Category Archives: Hospital/Care Facility

Hospital/Care Facility, Hospital/Medical Clinic

Detroit, MI – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire in hospital operating room

Detroit Receiving Hospital, part of Detroit Medical Center, will receive funding from the state of Michigan to repair damage caused by a fire and its sprinkler system, according to the Detroit News.

All eight operating rooms of the hospital suffered water damage after the sprinkler system was set off to extinguish the fire. 

The fire itself ignited in a single unoccupied operating room last weekend, according to the report.

“Fortunately, no patients were in surgery in any OR,” Brian Taylor, a spokesman for the Detroit Medical Center, told the News. “Our staff responded quickly, and the fire was extinguished in minutes. Three patients in pre and postop areas were safely evacuated. We are working collaboratively with [state officials] to address the area impacted.”

The hospital filed an emergency certificate of need request for $100,000 with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

Adult Care/Rehab Center, Hospital/Care Facility

Slinger, WI – Fire sprinkler system puts out fire caused by malfunctioning heating unit at rehabilitation center; No injuries reported

There was a bit of smoke and a minor fire at The Pavilion at Glacier Valley, 1900 American Eagle Drive, on Monday afternoon.

Slinger Police Captain Joshua Gullickson said the initial call came in at 4:20 p.m.

The call was for a sprinkler system activation. “When officers arrived smoke was visible but no flames,” said Gullickson. “Slinger Fire Department was dispatched to the scene and the cause of the sprinkler activation was an overheat malfunction of a heating unit in one wing of the facility.”

Gullickson said residents were moved to a different part of the building.

No injuries were reported to residents, staff or emergency responders.

The Pavilion is described as “short-term rehabilitation, respite and long-term care.”

Child Care Facility, Hospital/Care Facility

Victoria, BC, Canada – Fire sprinklers keep fire contained to kitchen at daycare center; No injuries reported

A fire that sparked in a daycare along West Saanich Road Thursday evening resulted in no injuries, but did delay traffic, according to authorities.

At approximately 4:30 p.m., the Saanich Fire Department was called to the 4300-block of West Saanich Road for reports of a structure fire.

In a tweet, the Saanich Fire Department said that the fire started in the daycare area of the building, but was limited to the kitchen section by automatic sprinklers.

Police say that traffic in the area was severely affected by the fire, especially along West Saanich Road, Royal Oak Drive, the Quadra Street off ramp onto the Patrica Bay Highway and Glanford Avenue.

Hospital/Care Facility, Other - Hospital/Medical

Emeryville, CA – Sprinkler system contains fire at commercial laboratory; No injuries reported

Employees of a lab were mixing chemicals Monday afternoon in Emeryville when things got too hot, Alameda County Fire Department officials said.

Firefighters responded at 2:55 p.m. to a commercial laboratory located on the 5800 block of Hollis Street in Emeryville where a fire was contained to a fume hood, fire spokesperson Brian Centoni said.

A hazardous materials team was also called. Centoni said no one was injured and no one had to shelter in place.

A building was evacuated and sprinklers went off.

The hazmat team was evaluating some runoff as of late Monday afternoon.

Adult Care/Rehab Center, Hospital/Care Facility

La Grange Park, IL – Malfunctioning furnace fire controlled by fire sprinklers at rehabilitation center; No injuries reported

No one was injured and no one had to be evacuated when a furnace malfunction started a fire Thursday morning at The Grove of La Grange Park rehabilitation center, fire officials reported.

An automatic fire alarm at the facility, 701 N. La Grange Road, sounded at 9:05 a.m. Nov. 21, Fire Chief Dean Maggos said.

A furnace in a sub-basement mechanical room malfunctioned, causing flames from the furnace burners to reach insulation below some ducts, Maggos said. A fire sprinkler located only a few feet away activated, controlled the fire and sounded an alarm. Water from the sprinkler limited the fire and heat damage to the immediate area.

Water damage was minimal, as the staff and firefighters kept the water in the mechanical room where it drained through floor drains, the Fire Department reported.

Hospital/Care Facility, Hospital/Medical Clinic

West Plains, MO – Fire at healthcare facility put out by fire sprinklers; No injuries reported

No injuries were reported Wednesday after a small fire at NHC Healthcare in West Plains.

