Fresno firefighters responded to a fire outside an auto repair shop Tuesday morning.
The fire was near Van Ness and Los Angeles in downtown Fresno.
The Battalion Chief said the fire caused damage mostly to the outside of the building. It also burned a transformer. He says the fire did get inside the building , but an overhead sprinkler contained the flames and damage was limited to a corner. He suspects the fire was caused by a homeless encampment.
Bar Harbor Fire Department Chief Matthew Bartlett said on Wednesday that the department responded as they normally do for a fire alarm call but soon realized there was an actual fire. “As our crew entered the building, they found the fire burning in the location. Our crew radioed back saying they had found fire in the building with sprinkler flow,” which, said Bartlett, prompted a call for additional resources.
That call brought the Mount Desert Fire Department, Southwest Harbor Fire Department, Ellsworth Fire Department and Northeast Harbor Ambulance Service to the scene. Bartlett said the Trenton Fire Department and responders from the Somesville Fire Station provided standby coverage.
“Mutual aid departments were not needed, so they were quickly released,” he said.
Though many departments were called, only about five or six responders entered the building.
“Our crew had to go in and put out the fire that the sprinkler system couldn’t fully extinguish,” said Bartlett, adding that it was primarily the contents of a shelving unit that caught on fire.
Around 10:30 p.m., the flames were doused and the departments cleared the scene.
All the research mice and employees were found to be safe.
The lab’s Executive Vice President and COO Catherine “Katy” Longley said that the lab community is grateful to the local fire departments and emergency personnel for their swift response. “We are thankful that all employees are safe,” she said.
On behalf of the fire department, Chief Bartlett said he was also appreciative of what the lab’s crew did Tuesday night to help the emergency personnel. “It was a team effort between The Jackson Lab and ourselves. Their staff did a great job in helping us get to where we needed to be,” said Bartlett.
“We got a fire alarm, the sprinkler system activated, we went down to investigate, found a little fire burning and luckily we were able to get in there and put the remaining fire out. The system worked as it was just designed to do.”
AFD reported in a Facebook post on Saturday more details about the fire. The department said the fire was caused by people who had lit combustibles to keep warm, and was located in the floor between the 2nd and 3rd floor. The sprinkler system cut on and kept it in that area.
Crews did not report any injuries.
Smoke wafted out of the old building and the fire department saw a stream of water flowing from Mr. Sebas Ice Cream Store. There was an attempt to get access to keys to get into the building and the firefighters eventually forced entry into the ice cream store, according to the incident report. The water was there, but there were no active sprinklers. So the second floor was entered. The hallways were clear, no smoke barred the way and the historic doors — all of which were locked — were opened before the department entered a suite toward one end of the hall.
Smoke blanketed the floor and a trail of black, charred wood led up a small section of the back wall. The fire was smoldering, confined to the area of its initial blaze, thanks to the renovation in the 90s that led to the instillation of a sprinkler system into the old building. The two sprinkler heads were able to keep it quelled until the department could finish extinguishing the fire.
The incident report states the fire was found to be caused by a waste bin fire while no one was in the building. The flames then extended to cabinetry nearby. However, the sprinklers were able to contain the fire to the area of origin.
“The last time we had a fire in downtown, we lost half a city block of historic buildings,” Ed Verner, owner of the Mann and Lee buildings, said. “I think that was on everyone’s mind that night. There was a quick response, both by the fire department and several of those who work in the two buildings who rushed over to provide keys… the sprinkler system in place absolutely dampened the flames and probably saved both buildings. The fire department did a great job at responding quickly and doing their best to ensure that the fire did not spread to the rest of the building.”
Verner said when he arrived on the scene he even saw Fire Chief David Burnett with a mop in his hand, attempting to get rid of some of the water.
The Mann and the Lee buildings are now joined following the renovation Verner had done in the late 90s. Each had a brick wall that was adjacent to one another. Though each had major renovations, much of the original hundred-year-old wooden structure remains in place.
The dousing of the fire has led to water damage throughout the building, but Verner has already begun repairs.
“Theres a few people I think it’s important I thank for their quick actions that helped assist in responding to that night,” Verner said. “LaRoyce Keene and Debby Keene were one of the first on the scene to help assist the firefighters and helped them get access to the Mann Building. Tom Thompson was also there to help give access to the Lee Building. Robert Norton also responded before the sprinklers had even turned off. I also need to thank Jason Jones with Advantage Restoration. They were onsite immediately and helped to evacuate the water. They’ve helped save a lot of the damage.”
