Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant Spokane, WA – Sprinkler system helps firefighters contain fire at boat trailer builder April 17, 2017 viking210 Spokane Fire crews responded to a report of a fire at EZ Loader Boat Trailers Friday morning. The call came in at 8:24 a.m. Crews said initial reports stated somebody was using a cutting torch to cut something metallic. A spark caught a portion of an 8 foot by 10 foot wall on fire. Fire crews had to pull the wall apart to get to the fire behind. Crews had to do this to keep the fire from extending to the roof. Crews used hose lines and a pump can to extinguish the fire. Officials said the sprinkler system inside the building went off properly and contributed to keeping the fire contained to one part of the building. No one was injured in the fire and EZ Loader Boat Trailers will continue business as normal Friday.
Apartment Building, Residential Passaic, NJ – Sprinklers credited with saving apartments after fire spread from neighboring warehouse April 13, 2017 viking210 More than a dozen families were forced out of their homes after a warehouse fire spread to nearby apartments in Passaic, New Jersey. Cell phone video of the blaze, which broke out just after 10 p.m. Monday, shows flames and smoke billowing from the warehouse on First Street as it burned for three hours. Passaic Mayor Hector Lora arrived on scene and took to Facebook, warning residents to take precaution. “Close your windows, make sure it’s not getting into your house,” he said. “The smoke is obviously right now one of the biggest challenges.” Food products were being stored in the warehouse along with propane tanks, which posed a hazard to firefighters working to drown out the flames. As the fire spread, the roof of the warehouse collapsed and the flames traveled to a neighboring apartment building facing Market Street. All 13 units were evacuated. “The five in the back of the building did have fire damage, those were the one right next to where the fire was coming out,” Fire Chief Joseph Cajzer said. “Those apartments are a little worse damage but again, the sprinklers did a good job of keeping the fire in check.” Resident Elder Antoine and his seven family members slept on cots inside of the Passaic senior center along with their neighbors. “We grabbed everybody and left everything in the house,” Antoine said. “I went down the stairs and I looked and the house was covered in smoke.” Christian Manzanres lives in an apartment with 12 of his family members. They all ran out of the burning building. “I’m scared because I have a cat still in there I’m worried about him,” Manzanres said. The fire was brought under control after about three hours, tenants in the neighboring apartment were rushed out with at least five units badly damaged. Two firefighters had minor injuries. The Red Cross says it is helping 50 people with temporary lodging, food and clothing. The surrounding five blocks in the neighborhood were without electricity. The fire department said families who were displaced should be able to return thanks to the sprinkler system, but it will be a few days before they can do so. The cause of the fire does not appear suspicious, but it is under investigation.
Residential, Residential High Rise Shreveport, LA – High-rise apartment fire put out by sprinkler system April 13, 2017 viking210 Cleanup is underway after a fire at an apartment building in downtown Shreveport. Authorities think a trash can in a closet on the 11th floor of Fairmont Apartments caught fire. The sprinkler system doused the fire that was reported at 5:54 p.m. Tuesday. Now Shreveport Fire Department crews are using vacuums to remove water from the high-rise on the northeast corner of Cotton at Common streets. A ventilation fan is being used to get smoke out of the building.
Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant Hannibal, MO – Sprinkler system assists firefighters in early morning fire at rubber plant April 12, 2017 viking210 An early Monday morning fire at Buckhorn Rubber Plant in Hannibal was ruled accidental in nature, according to Hannibal fire investigators. Hannibal Fire Department said crews were called to the plant at 3:39 a.m. for a report of a machine on fire. HFD Investigator Mark Kempker said when firefighters arrived workers were outside the building and the fire had set off the building’s sprinkler system. Kempker said it took firefighters about 10 minutes to put the fire out completely. Crews stayed on scene for about an hour. Following an investigation, Kempker said the fire was caused by an electrical malfunction in the control panel of a machine.
Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential Mason City, IA – Early morning fire at senior living complex controlled by sprinkler system April 12, 2017 viking210 Officials say building safety features and a quick response kept a fire at a Mason City senior living complex from turning into a tragedy. Firefighters learned of the blaze at 5:56 a.m. Saturday at Shalom Tower II, 321 Fourth St. N.E. They were dispatched to investigate an automatic fire alarm controlled by the building’s sprinkler system. The fire was located in an apartment on the fifth floor. Crews performed search and rescue on the sixth and seventh floors, and made sure three floors — the fifth, sixth and seventh — were evacuated, according to a Mason City Fire Department statement issued Monday. The rest of the building also was evacuated. Firefighters say the blaze was contained to bedding and a bed, although there was smoke damage throughout the apartment. Mason City Fire Marshal Jamey Medlin said the fire would have been far worse had it not been kept in check by the building’s sprinkler system. The quick actions by emergency responders, which also included the North Iowa CERT, also made a difference, he said. “There were no life-threatening injuries to occupants of the building, and residents were able to return to their apartment(s) later that morning or by early afternoon,” he said in the statement. Owned by Good Shepherd, Shalom Tower 2 a 48-unit complex with residents who are age 55 and older. Officials say 44 residents were assisted during the fire.
