All posts by viking210

Apartment Building, Residential

Burnsville, MN – Suspected arson fire at apartment building doused by sprinkler system

Authorities are asking for the public’s help to find suspects of a suspected arson fire in Burnsville over the weekend. Burnsville Police and Fire departments say a fire at the Meridian Point Apartments, 51 McAndrews Road West, has been ruled suspicious. The fire, which happened on Sunday, was contained thanks to a single sprinkler head in the apartment building.

Fire crews arrived on scene to find smoke coming from a stairwell leading from the basement garage to the first floor. The building’s sprinkler system had already been activated and managed to keep the fire damage to a minimum. No building residents were displaced by the fire and no injuries were reported.

An investigation into the fire has led officials to believe it was intentionally set. Assistant Fire Chief Doug Nelson states in a release the cause appears to be suspicious and the circumstances of the fire remain under investigation. They ask any residents with information to call the arson hotline at 1-800-723-2020. A reward of up to $5,000 is available for information leading to the identity of the person or persons responsible.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Sarasota, FL – Arson fire at nightclub is prevented from spreading by sprinkler system

Sarasota deputies are looking for a man who they say set fire to a gay nightclub Sunday morning.  Surveillance video shows a man wearing a dark long-sleeved shirt and light colored shorts approaching Throb Nightclub, 2201 Industrial Blvd., at 9 a.m. Sunday, according to a release.

The man walked up to the door carrying a gas can and unsuccessfully tried to light the building on fire with a lit cigarette, deputies said. He walks away and then re-approaches the business, successfully lights the fire and walks away again.  The sprinkler system prevented the fire from spreading, according to a report.

When the flames cleared, Throb Nightclub had suffered $10,000 in fire and water damage. Owner Brian Zickafoose wasted no time making repairs, and opened the club for a regular Sunday evening just hours after the flames had been put out.

Anyone with information can contact criminal investigations at 941-861-4934 or the State Fire Marshal’s arson hotline at 877-662-7766. Anonymous tips can be submitted to Crime Stoppers of Sarasota County by calling 941-366-TIPS (8477) or online at www.sarasotacrimestoppers.com

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Des Plaines, IL – Sprinkler system contains electric fire at Comfort Inn hotel

An activated sprinkler system in the Comfort Inn hotel, 2175 Touhy Ave., Des Plaines, last Friday helped keep a fire in a basement storage room from spreading, which could have caused more damage and possibly injuries, according to Des Plaines Fire Chief Alan Wax.

Firefighters who were called to the scene at 6:15 p.m. were able to extinguish the blaze within 15 minutes and after the building was ventilated, occupants were able to return to their rooms about 90 minutes later.

Shortly after firefighters arrived on the scene, they found smoke throughout the basement with “extremely heavy smoke and some fire” in the storage room. At the same time, fire personnel went from room-to-room on all of the hotel’s floors confirming that no one was present as hallways were also filling with smoke.

According to Wax, one sprinkler head had activated over the fire. This contained the blaze. It also activated the automatic alarm signal that summoned the fire department. The fire caused considerable damage to stored tables, chairs and other items in the storage room as well as electrical equipment. There was little structural damage and no injuries were reported. The hotel remained open after the incident.

Cause of the fire, investigators determined, was arcing from a large electrical feed. “This was another great save by an automatic fire sprinkler system,” said Wax.

Other-Government/Military, Restaurant

Montrose, CO – Fire at airport restaurant put out with help from sprinkler system

A small fire broke out at the Montrose Regional Airport Wednesday morning. The airport’s Director of Aviation tells us it happened early Wednesday morning in the kitchen of a restaurant inside the terminal.

No one was inside the kitchen at the time of the fire and the sprinkler system helped put it out. The airport is still operating as normal. There was minimal damage to property and no threat to public safety. Airport operations were not impacted and cleanup is underway.

County Manager Ken Norris says they hope to have the restaurant back open by Saturday for their Tribute to Aviation event.

