San Diego on Friday, Oct. 25, was quickly extinguished by the facility’s sprinkler system.

Ramona Fire Capt. John Sena said the fire started at about 5 p.m. when a small box was set on top of the kitchen’s stovetop. The box may have hit the stove’s knob and inadvertently turned on the burner, igniting the box, Sena said.

“Upon arrival at the scene we determined the fire was extinguished by the sprinkler system, but our dispatch was not delayed,” he said.

He said several firefighting units, including firefighters from Ramona, Deer Springs and Cal Fire, were able to respond quickly because they were nearby fighting the Sawday fire. That fire started at 9:20 near Sawday Truck Trail and Littlepage Road, but was 100 percent contained by 7 p.m. on Oct. 25. Sena said crews had just been released from the Sawday fire and were returning to their stations when they were dispatched to the Ramona Boys & Girls Club at 622 E St. in Collier Park.

Sena said there was an undetermined number of occupants inside the Boys & Girls Club but all of them were safely outside the building when firefighters arrived and there were no injuries reported. He said the children were placed away from the building and accounted for. As the parents arrived to pick them up, club Manager Simone McCune released them to their parents, he added.

The crews spent 45 minutes removing one inch of water left over from the sprinkler system.

Through a thermal imaging device, Sena said firefighters determined there was no heat in the walls and that the fire was contained to the stovetop and box, which was removed.

“The fire marshal had the building officially closed until the manager contacted the sprinkler company to replace the sprinkler head,” Sena said. “The Boys & Girls Club was closed on the weekend. By Monday, they had a company out to mitigate the water issue and replace the sprinkler head and then they were allowed to open back up.”

He said the Boys & Girls Club opened by mid-afternoon Monday. Club activities had resumed after the Monday opening, with some of the activities taking place outdoors as weather permitted.

However, flooding of the facility, along with high winds and power outages, contributed to the cancellation of the club’s Haunted House scheduled for Halloween evening, Oct. 31.

“We had flooding in our facility and are unable to operate inside or set anything up for the event,” said McCune on Facebook the day before Halloween. “We considered a last-minute outdoor event, but with the high winds and power outages we were unable to secure vendors and inflatables. We apologize for the late notice. We were putting in our best effort to try and salvage the event (and the money spent), but couldn’t prolong the possibility of cancellation any longer. Please spread the word, and again, we sincerely apologize.”

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Corpus Christi, TX – Fire sprinklers help put out fire at local restaurant

Flames broke out at a popular thai food restaurant during the early morning hours on Tuesday. The Corpus Christi Fire Department was called to the BKK thai kitchen and bar in the Lamar Park Shopping Center to investigate reports of smoke. The call came in around 3:00 a.m. Tuesday of smoke pouring from the business.

When firefighters got to the scene, they saw the smoke and had to track down the flames. The fire was contained to a storage room in the back of the restaurant. Fire officials say a ceiling sprinkler system helped to contain the fire to the area and ultimately helped firefighters put out the flames. 

A fire investigator was called to the scene to try and determine a cause.

Some neighboring stores did have smoke damage. There is no word when the restaurant will open back up.

Office Building, Other Business

Kennesaw, GA – Chemical fire extinguished by sprinkler system

Around 400 people were evacuated from a building on Roberts Boulevard in Kennesaw after a small chemical fire Tuesday morning.

Capt. Joseph Bryant of the Cobb County Fire Department said testing from the county’s hazmat team showed the building was safe to reenter. The chemicals involved include sulfuric acid, sodium hydroxide and several that are unknown but which were used in minuscule quantities.

Three employees of CryoLife, a medical device company, were working with the chemicals when a reaction set off a small fire and the building’s sprinkler system. The sprinklers extinguished the fire before firefighters arrived at the scene.

One of the three employees was taken to the hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation.

Bryant said the fire was not as serious as the county’s response would suggest.

“Any time we have a hazmat response, we send a ton of equipment out there,” he said.

As a precaution, firefighters were decontaminated as they left the building.

Apartment Building, Residential

McKinney, TX – (No media coverage) Fire sprinkler shuts down grease fire at apartment; No injuries reported

The McKinney Fire Department (MFD) responded to a call Saturday evening about a grease fire in a kitchen at the 1701 at Eldorado apartments. MFD units arrived to find the fire had been extinguished by a single fire sprinkler head placed in the ceiling above the stove that kept damage to a minimum. No one was injured.

“Incidents like this highlight the need for more home fire sprinkler systems;” said McKinney Fire Marshal Mike Smith. “Without the fire sprinkler’s fast response, those flames would have spread quickly. That means more costly damage and a longer repair time.”

Fire Fact: Only intense heat can activate a fire sprinkler system.  Smoke will not cause water to release from the sprinkler heads

More safety information can be located at www.mckinneyfire.org or www.nfpa.org.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Franklin, IN – Fire at local business contained to storage room thanks to fire sprinklers; No injuries reported

A business in Franklin’s commercial district sustained damage in a Sunday night fire.

Franklin firefighters were dispatched to BCC Products, 2140 Earlywood Drive, on a general business alarm at 5:26 p.m. When firefighters arrived, they could not see any fire from the outside of the business, said Chuck Ridpath, spokesman for the Franklin Fire Department.

Firefighters got into the building and saw heavy smoke. After about 30 minutes of searching the building for the fire, firefighters were led to a wire rack where a gallon container of liquid was on fire, Ridpath said.

The sprinkler system in the building contained the fire to the storage room, he said, and once fire fighters located the fire, it was put out in minutes.

No one was injured in the blaze and investigators are still looking into the exact cause of the fire. The monetary damage of the fire was unknown mid-Monday morning, Ridpath said.

Greenwood’s hazmat team was called to contain chemicals that had spilled. The Indiana Department of Emergency Management is investigating what chemicals leaked, because firefighters came into contact with those chemicals, he said.

“There is no danger to the public. It is more of the guys that were there to see if there is anything that can be bad for them,” Ridpath said.

Firefighters from Bargersville, Whiteland, New Whitehead and Amity also responded to the fire. Firefighters from Needham covered Franklin’s station during the fire, he said.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Sedona, AZ – Fire at assisted living facility extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Sedona firefighters were dispatched to the Sedona Winds assisted living facility at 475 Jacks Canyon Road for a fire in one of the residential units on Saturday at 1:56 a.m., according to the Sedona Fire District.

“The automatic fire sprinkler system had extinguished most of the fire before we arrived,” said Captain David Rodriguez, “limiting fire damage to the one room.”

The fire was discovered by a nurse’s aide when the sprinkler system activated and triggered the buildings fire alarm system.

The aide was able to evacuate the resident from the room and unplugged the HVAC unit, which appeared to be the cause of the fire, stated the SFD press release.

“This was an amazing success story,” said Fire Marshal Jon Davis in the press release. “A working fire sprinkler system, combined with a well-trained staff and a quick response by firefighters resulted in the best possible outcome.”

“I have no doubt that without all of those elements coming together, the outcome would have resulted in injury or death to occupants of the building and damage to the structure would have been extensive.” said Davis, “Incidents like this really highlight how a comprehensive fire safety strategy can benefit a community.”

Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office Deputies along with YCSO Search & Rescue members and Sedona Police Department assisted at the scene with the temporary evacuation of residents from the wing of the building where the fire occurred. Approximately 20 residents were displaced for a couple of hours and the resident of the room where the fire occurred, had to be relocated to another room while theirs is repaired.

Sedona Fire District investigators determined that the fire started when the in-room, wall mounted HVAC unit malfunctioned.

There were no injuries reported and damage is estimated at $20,000, the SFD press release said.