All posts by viking210

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Rochester, MN – Sprinkler system activated for fire at lab; No injuries reported

Rochester Fire Department (RFD) responded to a report of a closet fire inside Limb Lab Monday morning.

When firefighters arrived, they found smoke in the building and an evacuation was in progress.

Firefighters located the fire and extinguished it with a pressurized water can. Other RFD crews searched for victims and worked to locate the sprinkler system controls to shut it off.

Fans were set up in the building to ventilate the smoke.

The fire caused a small amount of damage to the contents of the closet and there was some water damage to the first floor and basement.

There were no injuries.

Automatic fire sprinkler systems limited the growth of the fire and provided occupants valuable time to evacuate. In this incident, fire damage was limited to the room of origin and RFD said it serves as another great example of how sprinkler systems can save lives and property.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Oak Bluffs, MA – Sprinkler system contains fire at restaurant

A fire that started early Sunday morning has damaged an Oak Bluffs restaurant that was planning to open this spring.

At 3:48 a.m., Oak Bluffs fire crews responded to 6 Circuit avenue after a report of smoke detectors going off, said deputy fire chief Stephen Foster. When firefighters arrived they found smoke coming from the basement of the building.

The location is the former space occupied by The Cardboard Box, where Mikado is planning to open its second Island restaurant and the building has been undergoing renovations.

A sprinkler in the building largely contained the fire, which, according to fire chief Nelson Wirtz, was caused by the careless disposal of smoking materials, Mr. Foster said.

Firefighters found a box with rags in the building and believe the fire started there before spreading to a wooden table.

Fire crews from Tisbury and Edgartown aided Oak Bluffs at the fire, Mr. Foster said. The building, which had about a foot and a half of water in it, was then ventilated. Residents who live above the restaurant were able to return to their apartments.

“We were lucky to have the fire mainly knocked down,” Mr. Foster said. “The sprinkler system did exactly what it was supposed to do.”

Firefighters were staying on Circuit avenue throughout Sunday to monitor the building.

Mikado got approvals from the town in January to open the Oak Bluffs restaurant. The unit was formerly home to the Cardboard Box.

Proprietor Xi Yu had previously said he planned to open the new location on April 1. A request for comment to the business was not immediately returned Sunday. 

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Charleston, SC – Sprinkler system contains fire at hotel; No injuries reported

The Charleston Fire Department responded to a fire at Hampton In Hotel on Meeting St. Wednesday afternoon.

Charleston Police officials said the call came in at 12:54 p.m.

Crews have gotten the fire under control and ventilated the building.

Investigators are on the scene to determine the cause of the fire.

CFD says the fire sprinkler system was activated to contain the fire. No injuries were reported.

Apartment Building, Residential

Yuma, AZ – Sprinkler system extinguishes kitchen fire at apartment complex

The Yuma Fire Department (YFD) responded to an apartment fire, only to find that a fire sprinkler head had extinguished the fire.

The incident occurred on Tuesday at approximately 6:17pm at Cielo Verde Apartments, near the Walmart on S. Avenue 8E.

After responding to a fire alarm, YFD confirmed that the fire sprinkler head had activated and put out the fire near the stove.

YFD also said that there were two people inside the apartment and both were able to safely evacuate the apartment. Additionally, they said that the cause of the fire started when a pan was left on the stove.

Fortunately, the fire damage was minimal due to the fire sprinkler head, according to YFD.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

East Providence, RI – Sprinkler system activated for fire in commercial building; No injuries reported

A two-alarm fire broke out at a commercial building in East Providence on Sunday morning, city fire officials said.

Around 6:43 a.m., East Providence fire officials were alerted of a fire at 830 Waterman Ave. Upon arrival, firefighters found the fire coming from the loading dock and that the fire sprinkler system was activated.

Fire officials said they quickly struck a second alarm and made an aggressive attack at the flames inside the building.

No one was inside the building at the time of the fire, according to authorities. No injuries were reported.

Fire officials said the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

The East Providence fire department received mutual aid from Seekonk, Massachusetts. Providence, Pawtucket and Barrington covered the fire stations.

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Waterloo, IA – Sprinkler system keeps fire in check at distribution facility

Firefighters extinguished a blaze at a Waterloo warehouse company on Wednesday evening.

The blaze at Standard Distribution’s facility at 2251 Westfield Ave. broke out shortly before 5 p.m. when an outlet used to charge forklifts apparently overheated, according to Waterloo Fire Rescue officials.

The fire started to burn into a wall. An employee noticed the fire and attempted to douse it with an extinguisher, officials said. The facility was evacuated.

The fire triggered the building’s sprinkler system, which held it in check until firefighters finished it off.

Other - Residential, Residential

Boise, ID – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire in multi-family home; No injuries reported

Crisis averted when a multi-family home was ultimately saved by its sprinkler system after catching fire on Wednesday.

Caldwell Fire Department said in a release that on the morning of Feb. 8, Canyon County Dispatch received several reports of a fire alarm having been activated inside of a home. 

