Category Archives: Other / Not Specified

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Tanner, AL – Sprinkler systems helps put out fire after 18-wheeler crashes into building

Officials say an 18-wheeler crashed into a building Tuesday night causing a fire.

According to authorities, the crash happened around 11:40 p.m. at the Alabama Robotics Technology Park in Tanner near the Calhoun Community College campus on US 31. Fire crews said the woman driving the 18-wheeler was heading northbound and lost control of her vehicle. The truck skidded across the road and ended up running into the building causing a fire to erupt.

The driver was able to get out of the vehicle with only minor injuries.

Crews were able to put the fire out safely but the building and vehicle did receive damage.

“Crews got here on the scene shortly after we got the call. We got the fire put out on the truck and the fire in the building had a sprinkler system and it did a really good job in helping extinguish the fire,” Tracy Thornton, Battalion Chief Decatur Fire Department.

What caused the driver to lose control of the vehicle has not been released.

According to AIDT, it was the Phase 3 building in the Technology Park and the crash caused damage to a portion of the facility that houses classrooms and the lobby.

Disaster recovery services are currently on hold due to an order from officials not to enter the building.

The original architect for the building will be on site Thursday, May 23rd, to inspect the facility. A structural engineer will inspect the facility on Friday, May 24th.

The timeline for repairs is pending reports from both the architect and the structural engineer.

It will take approximately two weeks for the disaster recovery process to be completed once officials allow staff back into the structure.

FAME Classes are currently suspended until further notice. AIDT will send out a notice with a timeline for classes to resume when the information becomes available.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Crystal Lake, IL – Sprinkler system contains fire at auto body shop; No injuries reported

A fire at Crystal Lake Auto Body is under investigation after it caused $35,000 in damage Monday morning, fire officials said.

The Crystal Lake Fire Rescue Department was called at 11:23 a.m. Monday to Crystal Lake Auto Body, 7218 North Virginia Road, for a report of a structure fire.

The first fire crew arrived on scene in four minutes and reported a working fire with smoke coming from the roof, fire officials said. The occupants of the building were able to evacuate before the fire department arrived.

An offensive attack strategy was used and crews entered into the building with a hose line while another hose line was deployed to the roof to extinguish the fire. The building had working fire alarms that activated and a working sprinkler system that activated, containing the fire from spreading elsewhere in the building.

There were no injuries to the occupants or firefighters. The Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) was utilized, bringing firefighters from Algonquin, Barrington-Countryside, Carpentersville, Cary, Huntley, Marengo, McHenry, Nunda Rural, West Dundee and Wonder Lake to assist.

The fire was deemed under control around 25 minutes later at 11:48 a.m. Damage was estimated at $35,000.

The owners of AAMCO Crystal Lake, which shares the building with Crystal Lake Auto Body, posted on Facebook after the fire.

“We at AAMCO & Hankook Tire were fortunate today. The tenant in the rear of our building, Crystal Lake Auto Body, had a fire in their paint booth. The Crystal Lake Fire Department was awesome. They seemed to get there right after the sprinklers went off,” the owners said.

“AAMCO had no damage in its building, and AAMCO is open for business. Thank you all who have asked,” the owners added.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Burlington, NC – Sprinkler system activated for fire involving two businesses; No injuries reported

Two Tucker Street businesses were affected by fire early Thursday morning, April 11.

At 5:09 a.m., the Burlington Fire Department responded to 413 Tucker St., where Haand Pottery and TS Designs operate. The sprinkler system activated, and personnel contained the fire due to an isolated area. The fire was under control in about 20 minutes.

No one was in the building during the fire and no injuries were reported.

The businesses expect to reopen within a few days, once electricity and water are restored.

“We feel very fortunate. The fire department did a fantastic job,” said Chris Pence, Haand Pottery co-owner.

The fire damaged a small area of the floor inside Haand Pottery, but didn’t threaten the building’s safety or structure, Pence said.

Eric Henry, president of TS Designs, said most of the damage was water-related. He expected the company’s dye facility to be up and running some time next week.

The fire department estimated damages at about $25,000 to the structure and $125,000 to the contents. The cause of the fire was still under investigation Thursday.

Burlington police, Alamance County EMS and Duke Energy responded to the fire as well.

