Category Archives: Hospital/Care Facility

Hospital/Care Facility, Hospital/Medical Clinic

Richmond Hill, ON, Canada – Sprinkler system controls overnight fire at medical sleep clinic

A dozen patients at a Richmond Hill sleep clinic got a rude awakening early Tuesday morning when a small fire roused them from their beds.

Richmond Hill Fire and Emergency Services responded to the fire in the Oak Ridges Medical Centre at 13291 Yonge St. at 2:43 a.m. Tuesday.

On arrival crews encountered smoke coming from the restaurant in the rear of the building.

Firefighters helped remove 12 people from the stairwell and sleep clinic area, according to Richmond Hill’s fire chief Steve Kraft.

The flames were partially extinguished by the sprinkler system and fire crews extinguished the remaining fire.

“There were no injuries. It was a small fire that was kept in control with the sprinkler system of the building. Our crews arrived and they assisted getting some people out that were at the sleep clinic,” Richmond Hill deputy chief Bryan Burbidge said.

“We got the people out first and then went back in to finish extinguishing the fire and then remove the smoke.”

The patients were fine during the ordeal, despite the early wake-up call, Burbidge said.

“They were fine, other than lack of sleep,” he said.

While the cause of the fire has not yet been determined, it is not considered suspicious, Burbidge said.

Twenty firefighters, the chief officer and York Regional Police and paramedics worked to resolve the incident.

The medical building was expected to be fully operational this morning with the exception of the cafeteria.

Oak Ridges is in northern Richmond Hill, just south of Aurora.

Adult Care/Rehab Center, Nursing Home/Senior Living

Antioch, CA – Fire at senior memory care facility controlled by single sprinkler

Nearly 40 people were displaced after electrical smoke activated a fire sprinkler Tuesday afternoon at a senior living center.  A fire was reported around 2:57 p.m. at Hillcrest Memory Care Living at 825 East 18th Street, said Contra Costa County Fire Inspector Steve Aubert. No injuries have been reported.

An individual was working in a maintenance room when smoke from an electronic device activated the fire sprinklers in the building. The incident was under control around 3:30 p.m. The senior living center cares for patients with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, said Contra Costa County Fire Marshal Robert Marshall. The small electrical fire was controlled by a single sprinkler head.

“If there was a bigger fire in there, we would have had a much bigger problem and possibly fatalities,” Marshall said.  Aubert said the water damage impacted 39 tenants.  They were “relocated to a different center because it’s going to take some time to clean up the area,” he said.

Hospital/Care Facility, Hospital/Medical Clinic

Bend, OR – No injuries as single sprinkler keeps mechanical fire in check at hospital

A fire broke out in a washer for surgical instruments at St. Charles Bend early Wednesday, causing about $200,000 damage, but a fire sprinkler kept the damage from being far more severe, officials said.

The blaze prompted closure of some areas of the hospital for a time, as well as the cancellation of all elective surgeries for the day.

Shortly before 6 a.m., Bend fire crews responded to the reported fire at the hospital on Northeast Neff Road, said Deputy Fire Marshal Cindy Kettering. They arrived to find light smoke coming from the lower level of the facility.

A machine used to clean surgical tools caught fire, said hospital spokeswoman Lisa Goodman.

A single sprinkler head activated in the area and held the fire in check until crews arrived, Kettering said. There was some smoke and water damage to the lower level of the facility, and fire crews helped clear remaining smoke from the building.

Investigators determined a heating element within the unit had overheated and failed, causing the fire, Kettering said.

As with any alarm at the hospital, numerous Bend firefighters responded to the scene, clearing the area of smoke and water by about 6:40 a.m. No one was injured, Goodman said.

As a result of the fire in the hospital’s central processing area, elective surgeries were canceled for the day, with only emergency procedures to be performed.

The hospital’s lower-level floor, including the in-patient pharmacy, was closed for a time but had reopened by 7:30 a.m. Goodman said the hospital had resumed normal operations and that all scheduled caregivers should report to work as usual.