Caldwell Fire crews were dispatched to the two-story multi-family fourplex. Upon arrival, no smoke nor flames could be detected, however, the audible water flow alarm was activated.

No one was home at the time of the incident.

Upon further investigation, it was determined that a fire had indeed broken out in one of the bedrooms. Crews concluded that the fire suppression system had activated, effectively extinguishing the fire that erupted in the back bedroom of one of the first-floor apartments. 

The statement iterated that if not for the sprinkler system, damages could have been exponential. They said the fire would have grown much larger, moving into the adjacent units and buildings, potentially displacing several families.

Let this serve as a reminder to keep fire and smoke alarms updated; and next time you reach for those batteries to replace your dying remote control…don’t.

“This is a good reminder that fire suppression systems work,” said Deputy Chief Alan Perry, Fire Marshal, Caldwell Fire Department. 

“The need for fire suppression systems in residential settings is paramount as high-density living situations become more and more common.”

Residential, Single Family Home

Charles County, MD – Sprinkler system extinguishes arson fire in home

A Charles County man was arrested Saturday after deputies say he set a fire inside his parents’ Waldorf home, according to the Maryland Office of the State Fire Marshal.

Around 10:30 p.m., Saturday deputy state fire marshals responded to the 9200 block of Misting Court after the owner believed his son had set a fire.

The Charles County Sheriff’s Office told the arriving investigators that the homeowner had been having issues with his son, 21-year-old Jordan Christopher Robinson, over the past few days and that he asked Robinson to leave the house earlier in the day.

At around 8 p.m., the homeowner received an alert on his phone for his home security cameras, where he saw Robinson enter the home, authorities said.

“He returned home and discovered Robinson had left the house and the remains of a fire inside his bedroom that the fire sprinklers had extinguished,” deputies said in a news release. Investigators credit the sprinkler system containing the fire and minimizing damage to around $6,000.

Officials said Robinson was arrested Sunday morning and was taken to a local hospital for injuries he had sustained earlier in an altercation with a family member.

After being released from the hospital, deputies said Robinson was transported to Charles County Detention Center, where he was charged with first-degree arson, first-degree malicious burning, home invasion, and malicious destruction of property over $1,000.

Uncategorized

Brattleboro, VT – Sprinkler system activated for fire in parking garage

A car caught on fire in the Transportation Center on Sunday morning, causing damage to others.

“The sprinkler system activated and kept the fire at bay but then the crew that arrived had to finish extinguishing it,” Brattleboro Fire Chief Len Howard said. “So the sprinkler system did its job.”

The fire occurred on the third level of the parking garage on Elliot Street. Emergency personnel received the call at about 6:19 a.m. Sunday.

Howard expects the vehicle that went on fire will be deemed a total loss. Two or three other cars were damaged from the heat, he said.

It’s unclear how the fire started but it’s believed to have originated in the engine compartment. Howard anticipates more details will be released Monday.

The fire isn’t considered suspicious.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Airdrie, AB, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for fire in restaurant

A fire broke out at Moody’s Mediterranian Restaurant late in the evening on Wednesday, Feb. 1, but the building’s sprinkler system thankfully prevented it from spreading, saving the restaurant and other businesses located in the commercial building. 

The Airdrie Fire Department (AFD) received notification of the sprinkler system going off at about 11:28 p.m. on February 1, when all businesses in the buildings had closed and everyone had gone home. 

Crews had to forcibly enter the restaurant, which is located on the bottom floor of a two-story commercial building. 

They encountered heavy smoke and limited visibility, but soon were able to determine that a single overhead sprinkler had extinguished most of the fire and prevented it from spreading. 

AFD deputy chief Garth Rabel said the building’s sprinkler system fulfilled its exact purpose. 

“The sprinkler system did exactly what it is supposed to do. It was a single sprinkler head over the site of the fire,” said Rabel. 

“When it activated, that sets off a monitored system that activated the 9-1-1 system that got us on the way to the call,” he said. 

“This was a single sprinkler head over the site of the fire that held it in check until our team could get there. That’s exactly how a good commercial fire ops works.” 

While the business will require repairs from both the fire and likely water from the sprinkler, Rabel said the sprinkler was what kept the building safe. 

“The true damage is without a sprinkler system, when the fire is able to take hold. That’s where huge damage happens,” he said. 

“Sprinkler systems don’t damage buildings, they save them.” 

Crews extinguished what remained, and then went to work venting the smoke, using a thermal imaging camera to make sure that the fire didn’t affect other parts of the building. 

Moody’s is now closed for the foreseeable future while they work with the Fire Prevention Bureau and their insurance company, but all other businesses in the building were able to return to operations the following day. 

“The team ensured that it stayed compartmentalized. Everything stayed within that one business,” said Rabel. 

“The team checked the rest of the building for any extension of fire or smoke and found nothing.” 

12 firefighters in total were on-scene for the situation, including members from all three local fire stations and a platoon chief. 

The entire response took about three-and-a-half hours, with crews remaining on scene until about 2 a.m. 

The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.