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Conroe, TX – Single sprinkler extinguishes apartment cooking fire (no media coverage)

*** NO MEDIA COVERAGE — FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTED **

The City of Conroe Fire Department was notified of an apartment fire at 1200 S Frazier St. (Park At Piney Woods Apartments) at approximately 2:34 PM on December 8, 2015.

Conroe Firefighters arrived at approximately 2:40 PM and discovered that there had been a small fire in the kitchen of one of the apartment units which activated a single sprinkler head and extinguished the fire.

There were no reported injuries to firefighters or occupants of the building. Fire damage was confined to the top of the stove and the cooking container. Water damage was confined to the apartment of origin and 2 adjacent apartments. The cause of the fire was unattended cooking and was determined to be unintentional.

This incident demonstrates the importance of a properly installed and maintained automatic fire sprinkler system. It is likely that the automatic fire sprinkler system saved hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage and property loss to the building’s owners and occupants. Further, no occupants were displaced and possible injuries and deaths to citizens and firefighters were prevented.

Automatic fire sprinkler systems have over 100 years of proven performance in protecting life and property. The City of Conroe Fire Department would like to remind the public that unattended cooking is the leading cause of residential fires in Conroe, and throughout the United States, each year. Being mindful while you cook, however, can go a long way to helping prevent these fires:

**Keep an eye on what you fry

**Be alert when cooking

**Keep things that can catch fire away from the cooking area

 

Oviedo, FL – Overnight fire in three-story apartment building stopped by sprinkler system

Firefighters said a burning candle started a fire Tuesday morning at an apartment building in the Oviedo area of unincorporated Seminole County.  The Seminole County Fire Department said the fire broke out around 2:09 a.m. in a first floor unit of the three-story building.

When firefighters arrived, an audible alarm was going off, and residents had evacuated their apartments safely.  Once inside, firefighters determined the sprinkler system stopped the fire.  The American Red Cross is providing assistance to one occupant.

Easton, MA – Fire at team sports apparel company is minimized with help from sprinkler system

The fire at Pop Tops Sportswear, 10 Plymouth Drive, was reported to the Easton Fire Department about 6:52 a.m. when the fire alarm was tripped.  Pop Tops manufactures and sells custom team uniforms, apparel, work wear and promotional products.

When firefighters arrived, smoke was coming from the building. The 100×200-square-foot warehouse was filled with thick, heavy smoke, said Easton Fire Captain James Walsh. It took firefighters about 10-15 minutes to locate the fire inside the building.

“The toughest part was locating it because of the smoke conditions. The building was full of smoke.” Walsh said. “There was zero visibility.”

The blaze started inside of a room where equipment is cleaned. Walsh said one of the pieces of equipment ignited the fire.  The sprinkler system went off inside the building soaking some of the company’s merchandise.

“A lot of merchandise was ruined,” Walsh said.  The Stoughton and Raynham fire departments also responded to the scene and the Brockton Fire Department provided station coverage for Easton, Walsh said.

Given the materials inside the building – including clothing and chemicals – the fire could have been a lot worse, Walsh said.  “Everything worked well. The sprinkler system worked well, the alarm system went off. The guys were able to get in there quick and knock it down,” Walsh said.

La Crosse, WI – Sprinkler system credited with controlling early morning fire at corrugating business

Firefighters are crediting a sprinkler system for controlling a business fire in La Crosse.  According to the La Crosse Fire Department, they were called to Badger Corrugating on Green Bay Street in La Crosse around 4:45 Tuesday morning.

Upon arrival, crews found smoke throughout the entire building, but the sprinkler system was controlling the fire.   There were no injuries but the building suffered moderate smoke and water damage.

Perryville, MD – Sprinklers credited with quelling blaze in senior community building

Investigators are crediting a residential sprinkler system for quickly extinguishing a kitchen fire inside one of the 92 units at a four-story senior community building in Perryville on Monday morning, according to the Maryland State Fire Marshal’s Office.

Apison, TN – Fire in paint shop at manufacturing facility contained by sprinkler system

Tri-Community Volunteer Firefighters responded to a 9-1-1 call Thursday afternoon to a commercial business fire on Apison Pike.  Employees of Paladin Attachments, formally known as C&P Attachments, told firefighters that they were working in the Paint Shop and saw a hot spot on one of the filters.

They tried to cool it down, but it burst into flames.  Employees called 9-1-1 and safely evacuated. Firefighters found heavy smoke coming from the building.

The fire had spread and set off the sprinklers.  Firefighters say the sprinkler system did help stop the fire from destroying the entire business.  The Fire Marshall’s Office is looking into the cause of the blaze.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Erlanger, KY – Following explosion at candy factory, sprinklers assist in controlling fires inside building

An explosion and fire at a Boone County candy factory is under investigation. Erlanger residents told WLWT they heard an explosion that shook their homes around 3 a.m. Friday.

 “Shortly after the first unit got out of the station, they could actually see the fire from the station,” Point Pleasant Fire Department Asst. Chief Bill Martin said.

