All posts by viking210

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Torrington, CT – Fire at carpet factory held in check by sprinkler system

A fire Sunday at a carpet factory began when a forklift operator drove over flammable material used to make carpet padding, the fire marshal said. Fire Marshal Edward Bascetta ruled the fire as accidental.  Bascetta said a sprinkler system activated and kept the fire in check, for the most part, “or we would have had a much larger fire than we did. They had all their safeguards in place.”

The fire department called for three alarms Sunday evening after workers, an alarm system and nearby firefighters simultaneously discovered there was a fire within the 150,000-square-foot building owned by Calhoun, Ga. based Mohawk Industries. The massive industrial building stretches from Church Street to Pearl Street and has an entrance on Migeon Avenue.

“The workers were moving the stock pile of foam that they make into padding for carpets,” Bascetta said. “The forklift operator had gone in, picked up a pile and backed up against (material) and had some latex go under the forklift where the exhaust is.”

Bascetta said the heat of the exhaust sparked the fire in the latex, which is extremely flammable. “Once it gets in the latex piles, it keeps burning and you had to pull it apart to get it out.”

Brunoli said a firefighter, who was also trained as a forklift operator, used the machine to carry the smoldering bales of latex outside, where it was extinguished. Brunoli said the firefighter drove the forklift while wearing his protective equipment, including his air pack.

Bascetta said only stock was damaged. “The manufacturing side of the facility is close to being up and running today,” he said Monday afternoon. “They were getting stock in at 10 this morning.”

Representatives of the company did not return requests for comment. A woman at the factory said they could not comment, but work was continuing.

“They had plenty of workers there late last night working around-the-clock to clean up the area,” Bascetta said.

Fire Chief Gary Brunoli said the crew on Truck 4, returning to the fire station from another incident smelled smoke. He said they spun the fire truck around and by the time the department got the call about the fire, they were already there.

Brunoli and Bascetta said the quick response and fire suppression systems in place in the building helped control the fire before it got out of control. There were no injuries, and Bascetta said there was no major damage to the building.

Bascetta said the company has been proactive about fire safety. “They came to the fire department and said we manufacture foam padding for carpets, and we will have fires,” Bascetta said. “They take precautionary measures to prevent that, but sometimes something like this occurs and it is purely accidental.”

Bascatta said when fires burn in latex bundles the only way to extinguish it is to drag it from the building and pick it apart while spraying it down. Brunoli said they used foam to douse the smoldering fire and the Department of Energy and Environmental protection monitored runoff to ensure none of the plastic bits got into storm water systems.

Athletic Club/Sports Facility, Other Business

Las Vegas, NV – Sprinkler system controls fire at go kart race track

Pole Position Raceway remains open after fire — Firefighters are investigating a blaze that occurred at the Las Vegas branch of Pole Position Raceway on Saturday evening. There is a second Pole Position location in Summerlin. Thirty-nine firefighters arrived at 4175 S. Arville St. to find smoke, according to the Clark County Fire Department.

The building’s sprinkler system held the fire in check until crews were able to extinguish it. No injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire is still under investigation. A damage estimate was not immediately available, but the business remains open.

Apartment Building, Residential

Viera, FL – Sprinklers activate to help limit damage in apartment kitchen fire; No injuries

One second floor apartment unit was damaged by smoke and fire and sprinkler water, and another was damaged by sprinkler water as part of a cooking fire that originated on a second floor structure at the Mission Bay apartment complex in Viera on Thursday afternoon, according to Brevard County Fire Rescue. Units from BCFR and the Rockledge Fire Department responded to a call just before 4:30 p.m.

There were no injuries as a result of the fire, BCFR adds.

Restaurant, Shopping Mall

Arcadia, CA – Kitchen fire at Sbarro’s Pizza extinguished by sprinkler system

A kitchen fire at the Sbarro’s Pizza in the Westfield Santa Anita mall caused a temporary evacuation of the food court Thursday evening, officials said.  Nearly 20 firefighters from the Arcadia and Los Angeles County fire departments responded to a call of a structure fire at 8:15 p.m. Thursday in the 400 block of South Baldwin Avenue, fire officials said in a statement.

Mall security directed firefighters to the food court, where they saw smoke and evacuated the area. Further investigation found a fire sprinkler had extinguished a blaze in the restaurant’s kitchen, officials said.  The fire was limited to the immediate area and happened when combustible materials were placed on a stove, officials said.  Officials estimated the fire caused approximately $25,000 in damage and no injuries were reported.

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Hampton, VA – Vehicle fire in warehouse held in check by sprinkler system

A business caught fire in the Copeland Industrial Park this afternoon. The fire started in a warehouse around 2:30 p.m. in the 100 block of E St. after a vehicle’s engine went haywire, Hampton Division of Fire and Rescue Battalion Chief Anthony Chittum said in a news release.

Firefighters got there and saw smoke coming from inside the warehouse and got reports that all employees had already evacuated, Chittum said.  They went inside and discovered a commercial vehicle ablaze, with the fire spreading to nearby storage containers, he said.

