Manufacturing, Paper Mill / Saw Mill Rothschild, WI – No injuries as sprinkler system contains electrical fire at Domtar plant January 18, 2017 viking210 A backup boiler is to blame for a small electrical fire at Domtar’s Rothschild plant Monday morning. Crews from SAFER, Riverside, and Kronenwetter fire departments were called to the scene shortly after 9:30 a.m. Plant general manager Kathy Collins said the departments were called after the buildings fire alarm and sprinkler system were engaged. The building’s utilities and natural gas were shut off prior to the emergency crew’s arrival. Riverside Fire District Co-Chief Robert Bowen said the fire was contained when crews arrived. It took crews around 20 minutes to secure the scene and identify the cause of the fire. Yearly in-house visits to large plants like Domtar help emergency crews better prepare for incidents, and keep crews safe, should they occur. They map entrances, exists, sprinkler systems, and potential hazards. “When we train here, we can have that knowledge first hand, and it kind of puts us ahead of the game when it comes to responding to a potential incident,” Bowen said. There were no injuries and only minor damage reported. Collins said the building would be operational again in a matter of hours.
Apartment Building, Residential Appleton, WI – Early morning apartment fire suppressed by sprinkler system; No injuries January 17, 2017 viking210 Around 3:30 Sunday morning the Appleton Fire Department was sent to an apartment building on the 500 block of Winnebago Street for an early morning fire. When crews arrived the sprinkler system inside the building had doused the flames but it was still filled with smoke. Everyone was evacuated, but they were allowed to return after fire crews finished. That fire is still under investigation. No one was hurt in that blaze.
Apartment Building, Residential Jefferson City, MO – Apartment fire suppressed by sprinkler system; No injuries and damage limited January 17, 2017 viking210 No injuries were reported in a structure fire in the 200 block of North Ventura Avenue early Thursday afternoon. The Jefferson City Fire Department responded to the fire at 12:28 p.m., arriving to find smoke from a single apartment in the 18-unit apartment building, according to a JCFD news release. Fire crews found the fire controlled by sprinkler activation. The sprinkler system controlled the fire’s spread and limited damage to the apartment’s kitchen area. Personnel from the Jefferson City Police Department, Cole County Emergency Medical Services and the American Red Cross also assisted. Four residents were displaced from the apartment. The structural damage was estimated at approximately $15,000.
Apartment Building, Residential Madison, WI – Dumpster fire outside apartment building kept from spreading by sprinkler system January 17, 2017 viking210 A fire in a dumpster outside an apartment building was put out quickly, but it sent smoke into the three-story apartment complex, according to a release from the Madison Fire Department. Firefighters were called at 10:45 a.m. Friday to the parking garage of the Normandy Apartments at 4715 Sheboygan Avenue on a report of a dumpster fire. Firefighters said an automatic sprinkler activation caught the fire early and put it out. There was heavy smoke inside the garage and moderate smoke conditions throughout the three-story apartment complex.
Other - School / University, School / University Henrico, VA – Overnight fire at public school learning center is put out with help from sprinkler system January 16, 2017 viking210 A fire at the New Bridge Learning Center will keep the Henrico Public Schools facility closed on Friday after a fire early Thursday. A Henrico fire official says the blaze in the 5900 block of East Nine Mile Road started just after 4 a.m. on the second floor of the facility. It was extinguished with the help of an automated sprinkler system. During the search of the building, fire crews also discovered a burst water pipe. The fire, which remains under investigation, was brought under control in about an hour. No injuries were reported. Henrico school officials say all pre-school and Elementary Intervention classes at New Bridge Learning Center will be cancelled for Friday and they expect the center to re-open for students and staff on Tuesday, January 17, 2017. Spokesman Andy Jenks also said the School Board work session originally scheduled in the New Bridge Auditorium will take place at the Henrico Western Government Center at Parham and Hungary Springs roads at 1:30 p.m.
