Category Archives: Other / Not Specified

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Nanaimo, BC, Canada – Intentionally-set fire at credit union knocked down by sprinkler system

A man is in psychiatric care after being arrested in Nanaimo yesterday.

Police responded to a break-in alarm at the Island Savings Credit Union branch at Cedar Village Square, 1840 Cedar Rd., shortly before 2 a.m. Wednesday.

Police are not identifying the suspect other than to say that he is 54 years old and from the B.C. Interior, but allege he broke windows and lit a fire which led to his arrest.

“He lit a fire in the cardboard recycling area of the receiving bay of the 49th Parallel Grocery store,” said Const. Gary O’Brien, Nanaimo RCMP spokesman. “He also threw a brick through one of the … windows at the credit union and he also broke a passenger side window to a car.”

O’Brien said there was a warrant for the man’s arrest under Canada’s mental health act.

“He offered no resistance. He was arrested immediately.” O’Brien said. “It was apparent to the members that were mental health issues at play and he was taken for a psych exam.”

The man remains in care at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital.

Percy Tipping, North Cedar Fire Rescue chief, said the fire, that was started in cardboard, spread to some shipping pallets. The heat from the fire triggered the building’s automatic sprinkler system.

“Which was good because it could have been a lot more serious … the sprinkler system took care of the bulk of it for us,” Tipping said.

O’Brien said police are looking at recommending charges, but also are taking into consideration the man’s mental health issues.

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Houston, TX – Sprinkler system contains workplace fire to one room; No injuries reported

On Dec. 18 at approximately 8:00 p.m. Cy-Fair Fire Department requested HCFMO investigators assist with a fire in the 11900 block of FM 529, Houston, TX. Investigators determined the fire started due to an electrical failure of a universal battery charger that was left on a desk.

“The building’s fire sprinkler system activated and contained the fire to one room,” said Public Information Officer Rachel Moreno. “Only one sprinkler head activated, minimizing fire damage and saving the building.”

Employees were in the building at the time of the fire. All fire protection systems operated as designed and limited damage. Investigators estimate the fire caused approximately $20,000 in damage.

The Harris County Fire Marshal’s Office Investigations Division is responsible for fire, arson, and explosion investigations in unincorporated Harris County.

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Madison, WI – Sprinkler system helps halt laboratory fire; No injuries reported

A spark from within a work station ignited flammable chemicals in a Madison laboratory Sunday, according to officials.

The fire at Covance Laboratories on Kinsman Boulevard was big enough to trigger the lab’s automatic sprinkler system. In addition to the lab’s automatic fire sprinkler system, a security guard also used a fire extinguisher to put out the blaze, according to a report from the Madison Fire Department. 

When the MFD arrived, the fire was already out. There were no injuries, officials said. 

The MFD’s Hazardous Incident Team also responded to the lab to further investigate the scene and neutralize any remaining chemical hazards, according to the report. 

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McCleary, WA – Fire at old hospital site doused by sprinkler system, which was still functional

The old Mark Reed Hospital building was on fire this morning in McCleary.  Fire District #5 released a statement on behalf of the McCleary Fire Department which says the McCleary FD was dispatched to a possible structure fire Monday October 23rd at about 5:45 AM.

They say Fire District 12 and Fire District 5 were also dispatched for mutual aid.  According to the statement when they arrived at the old Mark Reed Hospital site the fire was located on the east end of the structure spreading from a back porch area up to the roof.

They say the fire was put out, and the roof area was checked to see if it extended to further.  The fire was contained to the east end of the building and because it had a working sprinkler system there was minimal damage inside.

Chief Nott, McCleary Fire said “You can see where the fire started entering the building from the roof and where the sprinklers stopped the spread of it.” They say the cause of the fire is still unknown at this time and it is under investigation.

A fire investigation officer with the Grays Harbor Sheriff’s Department will be investigating.

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Rolla, MO – Kitchen fire at domestic violence shelter extinguished by sprinkler system

Rolla Fire and Rescue were dispatched to the Russell House at 3:57 p.m., Sunday afternoon, October 1 to control what has been described as a small grease fire in the kitchen.  “The fire was contained to the kitchen area,” said Chief Ron Smith. He explained the pan with the grease fire was put in the sink, which put the fire under the overhanging cabinets. The building has a sprinkler system which was activated and extinguished the fire.

“The water damage is extensive,” he said. “This happened on the first floor, so water damage extended down into the basement area. It severely damaged the sheet rock and false ceiling, so there was a lot of water damage to the building.” “The cabinets were scorched and there was extensive smoke damage in the kitchen,” he explained. Rolla Fire and Rescue firefighters helped to get the smoke out of the building and helped residents gather some belongings since staying at the Russell House was not an option, until cleanup and repairs can begin.

“There is significant water damage in some parts of the house,” said Randi Turntine, development and volunteer coordinator for Russell House, which offers emergency shelter for women and children who are victims of domestic violence. “We had 53 residents in the shelter (28 women and 25 children ) and worked with the Red Cross to get them placed temporarily. We’re unsure at this point when we’ll be able to get back in.”  Turntine said the crises lines are still being managed 24/7, seven days a week. “We’re still able to work in this [crises] capacity—we just aren’t able to shelter anyone at this time,” she noted.