A report from the West Plains Fire Department says firefighters arrived just before 3 pm and found smoke in one of the rooms. An employee told responders that she was by the heater when she heard a popping sound and smelled a burning plastic scent. After unplugging the unit, the employee remained in the room for over a minute and didn’t notice any smoke or fire from the unit.

The building sprinkler system put out the fire.

The employee then made her way down the hall when a resident call light came on and the resident was yelling fire, according to the report.

No injuries were reported.

Hospital/Care Facility, Other - Hospital/Medical

Madison, WI – Fire sprinkler activation contains fire to dehumidifier; No injuries reported

A recalled appliance at a Madison assisted care home malfunctioned Monday afternoon, causing a fire, officials said. 

The Madison Fire Department said crews were notified of a problem at 7710 S. Brookline Drive at 3:07 p.m. after an automatic fire sprinkler activated, sending an alarm to Dane County 911 Public Safety Communications Center.

The sprinkler kept the fire contained, which allowed on-site staff to deploy a fire extinguisher and put it out, the fire department said. Firefighters were directed to the location of the fire and found a heavily damaged dehumidifier.

The dehumidifier in use was an older model that had several recalls, fire officials said. A drainage tube attached to the collection tank allowed the dehumidifier to run without interruption.

The fire department said that although the fire produced a lot of smoke, damage was confined to the dehumidifier, and there were no injuries or displaced occupants because the automatic sprinkler caught the fire right away. 

The fire department said crews have responded to a number of fires involving dehumidifiers that were recalled, were older models or were simply left to run constantly for indefinite periods of time.

“It is unsafe to allow your dehumidifier to run uninterrupted,” fire officials said. “Homeowners and occupants should use the proper collection tank which, when full, will prompt the dehumidifier to stop running until the tank can be emptied.”

Adult Care/Rehab Center, Hospital/Care Facility

Dayton, OH – Fire sprinklers extinguish fire at assisted-living facility; No injuries reported

Fire crews were called late Wednesday night to The Sanctuary at Wilmington Place, an assisted-living facility.

“We had a small fire in the laundry room that was contained by the sprinkler system,” District Chief Brad Baldwin of the Dayton Fire Department said of the fire reported around 11:10 p.m. at the facility at 264 Wilmington Ave. in Dayton.

“When our crews arrived, there was a lot of smoke in the rear of the building and there was a small fire that they quickly put out,” he said.

The fire department had a full working fire response because the residents are older and many have mobility issues. However, no one had to evacuate because of the design of the facility and its sprinkler system.

“It worked exactly the way it was supposed to,” Baldwin said of the system.

The laundry area, separated from the living quarters, had fairly small damage, likely a few thousand dollars.

Parking Garage

Farmers Branch, TX – (No media coverage) Single sprinkler head activates to put out open parking garage fire

On 8/11/19 at approximately 14:20, the Farmers Branch Fire Department was dispatched to a fire in an open parking garage located at 9 Medical Pkwy.  Engine E131 arrived on scene to find a small fire on level 2 of the parking garage with automatic sprinkler activation.   One sprinkler head activated.  Fire was contained to gasoline powered pressure washer and gasoline can for car washing operation. Engine 131 used a nearby dry chemical fire extinguisher to extinguish the remaining gasoline fire. Engine 131 closed down the sprinkler system and drained it.  Loss is estimated at $300.  No damage to the structure or vehicles inside the garage.

Hospital/Care Facility, Hospital/Medical Clinic

Salem, OR – Fire at Health Hospital put out by fire sprinklers; No injuries reported

Firefighters say sprinklers extinguished a fire in a building at Salem Health Hospital Thursday morning.

According to Salem Police Department, smoke was reported in Building B of the Salem Health Hospital at 6:30 a.m.

The Salem Fire Department, Salem Health officials and the Salem Police Department responded to the scene to locate the source of the smoke.

Investigators say the fire was located in an elevator shaft on the south side of Building B and the smoke affected several floors of the building. The building has smoke and water damage.

Patients in the building were relocated and patient care was not effected. The building is mostly used for administrative purposes.

All procedural appointments at Salem Health Hospital are canceled Thursday and will be rescheduled.

Winter Street Southeast was closed between Mission Street Southeast and Bellevue Street Southeast while crews responded. It reopened at around 11:45 a.m.

The Emergency Room at Salem Hospital remains open.