Apartment Building, Residential New Haven, CT – Fire in basement of apartment building knocked down by sprinkler system January 16, 2017 viking210 City firefighters quickly knocked down a basement fire Wednesday afternoon at the Bella Vista Apartments in eastern New Haven. Crews arrived at Building E of the complex to find a minor fire in the basement there at about 2:15 p.m. Wednesday, Battalion Chief William Gould said at the scene. Much of the fire had been knocked down by the building’s sprinkler system by the time firefighters arrived but they called in a full assignment of trucks because of the number of people who live in the building. “The fire extended somewhat in the (chute) but not up to upper floors so they were able to extinguish it in the area of origin,” Gould said. Firefighters were able to put out the rest of the fire within minutes. No one was hurt in the fire, Gould confirmed. “The sprinklers do their jobs, they save lives, keeping the fire in check,” he said.
Apartment Building, Residential, Residential High Rise Pleasantville, NJ – Sprinklers help extinguish mattress fire at high-rise apartment building; No injuries reported January 16, 2017 viking210 City firefighters extinguished a mattress fire Tuesday evening in one of the city’s new downtown high-rise buildings. No injuries were reported in the fire, which was reported 7:23 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 10 at apartment 514 in the Main at City Center, 49 S. Main St. Water damage was reported in the unit and in the apartments below, according to police Capt. Matt Hartman. Pleasantville firefighters brought the fire under control at 7:35 p.m., Hartman said. They found heavy smoke on the fifth floor when they arrived, and Pleasantville Police Department Squad 2 evacuated the building’s occupants. Their efforts included carrying disabled residents down stairwells. Pleasantville Fire Department Shift 1, under the direction of Battalion Chief Ken Crawford, extinguished the fire with the help of the building’s sprinkler system.
Apartment Building, Residential Harrisonburg, VA – Fire department credits sprinkler system for extinguishing grease fire at apartment building January 15, 2017 viking210 According to a release by the Harrisonburg Fire Department, a residential sprinkler system is to thank for saving a city apartment complex. Around 2:30 p.m. on Monday, January 9th, firefighters responded to the 100 block of Chestnut Ridge Drive. Once crews arrived, they discovered a grease fire, which started on the stove, was already extinguished by a residential sprinkler system. Although the sprinkler system uses water, that’s not how they recommend you put out a grease fire. They say the best method is to put a lid on the pan to smother the grease or to use a fire extinguisher. Captain Mike Armstrong, deputy fire marshal with the Harrisonburg Fire Department, said you never want to pour water on a grease fire yourself. “The amount of water that is being put out far exceeds what you or I would put on that pan, so the system will suppress the fire,” added Armstrong. While sprinkler systems aren’t common in homes and aren’t required by state code, they can help save money in an emergency. “In the case of residential sprinkler systems, fire damage and cost, is reduced one tenth to one twentieth, so you’re talking ten to 20 times less damage and cost in the end,” explained Armstrong. Capt. Armstrong also recommends keeping a fire extinguisher in your kitchen area, but not right next to your stove because of its accessibility if there are flames.
Apartment Building, Residential Springfield, IL – No injuries in apartment arson fire controlled with help from sprinkler system January 15, 2017 viking210 Four apartments in the Near North Village building at Fourth and Madison streets sustained water damage Tuesday night after a fire was started in a hallway. Springfield Fire Chief Barry Helmerichs said someone apparently set a blanket on fire in a fifth-floor hallway about 6:10 p.m. The fire activated the building’s sprinkler system, and firefighters who responded spent most of their time getting the sprinklers shut off. Water from the sprinklers damaged one apartment on the fourth floor, two on the third floor and one on the second floor, Helmerichs said. No one was injured. The fire is under investigation.
Residential, Single Family Home Idaho Falls, ID – Home fire sprinkler system assists firefighters in extinguishing fire at residence January 15, 2017 viking210 A fire at an Idaho Falls home on Wednesday is estimated to have caused $30,000 in damages. The blaze was reported at approximately 11:17 a.m. Firefighters with the Idaho Falls Fire Department responded to the residence at 3612 Summit Run Trail, where they found smoke coming from the basement. The fire was eventually extinguished and salvage and overhaul activities were then completed. There were no injuries reported. The residents were able to exit the home after being alerted of the fire by smoke detectors. The fire was also held in check by an in-home fire sprinkler system.
