It was reported on the second floor, according to officials.
Sprinklers inside the building were able to make quick work of the small fire, though there was smoke permeating throughout parts of the arena that crews had to ventilate upon their arrival.
No injuries were reported. It is unclear what caused the fire.
The Wizards are still set to play the Phoenix Suns inside Capital One Arena at 3:30 p.m. on Feb. 4.
The fire started in one of the HVAC units in the basement of the facility at 7000 West Grandbridge Boulevard, prompting an evacuation of the center on September 22, 2023.
The building was evacuated, and firefighters entered the building to find the rapid activation of the sprinkler system confined the fire to the unit.
Crews shut down the sprinkler system to minimize water damage and the facility was able to reopen a short time after the incident.
Fire Chief Michael says the incident is an excellent example of the important role sprinklers play in both the protection of life and property.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, “From 2015 to 2019, sprinklers operated in 92 percent of fires large enough to activate sprinklers and were effective at controlling the fire in 96 percent of the incidents in which they operated.”
A 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS photographer saw several units at the scene and the building’s sprinkler system running.
Authorities say St. Louis Park firefighters were called to the location at around 4:15 a.m. and found multiple sources of fire inside. Firefighters extinguished the flames, which the sprinklers kept at bay, and no injuries were reported.
The fitness center, located at 3555 Highway 100, will be closed for the day.
The city says no arrests were made but the fire is being investigated as arson.
Anyone with information is asked to call the St. Louis Park Police Department at 952-924-2600.
It is unknown at this time if the location foresees any impact beyond Monday.
“The fire was contained to the press box structure on the roof. The press box, the television control room, the former placing judges’ stand, the stewards’ stand, and the announcer’s booth, that entire area was destroyed,” said Chip Tuttle, the CEO of Sterling Suffolk Racecourse, which sold the property to HYM Development Company in 2017 but continues to lease and operate the simulcasting and advance deposit wagering business.
The grandstand has not been in use since live racing ended at the end of June 2019, although the clubhouse has remained open for simulcasting. Suffolk Downs conducted simulcasting Memorial Day and closed at 6:30 p.m. The fire broke out at 10 p.m. in the building that was constructed in 1935.
“Because the television control room was destroyed, we’re going to have some interruption of on-site simulcasting,” Tuttle said. “We’re just trying to ascertain today how long that’s going to be.”
He added that as soon as the fire started, the sprinkler system was deployed, and the Boston Fire Department responded immediately. Boston EMS crews were also on the scene.
The fire was classified as five-alarm by 11 p.m. Monday, and by 12 a.m. Tuesday it was a six-alarm blaze. Mutual aid partners from six additional fire departments across Metro Boston were called in. Boston Fire Commissioner Jack Dempsey was in command on the scene and by midnight ordered all firefighters off the Suffolk Downs roof before the flames surged through it.
The Boston Fire Department tweeted that due to the limited water supply in the area, firefighters had to relay pump to get water to the structure, which is a maneuver that required thousands of feet of hose. Firefighters battled the blaze all night, and although it was contained by Tuesday morning, they were still visible on the scene Tuesday afternoon checking for hot spots and containing them.
HYM Development is in the process of repurposing the 161-acre racetrack property into a multi-mixed use development that will include 10,000 rental apartments, condominiums, office parks, restaurants, retail businesses, and entertainment venues. An official with HYM said May 31 that the fire damage did not affect the portion of the development currently under construction and that the redevelopment is continuing.
Repairs to the old grandstand are to be determined.
“Whether the building was ultimately coming down or part of it was going to be preserved, I don’t know,” Tuttle said.
The Denver Fire Department responded to Empower Field at Mile High at about 2:15 p.m. MDT, Capt. Greg Pixley told The Denver Post. The fire was extinguished approximately 30 minutes later as firefighters and the stadium’s sprinkler system brought the blaze under control.
“This fire burned very hot. We’re lucky the sprinkler system started to hold the fire in check,” Pixley told the newspaper. “This was a significant fire.”
Stadium officials said in a statement on Twitter that the fire occurred in a construction zone near the East Club Lounge. Pixley said the fire ignited on the fourth level of the stadium and spread to the third-level seats, KDVR-TV reported. Smoke interrupted an event on the second floor that had about 100 people in attendance, but there are no reports of injuries, the television station reported.
Pixley said the sprinkler system was activated in the indoor seating area, but there was no sprinkler system over the exposed stadium seats, according to the Post.
That exposed the stadium’s plastic seats to the blaze.
“This type of plastic that the seats are composed of burns with not only significant ferocity, very large flames, but also produces a tremendous amount of black smoke,” Pixley told reporters.
Six rows of seats in two sections near the suites were destroyed, KCNC-TV reported.
According to the Lexington Fire Department, crews responded to the call around 9:17 p.m. Saturday.
The department says when they arrived everyone had evacuated from the building…and they were able to put out the fire with the help of the buildings sprinkler system.