Flames could be seen shooting out of the three-alarm fire at the Perfetti Van Melle plant. The factory makes all of the Airheads candy for North America. Officials said the silo that handles sugar for candy making exploded.

“Anytime you’re dealing with any kind of dust or whatever, you have a chance of explosion – that’s always a hazard in that kind of operation – there’s all kinds of dust hazards – this just happens to involve a sugar product,” Martin said.   Hundreds of employees made it out safely as dust in the form of sugar filled the air.

“They heard the explosion and took the necessary steps and made the call and got themselves out,” President and CEO PVM USA Mehmet Yuksek said.  The fire was brought under control around 4:30 a.m.

“I think the sprinkler system did its job for the most part. The fire that we saw and that was extinguished with the ladder pipe that we had up. The involvement inside the building was actually very limited by the sprinkler system,” said Point Pleasant Assistant Chief Bill Martin.

Meanwhile, employees were told to stay home on Friday.  Parfetti Van Melle President Mehmet Yuksek arrived on the scene early Friday morning.

“We’re actually trying to put the call on everyone, including the office and the first shift not to come because we won’t be operational. Until we know exactly what the damages are and what we need to do, we won’t be making any production,” said Yuksek.

Investigators are still trying to determine a cause.

Rollinsford, NH – Fire in 160-year-old mill building limited by sprinkler system

The initial call for smoke in a second floor suite came in at 7:28 a.m., Rollinsford Fire Chief Mark Rutherford said. Fire crews arrived to find heavy smoke coming from a woodworking shop in Suite 208 of the 160-year-old mill building, and about 15 people had to be evacuated. No one was injured.

Rutherford credited an updated sprinkler system from preventing the two-alarm blaze from spreading. Firefighters also were able to respond quickly to knock down the flames.

Smoke damage was limited to the room of origin and the hallway, and both the studio and the studio below it on the second floor sustained water damaged.

“You need a system like this in these old buildings to keep fires from spreading,” Rutherford said. “How this system was designed probably saved this building, because once a fire spreads in a building like this, you’re here for a while.”  Grenier said he was led to believe the fire started as a result of an oily rag being left out overnight. He wants those responsible for leaving the rag out will be held responsible.

“The biggest thing right now is, I need someone from an insurance company to come in and tell me everything’s going to be OK and give me money,” Grenier said with a chuckle.

Responders included fire departments from Rollinsford, South Berwick, Maine, Berwick, Maine, Somersworth and Dover and York Ambulance Association. Fire departments from Rochester and Eliot, Maine, provided station coverage.

Kent Scovill, who operates PKS Woodworks, said his business was not damaged.

“It was scary coming in this morning and seeing all the fire trucks,” Scovill said. “I was pretty shocked. I ran downstairs and I ran in through the back, which I probably shouldn’t have done. I made sure everything was all right.”

Painter Shaune McCarthy of Madbury, who has a studio at the mill, said she heard about the fire early Friday morning after getting a call from a friend.

McCarthy said she was glad the damage was not more extensive.

“She said, ‘Guess what, the mill’s on fire.’ I was scared to death,” McCarthy said. “There’s always been big mill fires you hear about in history. It’s scary but I’m glad it was just a small thing.”

Gregory McCrone of Dover, an “eclectic collector” of art, coins and family heirlooms, rents a work space at the mill, which he calls “part museum and part living room.”

 

After his morning swim, McCrone drove to the mill to find half a dozen fire trucks in the parking lot.

 

“I didn’t see the building going up (in flames) so I wasn’t quite as worried,” he said. “They wouldn’t let anyone in at first. I have a lot of stuff up here.”

 

Toledo, OH – Fire in salvage shop garage controlled with help from sprinkler system

Three employees of a North Toledo automotive storage business escaped unharmed from a fire that started inside the garage they were working in, authorities said.

The fire was reported about 9:30 a.m. at 911 Bush St. inside the vehicle salvage facility attached to a brick light industrial building. About nine fire trucks responded to the scene, according to the Toledo fire department.

Toledo fire Lt. Matthew Hertzfeld said the employees were using a cutting torch to cut a car part from a vehicle when a fuel tank some distance away fell on the ground releasing gasoline fumes, which then ignited. The fire triggered the building’s sprinkler system.

The fire was extinguished about 9:50 a.m. by firefighters.   The fire was ruled accidental, Lieutenant Hertzfeld said.

Damage was limited to the the building’s vehicle salvage area where it had started, according to the spokesman. A damage estimate was unavailable.

Mesquite, NV – Sprinkler system completely extinguishes fire at Conestoga Golf Club

E-11, R-11, Chief 2 Responded to the Conestoga Golf Club for a water flow alarm. Arrived to find audible and visual alarms and employees evacuated from building. Staff advises they have had a fire. Found an exterior storage rack under a covered patio near kitchen area that had burned boxes and other material on it. Fire completely extinguished by automatic sprinkler system which was still flowing water. Flow of water stopped and system returned to service other than the single head that activated and put the fire out. Minor scorching to building but no structural damage. Fire determined to be accidental in nature.