Category Archives: Adult Care/Rehab Center

Killeen, TX – Dryer vent fire at substance abuse center extinguished by sprinkler system

The Killeen Fire Department responded to a small structure fire on the corner of Avenue B and Gray Street just after 8 a.m. today. The fire started in the laundry room of the Word of Life building in downtown Killeen, according to Battalion Chief Clay Brooks, most likely caused by lent in the dryer vent.

“Lent accumulates, and it’s very combustible,” Brooks said.  Brooks said the facility’s sprinklers put out most of the flames. “The sprinkler head did its job,” he said.  No one in the building was injured, and there is no permanent damage to the structure.

Sprinkler activates in fire at adult group home (East Providence, RI)

A fire forced the evacuation of an adult group home Thursday night.

The fire at 803 Willett Avenue began shortly before 8 p.m. in a second-floor closet, setting off the sprinkler system, the city’s fire marshal, Capt. Kenneth P. Botelho, said. Thirteen occupants – 11 residents and two staffers – had safely evacuated the building by the time firefighters arrived, he said.

The occupants were relocated to another group home in Warren. The building is temporarily uninhabitable due to water damage from the sprinkler, Botelho said, but there was no structural damage. The cause of the fire is under investigation, he said.

Sprinklers control fire at drug treatment facility until firefighters arrive (Yakima, WA)

A man suspected of setting a fire in the bathroom of a drug treatment facility has been arrested, according to Yakima police. The man, who was not identified, was arrested Friday morning in connection with the Oct. 28 fire at Connections Treatment Center. Police say a fire set in the bathroom of an apartment unit on the first floor was contained by an automatic sprinkler system until fire crews could arrive and extinguish it. Damage was described as minimal and the facility’s more than 40 occupants evacuated without injury.

Sprinklers suppress fire at critical care facility for the elderly and disabled (Toms River, NJ)

A sprinkler system suppressed a fire at Dover Woods Health Care Center Monday night, according to officials. No injuries were reported, according to a Toms River Bureau of Fire Prevention statement.  Dover Woods, which has 232 rooms, is home to elderly and disabled residents, people recovering from alcohol and drug addictions, homeless people, and patients discharged from state psychiatric facilities.  Fire sprinklers were installed in the building after its use was changed from residential to institutional, following the 2005 fatal fire, according to the Toms River statement.

Sprinkler extinguishes early morning fire at nursing home (St. Paul, MN)

Early Monday morning, firefighters were called out to 512 Humboldt Avenue after alarms began to sound.  Nursing home staff found a light fixture in one of the bathrooms had caught fire at 2:20 a.m. — but a single fire sprinkler extinguished the fire.  There were no reported injuries.  According to firefighters, none of the residents were ever aware of the ordeal and were able to sleep through the night undisturbed. Firefighters say the incident is proof that they were well-protected by the sprinkler system, which was installed only a year and a half ago.

Sprinkler system extinguishes dumpster fire at senior center (Juneau, AK)

A fire in a dumpster prompted firefighters to respond to the adult day care service at about 9:45 a.m. Saturday morning, but a sprinkler system extinguished the flames before they arrived. “They worked as they’re supposed to,” said Capital City Fire/Rescue Firefighter John Krebsbach, the shift captain at the downtown station at the time. “That’s why they’re there.” He speculated one of the residents probably dumped an ashtray with hot embers down the garbage chute, eventually catching fire.

Arson fire at medical center contained by sprinkler system (Englewood, CO)

An arrest was made in Englewood Friday afternoon in connection to an arson started by a burning Molotov cocktail. Police say the suspect threw the Molotov cocktail, through a window at 125 East Hampden Avenue around noon Friday. The building – which houses a Health One rehabilitation facility – has a full fire sprinkler system which contained the fire. There were no injuries.