The Fire Department says one girl did suffer minor injuries but was treated at the scene.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
The first units to arrive at the YMCA fire were from the Pleasant Township and Greenfield Township fire departments, Schultz said.
“Our firefighters were already on their way to the Second Street fire, and when the call came through for the Y, mutual aid units took care of that one. It appears a commercial dryer caught fire at the Y, and luckily the sprinkler system helped contain the fire to the laundry room until mutual aid could arrive,” Schultz said. “Because the building’s rotunda is connected to the laundry room, there was smoke damage to the first and second floors, and some water damage due to the sprinkler system’s activation.”
He added there were no injuries reported, and the YMCA was closed Wednesday. Cole Reinschell, administrative director with the YMCA, said the building will likely be closed Thursday, and any updates will be posted on the organization’s Facebook page.
“First and foremost, I’m thankful that everyone is okay, the health and safety of our staff and patrons are our number one priority. The Sixth Avenue facility will be closed Thursday, but our River Valley campus will be open, and we will have childcare available,” Reinschell said.
He said the fire was caused by a dryer malfunction. Staff reported a burning smell and responded quickly, even using a fire extinguisher. Reinschell said he was proud of the staff for reacting quickly and evacuating clients from the building.
“I just want to say over the past year with COVID-19, we’ve overcome a lot of adversity. I wanted to thank all the firefighters that reported and helped us, and our members and staff for their work today,” he said.
He thanked the Tree Church for offering shelter to YMCA members and childcare program during the evacuation.
Reinschell added the YMCA would appreciate any charitable donations from the community. Checks should be made payable to the Robert K. Fox Family YMCA, address 465 W Sixth Ave, Lancaster, OH, 43130. Questions can be directed to Reinschell: contact him at 740-654-0616, extension 245.
Along with the Greenfield and Pleasant townships’ fire departments, firefighters from Hocking Township, Bloom Township and Amanda Township fire departments also responded. The fire was contained by about 9:30, Schultz said.
“We’re grateful for the assistance from everyone. Mutual aid is critical, and, today definitely proves that, every community should help one another. We were able to handle both fires with the assistance of every fire department that arrived,” Schultz said. “We appreciate that they could come to the city to help.”
At the time of the fire, approximately 50 customers and employees were in the building when the fire started. Although the fire started in the un-occupied laundry room, they were able to escape unharmed when the alarm sounded.
The building’s fire sprinkler system was installed in 2018 by Interactive Fire Control Inc and inspected by MCESD 8 Fire Inspectors working hand in hand with the Montgomery County Fire Marshal’s Office. The MCFMO and MCESD #8 work together under an inter-local agreement to enforce the County Fire Code and insure the safety of residents and visitors.
The Montgomery County Commissioner’s Court first adopted a County-wide Fire Code in 2008 after a series of commercial fires damaged or destroyed several businesses in our community. Since that time, MCFMO personnel have reviewed building plans on over 100 million square feet of new construction projects and along with our partners, conduct thousands of inspections annually.
Firefighters said they were dispatched to the gym around 7:20 a.m. for a fire alarm.
A caller said there was a fire in the electrical room, and the call was upgraded to a commercial structure fire.
First arriving units found light smoke and an activated sprinkler head in the electrical room.
Crews said the sprinkler extinguished the fire.
According to the department, the fire was likely caused by an electrical appliance failing, overheating and igniting.
There were no injuries reported.
The gym will be closed while the electrical equipment is replaced.
Smoke from a fire filled the ice arena next to Red Wing High School, authorities said.
An alarm sounded about 3:25 p.m. Wednesday at Prairie Island Arena, and emergency dispatch was soon alert to a fire in the refrigeration room of the School District-owned facility, according to Assistant Fire Chief Mike Warner.
Firefighters soon arrived to the home rink for the high school’s boys and girls teams and had the fire under control within 15 minutes, Warner said. The building’s sprinkler system spewed water and helped contain the flames to its originating location, he added.
Smoke from a fire filled the ice arena next to Red Wing High School, authorities said.
An alarm sounded about 3:25 p.m. Wednesday at Prairie Island Arena, and emergency dispatch was soon alert to a fire in the refrigeration room of the School District-owned facility, according to Assistant Fire Chief Mike Warner.
Firefighters soon arrived to the home rink for the high school’s boys and girls teams and had the fire under control within 15 minutes, Warner said. The building’s sprinkler system spewed water and helped contain the flames to its originating location, he added.
Even so, “smoke was found throughout the building,” Warner said.
There were no injuries reported, and what ignited the fire remains under investigation.
District Superintendent Karsten Anderson said that an electrical motor that is part of the refrigeration system caught fire. Anderson said she hopes repairs can be started as soon as possible.
Warner said that the quick response by his department and the brief time the fire burned showed “the importance on maintaining a working sprinkler system and having a monitored fire alarm system.”