Kettering said the fire was a clear example of the value of fire sprinkler and fire alarm systems,” which helped to isolate the fire area and quickly move to protect staff and patients. The sprinkler system minimized damage and will allow operations to resume in a timely manner.

“Without a properly maintained and operational fire sprinkler system, the damage from today’s fire would have undoubtedly been far more severe,” Kettering wrote in a news release.

Hospital/Care Facility, Hospital/Medical Clinic

Bend, OR – Early morning fire at hospital held in check by sprinkler system

A fire broke out in a washer for surgical instruments at St. Charles Bend early Wednesday, but a fire sprinkler kept the damage from being far more severe, officials said.  The blaze prompted closure of some areas of the hospital for a time, as well as the cancellation of all elective surgeries for the day.

Shortly before 6 a.m., Bend fire crews responded to the reported fire at the hospital on Northeast Neff Road, said Deputy Fire Marshal Cindy Kettering. They arrived to find light smoke coming from the lower level of the facility.  A machine used to clean surgical tools caught fire, said hospital spokeswoman Lisa Goodman.

A single sprinkler head activated in the area and held the fire in check until crews arrived, Kettering said. There was some smoke and water damage to the lower level of the facility, and fire crews helped clear remaining smoke from the building.  Investigators determined a heating element within the unit had overheated and failed, causing the fire, Kettering said.

As with any alarm at the hospital, numerous Bend firefighters responded to the scene, clearing the area of smoke and water by about 6:40 a.m. No one was injured, Goodman said.  As a result of the fire in the hospital’s central processing area, elective surgeries were canceled for the day, with only emergency procedures to be performed.

The hospital’s lower-level floor, including the in-patient pharmacy, was closed for a time but had reopened by 7:30 a.m. Goodman said the hospital had resumed normal operations and that all scheduled caregivers should report to work as usual.

Kettering said the fire was a clear example of the value of fire sprinkler and fire alarm systems,” which helped to isolate the fire area and quickly move to protect staff and patients. The sprinkler system minimized damage and will allow operations to resume in a timely manner.

“Without a properly maintained and operational fire sprinkler system, the damage from today’s fire would have undoubtedly been far more severe,” Kettering wrote in a news release.

Hospital/Care Facility, Hospital/Medical Clinic

Orlando, FL – Sprinklers activate to help stop fire at Lake Nona VA Medical Center; No injuries

A fire struck the fourth floor of a domiciliary at the Orlando Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Lake Nona Wednesday, according to the Orlando Fire Department, and residents are likely to be moved from the center to another yet-to-be opened facility at Lake Baldwin.

Just before 11:30 a.m., firefighters responded to a two-alarm fire at the residential facility at 13800 Veterans Way, according to the fire department. It is on the same campus as the newly opened VA hospital center, but is in a separate building.

Fire sprinkler alarms were activated in the fire that struck the patient intake processing area of the facility, VA medical center spokesman Mike Strickler and the OFD said.

Once firefighters arrived on the scene, they extinguished the flames by 11:40 a.m., according to the OFD. There were no injuries reported in the fire, Strickler said.

Adult Care/Rehab Center, Hospital/Care Facility

Marshall, MO – Sprinklers help extinguish bedroom fire at home for developmentally disabled

A bedroom fire at Northwest Community Services — previously known as the Marshall Habilitation Center — Saturday, June 25, could have resulted in more damage than was done.

According to the Marshall Fire Department, firefighters arrived to a call at NCS shortly before 6 p.m., seeing light smoke. The incident occurred in unit 221, and the unit’s sprinkler system had activated by the time MFD arrived.

“We were there for a while, because of the water damage,” Marshall Fire Chief Tony Day said, indicating there was more water damage than fire damage because the sprinklers “did their job.” MFD started ventilation, removed burnt clothing from the residential unit and turned the scene over to maintenance once they confirmed the fire was out.

After further investigation into the cause of the fire, one of the residents admitted to setting her clothes on fire and flushing the lighter down a toilet, Day said. In addition to destroying clothes, the fire burned the armoire they were stored in and scorched the walls, but not badly. MFD left the scene at 7:15 p.m.

