Category Archives: Hospital/Care Facility

Hospital/Care Facility, Hospital/Medical Clinic

Rochester Hills, MI – Hospital sprinkler system contains fire on Thanksgiving; No injuries reported

Fire crews were dispatched Thursday morning to Ascension Providence Rochester Hospital on reports of a fire.

According to authorities, the call came in at about 8:45 a.m. and when fire crews arrived, they found smoke coming from the second floor of the building. Fortunately, the area that the fire was in was closed due to Thanksgiving.

Authorities said the hospital’s sprinkler system held the fire back until fire crews were able to extinguish the fire.

Rochester Hills Fire Department had help from fire crews from Waterford, Bloomfield Township, Troy, Oakland Township and Auburn Hills.

No one was injured during the fire.

The fire investigation will be handled by the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office.

Parking Garage

Fargo, ND – Parking garage fire sprinklers keep fire contained after vehicle catches on fire; No injuries reported

The Fargo Fire Department was able to contain a vehicle fire Friday at a downtown parking garage.

Around 12:45 p.m. the Fargo Fire Department responded to a report of a vehicle on fire inside the multi-level parking garage located on the 600 block of  2nd Ave. North.

The first two units arrived on the scene within 2 minutes of being dispatched and located a vehicle on fire on the fifth floor of the garage.  Crews worked to extinguish the fire with the help of the building’s sprinkler system that had two heads activate above the vehicle.

The sprinkler system helped keep the fire contained to the original vehicle, there were no injuries. The cause of the fire is still under investigation at this time.

Responders were delayed by a vehicle parked in front of a fire hydrant and one vehicle driving over a fire hose.

The Fargo Fire Department would like to remind the public that it is illegal to drive over a fire hose when it is stretched out on the street.  This causes damage to the hose and places crews relying on the hose in danger if it fails.  They also ask to refrain from parking in front of fire hydrants. It causes delays in establishing a water supply for fire suppression operations.

Adult Care/Rehab Center, Hospital/Care Facility

Rockland, ME – Fire sprinkler controls dryer fire at assisted living facility

Rockland’s fire chief said a fire that broke out Monday night at the Woodlands Memory Care facility shows the importance of a sprinkler and alarm system.

The fire at the Camden Street facility was one of two fire calls within five hours of each other early Sept. 29.

The first was at Woodlands, reported to the department at 1:21 a.m.

The caller reported a fire in one of the commercial dryers. Upon arrival, there was smoke coming from the laundry area in the rear of the building. The initial crew was able to rapidly determine the issue was contained to the laundry area and that the smoke and fire was not extending into the occupied portion of the facility, Chief Chris Whytock said.

The Woodlands staff moved all residents to their “shelter in place” areas.

The crew then made entry to the laundry and found a small fire in one of the gas-fired commercial dryers, which was being contained by the building sprinkler system. The fire was quickly extinguished and the sprinkler was shut down after determining the fire had not spread from the dryer. The smoke was then cleared from the affected portion of the building and all mutual aid units were sent back to their towns.

Rockland crews remained on scene for a short time removing water from the laundry room and restoring the building alarms systems.

The fire was determined to have been caused by oily cooking towels being in the dryer after washing had not removed all the oil

The chief said the on duty staff at the Woodlands did an excellent job rapidly notifying the fire department and moving their residents to pre-established safety areas.

The sprinkler system contained the fire to the dryer utilizing just one sprinkler head. This coupled with the fire alarm system releasing self-closing doors kept multiple barriers between the smoky fire area and the occupied section of the building just down the hall. Due to the staff, sprinklers, and alarm system no residents were displaced and the incident was concluded in less than one hour.

Parking Garage

Visalia, CA – Parking garage dumpster fire controlled thanks to fire sprinklers, ruled arson

A Visalia man with a history of lighting fire was arrested in connection with a downtown Visalia Dumpster fire. 

Around 12:55 p.m. Thursday, Visalia firefighters responded to a fire behind 227 E. Main St, near the Main Street Theatre. The Dumpster was in an enclosure that is part of the east Acequia parking structure, which is equipped with a sprinkler system.