Residential, Sorority / Fraternity Charlottesville, VA – Early morning fire at UVA fraternity house extinguished by sprinkler system April 10, 2017 viking210 Charlottesville first responders were dispatched to an accidental fire Saturday morning at the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity house in the 500-block of Rugby Road. The city fire marshal says it originated in the fireplace of the more than 100-year-old frat house. A sprinkler system quickly extinguished the fire. It was discovered shortly after 6 a.m. Saturday.
Residential, Single Family Home Novato, CA – Sprinkler system extinguishes garage fire in million dollar home under construction April 10, 2017 viking210 A fire sprinkler extinguished a fire sometime Thursday or early Friday that would have destroyed a Novato home worth more than a million dollars, fire officials said. The fire occurred between the time construction workers left the home in the 100 block of San Domingo Way Thursday and Friday morning when the general contractor stopped by. Firefighters went to the three-story home at about 6:45 a.m. Friday to check whether any fire was left in the walls or other concealed places. Firefighters used thermal cameras and found the fire was indeed extinguished. “The home would have been a complete loss” if not for the sprinkler, Battalion Chief Bill Tyler said in a statement. Fire officials believe the fire started when rags used to do some staining in the home Thursday spontaneously ignited in a bucket in the garage. The home is under renovations and no one was in the home when the fire occurred. The sprinkler system had been connected to a water supply three days before the fire, according to fire officials. The sheet rock in the home was damaged by smoke, but the structural part of the home was not damaged, fire officials said. According to Tyler, when the fire sprinkler contractor came to replace the sprinkler head that had activated the general contractor gave the sprinkler contractor a bear hug and said, “Thank you! Your sprinklers saved the house.”
College/University (on campus), Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential, School / University Glassboro, NJ – Fire in university residence hall put out by sprinkler system; No injuries reported April 9, 2017 viking210 Residents of Mimosa Hall were forced to evacuate their dorms shortly before noon on Friday, after a fire started in a dorm on the first floor of the residential hall, according to a Rowan Alert sent to students across campus. Firemen from Washington, Harrison and Glassboro townships and other first responders quickly arrived at the scene to contain the fire while residents waited outside. Students were notified at the time by a mass text sent out by the university. No one was harmed during the initial fire. Rowan spokesman Joe Cardona said that when he left the scene, firefighters still hadn’t determined the cause of the blaze. “When you look at the room, it’s like whatever the fire was down on the ground in the corner,” Cardona said. Cardona also said the sprinkler system activated and put out the fire, which caused water damage to the first floor of Mimosa hall and the six students in the dorm where the fire started will be temporarily relocated until rooms are cleaned. Freshman history major and resident of Mimosa, Julianne Tarrant, said while she was not in the building at the time of the fire, she had heard that the fire may have been caused by a box fan in the window of the dorm. Madison Klunk, an undeclared freshman living in the building, said the evacuation order was a major hassle for her. “My aunt’s here to pick me up, and I can’t get in the building to get any of my clothes,” Klunk said. “So I’m going to have to leave and come back later and get it, and that’s an issue.”
Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant Salem, VA – Overnight fire at tire manufacturer controlled with help from sprinkler system April 9, 2017 viking210 A fire at Yokohama Tire Corp. in Salem early Friday morning damaged part of the facility. Salem Fire & EMS went to the building in the 1500 block of Indiana Street about 2 a.m., according to the department. All employees inside the facility were safely evacuated. The fire started at a mixer machine in the plant, according to a statement from the company. The sprinkler system was triggered. The type of rubber that caught fire causes a lot of smoke, the company said. The first crew arrived within six minutes of the call and found heavy fire coming from one side of the building. The two-alarm fire also required assistance from Roanoke Fire-EMS and Roanoke County Fire & Rescue. The first firefighters on scene were able to get the fire under control within about 30 minutes. The fire was contained to one part of the building, which sustained significant damage from the fire. Damage from the fire required extensive salvage and overhaul operations. An estimate of the damage was not available Friday morning. The plant was shut down at 4 a.m. and most areas of the plant resumed operations Friday morning, the company said. About 32 people from fire and rescue agencies responded to the call. No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is under investigation. The Salem plant manufactures passenger, high-performance and light-truck tires and is one of Salem’s largest employers.
Other Business Mesa, AZ – Sprinkler system assists firefighters in commercial building fire April 6, 2017 viking210 Fire damaged a portion of a commercial complex in Mesa on Wednesday morning, Mesa fire officials said. The fire occurred in the 1700 block of West Baseline Road, just east of Dobson Road, said Deputy Chief Forrest Smith of the Mesa Fire and Medical Department. Two suites in the complex were damaged in the fire, which forced the evacuation of several other businesses, Smith said. Firefighters had the blaze under control in 22 minutes, Smith said, adding that a sprinkler system helped stop the fire from spreading to other suites. “These are important and why fire departments advocate for buildings to be sprinklered,” he said. “They certainly can save lives and property.” Crews from the Chandler, Gilbert and Tempe fire departments also responded.
