All posts by viking210

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Rochester, NY – Spontaneous combustion fire at textile plant contained by sprinkler system

No one was hurt after a fire on St. Paul Street Wednesday night. An automatic fire alarm went off at the Alsco plant on St. Paul around 7 p.m. A third alarm was declared because of the heat, manpower and the size of the building – approximately 65,000 square feet. Firefighters said the fire was put out without anyone being injured. They said the fire started in the back of the building, and that a sprinkler system helped keep the fire from spreading. The extent of damage to the building is not yet clear. The cause was due to a spontaneous combustion of textiles, according to Rochester firefighters. There was no one inside and no one injured.

Apartment Building, Residential

Martinsville, VA – Unattended cooking fire at apartment building contained with help from sprinkler system

An accidental fire damaged an apartment complex in Uptown Martinsville late Tuesday night. Martinsville firefighters and EMS were called out to 20 Fayette Street at about 10:35 p.m., after a resident within the building noticed smoke coming from apartment seven. Emergency personnel arrived within three minutes, by which point the complex’s sprinkler system had activated. With the help of Martinsville police, firefighters and EMS personnel got all residents safety out. In addition to the Martinsville department, firefighters from the Collinsville Volunteer Fire Department and personnel from the Henry County Department of Public Safety were on scene to help, containing the fire to just the one apartment. The American Red Cross was also on hand to provide assistance. All of the other tenants in the building were able to return to their apartments by 1 a.m and the residents of apartment seven were relocated to another apartment in the building.

According to Martinsville Fire Marshal Ted Anderson, it’s believed the fire was accidental, caused by some cooking left unattended. Unattended cooking is listed as the number one cause of accidental fires. “Never leave your kitchen while cooking,” advised Martinsville Deputy Fire Marshal Andy Powers. “If you absolutely have to step out for a second, take something with you like an oven mitt to remind you to return promptly to the kitchen.”

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Manassas, VA – Days Inn fire sparked by ice maker contained with help from sprinkler system

A third-floor ice maker sparked a Tuesday evening fire at the Days Inn on Centreville Road in Manassas, displacing 55 adults and three children saying at the hotel. Fire crews were called to the hotel in the 7600 block of Centreville Road at 5:28 p.m. and arrived to find fire on the third floor. “Due to activation of the building’s smoke alarm and sprinkler system, occupants were alerted to the fire” allowing everyone to get out safely, Prince William fire and rescue said in a news release. The sprinkler system help contain the blaze, which firefighters able to quickly extinguish, the release said. The building has been posted as unsafe. All of the hotel’s occupants were moved to another hotel. Investigators determined that the fire began in an ice maker on the third floor.

Apartment Building, Residential

Huntington Beach, CA – Sprinkler system prevents early morning apartment fire from spreading

A portable air-conditioning unit sparked a fire in a Huntington Beach apartment Wednesday morning, according to fire officials. Huntington Beach firefighters responded at 5:48 a.m. to a fire at the Huntington Breeze Apartments at 16171 Springdale St. The first crews on the scene reported light smoke coming from the third story. City firefighters knocked down the blaze with help from the Orange County Fire Authority and the Fountain Valley Fire Department, said Capt. Steven Teasdale. A resident of the building was evaluated by paramedics but was not taken to a hospital. The building’s sprinkler system helped prevent the fire from spreading to additional units, Teasdale said.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Sparks, NV – Sprinkler system puts out fire in HAZMAT situation; No injuries reported

The Sparks Fire Department was dispatched to an activated fire alarm at 230 Coney Island Dr. just before 6 a.m. on Monday.

When authorities arrived on scene, they found water flowing out from under a roll-up door. 

Upon investigation, fire crews observed a light haze in the building caused by a small fire near a Potassium Hydroxide drum. The fire was put out by the building sprinkler system.

Crews decided to back out and call for the Regional Hazardous Material Team.

Regional Hazardous Material Team members from the Reno and Sparks fire departments both responded to the scene.

Crews started the evacuation process of all businesses located nearby and secured the scene for one block to the east and west of Coney Island Dr.

A HAZMAT team remains on scene accessing the incident.

A fire investigator is also on scene, but cannot make access to assess the cause yet.

Coney Island Dr. has reopened.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Le Mars, IA – Sprinklers contain fire after explosion at manufacturing plant; No injuries

A compressor fire shut down IML Containers in Le Mars Monday afternoon, causing an undetermined amount of damage to the manufacturer of plastic food containers. 

Le Mars fire chief David Schipper said the Le Mars and Orange City fire departments were called at 4:22 p.m. to IML, at 1620 24th St. SW in Le Mars, for a compressor that had caught fire, and what was described as an “explosion” in the building. 

IML employees stood watching as the firefighters went in and out of the building, deploying water hoses and venting the smoke. None of the employees or firefighters were hurt in the fire. 

