Category Archives: Government/Military

Government/Military, Other-Government/Military

Kearney, NE – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire at court house; No injuries reported

Crews responded to an early morning fire in Kearney.

According to the Buffalo County Sheriff’s Office, correction officers called the Kearney Volunteer Fire Department after seeing smoke in an office around 2:30 a.m.

When fire crews arrived, the Sheriff’s Office said the small fire had been extinguished by the automatic sprinkler system.

Water from this system caused damage to the office’s furniture and carpet.

While crews are investigating the cause of fire, the Sheriff’s Office said they do not believe the flames were criminal.

The Sheriff’s Office said the jail on the property was not damaged but crews remained on scene to continue check air quality.

No injuries were reported.

Government/Military, Prison / Jail

Sturgeon Bay, WI – County jail kitchen fire put out by fire sprinkler system

There was a bit of a mess, but a sprinkler system in the kitchen at the Door County Jail worked as it was intended to Saturday morning. At about 9:50AM, the Sturgeon Bay Fire Department was paged out and sent two trucks and four firefighters to the kitchen at the Justice Center at 1201 South Duluth Avenue after a fire was reported there. On the way, the fire crew was informed that the fire was out, but another problem had surfaced, the sprinkler system was still dropping water on the kitchen. Upon arrival, the firefighters were able to stop the flow of water in short order. They were told that butter was being melted when it ignited. The container with the burning butter was placed on a nearby cart and the location caused the sprinkler system to activate. The damage was said to be minimal with a little soot above and plenty of water below. The fire crew cleared the scene at 11:09AM Saturday.

Government/Military, Other-Government/Military

Pasco, WA – Vending machine fire at US Post Office put out by fire sprinkler; No injuries reported

 Postal workers were forced to evacuate the US Post Office in Pasco after a soda machine fire.

It ignited around 6:15 Saturday morning near Court Street and Road 36. According to Pasco Fire Chief Bob Gear, they believe the origin of the blaze was the Coca-Cola machine.

The fire was contained to the break room. However, smoke traveled through the building, causing the evacuation. Gear said the sprinkler system put out the fire.

Thankfully, no one was injured.

KAPP-KVEW spoke with a long-time postal worker who said mail could be delayed by a day. Gear said no mail was damaged.

It’s unclear when employees will be able to go back inside. Firefighters are ventilating the building. Walla Walla County District 5 responded due to the need for large fans to help ventilate the building quicker. 

Fire / Police Station, Government/Military

Commerce City, CO – Sprinkler system activated for fire inside fire house

A fire station in Commerce City has been closed and a firefighter was treated for smoke inhalation after a fire broke out inside the fire house early Thursday morning.

The incident happened at about 2:10 a.m. at South Adams County Fire Station No. 8, 10326 Walden St., according to a news release.

The fire burned a brush/skeeter truck parked in a bay inside the fire station.

Firefighters were awakened by a fire alarm to heavy smoke and the building’s sprinkler system activated. South Adams Engine 27 responded as did Brighton Fire Truck 53. The fire was extinguished and one firefighter was taken to a local hospital for smoke inhalation, treated and released.

A breathing apparatus bottle in the truck exploded and produced a “boom” that was heard in the neighborhood, the news release said.

The brush truck is a total loss and station 8 will be closed for an investigation and repairs. Station 6 will serve the area typically covered by the closed station.

Government/Military, Prison / Jail

Saginaw, MI – Sprinkler system activated for dryer fire at county jail

All inmates have returned to the Saginaw County Jail after some displaced following a fire in a commercial dryer.

The fire happened on Friday, March 29 at around 8:30 a.m.

Saginaw County Sheriff Bill Federspiel said that the fire was caused by a clogged vent in a commercial dryer located in the jail’s basement.

Federspiel said around 100-150 people, a mix of workers and inmates, had to move to higher levels of the jail.

“In the process we had to evacuate the women’s dorm, we had to evacuate some other prisoners to higher levels where there wasn’t any smoke,” said Federspiel.

Five STARS buses were called to the scene and officials moved some non-violent inmates to another, undisclosed location, as part of their emergency plan.

“Anytime you have people out of their cells it’s a dangerous situation for us. So, we just want to let the public know we’re making sure that the inmates and my staff are safe. But we’re also making sure the public is safe. So, we’ve had these plans in place for such an event and we’ve never had to use them, but now we’re putting it into action,” explained Federspiel.