There was an estimated property loss of $10,000, and content loss was estimated at $3,000.

Northwest Community Services, a developmental disability facility, is located at 700 E. Slater Street, in north Marshall.

Hospital/Care Facility, Hospital/Medical Clinic

Spencer, IA – Laundry room fire at hospital contained by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

No patients or staff had to be removed from Spencer Hospital Saturday when the Spencer Fire Department responded to an early morning fire at the local medical facility. At 6:08 a.m., Spencer Fire and Rescue personnel were dispatched to Spencer Municipal Hospital following the report of a fire in the laundry room.

While responding, firefighters were notified that the fire had been put out in the area when the sprinkler heads in the room were activated. There was still smoke in the area and Spencer fire crews were on site for approximately one hour working with Spencer Hospital staff and Spencer Police.

The fire originated in the laundry area but the cause remains undetermined at this time. There was flame damage to the laundry room with some smoke entering the hallway and stairwell adjacent to the third floor. Fans were used to remove the smoke.

No injuries were reported. The sprinkler system contained the fire and the smoke was contained by the closure of fire doors through the activation of the fire alarm system.

Adult Care/Rehab Center, Nursing Home/Senior Living

Northampton, MA – Electrical fire at nursing home contained by sprinkler system

An electrical fire forced several elderly residents to temporarily evacuate from the CareOne Nursing-Rehab Center in Northampton early Saturday morning.

Mark Spees told 22News his wife lives there. He said he rushed to her side as soon as he heard what had happened. “Got up this morning got a cup of coffee, turned on the news… the coffee’s still on the table because I just started moving,” he said.

When Spees got to the CareOne Nursing-Rehab Center, he was relieved to find out his wife was safe and sound. “Unbelievable, you know, all I could think was what’s happening? What’s going on? How’s my wife? When you’ve been married for 43 years you tend to worry,” he said.

Northampton Deputy Fire Chief Timothy McQueston told 22News an air conditioning unit plugged into an outlet on the third floor sparked the fire. Fortunately, the building’s sprinkler system helped keep the fire from spreading, and no one was seriously hurt.

Later that morning, crews were still cleaning up pieces of shard glass where firefighters had to bust open a window to rescue a woman trapped inside. She was one of three people taken to the hospital by ambulance, as the building’s staff ushered the other residents to safety.

At least 30 people on the third floor of the building had to be moved to other locations temporarily because of the damage.

The experience highlighted a fear that many children, husbands, and wives have as their family members get older and require extra care.

Leann Worsnop of Easthampton told 22News it’s hard not to worry about your parents when they no longer live under your care. “It’s as if it was your own child, the same thing, the same feelings, just you know, what can you do? It’s a feeling of helplessness, and then the whole fear of what actually happened,” she said.

The three residents who went to the hospital are expected to be ok. No one was else was injured.

Hospital/Care Facility, Hospital/Medical Clinic

Modesto, CA – Sprinkler system extinguishes suspicious overnight fire at Planned Parenthood

The Modesto fire and police departments are investigating a suspicious, but apparently small, fire at the Planned Parenthood Modesto Health Center on McHenry Avenue early Wednesday.

Signs on the doors of the center said it would be closed Wednesday, and a spokeswoman said staff members are assessing fire damage and working to reopen as soon as possible.

At about 3:25 a.m., one fire engine was dispatched to a water-flow alarm sounding at the 1431 McHenry Ave. center, said Battalion Chief Jesse Nicasio of Modesto Fire. When additional reports came in from passers-by of flames and smoke coming from the building, the call was upgraded to a commercial working structure fire and additional resources were sent, Nicasio said.

“Engine 5 found a broken glass door, the fire alarm sounding and fire sprinkler activation,” he said. The sprinkler system extinguished the fire, but crews ensured it was out, Nicasio said.

Information was not immediately available as to where in the two-story building the fire started or what damage was done.