Des Moines fire crews are investigating the cause of a fire at a laundromat Tuesday morning.
It happened at the Coin Laundry in the 2300 block of East University Avenue at about 9 a.m.
Fire crews told KCCI the sprinkler system did its job in suppressing the fire. They believe it may have started in a dryer vent.
There were no injuries reported in the fire. Traffic in one westbound lane of East University Avenue was closed so crews could work at the scene.
A greasy dish towel overheated inside a laundry bag at an industrial laundromat Friday night, starting a fire that spread from a drying rack suspended along the ceiling to a folding machine below. Brockton fire officials said there were no employees at Churchill Linen Services on Evans Street when they responded to an alarm around 10:15 p.m. Friday. The building’s sprinkler system managed to confine the flames to a small area before firefighters arrived at the laundromat, located in a large facility near the Campello commuter rail station. Deputy Fire Chief Edward Williams investigated the cause of the fire. “What happens is they wash the product, then they dry the product, then they stick the product in these big bags five feet in diameter that hang from the ceiling,” Williams said. ”
Firefighters say they responded around 11:01 pm to the facility located at 103 North Ambassador Caffery Parkway and observed smoke coming from the building.
After entering, the fire was located in an area of the facility where linens are dried. The fire was quickly brought under control, they say.
An investigation determined that the fire started when laundered linens placed into a large bin generated enough heat to ignite the contents of the bin. The fire quickly spread to two nearby bins and activated the sprinkler system.
SFD says that the building sustained a small amount of heat and smoke damage as a result of the fire.
Both Westport Linen Services and the nearby Epic Entertainment facility sustained moderate water damage due to sprinkler activation.
The Scott Fire Department responded to a on fire Thursday, July 23, at Westport Linen Services in Lafayette Parish.
Firefighters say they responded around 11:01 pm to the facility located at 103 North Ambassador Caffery Parkway and observed smoke coming from the building.
After entering, the fire was located in an area of the facility where linens are dried. The fire was quickly brought under control, they say.
An investigation determined that the fire started when laundered linens placed into a large bin generated enough heat to ignite the contents of the bin. The fire quickly spread to two nearby bins and activated the sprinkler system.
SFD says that the building sustained a small amount of heat and smoke damage as a result of the fire.
Both Westport Linen Services and the nearby Epic Entertainment facility sustained moderate water damage due to sprinkler activation.
No one was injured in the incident which was determined to be accidental in nature.
Firefighters from Carencro, Duson, and Lafayette responded to assist.
Firefighters were called to the business on the 1000 block of North Villa Avenue just before 9 p.m., Chief Ron Rakosnik said.
Firefighters encountered smoke inside the building and a sprinkler system had been activated. Firefighters spent about an hour on scene to make sure there were no hot spots.
The business had been closed for the day and no one was inside when firefighters arrived.
Fire officials estimated about $3,000 in damage and the building did not sustain structural damage. Rakosnik said the business was expected to reopen Tuesday.
A fire at a construction business in Warrenville has been ruled accidental, authorities said Monday.
The fire began about 10:30 p.m. Friday on the 30W200 block of Butterfield Road, when firefighters were alerted that something was wrong by an automatic alarm, Warrenville Fire Protection District Assistant Chief Andy Dina said in a news release.
The first crews made it to the scene six minutes after the alarm, then called in extra forces, Dina said.
Once a structure fire response team assembled, including personnel from the Warrenville fire district, West Chicago Fire Protection District, Wheaton Fire Department, Winfield Fire Protection District and Warrenville Police Department, crews brought a hose inside to extinguish the fire.
Dina said an automatic fire sprinkler system kept the blaze in check until firefighters arrived. He said crews put out the fire quickly, then ventilated the building and checked to ensure the flames hadn’t spread to adjoining units. No one was injured.
Investigators on Monday wrapped up their interviews and their probe into the cause of the fire, determining it was accidental, Dina said.
Firefighters are investigating a fire at the Maine Jewish Museum in Portland.
It happened late Thursday afternoon.
Crews found smoke throughout the building.
Firefighters say the sprinkler system put the fire out, but there is a lot of water damage.
Crews say fire erupted behind the chapel area of the second floor, but exactly where it started and how is still under investigation.
