All posts by viking210

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Portland, OR – Intentionally-set fires at high school kept in check by sprinklers

Students at Portland’s James Madison High School got quite a scare Monday morning.

“Today we had a fire alarm this morning at 10 a.m.,” said Christine Miles, Spokesperson for Portland Public Schools.

She explained that a fire had been intentionally ignited in the boys restroom.  Shortly after, another fire was set in a school storage closet that was used for donated food.

“Inside, there is a sprinkler fire system that was activated by the heat which then kept that fire in check and kept it from extending further into the building,” said Lt. Rich Tyler with Portland Fire & Rescue.

But the two fires at Madison High on Monday weren’t the first to be set at the school recently.

“So far we have four fires that were set here. The 16th, the 17th and then two today,” said Tyler.

Three of the fires started in boys restrooms and investigators said all of them were believed to be arson.

“We do know that it is a student and we are interviewing the students to determine who the individual or individuals are,” Tyler said.

At this point, school is still on for Tuesday but Portland Public School officials want everyone to be on watch.

“We’re telling our community: ‘Please step forward if you know something so we can make an arrest or put an end to this as soon as possible,’” said Miles.

The principal also posted a letter to parents on the front page of the Madison High School website.

No students have been hurt in any of the fires.

Government/Military, Other-Government/Military

Ocean City, MD – Sprinklers praised for stopping fire at town’s Service Center Warehouse

Fire sprinklers in an Ocean City building are attributed to a quickly put out fire last week.

Around 1:30 a.m. Nov. 22, the Ocean City Fire Department was dispatched to an automatic fire alarm at the town’s Service Center Warehouse on 65th Street, according to a press release.

“By these two fire sprinklers activating, city ambulances, police cars, busses, street sweepers, and other essential equipment was saved,” Fire Marshal David W. Hartley said in the release. “This example shows the huge impact sprinklers have not just in a home, but also in reducing the average loss of property during a fire in a commercial structure.”

When firefighters arrived, they found the 12,000 square foot vehicle garage filled with smoke. The call for service was upgraded to a building fire, according to the release, which brought additional fire and EMS resources.

Firefighters found two sprinkler heads that were activated extinguished the fire before the department was dispatched.

On-scene investigation showed the fire started due to a machine malfunction and was classified accidental. The building was unoccupied at the time of the fire.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Quincy, IL – Sprinklers put out mattress fire at Chaddock School; No injuries

Emergency crews responded to a mattress fire Wednesday morning at Chaddock School, according to Asst. Fire Chief Bernie Vahlkamp.

The Quincy Fire Department says crews responded to the fire at 205 S. 24th St., in one of the cottages. Vahlkamp said the fire was out by the time firefighters arrived and that Quincy police are handling the situation.

“The sprinkler system put out the fire,” Vahlkamp said. “But, smoke did fill the room and hallway.”

Vahlkamp said there were no injuries.

Apartment Building, Residential

Miami, FL – Sprinklers help stop fire on 10th floor of off-campus apartment building

Hundreds of Florida International University students were evacuated from an apartment building near campus early Thursday morning after a fire broke out while someone was cooking.

Witnesses told Local 10 News that a grease fire sparked the flames on the 10th floor of 109 Tower along Southwest 109th Avenue at Seventh Street after midnight. Much of the floor was damaged by fire and other parts of the building suffered water damage from the sprinkler system.

No one was injured, but many residents stayed up all night searching for a place to sleep.

“That’s what I’m doing right now,” one student told Local 10 News. “I’m about to go hike to go sleep on a couch.”

Jaime Zapata, who lives in the off-campus housing, told Local 10 News that students were told to pack their bags and plan to be out of the building for two days. Many of them left the building without identification and were worried because they have finals to study for and take.

“They’ve had us out here since about 2 or 3 in the morning, telling us that we can’t go back inside because it’s not safe,” student Analee Wharton said.

Susan Jennings, vice president of EdR Collegiate Housing, which owns the apartment building, said the majority of students have been allowed to return to their rooms. She said the students who lived in the apartment where the fire occurred and near the apartment have been put up in a hotel by the company.

According to Jennings, the sprinkler system was activated for about 20 minutes after the fire broke out.

FIU authorities said 109 Tower resumed normal operations Tuesday night.

Department Store, Retail

Walla Walla, WA – Sprinkler system helps extinguish fire at Cascade Farm & Outdoor Store

The Cascade Farm and Outdoor Store in Walla Walla will be temporarily closed while water/smoke damage from a small fire is assessed and cleaned up.

A display heater caught fire around 11 PM Friday night causing isolated smoke damage and water damage from an activated sprinkler system. While initial reports describe a small amount of damage, the store will be closed until further notice.

