Category Archives: Other Business

Other Business, Place of Worship

Branson, MO – Church fire extinguished by sprinkler system

Branson firefighters helped clean up a church that caught on fire Saturday evening, which allowed the church to hold its Sunday morning service without any setbacks.

Fire crews responded after an automatic fire alarm went off Saturday at Faith and Wisdom Church.

When firefighters arrived, they determined the fire had started in a small utility room. The fire had been extinguished by the fire sprinkler system, but firefighters had to shut off the sprinklers.

Crews helped out with extensive cleanup, using vent fans to clear out the smoke. They also used squeegees to remove water from the building to prevent it from spreading into the sanctuary.

It’s unclear how much damage the fire caused at this time or how it started. Though the church was able to reopen Sunday and hold morning services.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Petoskey, MI – Sprinkler system activated for lithium-ion battery fire at resort

What could’ve potentially been a large structure fire Tuesday afternoon at a Petoskey motorcoach resort was averted because of a building’s sprinkler system.

Al Welsheimer, Resort/Bear Creek Fire Department’s fire chief, said a sprinkler system and two heads which were activated saved the clubhouse building at Hearthside Grove Luxury Motorcoach Resort, located north of Petoskey off U.S. 31 at 2075 Cidarpress Dr.

“They have a clubhouse there that’s owned by the members of the membership of the club,” Welsheimer said. “The call came in as a fire in the office and we also received a call from the commercial fire alarm company as their smoke sensors were activated and Kirk Rose (Hearthside Grove Luxury Motorcoach Resort developer) called and said there was a fire in the office with batteries on fire.

“There was a small explosion.”

Welsheimer said Resort/Bear Creek Fire Department received the call at 4:33 p.m. and firefighters were on scene at 4:40 p.m.

“We had the fire out at 5 p.m. and cleared at 5:28 p.m.,” Welsheimer said. “What it was is they had two Segways in an office, which was more like a break room, and the battery packs were on a charger charging and one of the battery packs basically caught on fire. They are a rechargeable lithium ion battery that can be recharged and it basically caught on fire.”

Welsheimer said the important part of the fire was the heat and smoke activated the building’s sprinkler system, and the “sprinkler system basically put the fire out.”

“As far as damage goes, besides obviously water damage, there was very little damage and no damage to the structure of the building,” Welsheimer said. “There was very little damage to the room where the origin of the fire was, just a little bit of charring on the wall and we had to rip some of the wall apart just to make sure there was not extension and some of the ceiling tiles, but the sprinkler system is what activated and saved this building from basically being an hour fire from an all-night fire for us.”

The Ciderpress Club located within Hearthside Grove is an 18,000 square foot Craftsman-style clubhouse which sits on 9.5 acres in the center of the motorcoach’s resort. The building includes a café, outdoor pavilion, game room and movie theater, according to the resort’s website.

“That’s huge,” Welsheimer said of the sprinkler system’s activation in saving the building. “Sprinkler systems take such a bad rap, I think because everybody thinks of the ‘I Love Lucy’ scene where all the sprinkler heads go off and everybody gets wet.”

Welsheimer said the sprinkler system saved tens of thousands of dollars of potential damage had they not been installed and properly working.

“You think of that sprinkler head, it’s sitting there 24/7, 365,” Welsheimer said. “It’s like a little fire guy sitting there with a hose waiting for a fire to go off so he can spray his water. As long as they’re maintained on an annual basis, that’s what they’re supposed to do and this was a textbook example of what the system is supposed to do.”

Welsheimer noted manufacturers of sprinkler systems don’t necessarily sell them as a way to put out a fire as much as they help contain the fire.

“But in certain situations, obviously, it will depending on the size of the fire and what’s burning,” Welsheimer said. “The main goal is to get it to contain the fire to a smaller location and get people out of the building safely if there’s people in the building.”

EMS personnel also responded to the fire, Welsheimer said, to check on Rose and another man who was in the building at the time for smoke ventilation. No serious injuries occurred.

“They were cold because they got wet,” Welsheimer said. “All-in-all it was a very good outcome.

“I think it’s really important to emphasize how important sprinkler systems are,” Welsheimer added. “I know some people have residential sprinkler systems and the install of those have come down a long ways. In this case, they (Hearthside Grove) might have some water damage and have to replace some drywall and the perimeter, but the building is still standing.”

Welsheimer said this is also the time of year where fire departments also begin to respond to more chimney fires.

“We’ve had one so far this year and I know Melrose (Township) had one last Saturday which ended up being a structure fire,” Welsheimer said. “We’re at that time of season where people should be cleaning their chimneys and making sure they’re being inspected and cleaning them on a monthly basis if they’re regularly using them.”

Athletic Club/Sports Facility, Other Business

Lancaster, OH – Sprinkler system activated for commercial dryer fire at YMCA; No injuries reported

With two fires dispatched within five minutes of each other, cooperation between the Lancaster Fire Department and county departments kept damage to a minimum.

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.”

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Hopkinton, MA – Sprinkler system activated for vehicle fire inside painting business; No injuries reported

Sprinklers helped prevent a vehicle fire inside a Hopkinton vehicle painting business from spreading through the building, which had fire trucks parked inside, officials said.

