All posts by viking210

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Marriottsville, MD – Morning arson fire at high school extinguished by sprinkler system

Students, faculty and staff at Marriotts Ridge High School were dismissed early Friday morning after a paper towel holder was set on fire and triggered the building’s sprinkler system. Howard schools spokesman John White said the fire was caused by a student and that disciplinary actions will follow, using the school system’s Student Code of Conduct. On Monday, Howard police charged the 16-year-old juvenile, of Ellicott City, with arson, malicious burning and disturbing activities at school.  There was little damage by the fire and no one was injured. Students were allowed to return to the school Friday afternoon to retrieve their belongings.

Everyone at the high school was safely evacuated to nearby Mount View Middle School this morning, as Howard County Fire and Rescue arrived. Classes were dismissed for the day at 10:15 a.m. since smoke was throughout the building, White said. Kristy Gaigalas, a spokeswoman for the fire department, said officials received the call around 7:15 a.m. and found the fire was extinguished by the sprinklers. White said students who drove to school were immediately dismissed, while parents picked up other students at the middle school.  Marriotts Ridge senior Anthony Ellis said he smelled the smoke, which was coming from the men’s bathroom near the art room on the first floor.  “There really wasn’t much of a fire, just smoke,” Ellis said. “We all had to evacuate before school even began.”

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Nashua, NH – Grease fire at café controlled by sprinkler system

A Nashua cafe is set to reopen Friday after a fire this week. On Tuesday, a coffee roaster caught fire at the Riverwalk Cafe & Music Bar, fire officials said. No one was hurt.  The restaurant remained closed Thursday for cleanup. It will reopen Friday at 6 a.m., according to the owners.  The fire broke at about 11:45 a.m. Tuesday, triggering an overheard sprinkler that contained the flames, according to Nashua Deputy fire Chief Karl Gerhard. Workers used portable fire extinguishers, furthering containing the fire.

Apartment Building, Residential

Burlington, ON, Canada – Sprinkler system activates in apartment blaze caused by unattended candle

An apartment fire last weekend caused $10,000 damage but no injuries.  The incident occurred on Sunday, Jan. 29 around 9:20 p.m. at 982 Falcon Blvd., south of Plains Road about halfway between King Road and Shadeland Avenue, in Aldershot.   When firefighters arrived there was no obvious sign of fire.   The suspected cause of the fire is an unattended candle.  The unit’s sprinkler system activated, which in turn sounded the apartment’s main alarm

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

San Jose, CA – Fire at BBQ restaurant contained with help from sprinkler system

A two-alarm fire erupted Wednesday night at a Mi Pueblo Supermarket in East San Jose.  Firefighters responding to a report of a fire on the 1700 block of Story Road arrived to find smoke and flames coming from the store’s outdoor restaurant and roof, said San Jose fire Capt. Kevin Stidham.  A second alarm was immediately called because of the potential for the fire to spread to other businesses in the strip mall.  A build up of grease in the exhaust system of a BBQ pit was pinpointed as the cause of the fire, which spread to the roof, Stidham said. A sprinkler system helped contain the fire.  No injuries were reported.  Stidham said the store reopened after the county health department determined none of the food was damaged.

Apartment Building, Residential

Tempe, AZ – Sprinkler system keeps first floor apartment fire in check; No injuries reported

Tempe fire crews responded to an apartment fire Thursday evening, officials said.

According to the Tempe Fire Department, the fire occurred in a first-floor unit of a three-story apartment complex at 1100 E. Apache Blvd.

Officials said the automatic sprinkler system kept the fire in check until crews arrived. The fire did not extend to any other part of the building, and there were no injuries, said officials.

It is unknown how many people will be displaced, officials said. The cause is under investigation.

Apartment Building, Residential

Baton Rouge, LA – Sprinkler system activates to fight grease fire at LSU apartment complex

A small grease fire turned into a major inconvenience Thursday night for several LSU students.

The Baton Rouge Fire Department responded to The Armstrong Apartment Complex formerly called, Burbank Commons just before 9 p.m.

While there was no fire damage inside the third floor unit where the problem began, water from the sprinkler system damaged the apartment’s contents.

Building managers were investigating how much water seeped into the first- and second-floor units.

Red Cross was initially called to help out the displaced residents, but those services weren’t needed once the affected students found another place to stay for the night. 

Retail, Shopping Mall

Oneonta, NY – Fire at Southside Mall contained by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

A sprinkler system contained a fire in a service room at Southside Mall early Wednesday morning, officials said. The flames were extinguished and the mall was open as usual.

Crews went to the rear side of the main mall building at about 4 a.m. after responding to multiple alarms at the property reported by an alarm company through Otsego County 911, Oneonta Fire Department officials said, and crews were at the mall minutes later.