Other Business

Stevens Point, WI – Overnight equipment fire at publishing company contained by sprinkler system

A fire caused minor damage to a local publishing company early Monday morning, but no one was hurt.  Firefighters responded to Worzalla Publishing, located at 3535 Jefferson St., at about 2:30 a.m. and extinguished the fire, though most of the flames had been contained by a sprinkler system, said Stevens Point Fire Capt. Jodi Baganz.

The fire was caused by a piece of equipment that overheated after a motor failure and started paper on fire, Baganz said. There was smoke and water damage to some of the equipment, but the company was able to continue operating after the fire was put out, Baganz said.

There were people inside the building when the fire started, but no one was injured in the incident, Baganz said.

 

Apartment Building, Residential

Appalachia, VA – Sprinkler system extinguishes fifth floor apartment fire

The Appalachia Fire Department responded to the apartment complex, located at 505 West Main Street, when a fire alarm sounded around 12:24 Saturday afternoon.  Fire Chief Robert Anderson Jr. says the fire started in an apartment on the fifth floor due to an occupant smoking while on oxygen. He tells us the sprinkler system activated and extinguished the fire.

Apartments from the fifth floor to the second floor suffered water and smoke damage. Those residents were evacuated to Appalachia High School gymnasium where they are being assisted by the Red Cross.  Anderson told us a contractor was on scene working to clean up the damages.

Hotel / Motel

Reno, NV – Fire in basement laundry at hotel casino contained with help from sprinkler system

A fire in a basement laundry room at the Peppermill Hotel Casino forced a brief evacuation of the property Friday afternoon.

Employees at the hotel attacked the blaze with fire extinguishers and the hotel’s sprinkler system also kicked in to contain the blaze as Reno firefighters responded shortly after noon. Firefighters quickly knocked down the flames, evacuated the smoke from the building and checked to ensure it hadn’t spread into other areas of the building, Battalion Chief Mark Winkelman said.

Meanwhile, hotel guests and employees were evacuated into the frigid afternoon air. Many huddled in towels and blankets until they were allowed back inside about an hour later. Guests described the scene inside as calm and orderly as they walked down the stairs to get out of the building.  While some guests saw smoke, none said they saw flames.

Keith and Mallory Lynch of San Francisco were celebrating their wedding anniversary with a couples massage at the hotel spa when the fire alarm sounded and they were asked to leave the building. They stood outside in bathrobes and flip-flops, shivering in the 34-degree weather.

“At first they told us not to worry, but then they said we had to leave,” Keith Lynch said. “Luckily we were near the end of the massage.” Corey Mathes, of Fresno, was taking a shower and getting ready for her 4 p.m. wedding at the hotel when security knocked on the door and told her and fiance Craig Frantzich to evacuate.

“My dress is still up there,” she said, noting she grabbed the wedding rings but failed to get their wedding license. “I will beg a firefighter to go get my dress!”

She and Frantzich have been together for 23 years. “We’ll get married today one way or another,” she said.

Winkelman said the damage didn’t appear to be extensive. The blaze put out billows of smoke after lint on the ceiling caught fire, he said. The sprinkler system also caused some water damage.

Peppermill spokeswoman Katie Silva put out a brief statement: “We experienced a fire in our laundry room this afternoon. We appreciate the quick and professional response by the Reno Fire Department in extinguishing the fire.”

 

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Riverside, CA – Hotel fire in third floor linen closet extinguished by sprinkler system

A small fire that broke out Friday in a Riverside hotel after a holiday lighting ceremony was quickly extinguished by a fire sprinkler, officials said.  Fire officials noted smoke and an electrical burning smell in the Mission Inn Hotel lobby and upper floors shortly after an annual switch-on Christmas lighting ceremony took place, the Riverside Fire Department said in a press release.

A sprinkler in a third-floor linen room was activated and the fire was quickly extinguished, officials said. Fire crews shut down the sprinkler and water seeped through the floor, leaking into the second and first floors of the hotel.

Visitors and guests were temporarily displaced from the hotel and were allowed back into their rooms when the leaks were controlled.  Discarded fireworks debris from the Festival of Lights switch-on ceremony was ignited in a trash can and started the fire, investigators said.

Mission Inn officials said they will continue in-house salvage operations. Initial reports stated that only two guest rooms had water damage. There were no reported injuries.

Other - Retail, Retail

Everett, WA – Sprinkler system activates to help control Black Friday fire at Toys R Us store

The Everett Mall Toys R Us store was closed by a smoky fire on Friday morning. Store employees called 911 and safely evacuated all customers from the building after seeing flames in a stockroom. The fire activated a sprinkler and workers tried to put out the fire with extinguishers but were unsuccessful.

When firefighters arrived at about 7:45 a.m., they found heavy smoke inside the store. After the fire was extinguished, fans were brought in to remove the smoke.  The cause of the fire is under investigation, but it is not considered suspicious.  Managers had not decided whether to try and reopen the store later on Black Friday.