All posts by viking210

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Harrisburg, PA – Overnight fire at popular downtown restaurant extinguished by single sprinkler

A single sprinkler saved a Harrisburg restaurant from a catastrophic fire early Friday, city Fire Chief Brian Enterline said. The fire call came in just before 2 a.m. from the Capitol Gastropub in the 300 block of North Second Street.  Only light smoke was in the building when firefighters arrived. Enterline said they found “a small fire in the basement that had been controlled and extinguished by a single fire sprinkler head.”  The fire started in a plastic laundry tub filled with cleaning rags, he said. The tub was ruined and there was minor water damage, but that was it, the chief said. The damage totaled about $2,500. The restaurant was able to open without a hitch.   

“If this business did not have an operating sprinkler system to control the fire, the loss to not only the building but the lost revenue for the restaurant could have easily been in excess of $1 million,” Enterline said. “Fire sprinklers are a proven life safety and property loss reduction system that often comes under fire by the building industry as being overpriced and unnecessary.” The cause of the fire remains under investigation, he said.

College/University (on campus), School / University

Salt Lake City, UT – Fire at University of Utah biology building extinguished by sprinkler system

A small fire ignited Saturday morning in the University of Utah’s biology building. The fire was extinguished by the sprinkler system before crews from the Salt Lake City Fire Department arrived on the scene. The cause of the fire was not yet known as of late Saturday morning, but an investigator was expected to examine the scene later in the day.

Fire / Police Station, Government/Military

Roanoke, VA – Fire in police station extinguished with help from sprinkler system; No injuries

The Roanoke Police Department’s Station had to be evacuated on Thursday evening because of a fire.  The fire broke out in a room on the third floor of the building, according to Tiffany Bradbury with Roanoke Fire EMS.  She said everyone was evacuated from the building and that no one was injured.  The sprinkler system was activated and the fire is now out; however, firefighters are currently checking the building to make sure everything is clear.  Campbell Avenue is still closed to traffic.  The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Apartment Building, Residential

McKinney, TX – Fire officials credit sprinkler system with minimizing damage in apartment fire

McKinney Fire Department (MFD) responded to a multifamily structure fire Feb. 7, just days after another apartment complex fire. Tenants reported heavy smoke throughout Orion McKinney Apartments, 2508 Collin McKinney Parkway just after midnight. Responding units discovered the fire sprinkler system had activated and controlled and extinguished the fire in one of the apartments outside patios. A sprinkler head is credited for the minimal damage, and once again reinforced the value of fire sprinkler systems.  No injuries reported from the fire.  “This successful save by the sprinkler system shows the probability that the fire will be contained within an area, making it easier for occupants to leave and making the structure safer for our firefighters to work in,” said Fire Marshal Mike Smith. “Plus saving numerous dollars in construction costs.”  Approximately 30 MFD personnel and investigators from the Fire Marshal’s Office responded to the fire.

Apartment Building, Residential

Chilliwack, BC, Canada – Fire at four story apartment building suppressed by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

With cold weather here and a Winter Storm Warning in effect the Chilliwack Fire Department is warning residents not to leave combustibles near heat sources after a fire Monday night. On Feb. 6 at approximately 9:45 p.m. the Chilliwack Fire Department was dispatched to a reported structure fire in the 8900-block of School Street.  On arrival crews saw smoke from a second-storey apartment window of a four-storey residential building.  Firefighters responded from Halls 1 and 4. The sprinkler system was primarily responsible for extinguishing the fire, minimizing fire damage to the tenant’s unit.  The tenant was home at the time of the fire. There were no firefighter or civilian injuries.  The cause of the fire appears to be accidental.  The Chilliwack Fire Department is reminding residents to keep combustibles at least one metre away from heat sources.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Vinton, VA – Sprinkler system halts fire in maintenance closet at fabric manufactuer

Firefighters responded to a small fire at Precision Fabrics in Vinton on Saturday night.

The fire caused no injuries and had been extinguished by a sprinkler system by the time units arrived, said Lt. Richard Williams of Roanoke County Fire & Rescue.

The incident, which occurred at about 10 p.m., didn’t damage the facility at 323 W. Virginia Ave., he said.

“It was like a plastic bucket of materials that caught on fire, not the actual structure,” he said. The fire occurred in a maintenance closet in an outlying part of the facility, he said.

Fire units from Roanoke, Roanoke County and Vinton responded to the incident.