On Monday, April 1, officials confirmed that all inmates had been moved back to their regular housing.

Saginaw County Undersheriff Mike Gomez also said that most operations have resumed as normal. The exception being laundry, which is being sent out.

The Saginaw Fire Department said the sprinkler system helped contain the fire and it was put out quickly with help from foam extinguishers.

“We’ve come for small trash can fires, toilet paper fires, but this is the first incident that, or major incident, that I’ve had at the jail. So, it’s a very rare event,” said Saginaw Fire Department Battalion Chief Tom Raines.

Government/Military, Prison / Jail

Lancaster, SC – Fire in dust collection system in prison wood shop is put out by sprinkler system

A fire broke out in the Kershaw Correctional Institution woodworking shop Tuesday afternoon. Lancaster County Fire Marshal Russell Rogers said the fire started in the dust-collection system in the woodworking shop, located in the back part of the prison complex. The fire started shortly after 1 p.m. and was extinguished by the built-in sprinkler system. The cause of the fire is still unknown, Rogers said Tuesday. There were inmates and officers in the building at the time of the fire and one of the inmates sustained a minor burn injury, Rogers said.

Government/Military, Military Facility

Natick, MA – Electrical fire at research center contained by sprinkler system

A two-alarm electrical fire broke out last Tuesday evening at Natick Labs, a U.S. Army research center, resulting in heavy smoke but no serious injuries, said Natick Deputy Fire Chief Daniel Mathews. Firefighters responded to General Greene Avenue around 5 p.m. to find the building’s sprinkler system had put out most of the fire and contained it to one room, but still had to contend with smoke spreading through the large facility, Mathews said.

“Because of the size of the building and the amount of smoke, it took a lot of manpower,” he said. Mathews said the fire was started by electrical components in the building, although the exact cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Many of the people who work in the building headed home before 5 p.m. because of the snow, Mathews said, so the labs were mostly empty and no one was seriously injured. Security personnel were evaluated for smoke inhalation as a precaution.

Government/Military, Prison / Jail

Columbus, OH – Fire in jail laundry activates automatic fire sprinkler system

A Franklin County deputy sheriff was taken to Ohio Health Grant Medical Center to be treated for smoke inhalation after a fire in the laundry room of the jail. A small fire in the laundry room of the Franklin County Corrections Center on Jackson Pike resulted in a deputy being taken to Ohio Health Grant Medical Center to be treated for smoke inhalation.Marc Gofstein, spokesman for the sheriff’s office, said an industrial dryer in the facility’s laundry room caught fire around 7:30 a.m. Friday. The jail, which houses nearly 1,700 inmates, went into an immediate lockdown and a fire suppression sprinkler system kicked on in the laundry area.

No inmates were in the area or were injured in the incident, Gofstein said.Columbus fire crews also responded to the jail and assisted deputies in putting out the small blaze. All deputies in the area were examined by medics and one deputy was taken to Grant for treatment, Gofstein said. That deputy, who is not being named, is in stable condition. The jail remains on lockdown Friday afternoon. Gofstein said there is no visitation permitted and no transportation of inmates from Downtown to the Jackson Pike jail as cleanup continues.

Government/Military

Roselle, NJ – Fire in DPW garage contained by sprinkler system

Units from the Roselle and Linden Fire Depts. were called out to the Department of Public Works (DPW) building on the 1100 Block of Chandler Ave. at approximately 7 p.m. on Sunday evening after a fire broke out in the back area of the building. Correction: According to authorities, a heater pipe which was a gas heater came apart blew flames out the on to a pallet of leave bags. The sprinkler system activated and helped to contain the fire until the firemen arrived and turned off gas and finished extinguishing the fire. No major damage or injuries were reported.

Government Office, Government/Military

Washington, D.C. – Attic fire at Russell Senate Office Building extinguished by sprinkler system

The Russell Senate Office Building was evacuated last Saturday night as Washington emergency crews responded to a small fire in the attic, according to the District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department’s Twitter account.  “Box Alarm Russell Senate Office Building. #DCsBravest on scene with small fire in attic extinguished by sprinklers,” the tweet said. “Light smoke in several areas of building. Building has been evacuated.”  Department spokesman Vito Maggiolo said personnel responded at 6:10 p.m. to the fire, which was extinguished by the sprinkler system.  Maggiolo said the incident is now under control, and the cause of the fire will be investigated.