Other / Not Specified

Lake Zurich, IL – (no media coverage) Sprinkler system contains laundry fire at commercial structure

** Fire Department Reported – No Media Coverage ** The Lake Zurich Fire Department responded to the 700 block of South Rand Road in Lake Zurich for an activated fire alarm. The first fire department units arrived on the scene in under five minutes and found moderate smoke inside the building which was closed at the time of the alarm. The engine company investigating the cause of the smoke found a laundry bin smoldering in the kitchen area. They extinguished the fire with assistance from an activated sprinkler head from the installed automatic fire sprinkler system. Fire crews then conducted salvage, overhaul operations, and began a preliminary cause and origin investigation. The fire was accidental and caused by spontaneous combustion of oily rags in the kitchen area. There was a preliminary damage estimate of $500 and well over $1,000,000 in property and contents saved.

There were no reports of any firefighter injuries. Lake Zurich received assistance from the Lake Zurich Police Department with traffic control. The Lake Zurich Fire Department would like to remind residents to install working smoke detectors, make an escape plan and “practice” it, and consider installing an automatic fire-sprinkler system. Fire-related safety information is located on our Facebook page or by calling the Fire Prevention Bureau at (847) 540-5073.

Other / Not Specified

San Mateo, CA – Sprinkler system helps keep arson fire from spreading inside building

San Mateo police are asking for help identifying two people seen in an alley where burning garbage cans threatened a building early Thursday morning. Police and firefighters were sent at 3:23 a.m. to the first block of Second Avenue, near South El Camino Real, and determined that a group of garbage cans were burning next to a building. Officer Michael Haobsh said the building sustained damage when the fire melted a window a bit and set off the building’s sprinkler system. The fires were deemed suspicious and an arson investigation was begun. Police said some businesses are providing surveillance video of the area and anyone else who has video they can provide is asked to get in touch with police right away.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Elkhart, IN – Fire in wood shop extinguished with help from sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Elkhart fire investigators determined a fire at an area business on Saturday was accidental in nature.

According to a press release, fire crews were called to the scene of a structure fire in Elkhart Saturday morning.

Dispatch received the call at approximately 8 a.m. regarding a fire at 610 W. Crawford Street.

Units upon arrival discovered a working fire alarm and the east end of the “L” shaped building covered in thick smoke.

As firefighters made their way through the building they noticed a sprinkler head in the ‘wood shop area’ of the building had activated.

A thermal imaging camera was used by firefighters which showed heat coming from the floor of the room.

As firefighters approached the heated area, one firefighter exposed a burning fire in the crawl space below the floor.

Fire crews extinguished the blaze at approximately 9:27 a.m.

Officials say the fire had burned through joists in the floor for a period of time before the sprinkler had activated.

No injuries were reported.

A preliminary investigation revealed pieces of smoldering wood from a woodworking area had become lodged in the cracks of the wood floor allowing conditions which ignited joists in the floor.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Quincy, IL – Electrical fire maintained by sprinkler system until fire crews arrived

Tri-Township fire crews responded to a fire alarm on 1400 North 30th Thursday night.

Officials say they saw smoke coming from inside the building and arrived on scene at about 10:30 pm.

Fire lieutenant Andrew Wittler says an electrical conduit sparked the fire, which triggered the building’s sprinkler system.

Wittler says the sprinkler system was effective in preventing the fire from growing, and helped crews extinguish it quicker.

Wittler says the building was unoccupied at the time and reported no injuries.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Jamestown, NY – Fire at cleaning technology business contained by sprinkler system

A fire at a Jamestown business is under investigation.

Jamestown firefighters were called to a box alarm at Blackstone-NEY Ultrasonics, 9 N. Main St., on Saturday around 3:30 p.m. Upon arrival, crews reported finding smoke venting near the rear of the structure.

According to the department, a fire was located inside the cleaning technology business. However, the blaze was mostly contained to one area due to a working sprinkler system.

Off-shift firefighters were called in to assist; crews were on scene for about two hours.

The cause of the fire is being investigated by the Jamestown Fire Investigation Team. An update wasn’t available Sunday.

Blackstone-NEY Ultrasonics could not be reached for comment.

Other / Not Specified

Utica, NY – Sprinkler system keeps fire in abandoned building from spreading; Firefighters extinguish flames

Fire officials continue to investigate the fire that broke out at an abandoned building in Utica’s brewery district last weekend. Just before 10 a.m. last Saturday, fire crews were called to the building on Stark Street, near the F.X. Matt Brewery, after a person walking by noticed smoke coming from the building. When crews arrived on scene, they found flames and heavy smoke coming from the fourth floor of the building.  Fire officials say that the quick-acting fire could have been much worse, but crews worked quickly to put the fire out without much damage.

“There was a lot of contents up on the fourth floor that had the potential to catch fire,” said Scott Ingersoll, interim chief of the Utica Fire Department. “Fortunately,the sprinkler system activated and it was able to keep the fire contained. And what our firefighters did was go in and finish putting it out.”  Officials are still working to determine the cause of the fire.