All posts by viking210

Residential, Residential High Rise

Madison, WI – Sprinkler system keeps dryer fire at high-rise in check; No injuries reported

A sprinkler prevented a dryer fire at a downtown Madison high-rise from becoming a Christmas Eve nightmare, fire department officials said.

Fire crews were called to a building in the 300 block of West Dayton Street just before midnight on Wednesday for an alarm. Several residents met firefighters outside the building and reported a fire.

A dryer and its contents were found on fire in a laundry room. A single sprinkler was keeping the flames from extending to the rest of the room.

Crews used an extinguisher to take out the remaining flames, and crews remained on scene to ventilate the building and stop the water flowing from the sprinkler.

No injuries were reported.

Other - Retail, Retail

Stowe, VT – Sprinkler system suppresses fire at retail store

A retail store at Stowe’s Spruce Peak Village was damaged after a fire broke out on Christmas Eve.

Stowe Fire Rescue was dispatched just after 5 p.m. Wednesday after a fire alarm was activated at First Alpine Chair Co. Chief Ed Webster said crews arrived to find smoke and a small fire in the basement of the building that had been largely suppressed by the building’s automatic sprinkler system.

Crews were able to extinguish the fire and ventilate the building. The cause of the fire is under investigation, but officials believe it is related to improper storage.

Webster said there was limited damage because of the automatic sprinkler system.

College/University (on campus), School / University

Tucson, AZ – Sprinkler system activated for trash can fire at community college

A fire activated the sprinkler system at Pima Community College’s Advanced Manufacturing Building on its Downtown Campus, Wednesday morning.

According to PCC, an individual lit a garbage can on fire outside of the building at 9 a.m.

The contents of the garbage can caught fire, which in turn caused the heat to break a window in the building, alerting the sprinkler system to activate.

No injuries were reported.

The investigation is ongoing.

Apartment Building, Residential

Langford, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for fourth floor apartment fire

At least one person was left homeless on Christmas Eve after a fire badly damaged one suite and water damage rendered others temporarily uninhabitable at an apartment building on Treanor Avenue in Langford.

View Royal Fire Chief Paul Hurst said at least one person was displaced as a result of the midday blaze, a kitchen fire on the fourth floor, which drew firefighters from Langford, Colwood and View Royal.

The fire was contained to the suite after the sprinkler system activated, controlling the blaze, he said.

“But unfortunately, you know what happens when a sprinkler system goes off on the fourth floor — everybody on floors three, two and one [is affected] — it makes for a pretty wet experience all the way around.”

Hurst couldn’t say exactly how many people were displaced, but the unit where the fire started is uninhabitable due to flame, smoke and water damage. He expected at least a handful of other units would have been hard to live in as a result of water damage.

“We got the water shut off as quickly as we could, but still they flow at 20 to 30 gallons per minute,” he said. If it takes 10 minutes for the fire department to shut off the water, that amounts to 300 gallons, “a lot of water in a small apartment.”

The occupant of the suite on the fourth floor was not in the unit at the time of the fire.

The province confirmed Wednesday afternoon that one person is receiving a shelter allowance through Emergency Support Services.

Hurst said if it was any other time of year, more people could have been displaced.

But because it was Christmas Eve, the crews on scene used “vacuums and all kinds of stuff to get up as much of the water as we could to make the suites somewhat habitable.”

Apartment Building, Residential

San Marino, CA – Sprinkler system activated for fire on fourth floor of apartment building

On Thursday, Dec. 4, the San Marino Fire Department’s Battalion 9 assisted the Pasadena Fire Department on a mid-rise apartment house fire on the fourth floor. The fire was isolated to the primary apartment unit, and due to the activation of the building’s fire sprinkler system, damage was kept to a minimum. BC9 provided Command Support throughout the incident.

 

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Jamestown, ND – Sprinkler system activated for fire at event center; No injuries reported

The Jamestown Fire Department responded on Monday, Dec. 22, to a report of a sprinkler system being activated at Hidden River Acres Event Center, according to Lt. Grant Christianson.

Four units and 18 firefighters responded to 901 4th Ave. NW at about 12:45 p.m. Monday.

When firefighters arrived, they found smoke inside the Hidden River Acres Event Center, Christianson said.

“Two guys went in and noticed it wasn’t hot in there, and then saw the sprinkler head was going off, so they shut the sprinkler system down and then just ventilated the structure from smoke,” he said. “The system put the fire out. It did what it was supposed to do.”

Christianson said the building received minor smoke damage, and the ice machine was also damaged.

Christianson said the cause of the fire was from the ice machine malfunctioning.

No injuries were reported.

Firefighters were on scene for about an hour.

Other - Retail, Retail

Fort Frances, ON, Canada – Late night arson fire at tire shop contained by sprinkler system

Rainy River District OPP have a youth offender in custody following an arson investigation that resulted from a late night fire at the Fort Frances Canadian Tire store.

In a post made to their Facebook page early this morning, Fort Frances Fire and Rescue Services noted that they responded to the retail store at approximately 11:04 p.m. last night, Thursday, December 18, 2025. OPP officers were already on scene upon arrival at Canadian Tire, and firefighters noted heavy smoke and low visibility when they entered the store.

