Category Archives: Hospital/Care Facility

Adult Care/Rehab Center, Other - Residential, Residential

Portland, ME – Sprinkler system helps contain fire at YMCA serving as temporary housing

Fire officials in Maine are investigating a fire at the Portland YMCA that temporarily affected 31 men living there as part of a housing support program.  The Portland Press Herald reports crews responded to the Portland YMCA around 4 p.m. Thursday. Assistant Fire Chief Keith Gautreau said a sprinkler system helped contain the small fire.  No injuries were reported.

According to a YMCA statement, the 31 residents are living in the dormitory through a housing support program called GROW. YMCA officials say the program provides temporary shelter for men moving into stable housing from homelessness.

YMCA of Southern Maine CEO Helen Brena said the Red Cross was quick to offer help for any residents who may have been displaced by the fire, but that after a cleanup effort Thursday night, the residents were able to return to stay there.

Hospital/Care Facility, Hospital/Medical Clinic

Temecula, CA – Overnight fire at women’s health clinic extinguished by sprinkler system

A Temecula women’s clinic was damaged in a possible arson fire Wednesday, but no one was injured. Firefighters were called out just after 1 a.m. to a reported fire inside FPA Women’s Health at 41715 Winchester Road after an alarm company was alerted, according to officials. The fire was extinguished by the time crews arrived on scene, apparently by a sprinkler system at the location, officials said.

Adult Care/Rehab Center, Hospital/Care Facility

Birmingham, AL – Sprinkler system knocks down dryer fire at rehabilitation center

A small dryer fire forced patients at UAB’s Spain Rehabilitation Center to be evacuated early Thursday morning.

The fire was reported before 4:00 a.m. on the fifth floor of the building. Birmingham Fire-Rescue says the flames were put out by the building’s sprinkler system before they arrived.

Patients covered in blankets waited outside the building for approximately 30 minutes according Birmingham Fire-Rescue. 

Adult Care/Rehab Center, Other-Government/Military

South Bend, IN – Sprinkler system activates to help control arson fire at work release detention center

Two men who were inmates at the DuComb Center have been charged with arson for allegedly setting a fire at the center in August.  South Bend Fire responded to a fire at the DuComb Center on W. Lathrop Street on August 17.  Firefighters located the fire in the ceiling of a bathroom at the facility.

The building’s sprinkler system was activated and firefighters reported heavy smoke in the building.  The fire was extinguished by firefighters.  An investigation into the cause of the fire determined someone lit a piece of cloth and placed it above the ceiling tiles.

The damage was estimated at over $100,000.  Surveillance video showed between 11:09 p.m. and 11:35 p.m., inmates Austin Lamberson and Theodore Carney went into the bathroom, stayed for a short time, then walked out, according to the probable cause affidavit.

Investigators said Lamberson was carrying a white cloth when he walked into the bathroom, but was not carrying it when he walked out.  The video also allegedly showed Lamberson carry a blanket into the bathroom, returns saying, “It’s still going, I don’t need to put that up there,” according to the probable cause affidavit.

A short time later, Lamberson returned to the bathroom with the blanket and left without the blanket, according to the probable cause affidavit.  A short time later, an employee discovers the fire in the ceiling.  Lamberson and Carney are each charged with one count of arson.

Adult Care/Rehab Center, Residential

Portland, OR – Fire in residential room at behavior health facility put out by sprinkler system

A fire broke out at a behavioral health facility in southeast Portland early Thursday morning. Portland Fire & Rescue said firefighters were called to the fire that ignited in an apartment unit at Cascadia Behavioral Health, located at 7511 Southeast Henry Street. The small fire was put out by a sprinkler before firefighters arrived to the scene. Firefighters helped evacuate all the occupants of the smoke-filled building and searched for any additional flames.

PF&R said the fire didn’t do much structural damage, and the bit of damage done was contained to the room where the fire started. Two or three people were evaluated for non-life-threatening issues related to smoke, and one patient was transported to a local hospital for further evaluation of smoke inhalation.  PF&R said the water cleanup could take a couple of hours. The cause of the fire wasn’t immediately known.