Oneonta crews put out flames in a small area of a service room in the main building at the mall on state Route 23 in the town of Oneonta, said Fire Chief Patrick Pidgeon.

Pidgeon said no one was hurt and the cause of the fire was under investigation.

Upon responding, crews checked buildings on the mall property and found water coming out of a doorway in the back of the main mall structure, Pidgeon said. Three sprinkler heads in the service room had provided sufficient water to suppress the blaze so that crews were able to enter the building and service room, he said, and crews used a fire extinguisher with water to put out flames that were showing.

Southside Mall was open as usual, according to Luisa Montanti, general manager at the mall. The fire was in a stock room, sprinkler heads were replaced and the electrical panels were being checked, she said.

“It was a small incident,” Montanti said. She expressed gratitude that the sprinkler system worked and for the quick response of the Oneonta Fire Department.

Oneonta crews were back in service after the fire at about 6:15 a.m., officials said.

Other Business, Recycling / Waste Facility

Holyoke, MA – Fire at wire recycling center kept in check by sprinkler system

An early morning fire at Valley Mill Wire caused minor damages, and a fire spokesman said the combination of an overhead sprinkler system and a functioning alarm system helped to limit the size and spread of the blaze.

Fire Department spokesman Capt. Anthony Cerruti said the fire at 650 Beaulieu St. was reported at 4:12 a.m. The fire department dispatch center was alerted by the business’s alarm system that had a direct tie-in to the dispatch center, he said.

When firefighters arrived and forced their way into the building, they found the sprinkler system had activated, he said.

There was what he called “a small amount of fire which was being kept in check.” Firefighters extinguished the fire with a single fire hose line, he said.

The fire caused no damage to the building, but there was some water damage, he said.

Investigators determined the fire was started by some combustable materials left too close to a heater.

No Injuries were reported.

Government/Military, Other-Government/Military

Richmond, KY – Sprinkler system stop fire at arts council building, saving artwork from damage

The Richmond Area Arts Council building on West Water Street sustained slight smoke, fire and water damage Tuesday afternoon after a small fire broke out in the building’s basement.

Late Tuesday afternoon as she carefully sloshed through water pooled in the art council’s basement, RAAC Executive Director Deborah Kidd recounted the moment staff knew something had gone wrong.

“We were upstairs and started smelling smoke,” Kidd said. “We came down immediately and the sprinklers came on.”

Kidd said employees evacuated the building and firefighters began showing up a short time later.

“The firefighters have been fantastic and very thorough,” Kidd said. “While the sprinklers managed to put out the fire, they have made sure the smoke was aired out and no additional fires have cropped up.”

Mark Murphy, assistant fire chief for the Richmond Fire Department, praised the RAAC’s sprinkler system Tuesday afternoon.”

The sprinkler system did its job,” he explained. “When we got here, the fire was already contained and out. The sprinkler system stopped the fire from spreading.”

Murphy said, according to preliminary investigations, the fire began around 2:30 p.m. in the RAAC’s mechanical room in the building’s basement. The origin was determined to be a heating and cooling unit housed in the room.

The fire consumed the majority of the building’s heating unit, but the structure of the building sustained zero damage.

An adjacent office sustained only slight smoke and water damage, Kidd said.

Luckily, art currently on display at the RAAC from local artist Pat Banks was spared from the water, fire and smoke.”

The art is just fine. None of Pat’s work was affected,” Kidd confirmed Tuesday. “We were lucky none of the artwork in the building was damaged.”

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Sun Prairie, WI – Sprinkler system keeps fire from spreading at manufacturing plant

A fire early Sunday Jan. 29 damaged a property known as the former Goodyear plant, also known as Continental and Veyance Technologies, 143 Goodyear St.

Sun Prairie Fire Chief Chris Garrison said at 12:15 a.m., the SPFD responded to a report of a fire and water-flow alarm at the Veyance facility.

Garrison said a Sun Prairie Police officer arrived on the scene first and reported active fire in in a ventilation unit on the east side of the building.

Sun Prairie Fire Department personnel arrived and upgraded to a structure fire response. Garrison said the first-in unit swiftly assured there were no employees in the building. Firefighters immediately shut down utilities to the unit, then deployed a hand-line to the involved unit.

Firefighters were able to knock down the fire rapidly, Garrison said, keeping it from spreading throughout the structure. In addition, an activated sprinkler head also cut off fire spread in the ventilation system.

Units remained on the scene ventilating the large structure.Garrison said fire officials worked with property management in assisting to restore fire protection to the building.

No civilian or fire department injuries were reported, according to Garrison, who said fire damage was contained to the ventilation unit.Sun Prairie Police and EMS provided additional assistance.
No estimate on damage at this time, the cause of the fire is under investigation.