Apartment Building, Residential

Dumfries, VA – Apartment kitchen fire contained and extinguished by sprinkler system

On Sunday, February 5 th at 9:50 p.m. fire and rescue units were dispatched to an apartment fire located in the 16600 block of Harwood Oaks Court in Dumfries. Upon arrival, firefighters heard the smoke alarm sounding.

As they made entry, fire and rescue crews observed a kitchen fire that had been extinguished by a sprinkler head in the kitchen. Due to activation of the building’s sprinkler system, the fire was contained to the kitchen area and quickly extinguished. The occupants were not home at the time of the fire; no injuries reported.

According to the Fire Marshal’s Office, preliminary damages are estimated at $40,000. A Building Inspector posted the home unsafe. Red Cross was on scene to assist the family, 3 adults and 4 children, displaced by the fire.

The origin and cause of the fire was a cooking fire on a kitchen stove top and has been determined as accidental.

Apartment Building, Residential

East Stroudsburg, PA – Sprinkler system knocks down fire at student housing complex; No injuries

Firefighters responded Monday at 1:06 p.m. to a fire at University Ridge Apartments, a student housing complex at East Stroudsburg University. The apartments are located at 400 East Brown Street.

Flames had traveled up a wall between buildings nine and ten, also known collectively as Delaware Hall.

“Everyone was being evacuated when they called us,” said Marshalls Creek Fire Chief Joseph Luisi. Dispatchers had also called Stroudsburg Borough, Stroud Township and Shawnee fire departments.

No injuries were reported, said Luisi. Pennsylvania State Police were investigating the cause of the fire.

“Building nine sustained most of the damage,” said Luisi. The building’s “water curtain” sprinkler head extinguished much of the fire once flames reached the attic, at which point firefighters had already arrived to the scene.

Firefighters extinguished the fire by around 3 p.m. and were escorting students through the buildings to retrieve personal items. The university issued a statement saying some 112 students were displaced by the fire damage.

“We’re making accommodations for any displaced students,” said Kenneth Long, vice president of administration and finance at ESU. The university reserves a certain amount of on-campus residence space for emergencies and could also place students in a nearby hotel if necessary, he said.

Apartment Building, Residential

Bloomington, IN – Sprinkler system extinguishes cooking fire at apartment complex

Some apartments had water damage after the sprinkler system extinguished a small cooking fire at Smallwood Plaza Apartments on College Avenue. The fire was reported at 8:45 p.m. Sunday night.  According to Bloomington Fire Department Sgt. Danny Gillespie, the fire started in an apartment on the sixth floor but was put out after the sprinkling system activated.  When firefighters arrived, the shut off the sprinklers and were on the scene for about two hours helping to clear out the water and smoke.  Sgt. Gillespie says there was water damage to the the apartment where the fire started and several units below it.

Auto Dealership, Retail

Epping, NH – Sprinkler system helps firefighters tackle blaze at auto dealership

Firefighters battled a two-alarm fire in the service department area of Hurlbert Toyota that forced more than 40 workers to evacuate the building Monday afternoon.

Fire crews from several towns responded to the car dealership at 58 Calef Highway (Route 125) after the fire broke out just before 4 p.m.

The cause of the fire wasn’t immediately known, but it may have been started by an overheated motor in an air compressor, according to Jeff Hurlbert, the company’s vice president.

Epping Fire Chief Don DeAngelis said he saw fire inside the compressor room when he arrived.

The sprinkler system activated and helped contain the fire, he said.

“There was a lot of grease that was stored there and that caught fire and started rolling out on us,” DeAngelis said.

One employee was treated after he appeared to suffer some burns when he attempted to extinguish the fire, DeAngelis said.

The fire quickly went to two alarms to bring more apparatus to the scene.

DeAngelis said Epping fire crews ran out of water shortly after arriving, but water continued to flow as soon as Brentwood firefighters hooked up to a nearby hydrant.

Employees began evacuating the building moments after the fire broke out and the alarms and sprinklers activated. Some waited outside in the cold while others walked over to the McDonald’s restaurant next door to stay warm.

“When the alarm went off I immediately evacuated the upstairs and came down and started evacuating the main floor and saw the smoke,” said company president Roy Hurlbert.

He said more than 40 employees were working at the time and made it out safely.

The extent of the fire, smoke and water damage wasn’t immediately known.