All posts by viking210

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Hotel fire held in check by sprinkler system (Concord, NC)

Concord Department of Fire and Life Safety was called to Sleep Inn Hotel on Dec. 23 at around 12:10 a.m.  Firefighters found heavy smoke coming from the back of the structure. There had been a fire in the building, but the sprinkler system held the fire in check until firefighters arrived. Fire Investigators determined that the fire was started by improperly discarded smoking material. There were no injuries.

Other - School / University, School / University

Sprinkler system extinguishes fire at Montessori School (Fremont, CA)

Students and staff at a Fremont Montessori school were unharmed after an oven caught fire Thursday afternoon, fire officials said. Arriving crews learned that the fire was already extinguished by the sprinkler system installed above the oven and that the 60 students and staff fled the school safely, according to Fremont Fire Department spokesman Daniel Cardenas. The fire was contained to the oven. “The damage was very minimal,” Cardenas said. “Thanks to the sprinkler system and audible fire alarm, all occupants were able to evacuate in a timely manner having no injuries reported,” Cardenas added.

Dry Cleaner, Retail

Sprinkler system helps to save commercial laundry business from early morning fire (Grand Junction, CO)

Fire crews responded to a commercial laundry and linen service, about 1:10 a.m. and found an active fire inside a large bin containing clean rags and mop head, Battalion Chief John Williams said.
A fire sprinkler immediately adjacent to the burning bin activated, helping to keep the fire from spreading to other bins and pallets. Williams credited the fire alarm and sprinkler systems for alerting the Fire Department and keeping the fire in check, limiting the damage.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Arson fire at emergency shelter extinguished by sprinkler system (Saskatoon, SK)

An early morning fire at The Lighthouse emergency shelter and supported living center in downtown Saskatoon was extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system.  Fire officials say the fire was intentionally set. Fire crews were called to the building just after 1:30 a.m. after receiving reports of smoke coming from the second floor. Firefighters arrived to find smoke and water on the second floor which was traced to the closet. No injuries were reported.

Apartment Building, Residential

Clothes dryer fire in apartment controlled with help from sprinkler system (Cookeville, TN)

The sprinkler system in an apartment on Buffalo Valley Road stopped a fire that started in a dryer there Saturday from spreading to other areas of the home, fire officials say.  Crews were called to at around 11:30 Saturday after residents in an apartment there discovered that a fire had started in their dryer, Capt. Matt White said.  The apartment was equipped with a residential sprinkler system.“The sprinkler system did exactly what it was supposed to do,” White said. “When the flames started coming up and got the sprinkler head hot enough, it discharged and the water put most of it out except just a little bit inside the dryer.”

Residential, Townhouse / Condominium

Christmas tree fire extinguished by sprinkler system (North Vancouver, BC)

Firefighters responded to a call around 6:20 p.m. Thursday after a Christmas tree caught on fire in a townhome. “Luckily the townhouse unit has a sprinkler system in the building,” said Dan Pistilli, fire chief at the City of North Vancouver fire department. The tree ignited when the homeowner lit a sparkler for their young child and got too close to the tree.  Pistilli said the situation could have been much worse. “If the unit did not have a sprinkler system it would have been a different result,” he said.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Fire at manufacturing plant halted by sprinkler system (Lititz, PA)

A fire broke out at a manufacturing plant that makes over 2,500 products, including rodent traps, on Wednesday morning. The flames began close to a piece of machinery which makes papier-mache items, and two employees attempted to put them out with a fire extinguisher. When this proved unsuccessful, the heat from the fire activated the building’s fire sprinkler, containing the blaze until fire crews arrived.

According to Lititz Fire Company Deputy Chief Mike Smith, the fire could have easily spread to other area of the building through oven ducts if the sprinkler system had not been turned on.

No injuries were reported.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Sprinklers save lives and property in assisted living facility fire (Rochester, NY)

Residents of the Madonna Meadows Assisted Living Facility were able to remain “protected in place” after a small fire began and was extinguished at about 1 a.m. on Tuesday, December 16. Residents did not have to be evacuated into the cold outdoors thanks to the facility’s fire sprinkler system, which eliminated the fire and limited smoke exposure. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Residential, Residential High Rise

Fire extinguished by sprinklers at high rise (Fargo, ND)

1 Comment

An unattended lit candle was the culprit for the fire which began in a 15th floor apartment on Tuesday, December 16. According to reports, the resident discovered the fire when she re-entered her bedroom; the fire had ignited her pillow and bedspread. The resident attempted to put out the flames on her own with no success. The room’s fire sprinkler system activated from the heat of the fire and put out the blaze before fire crews arrived. No injuries occurred in the entire situation.

** Blog Editor’s Note – Please let us know what you think of the coverage by the INFORUM and Archie Ingersoll, who focused on water damage rather than the lives and property saved by the automatic fire sprinkler system**