All posts by viking210

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Virginia Beach, VA – Boardwalk restaurant fire doused by sprinkler system

A restaurant in Red Mill Walk caught on fire early this morning. The Virginia Beach Fire Department responded to a fire alarm at 2277 Upton Drive around 1:22 a.m., a news release from Battalion Chief Eric Wilkerson says. Fire crews forced their way into Suite 714 — home to Back Bay Gourmet, according to Red Mill Commons’ website — and found the fire in a storage room had been extinguished by the sprinklers. The fire was under control at 1:49 a.m. as the crews worked on controlling the sprinkler system and salvage, the release says. Smoke, fire and water damage was contained to the restaurant. No one was hurt, and the fire remains under investigation.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Cookeville, TN – Dryer fire at Hampton Inn controlled by sprinkler system; No injuries

A small fire in a commercial dryer early this morning at the Hampton Inn hotel on Interstate Drive kept the Cookeville Fire Department busy. The call came in around 6:40 a.m., and fire crews were on the scene until after 9 a.m., Lt. Benton Young said.

“At about the same time we got the call, a Cookeville police officer who was refueling at a gas station nearby on Jefferson Avenue noticed smoke coming from the hotel and responded to the location as well,” Lt. Young said.

When firefighters arrived on the scene, he said, smoke could be seen coming out the front lobby doors, all the way from the laundry room located farther back inside the building. Guests of the hotel were evacuated while firefighters assessed and responded to the situation.

“There was a lot of smoke. We had to use thermal cameras in the laundry room just to see to get to the source,” he said.

That source proved to be only one commercial dryer that appeared to have several mop heads drying inside it, firefighters reported.

The hotel’s sprinkler system activated when the dryer fire began to smoke, and the blaze was contained to that appliance.

After firefighters arrived, they worked quickly to extinguish the blaze.

“We didn’t have to put a whole lot of water on it to put it out, maybe 15 or 20 gallons,” Lt. Young said.

The tasks that followed, however, included resetting the fire alarm system, getting the abundance of smoke dissipated from the building and verifying that all of the hotel occupants were evacuated and accounted for. All four Cookeville stations responded to the scene.

No one was reported injured in the incident. Capt. Matt White said he expected the business to reopen later this morning following the incident.

 

Other - Retail, Retail

Buford, GA – Sprinklers contain fire at muffler shop; Spark from metal saw ignited fuel vapors

A fire sparked by a metal-cutting tool damaged a Buford-area muffler shop Thursday afternoon, according to Gwinnett Fire. No injuries were reported. Firefighters responded to the shop located at 803 West Shadburn Ferry Road at 2:51 p.m. after an employee called to report the blaze, the fire department said in a news release.

Gwinnett Fire Capt. Tommy Rutledge said the caller reported a car elevated on a mechanical lift had caught on fire. The blaze was held in check by the fire sprinkler system, but sent heavy smoke billowing from the building.

“Several employees were inside the business at the time and were working on the vehicle when the fire started,” Rutledge said in the news release. “The fire appears accidental and was caused by a spark from a saw that was being used to cut metal. The spark ignited nearby fuel vapors.”

The vehicle was heavily damaged. Extensive heat and smoke were sent throughout the mechanic bay. The fire was under control at 3:21 p.m., Rutledge said.

Apartment Building, Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Hampton, VA – Early morning fire at senior apartment building controlled by single sprinkler; No injuries

Hampton fire officials say several units inside a retirement community were damaged after a fire early Thursday morning. It happened at the Seton Manor Apartments on Marcella Road. No one was hurt.

According to Hampton fire officials, someone was cooking around 6:30 a.m. A pan with grease caught fire and set off the sprinkler.

Bertha Davis said she and her neighbors woke up to fire trucks and sirens. “I heard the alarm go off and then I went to the door. People were in the hallway,” she said. “A lot of people had to come out in their night clothes. The ones that had walkers, they were in the hallway.”

Despite the damage and the inconvenience, officials said the sprinkler system worked. “It did its job. It stopped the fire. That’s the most important part,” Stowers said. Stowers said it should take at least three days to completely clean the damage.

