Apartment Building, Residential Billings, MT – Sprinkler system assists firefighters in controlling apartment fire October 6, 2017 viking210 An apartment fire Tuesday night above two Billings restaurants forced customers temporarily into the street while firefighters responded to the incident. The fire burned in a second floor unit of the Acme Hotel Apartments building above Hooligan’s Sports Bar and set off sprinklers in the apartment and fire alarms in the building. Firefighters were able to contain the fire to the apartment and the cause was under investigation, according to Battalion Chief Dave Gilbert. Multiple fire engines parked in the middle of North 28th Street and the Billings Police Department blocked the street off between First Avenue North and Second Avenue North during the response. The street remained blocked off as of 8:00 p.m. Some smoke traveled into a third floor hallway in the building and fans were set up to ventilate the area and clear smoke, Gilbert said. About 20 minutes after the fire alarms began customers were allowed back into Hooligan’s Sports Bar and the Montana Brewing Company. Gilbert said it was possible Hooligan’s would have to close early Tuesday night depending on the sprinkler system setup in the building. In some cases sprinkler and alarm systems in buildings are interconnected to the extent that shutting of one part of the system can affect the remainder, Gilbert said. A Billings Fire Department fire marshal would determine if any closures were necessary, Gilbert said. As of 9 p.m. a fire marshal was still conducting interviews and the cause of the fire remained undetermined, Gilbert said. More information would be available later in a press release, he said.
