A fire inside a guest room at a Christiana hotel on Thursday was ruled accidental by officials later that day. The Delaware State Fire Marshal determined the cause of the blaze—which was reported around 4:30 p.m., on the fourth floor of the TownePlace Suites by Marriott, located at 410 Eagle Run Road—was a cardboard box that had been placed on top of a working stove. According to state fire investigators, as the box was placed on the appliance, it accidentally turned on a burner by contacting the burner control knob. The building’s fire sprinkler system had been operating properly, officials advised, allowing a nearby sprinkler head to detect and, subsequently, extinguish the flames. Officials reported no injuries among hotel guests, who were alerted to evacuate by the building’s fire alarm system. Alternate accommodations were provided to guests at other Marriott properties, until the hotel could be reopened. No estimate of damages was provided.
The Yuma Fire Department said a sprinkler system stopped a fire in a local hotel. YFD said Monday shortly after 9:30 pm, an alarm was reported indicating a fire sprinkler activation at the Candlewood Suites Hotel, 2036 East Avenue 3E. Firefighters said arriving Yuma Fire Department personnel found the building being evacuated, with light smoke and water flowing from a room on the hotel’s second floor. It was determined that there had been a stove top fire and it had been extinguished by the fire sprinkler system. Firefighters confirmed the fire was out and it had not spread beyond the area of the stove.
YFD said the water flow to the sprinkler head was shut off and firefighters worked to ventilate the room and remove the smoke from the area. It was found that the room’s occupant had put a pan of cooking oil on the stove top to heat and had left the room. While they were gone, the oil overheated and ignited. The damage was limited to the immediate area of the stove, with the microwave above the stove starting to melt and catch fire at the time the sprinkler system activated. Had the fire not been extinguished by the fire sprinkler system, extensive damage to the room and other parts of the hotel would have occurred, as well as lives put in danger. This is the third commercial fire sprinkler save in less than a week!
YFD said fire sprinkler systems can keep fires from spreading and can also extinguish them. Fire spreads quickly and can double in size every minute. Even small fires can cause significant damage to property and endanger those nearby. Contrary to many Hollywood portrayals, only sprinkler heads directly exposed to the heat activate, not those in the rest of the room, building, or complex.
Reporting on lives and property saved by fire sprinklers