10 On Your Side tried talking to apartment managers about what happened and where the people displaced will go. They refused an interview, but sent a statement to 10 On Your Side late Thursday afternoon. The apartment says all affected residents to family homes or hotels while restorations are being completed.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Auburn, IN – Fire in paint booth at Cooper-Standard Automotive contained by sprinkler system

Firefighters climb one of the Auburn Fire Department’s aerial ladders to reach the roof at Cooper-Standard Automotive, 207 S. West St., after a fire was reported at 3:05 p.m. Wednesday in a paint booth at the factory. The building’s sprinkler system activated, containing the fire, and firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze using hoses, Auburn Fire Chief Mike VanZile said. All Cooper employees were evacuated from the plant and accounted for, he added. Firefighters declared the situation under control at 3:20 p.m. Garrett firefighters assisted at the scene.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Bowling Green, KY – Fire at automotive manufacturer activates sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Firefighters lined the front of NASCO on Nashville Road in Bowling Green Thursday at noon. NASCO said metal dust particles from a worker welding ear the roof line and ventilation fans ignited, setting off the sprinkler system and forcing them to evacuate the building. The Bowling Green Fire Department responded with multiple trucks including a ladder truck. Crews used extinguishers to check the scene for hot spots. NASCO said only a few sprinklers went off during the incident and no one was hurt.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Waynesboro, VA – Sprinkler system activates to keep fire small at Moose Lodge

Waynesboro Fire Department Deputy Chief James Bradley said the alarm company called the fire department around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday.

“It started in the bar area,” he said. “It’s a sprinkler building, so it was a relatively small fire, but there was a considerable amount of damage.”

This is the second time a fire has damaged the building. The first fire was in 1978, Kochis said.

She said the employees left the lodge around 11 p.m. and no one was there when the fire started.

Firefighters were able to contain the fire within 30 minutes, but remained at the scene until 3 a.m., clearing the building of smoke.

The damage is covered by insurance, and Kochis said they may be unable to open for a week or two.

“We always have bingo every Sunday afternoon with at least 110 people and sometimes 120 or 130,” Kochis said. “It just depends on what is going on, but we won’t have bingo this Sunday.”

Bradley says the fire remains under investigation.

Other - Retail, Retail

London, ON, Canada – Official thanking sprinkler system following Goodwill Donation Centre blaze

A Goodwill Industries official is praising the sprinkler system after a fire broke out Wednesday morning at the Outlet & Donation Centre on White Oak Rd.

President and CEO of Goodwill Industries Michelle Quintyn tells AM980 when fire crews were called.

“At about 11 o’clock this morning, we had a small fire start in the back end of the building. Alarm went off, the one area of the sprinkler system went off, we evacuated the building, everyone got out safely,” she said. “We have had quite a bit of activity here today making sure that the fire is out, it’s a building full of textiles and all kinds of recyclable materials.”

A damage estimate and cause of the blaze could not be determined by the Fire Inspector on duty

Quintyn did, however, mention that the building was undergoing roof work

“The area that the fire occurred is more a warehousing area, it is not a production area. In that vicinity there was some roof work going on,” she said. “A sprinkler system is a good thing to have in a big building like this.”

Fire crews could also be seen inspecting tar machines near where the fire broke out.

Quintyn added that there were well over 200 people in the building at the time, many of them employees and some customers. No injuries have been reported.

 

 

Apartment Building, Residential

Chester, VA – Sprinkler system keeps apartment fire from spreading; Fire caused by clothes dryer motor malfunction

A fire Wednesday evening at an apartment complex in the Enon area of Chesterfield County has displaced three residents. The Chesterfield County Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services responded at 5:37 p.m. to the 2300 block of Golden Garden Circle for a dryer on fire inside of an apartment, according to officials. 

Fire crews arrived to find a small amount of fire inside of the dryer. The fire sprinkler system had activated and extinguished the bulk of the fire, stopping it from spreading throughout the apartment. It took crews approximately 20 minutes to get the fire under control, according to a release. 

The fire started as a result of the dryer motor malfunctioning during operation. Two adults and one child were displaced and are being assisted by apartment management.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Oxford, AL – Sprinkler system holds fire in check at National Gypsum Company facility

Oxford Fire Department responded to a minor fire Tuesday at the National Gypsum Company on U.S. 78. A call first came in about a fire in the plant’s paper bale room around 11:15 a.m. from an employee at the plant, Oxford fire Chief Gary Sparks said in a phone interview Tuesday. Firefighters were on scene within three minutes of the call, extinguished the fire and left the scene by 12:40, Sparks said. It is unclear how the fire started but the sprinkler system held the flames in check until responders arrived on the scene, Sparks said.

“There was minimal damage,” Sparks said. “The majority of it was to the paper bales, but there was some smoke damage in the office area.” There were no injuries reported during the incident and the plant was expected to be up and running before the day ended, Sparks said. Efforts to reach a spokesperson for the plant Tuesday were unsuccessful.