The building’s sprinkler system helped keep the fire in check, and firefighters extinguished it within 15 minutes, Chittum said. Investigators ruled the fire an accident after determining there was a mechanical failure in the vehicle’s engine, he said.

Office Building, Restaurant

Fort Lauderdale, FL – Sprinklers activate, assist firefighters in extinguishing restaurant fire at downtown high rise

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The Bank of America building in downtown Fort Lauderdale was evacuated Thursday after a fire broke out in a restaurant located inside the building. A Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue representative said the grease fire began on the first floor of the building inside the grill at Grille 401. He said firefighters could see black smoke coming from the restaurant upon arrival.

 “When crews arrived, they found heavy black smoke coming from the upper part of the parking garage,” Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue Capt. Greg May said. “The sprinkler heads activated like they were supposed to, but the fire got in the duct system and traveled the length of the building which is several hundred feet.”

“We looked out the side window here, and it was just covered in smoke,” Britny Alexander, who was inside the building at the time, said.

All 23 floors of the building were evacuated for several hours. No injuries were reported. Firefighters said Grille 401 would be closed for the remainder of the day. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Apartment Building, Residential

Dumfries, VA – Kitchen fire extinguished by apartment’s sprinkler system

A sprinkler system put out a fire that broke out in the kitchen of a Dumfries apartment Wednesday afternoon, causing about $5,000 in damage.

There were no injuries reported in the blaze, but a building inspector posted two units in the complex as unsafe, according to the Prince William County fire department.

At about 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, fire and rescue crews were dispatched to the fire at a row of apartments in the 17000 block of Islip Loop in Dumfries, the fire department said. As they entered the complex, they went to the kitchen of the unit where the fire originated.

They saw that the apartment’s sprinkler system had been activated, suppressing and extinguishing the fire, the department said. Smoke remained throughout the unit with minor fire damage.

The Prince William Fire Marshal’s Office determined that the fire originated on the kitchen stove, and it was accidental.

Other Business, Recycling / Waste Facility

Nantucket, MA – Sprinkler system helps knock down landfill fire

A construction debris fire this morning at the town landfill was slowed by a new sprinkler system, Nantucket Fire Chief Mark McDougal said.

“Having a system that activated right away saved us a lot of time and effort,” McDougal said.

Fires at the town landfill have, in the past, taken hours and even days to douse but a new building for the construction and building debris that included the sprinkler system made a big difference, he said.

“This wasn’t a big one,” McDougal said about the fire. No one was injured.

The fire department was called at around 9 a.m. to the town property at 188 Madaket Road, McDougal said. The fire started in the far right corner of the building, and the cause has not yet been determined, he said. Possible causes include oily rags, discarded smoking materials or internal combustion, he said.

The fire department was on the scene for two and one-half hours.

Hospital/Care Facility, Hospital/Medical Clinic

Grand Terrace, CA – Attic fire at convalescent hospital contained by sprinkler system

An attic fire prompted a precautionary evacuation at a Grand Terrace convalescent hospital, say San Bernardino County Fire Department officials.

The blaze was reported at 7:36 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 9, at Grand Terrace Health Care Center, 12000 Mount Vernon Ave., about a block north of Barton Road.

The first firefighters to arrive were the crew of Medic Engine 213 who reported smoke billowing from the roof, said Battalion Chief Dan Filter.

“We evacuated a wing because there was fire in the attic,” he said.

The building’s sprinkler system prevented the flames from spreading.

Firefighters climbed ladders to the top of the one-story building and cut a hole in the roof so they could extinguish the flames.

No one was hurt. The cause of the fire wasn’t immediately determined.

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Petaluma, CA – Warehouse fire fully extinguished by sprinkler system; damage limited

A fire safety sprinkler system installed inside of a warehouse complex on Petaluma’s Industrial  Avenue managed to fully extinguish a fire that broke out inside of the building Sunday evening,  limiting the damage to an estimated $50,000, according to the Petaluma Fire Department.

Petaluma firefighters responded to a water flow alarm at 1340 Industrial Avenue at 7:30 p.m.  yesterday, and arrived to find the odor of smoke and water coming out from under the structure’s
exterior doors. Crews forced their way into several of the building’s units, discovering one to be  completely full of smoke with around three inches of water covering the floor.

The sprinkler system had fully extinguished the fire, which appeared to have started in an office area,  according to the fire department. The system had caused minor flooding in an adjoining unit.
Crews shut down the system, evacuated the smoke and began removing water to prevent further damage.

The business owners arrived later that evening, and are now working with a local cleanup company, according to the fire department.  There were no individuals working in the building at the time, and there were no injuries. The cause  of the fire remains under investigation.

Firefighters from the Petaluma Fire Department and Cal Fire responded to the incident, with the  Lakeville Volunteer Fire Department and the Wilmar Volunteer Fire Department providing coverage  in the city.