Canadian Tires’ sprinkler system had activated and contained the fire to a limited area, and firefighters were able to make “a quick interior attack” to bring the fire under control.

A primary and secondary search were performed to ensure no occupants were within the building, and it was subsequently ventilated to help clear hazardous smoke.

Fort Frances Fire and Rescue Services noted that firefighters and other first responders faced “extreme cold conditions” during the effort to put out the fire.

As of this morning, the Fort Frances OPP had carriage of the scene to conduct an investigation.

As a result of the investigation, an OPP spokesperson confirmed a 15-year-old youth from Fort Frances has been arrested and charged under the Criminal Code with:

  • Arson – damage to property
  • Possession of weapon for dangerous purpose
  • Break and enter
  • Uttering threats – cause death or bodily harm
  • Possession of property obtained by crime under $5,000 – 2 counts
  • Fail to comply with probation order
  • Mischief – destroy or damages property

The accused cannot be identified as they are protected under the Youth Criminal Justice Act and are scheduled to appear at the Ontario Court of Justice in Fort Frances on Tuesday, January 6, 2026.

Fort Frances Fire and Rescue Services shared that sprinkler systems can make a big difference in local homes and businesses when it comes to protecting from, or lessening, the damage caused by fires to both property and human life.

“Fire protection systems like sprinklers help protect our community, businesses, and first responders,” Fort Frances Fire and Rescue Services said in their post.

”Thanks to all responding agencies for their coordinated efforts.”

The OPP said members of the Fort Frances Crime Unit continue to investigate alongside the Office of the Fire Marshal.

Apartment Building, Residential

Fenton, MO – Sprinkler system activated for fire at apartment complex; No injuries reported

Two residents at the Sugar Creek Apartments complex have been displaced due to a fire that started Thursday night, Dec. 18.

The High Ridge Fire Protection District was called to an apartment building at the 4200 block of Jade Way Court in the Jefferson County portion of Fenton about 7 p.m. Fire Chief John Barton said the fire started near an outdoor storage closet attached to a first-floor apartment.

He said none of the complex residents were injured in the fire.

“When we arrived, there were residents outside the building, and there was a fire on the first floor that had extended to the second floor,” Barton said. “There was also a sprinkler that had activated, so there was a lot of water flowing from the sprinkler already, which we believe helped keep the fire in check, so to speak, and prevented it from extending into the second floor or into the void space.”

The fire was extinguished by 7:24 p.m. and crews left the scene by 9:20 p.m., Barton said. The cause of the fire is still unknown, he said, but likely will be ruled as accidental.

“I spoke with the investigator this morning, and the cause will probably be listed as undetermined,” Barton said today, Dec. 19. “We can’t rule out an electrical problem with something in that apartment, but I don’t think they were able to identify a specific outlet or circuit that would have been responsible for it.”

Barton said the first-floor apartment has significant damage due to the fire. However, because the fire originated outside the residence, he said most of the residents’ belongings should be undamaged. He said the second-floor apartment was vacant at the time of the fire.

Barton said High Ridge Fire was assisted on the scene by the Valley Park, Eureka, Saline Valley and Fenton fire protection districts, along with the North Jefferson County Ambulance District.

Barton said this incident was a good example of how effective sprinkler systems can be. In general, Barton said apartment sprinkler systems are checked annually by the fire district and when completing occupancy inspections.

“This certainly would have been a much more significant incident with more residents and apartments affected, but the activation of one single sprinkler head was enough to prevent the fire on the first floor from moving up and causing serious damage on the second floor,” Barton said. “That, combined with residents calling 911 right away and evacuating the building instead of wasting some time trying to put the fire out themselves, is what made the difference.”

Apartment Building, Residential

Austin, TX – Fire caused by charging e-bike knocked down by sprinkler system

AFD is at the scene of a second floor apartment fire in east Austin. It is the fire department’s third major fire response this morning after an apartment fire in southeast Austin and a fire at a liquor store in east Austin.

Fire crews are at the scene of smoke coming from an apartment at 1700 E. Third St. AFD initially reported the fire at around 5:50 a.m. Friday morning.

AFD says that fire crews entered the apartment to find that the sprinkler system knocked down the fire. Crews extinguished the fire, including hot spots, and worked to shut off the water flow from the sprinklers.

Investigators determined the fire was caused by an electric E-bike being charged in the apartment.

One apartment sustained fire and water damage, while another apartment sustained water damage. Crews remained at the scene to limit further water damage from the sprinkler system.

Apartment Building, Residential

Essex, VT – Sprinkler system activated for fire at apartment complex; No injuries reported

A small apartment fire in Essex was extinguished Wednesday evening before spreading to the rest of the building.

Emergency crews responded to an apartment complex on Susie Wilson Road at around 6:30 p.m.

According to the Essex Fire Department, the unit’s sprinkler system had stifled most of the fire by the time crews arrived to put out the rest.

Residents were evacuated from the building as a precaution, and the power was shut off in one wing of the building to avoid electrical damage.

Nobody was injured.

Reporting on lives and property saved by fire sprinklers