Smoke activated the sprinklers which kept the fire from spreading. The fire caused only minor damage, according to Sgt. Russ Gauger.

On Friday, officers were called to the corner of Main and Court streets by a downtown security guard. The security guard told police he saw a man he’d seen near the Dumpster just moments before Thursday’s fire.  

Officers found and spoke with Charles Spurlock, 40. After some follow up investigation, Spurlock was identified as the suspected arsonist, Gauger said.

Spurlock was arrested in August 2016 in connection to a string of Visalia fires set just hours apart. During the incident, Spurlock tried to outrun officers but was eventually arrested after a perimeter was set up in the backyard of house near Savannah Street and Judy Street.

In 2017, he was held to answer on numerous felony charges related to the case. 

Spurlock was arrested on suspicion of arson, possession of a controlled substance and a parole violation. He was booked into Tulare County Pretrial Facility. His bail is set at $50,000. 

Parking Garage

Iowa City, IA – Parking garage car fire contained by fire sprinklers; No injuries reported

No one is hurt after a Sunday morning fire in a University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics parking ramp.

The Iowa City Fire Department found a car on fire around 6:05 a.m. in one of the underground levels of parking ramp two.

Firefighters said the sprinkler system contained the fire and fire personnel fully extinguished it.

The fire did not damage any other cars or property.

The Iowa City Fire Marshal’s office is still investigating a cause.

Hospital/Care Facility, Hospital/Medical Clinic

Philadelphia, PA – Hospital fire extinguished by fire sprinklers after man barricaded himself in room and set fire to bed sheets; No injuries reported

The emergency room at a Kensington hospital was closed Saturday after a man set a fire inside one of the rooms, police said.

A man at Temple University Hospital’s Episcopal Campus barricaded himself in a room in the emergency department and set fire to bed sheets, but no one was injured.

Police said hospital security searched the 30- to 40-year-old man at about 2:40 p.m. Saturday and placed him in a room. The man was there to receive drug treatment. Police said he barricaded himself inside and turned on oxygen tanks, then lit the bed sheets on fire.

Police said a maintenance man broke a window and the man climbed out and fought with security, but police arrived and arrested him. The emergency room was evacuated with no injuries. The blaze was extinguished and the fire marshal declared it an arson.

A spokeswoman for Temple Health said the building’s sprinkler system extinguished the fire. Patients in the ER were transported to Temple University Hospital’s Main Campus, she added. The hospital will continue sending ER patients there until the Episcopal ER can reopen.

Police said the emergency room will remain closed until repairs are completed.

Hospital/Care Facility, Other - Hospital/Medical

Dalles, OR – Two fire sprinkler heads extinguish fire at medical center; No injuries reported

The Mid Columbia Medical Center building was damaged by what Hood River Fire Chief Leonard Damian described as “a small fire” with extensive water damage to the three-story commercial building, early on May 15.

The office of Overwatch Imaging and the Kobe Sushi + Bar were also damaged. The building is located on Nichols Parkway on the waterfront just east of Second Street near downtown Hood River.

The fire was extinguished by a sprinkler system that prevented any further fire damage, according to Damian.

“Most importantly, nobody was hurt and all patient files are secure,” said Christina McManigal, chief ambulatory operations officer at MCMC. “We are currently assessing the damage, but we do know that the Nichols Landing building will remain closed for restoration. It is too soon to know if the closure will last a few weeks or several months.”

All MCMC clinics and the hospital in The Dalles are open. MCMC’s Hood River-based providers have been seeing patients in The Dalles throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and will continue to do so while the Nichols Landing building is restored.

At 2:15 a.m., Hood River Fire & EMS crews responded to a water flow alarm at the MCMC building, in the 30 block of Nichols Parkway in Hood River.

“We were dispatched to a water flow alarm, a fire alarm that tells us possibly that a sprinkler system may be activated,” said Lt. Tony DePinto, who was first on the scene.