Child Care Facility

Ridgefield, CT – (No Media Coverage) Fire at child daycare extinguished by sprinkler system

*** NO MEDIA COVERAGE ** A “Sprinkler Saves” blog follower has reported that an activated sprinkler system helped put out a fire at Almost Home Childcare last week in Ridgefield, Connecticut.  No injuries were reported to children or staff.  There was no media coverage of the fire, however, the Almost Home Facebook page includes additional details … https://www.facebook.com/AlmostHomecc/

 

Hospital/Care Facility, Hospital/Medical Clinic

New Iberia, LA – Late night arson fire at medical center extinguished by sprinkler system

A man has been arrested after, fire marshals say, he intentionally set a fire at Iberia Medical Center early Friday morning. Ruddy Romero, Jr., 25, of New Iberia, allegedly set fire to a hospital blanket on a set of chairs in an Intensive Care Unit waiting room on the second floor. Romero set the fire before leaving the hospital, according to Chief Deputy Brant Thompson. State fire marshal investigators say the fire alarm system activated, hence alerting hospital employees, patients, and visitors. The alarm was immediately followed by the activation of the fire sprinkler system, which quickly extinguished the fire shortly before 1:30 a.m. Romero was later interviewed by investigators and admitted to lighting the blanket on fire, directly threatening more than 100 patients, staff members, and visitors, Thompson says. Romero was arrested on charges of aggravated arson. He is being held in the Iberia Parish jail on a $20,000 bond.

Adult Care/Rehab Center, Hospital/Care Facility, Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Watertown, WI – Sprinkler system halts nursing home fire in wing occupied by many nonambulatory patients

The Watertown Fire Department continues to investigate a structure fire that injured one resident at Dycora Transitional Health on Hospital Drive early Saturday morning. “We’re not exactly sure of the cause of it yet, possibly electrical,” fire Chief Greg Michalek said. “The fire burned the bed with the patient in it and part of the wall.”

Michalek said the blaze was contained to a single room of the 112-bed nursing home, but the wing it is located in also suffered water and smoke damage.

He acknowledged that the casualties could have been much worse if things had transpired differently because many of the residents in the wing could not walk by themselves. Thankfully, firefighters along with a number of police officers and Dycora personnel were able to evacuate the 20 patients in the affected wing.

“Most of the people in that wing were nonambulatory,” Michalek said. “They had to be taken out in wheelchairs. The sprinkler system activated and put the fire out but there was a lot of smoke.”

A call to Dycora’s administrator was not returned before the Daily Times press time this morning.

Child Care Facility, Hospital/Care Facility

Lake Forest, IL – Sprinklers extinguish fire at daycare center before firefighters arrive; All children safely evacuated

A fire that broke out at a Lake Forest day care facility Wednesday was extinguished before fire fighters arrived.

The Lake Forest Fire Department received the alarm around 8:52 a.m. The department said all of the children at the day care had been evacuated to a nearby business. As they traveled to the scene, fire crews were told the sprinkler system had been activated and the smell of smoke was in the air.

When they arrived, firefighters found light smoke conditions in a first floor kitchenette, the department said. Sprinklers had extinguished the fire, which had been contained to a cardboard box.

Crews shut down the sprinkler and performed clean up duties, according to Battalion Chief Mike Gallo.

Adult Care/Rehab Center, Residential

Glendale, WI – Fire at transitional living center suppressed by sprinkler system

This evening at approximately 7:16pm, the Bayside Communications Center received a report from an alarm monitoring company of a fire alarm sounding at Dycora Transitional Living Center, 1616 W. Bender Rd. in Glendale. Within seconds, a 911 call was received reporting a fire on the second floor of the facility. Fire and law enforcement units were dispatched immediately.

Glendale Police Officers were on routine patrol in the general area. Officers reported heavy smoke in one of the wings of the building on the second floor upon their arrival. The affected wing of the building was occupied by 16 patients. Facility staff and police began evacuating residents in the affected area. The first arriving fire company proceeded to the second floor of the facility and began searching for the location of the fire.

Additional arriving fire companies searched the facility for any fire/smoke victims and assisted in extinguishing the fire. A fire was located that was contained to one room of the building. The fire sprinkler system had extinguished a majority of the fire. Firefighters completed extinguishment of the fire and began to remove smoke from the building. Additional paramedic units were called to the scene as a precaution based on the type of facility involved in the incident.  One patient of the facility was evaluated by paramedics but refused transport to the hospital.  Damage to the facility is still being assessed. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Additional injuries to occupants and damage to the facility was prevented by the quick activation of the fire alarm and fire sprinkler system. While the size of the fire was small, the amount of smoke that is produced by a fire creates significant challenges for ensuring the safety of the occupants of buildings. According to a release from the North Shore Fire Department, the importance of maintaining working fire alarm and sprinkler systems in buildings cannot be understated and was demonstrated in this incident.