 

“Everybody did evacuate safely, we did an accountability check, and everybody made it out of the building just fine,” Schipper said. 

The building was damaged to an unknown extent by the heavy smoke, which Schipper said came from burning oil in the compressor. Additionally, electrical and water infrastructure were damaged, and the compressor that caught fire was destroyed. 

“It’s going to be quite a while before this place is back up and in business,” he said. 

Schipper credited the building’s sprinkler system for helping to control the fire. 

“Once again, sprinklers do save a lot, they did contain the fire for us,” he said. 

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Greenville, OH – Sprinkler system keeps flames from spreading in retirement home fire

Authorities say a sprinkler system helped prevent flames from reaching the living quarters during a garage fire at the Brethren Retirement Community’s Chestnut Village Monday night.

The fire departments from Greenville City, Greenville Township and New Madison responded to the structure fire 9:20 p.m. at 888 Chestnut Circle after neighbors saw flames coming from the attached one-car garage.

According to the Greenville Fire Department, the fire was contained to the garage and did not have a chance to damage the inside of the unit or the joining unit to the north.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. The contents of the garage including a vehicle were destroyed by flames and water. The homeowner was alerted to the fire by a neighbor. No injuries were reported.

Greenville Township Rescue and the Greenville Police Department also responded to the scene.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Libertyville, IL – (No Media Coverage) Fire at plastics manufacturing plant held in check by single sprinkler

** No Media Coverage – Fire Department Reported ***  Around 1029 hours on Sunday, the Libertyville Fire Department responded to an activated fire alarm at a plastic manufacturing plant. When the first in engine company arrived, the firefighter in the jump seat thought he saw smoke from the building. After accessing the building and alarm room, he crew found the sprinkler bell ringing. After opening a man door into the warehouse they noticed a heavy haze of smoke. At this time the response was upgraded to a structure fire response. The crews made entry via the north side door and found one sprinkler head activated. This sprinkler was controlling a fire that involved a plastic injection molding machine. The crews used one handline to finish extinguishment and mop up. Fire damage was contained to the machine, while other parts of the building sustained smoke and water damage. ***

Apartment Building, Residential

Conroe, TX – Early morning fire at mid-rise apartment building held in check by sprinkler system

Conroe Fire Department Assistant Fire Chief Mike Legoudes Jr. credits fire sprinklers for saving The Towers Woodland Apartments and it occupants from a potential disaster early Saturday morning in Conroe. The Conroe Fire Department was notified at 5:26 a.m. of an apartment fire at 366 FM 1488. Firefighters arrived at 5:32 a.m. and reported heavy white smoke coming from the parking garage below Building 12.

“The cause of the smoke was found to be a single vehicle on fire,” information from Legoudes stated. “An aggressive offensive attack was initiated and the fire was quickly extinguished.” The fire was declared under control at 5:35 a.m. All occupants of the building were able to escape and were accounted for with no reported injuries to occupants or firefighters. Needham Road Fire/Rescue and The Woodlands Fire Department assisted.

The involved building consists of a ground-level parking garage with four stories of apartments above, for a total of five stories. The garage area and apartments are fully protected by fire sprinkler and automatic fire alarm systems.  “A single fire sprinkler head activated keeping the fire under control until arrival of firefighters while the automatic fire alarm system alerted occupants of the fire, allowing them to escape unharmed,” the release stated. “The potential for disaster in a residential building of this size, at the time of day the fire occurred, is great.”

Legoudes stressed in the release that the importance of properly installed and maintained fire sprinkler and automatic fire alarm systems cannot be overstated. As a result of the fire sprinkler activation, there was no visible damage to the building and no occupants were displaced, he said. “A properly installed and maintained fire sprinkler system is the single-most effective way of preventing loss of property or life in the event of a residential fire,” he stated. “In this instance, property was definitely saved while lives were very likely saved.”

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Osage Beach, MO – Electrical fire at resort hotel suppressed by sprinkler system; No injuries and minimal damage reported

A worker was repairing an electrical circuit in the laundry area when a short resulted at the junction box where he was working. The power surge jumped to another electrical run which energized a nearby gas line, causing pin holes in the gas line and causing a fire. There was minimal damage resulting from a fire at the Inn at Grand Glaize about 2:07 p.m. Tuesday in Osage Beach.

A worker was repairing an electrical circuit in the laundry area when a short resulted at the junction box where he was working. The power surge jumped to another electrical run which energized a nearby gas line, causing pin holes in the gas line and causing a fire. The fire was held in place and extinguished by a fire sprinkler system.  There were no injuries to either fire personnel or employees.  Responding were fire personnel from Osage Beach, Lake Ozark, Sunrise Beach and Mid County.  Firefighters cleared the scene by 3:30 p.m.