DePinto said that when HRFD firefighters arrived, they found the fire alarm system had activated along with smoke and a small fire on the third floor inside the building.  Fortunately, two sprinkler heads had extinguished the fire before it had extended any further.  Firefighters shut off the water flow, searched the building, determined the extent of damage, and ventilated the building to clear the smoke. Fire crews were able to remove smoke from the building and covered computers on the first and second floors to prevent any further damage from the water. MCMC medical scanning equipment was also protected from damage, according to Damian.

Hood River Fire & EMS was assisted by units from West Side Fire District, Wy’East Fire District, and Cascade Locks Fire Department.

The cause of the fire is presently under investigation.

“The fire sprinkler system activation prevented the building and its contents from significant damage and contained the fire as designed. Because of the small size of the fire, crews were able to concentrate on removing smoke and water from the building and protecting sensitive equipment from water damage, further reducing the damage from this fire.  Had the building not been equipped with fire sprinklers, the fire would’ve easily grown in size, causing major damage to the building and its contents,” Damian stated.

Hospital/Care Facility, Hospital/Medical Clinic

Franklin, TN – Fire sprinkler extinguishes fire at unoccupied pediatric clinic; No injuries reported

A fire broke out at an unoccupied pediatric clinic in Franklin just before 9 p.m. Friday. The flames were extinguished by the building’s automatic sprinkler system.

When the sprinkler system was triggered, the fire alarms sounded, dispatching the Franklin Fire Department to the location. Those crews arrived at Pediatric Associates of Franklin – located at 570 Baker’s Bridge Avenue – and found light smoke and one active sprinkler. The sprinkler had extinguished a fire in a patient examination room before firefighters made it there.

Franklin fire investigators said the damage was limited to the room where the small blaze began.

Damage to the building is estimated to be less than $10,000. No interruption of business or care is expected for the practice.

Child Care Facility, Hospital/Care Facility

Coppell, TX – (no media coverage) Single fire sprinkler extinguished fire at day care

At 8:45pm Coppell Fire Department was dispatched on an automatic fire alarm to a day care facility.  CFD units arrived approximately 4 minutes later with very light smoke inside the structure.  Crews began a search at the front door, immediately hearing the activated fire sprinkler head.  Firefighters saw remnants of a ceiling mounted exhaust fan burning.  They ‘pulled the ceiling’ exposing burned roof members and the activated automatic fire sprinkler head.  The single fire sprinkler head extinguished the fire. 

Approximately $7,000 damage (not including water restoration)

Potential loss if building did not have protection – approx. $650,000 (structure and contents, not including loss revenue)

Adult Care/Rehab Center, Hospital/Care Facility

Ottawa, Ohio – Fire sprinklers help put out dryer fire at nursing center

Forty-eight residents living at Autumn Court in Ottawa were temporarily displaced last Saturday following a fire at the skilled nursing center.

Ottawa Fire Chief Dan Rieman said Ottawa Fire Department responded to the fire call at 10:56 a.m. Saturday morning. Also responding to the fire were the Glandorf Fire Department and Putnam County EMS.

Rieman said it was a drier fire in the laundry room. The fire caused a sprinkler to go off, leaking water down the hallway of the nursing center. This required the residents to have to be evacuated from the facility.

The residents were initially taken across the parking lot to Ottawa Highland Lanes facility with the assistance of the Autumn Court staff members, fire volunteers, and EMS volunteers. Also responding to the scene to assist was the Putnam County Office of Public Safety and Red Cross.

Arrangements were then made to transport the residents to Ottawa Elementary School, a designated Red Cross shelter. Assisting with transportation was a bus provided by Smooth Cruises LLC and ambulettes provided by the Putnam County Office of Public Safety.

Ottawa-Glandorf staff was at the school to assist with the care of the residents. Later in the day, residents were able to return to their homes around 6 p.m.

“I want to thank everyone who helped us,” said Leticia Hull, a human resource staff member of Autumn Court. She said many Putnam County people stepped up to help in many ways on Saturday.

The website for Autumn Court describes the facility that provides 24-hour care skilled nursing, long-term care, physical, occupational and providing 24-hour speech therapies for those with behavioral issues or mental illness. And, four-hour skilled nursing, long-term care, physical, occupational, and speech therapies for those with behavioral issues or mental illness.