Manufacturing, Paper Mill / Saw Mill

Port Townsend, WA – Sprinkler system handles small fire at paper mill

 Emergency personnel responded to a fire around 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 8, at the Port Townsend Paper Corp. No one was injured. There was minor damage to equipment and the machine was expected to be back up and running Tuesday night. General Manager Carr Tyndall, on vacation in South Carolina, said Tuesday afternoon that sprinklers had gone off when a fire started in a dryer section on Paper Machine No. 2. East Jefferson Fire Rescue (EJFR) was called as a precaution.

Kevin Scott, director of sustainability at the mill, and Bill Beezley, public information officer at EJFR, confirmed that firefighters and medics arrived as support. Beezley said that crews were dispatched to “heavy black smoke near the northernmost smoke stack.” Responding crews reported that fire had broken out in dust on top of the second paper machine and that the mill’s sprinkler system had extinguished it by the time the crew arrived.

“EJFR firefighters spent some time hitting hot spots and mopping up before departing 45 minutes later,” Beezley said. “Paper Machine No. 2 is down for now. And it’s probably going to be another three hours for cleaning,” Tyndall said of being told there was no significant damage. He said the sprinkler heads would need to be replaced.

Tyndall said it would not surprise him if paper dust in the third dryer section caught on fire. He said that was common. Flames were initially reported being visible from a roof, then only black smoke was visible, as of 10:10 a.m.

The flames had been “knocked down” as of 10:14 a.m., according to responder traffic heard on JeffCom dispatch. The mill has two machines that produce kraft paper products.

Athletic Club/Sports Facility, Other Business

Export, PA – Sprinkler system halts spread of fire at Westmoreland Country Club

A fire in a laundry room at Westmoreland Country Club early Tuesday caused minimal damage and did not curtail any activities, a club official said.

Controller April Jeroski said no one was injured in the blaze reported at 12:39 a.m.

“It was totally contained to the laundry area. The rest of the club is operational,” she said.

Claridge fire Chief Bob Bankosh said some smoldering towels were found near an electrical box.

A fire suppression sprinkler system kicked in, preventing further spread of smoke or fire, he said.

Bankosh said the fire has been ruled accidental.

Apartment Building, Residential

Fairbanks, AK – Sprinkler system contains cooking fire at downtown apartment building

A sprinkler system contained a small cooking fire in a downtown Fairbanks apartment building Tuesday evening.

The fire broke out about 5:30 p.m. in an apartment on the third floor of the Golden Towers building, said Assistant Fire Chief Ernie Misewicz with the Fairbanks fire department. The automatic sprinkler extinguished the fire. 

“Nobody was displaced and damage was kept to a minimum,” he said.

Nursing Home/Senior Living

Plano, TX – Sprinkler system assists firefighters in controlling nursing home fire; No injuries reported

Firefighters responded to a Plano nursing home Saturday morning after receiving a call about smoke from an employee at Life Care Center of Plano, in the 3800 block of W. Park Boulevard.

The employee called 911 at 8:47 a.m. to report that fire alarms were sounding and that senior residents were being removed from the property.

When Plano Fire-Rescue crews arrived, they discovered a haze of smoke in one of the main hallways and a lot of smoke inside a glassed-in laundry room, according to Capt. Peggy Harrell, department spokeswoman. It is believed that the fire started in a clothes dryer.

“This is what we call a high-occupancy load, where there are lots of people in a building and in a place where there are lots of seniors who might not be able to evacuate themselves,” she said. “We took extra precautions.”

Harrell said the nursing home had good evacuation procedures in place, but once investigators located the fire and determined how far it was from the residential hallways, no evacuation had to take place and residents were able to return to their rooms.

“We were able to close the fire doors and keep the room where the fire was isolated,” she said. “A sprinkler head kept the fire in check, and firefighters brought in the handline to put the remaining fire out.”