Firefighters were called at 1:30 a.m. to the building at 17 Winter Street.

“Upon their arrival, they entered the building and found heavy smoke conditions in the building. Upon further investigation, they found a motor vehicle fire in the paint booth at this location,” Hopkinton Fire Department Chief William Miller said. “A sprinkler had activated and held the fire in check.”

There were no employees in the building at the time, and no injuries were reported.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Chilliwack, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for fire at resource society; No injuries reported

Just after 7: 20 AM Saturday morning, 20 firefighters from Chilliwack firehalls 1 and 4 responded to a fire alarm and sprinkler activation in a 2 storey supportive housing building located in the 45000 block of Hocking Avenue.

This is with PCRS and formally known as the Contact Centre.

Fire crews accessed the vacant first floor unit to find a single sprinkler head had activated, extinguishing the fire that originated on the bedroom night table.

Firefighters confirmed the fire was out, ventilated the smoke and shut off the sprinkler system.

There was minor fire, smoke and water damage in the unit.

There were no civilian or firefighter injuries.

Cause of the fire appears to be accidental and continues to be investigated by the Chilliwack Fire Department.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Lakewood, NJ – Sprinkler system activated for structure fire

Authorities & neighboring departments are responding to 1985 Rutgers University Boulevard for a reported working structure fire. This building is home to several tenants inside the Industrial Park- and the Lakewood Fire Department is on scene investigating. Ocean County fire Marshall has been called in- along with the FAST team. Officials on scene reporting the activated sprinkler system knocked down much of the fire.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Tucson, AZ – Sprinkler system activated for dryer fire; No injuries reported

A dryer fire broke out on the northeast side, but is now under control. 

The fire occurred at 6900 block of East Tanque Verde Road near Sabino Canyon Road but has been declared under control, Tucson Fire Department says. 

Officials say a large industrial dryer fire set off the sprinklers in the laundry room. No injuries or extended fire damage were reported at the scene. 

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Vancouver, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system contains fire; No injuries reported

An automatic sprinkler system extinguished an early-morning blaze Thursday at AKS Engineering & Forestry, according to the Vancouver Fire Department.

The call came in initially as a water flow alarm at 9600 N.E. 126th Ave., Capt. Raymond Egan said, but a Clark County sheriff’s patrol went by the building, smelled smoke and reported a fire. The call was then upgraded to a full commercial fire alarm shortly before 2 a.m., emergency dispatch records show.

Engine 4 was the first to arrive and found the fire inside had been contained to the original area by the fire sprinkler system, Egan said. Crews worked for about 45 minutes on clearing the smoke from the building and shutting off the fire sprinklers, he said.

There were no injuries.

The Clark County Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause.

Office Building, Other Business

Madison, WI – Sprinkler system activated for fire in trash compactor at office building; No injuries reported

Fire investigators have determined that a trash compactor fire at a local office building was started by accident.

Firefighters were dispatched to the Goodwill of South Central Wisconsin Home Office on Friday around 12:45 for a report of a fire. Occupants were evacuating as firefighters arrived.

Crews found smoke at the back of the building where the dumpster and trash compactor were located inside. Officials said an automatic fire sprinkler inside the compactor room helped control the fire until firefighters were able to put it out.

According to a news release, firefighters had to remove the dumpster and its contents from the building before they could fully extinguish the blaze. Pellitteri Waste Sytsems responded to pull the dumpster from the building so firefighters could douse the remaining flames.

Damages are estimated to be $500.

No one was injured and the building was not impacted.

Other Business, Place of Worship

Syracuse, UT – Arson fire at church extinguished by sprinkler system

A 16-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of arson after a Syracuse chapel of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was burned, vandalized, and defaced with anti-Christian symbols.

The Syracuse Police Department issued a statement Saturday afternoon on the case, which was first reported by Gephardt Daily.

On Oct. 9, 2021 at approximately 1 a.m., the Syracuse Fire Department responded to an LDS Church at 1112 S. 1525 West in Syracuse on a fire alarm. When fire crews entered the building, they found it filled with smoke and discovered a sprinkler system had extinguished the fire.

Fire crews observed extensive water and property damage throughout the building caused by the fire. Additionally, the fire department observed several intentional acts of vandalism throughout the building. The fire is being investigated as arson.

Syracuse Police Department, Syracuse Fire Department, Davis County Sheriff’s Office Crime Lab and the ATF are working together to investigate the arson and vandalism.

On Oct. 9, 2021 at 2 p.m., an arson arrest was made regarding this case; a 16-year-old male responsible for the damage was booked into a juvenile detention facility. He will not be identified because he is a juvenile.

Response

Emergency crews responded to the scene, a few blocks southeast of Syracuse High School, at about 1:10 a.m. Sprinklers had doused the blaze.

Arson damage to the interior included the burning of padded benches used by the congregation.

Inverted crosses, and what appeared to a pentagram, were spray-painted on the front of the church. Images including the number 666 were sprayed on other doors.

Officers questioned neighbors about anything they might have seen or captured on surveillance video. Syracuse Police Department officers were back at the scene in the morning, questioning any neighbors they might have missed earlier.

Several vehicles from a local cleaning company were on the scene Saturday morning, after the scene had been cleared by investigators.

Gephardt Daily will have additional information if it is released by police.