She said in a media statement that “We will work closely with other domestic and sexual assault shelters throughout the state to meet the needs of victims in our service area. We are thankful for the quick response from Rolla City Fire, neighboring shelters, the Red Cross, board members, and our staff members. The backbone of Russell House has always been the community support we receive, and last night was a perfect example of that. While this is a small bump in the road, our shelter will recover from this and continue to be a safe haven for victims of domestic and sexual abuse. All outreach offices in Phelps, Crawford, Maries, and Dent counties will remain open.”

“Also, we’re having a large event this Saturday night, the masquerade ball, and we want the public to know that it will continue to go on.

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McKinney, TX – Sprinkler system prevents major damage to animal shelter; All animals safe

McKinney Fire Department (MFD) responded to an incident Sept. 28 at The Collin County Animal Shelter, 4750 Community Ave, just after 5:00 p.m. First responders upon arrival noted the fire alarm was sounding and strobes activated.

The investigation revealed the fire sprinkler system had activated and extinguished the fire within the shelter. A single sprinkler head is credited for the minimal fire damage and reinforced the value of fire sprinkler systems. Shelter staff reported no injuries to the 124 sheltered animals.

Approximately 26 MFD personnel and investigators from the Fire Marshal’s office responded to the fire. No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

“This successful sprinkler save continues to demonstrates the effectiveness of automatic fire sprinkler systems in a commercial environment. Had a fire sprinkler system not been present, the outcome may have been very different,” said Deputy Fire Marshal Andrew Barr.

For additional information on fire protection systems, code requirements or other fire prevention topics, visit www.mckinneyfire.org or call 972-547-2862.

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Falmouth, MA – Fire at marine laboratory held in check by automatic sprinkler system

Falmouth Fire/Rescue reports that at approximately 9 AM Thursday morning, they responded to the Marine Resource Center, part of Marine Biological Laboratories at 125 Water Street in Woods Hole. Shortly after arrival, Engine 20 reported smoke showing from the rear of the building. A full first alarm was dispatched, bringing Engine 25 and Ladder 26 to the scene. Crews connected to the sprinkler system and advanced an attack line that they then connected to the standpipe in the stairwell. The crew made entrance to the second floor hallway and found a heavy smoke condition with a fire in a lab that was being held in check by the sprinkler system. The crew fully extinguished the fire and began ventilating the building. Firefighters remained on scene for about 90 minutes. There were no injuries, and the fire is believed to be accidental. Mutual aid from Joint Base Cape Cod and Mashpee Fire covered the Falmouth stations during the incident.

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Santa Clara, CA – Fire at trade show exhibit hall contained by sprinkler system; No injuries

A fire yesterday at the Flash Memory Summit in Santa Clara, Calif., has forced the closure of the show floor. The fire started about Tuesday morning in the Santa Clara convention center.

An overhead sprinkler contained the blaze.

According to a worker for the show floor infrastructure provider, the sprinkler ran for about an hour before workers discovered the mishap. The booth underneath the blaze was heavily damaged, and there was water damage to some of the surrounding booths.

No one was injured.

According to the worker, the cause of the fire was an overloaded power strip that booth workers left under a pile of paper brochures. The exhibits were scheduled to open at 4pm on Aug. 9 but remained closed. They are now scheduled to open at noon on Aug. 10.

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Sparks, NV – Sprinkler system puts out fire in HAZMAT situation; No injuries reported

The Sparks Fire Department was dispatched to an activated fire alarm at 230 Coney Island Dr. just before 6 a.m. on Monday.

When authorities arrived on scene, they found water flowing out from under a roll-up door. 

Upon investigation, fire crews observed a light haze in the building caused by a small fire near a Potassium Hydroxide drum. The fire was put out by the building sprinkler system.

Crews decided to back out and call for the Regional Hazardous Material Team.

Regional Hazardous Material Team members from the Reno and Sparks fire departments both responded to the scene.

Crews started the evacuation process of all businesses located nearby and secured the scene for one block to the east and west of Coney Island Dr.

A HAZMAT team remains on scene accessing the incident.

A fire investigator is also on scene, but cannot make access to assess the cause yet.

Coney Island Dr. has reopened.

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Basalt, CO – Sprinkler system douses dumpster fire at mixed-use building

A built-in fire sprinkler system performed exactly as designed Tuesday evening in a mixed residential-commercial building at Willits Town Center, Basalt Deputy Fire Chief Pete Bradshaw said.

A fire ignited shortly after 6 p.m. in an isolated room with a trash dumpster and compactor. Black smoke was billowing out when firefighters arrived, but the sprinkler system was activated before they swung into action. The smoke turned white and water flowed from the room.

“The sprinkler pretty much did its job perfectly,” Bradshaw said.The room is built so that it would take about two hours before the fire could burn through the sheetrock and spread, Bradshaw said.

The residents and customers of the restaurants and shops in the Triangle Park Lofts building had to evacuate for nearly 30 minutes as fire alarms rang out. The building is home to popular restaurants such as Smoke and El Korita.

Bradshaw said 17 firefighters responded, including 12 volunteers, with one engine and one ladder truck.

Fire officers didn’t poke around the garbage to determine the cause. It wouldn’t have been easy to determine since the fire burned for a short time and the pile was thoroughly doused, Bradshaw said.

“It’s the second time we had a fire in that dumpster,” he said, recalling that the first incident was a couple of years ago.