Harrell said investigators discovered an armload of clothes on fire in the affected dryer, but the exact cause of the fire has not been determined.

No injuries were reported, but Harrell said a rescue squad was on the scene to check out anyone who may have come close to the smoke.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Sunrise Beach, MO – Fire at popular Lake of the Ozarks restaurant limited by sprinkler system

Cannon Smoked Saloon caught fire and suffered smoke damage on Labor Day morning. The fire is not suspicious, according to Sunrise Beach Assistant Fire Chief Jeremy Criner.

Cannon Smoked Saloon owner Ron Duggan is already coordinating restoration and hopes the restaurant will be open within three to four weeks. Duggan, while waiting for the official investigation to conclude, is confident a cigarette butt was to blame for the blaze.

“We have cans outside for people to extinguish cigarette butts, but apparently someone used one of our barrel flower pots in front,” Duggan said. The cigarette likely smoldered overnight and caught the front of the building on fire sometime in the early morning.

“The area of the fire origin was in a planter in front of the building,” Asst. Chief Criner said. “But, we have not yet determined the exact ignition source, although we are leaning towards a cigarette butt. We have, however, determined there were no electrical issues in that portion of the outside of the building.”

The Sunrise Beach Fire Protection District received a 911 call from a passerby just after 7 a.m. Firefighters responded immediately bringing the fire under control within 10 minutes.

During the overhaul, firefighters found the fire extended into the attic. “Fortunately for us and the owners, Ron and Nichole Duggan, there were fire sprinklers in the attic that were activated and they put out the attic fire,” Assistant Fire Chief Criner said. “This is a shining example of what a fire suppression system can do as far as the ability to quickly extinguish fire. Had there not been fire sprinklers in the attic, the damage would have been much more extensive. Anytime you have sprinkler system in any building, whether it is residential or commercial, the ability to quickly suppress the fire brings huge benefits for all the occupants that could potentially be harmed.”

Once firefighters determined the fire was extinguished, they shut down the sprinkler system to eliminate further water damage. Most of the fire damage was to the exterior front side of the building and inside the attic. There was also water and smoke damage throughout the building.

This is the second time a restaurant of the same name has caught fire. In 2011, the Duggans lost the first Cannon Smoked Saloon in an accidental fire, along with many family antiques holding significant sentimental and monetary value. The restaurant, then located on Highway F in Sunrise Beach, was a total loss. Cannon Smoked quickly re-opened at the Indian Rock Golf Course while acquiring and remodeling the current building for a permanent home at the intersection of Highway 5 and Lake Road 5-39.

Other Business, Recycling / Waste Facility

Orleans, MA – Sprinklers assist firefighters in controlling challenging recycling plant fire

Firefighters from the Lower Cape and Mid-Cape areas were tied up for hours after a pile of mattresses caught fire inside a recycling plant Saturday.

Around 1 p.m., rescuers responded to the Daniels Recycling Center building on Giddiah Hill Road after employees at the plant unsuccessfully tried to squelch the nearly ceiling-high pile of mattresses set to be recycled, Orleans Fire Chief Anthony Pike said.

The cause of the two-alarm fire was unknown, Pike added.  Firefighters equipped with breathing apparatus entered the warehouse and mostly knocked down the fire, which didn’t appear to damage the building, Pike said.

But because the mattresses and other debris were so compact, workers from the plant took front-end loaders and pulled pile after pile of the debris out of the building to the edge of the plant’s parking lot to be hosed down, Orleans Deputy Chief Geof Deering said.

The Red Cross was on scene with drinks and snacks for the rescuers, and one firefighter was being evaluated for exhaustion, Dennis Deputy Chief Robert Brown said.

The sprinkler system in the warehouse worked to help keep the fire from spreading, Pike said. Fire crews from Dennis, Eastham, Brewster, and Harwich aided Orleans at the scene. Crews from as far as Yarmouth were called in to cover the responding departments’ empty fire stations.