Category Archives: Other Business

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Villa Park, IL – Sprinkler system helps put out fire after oily rags ignite; No injuries reported

Villa Park Fire Department officials said no one was injured when oily rags ignited late Monday at a business that specializes in cleaning restaurant linens and uniforms.

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.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Warrenville, IL – Fire sprinklers kept fire in check at construction business until firefighters arrived; No injuries reported

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.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Portland, ME – Fire at Jewish Museum put out by fire sprinklers

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.

Office Building, Other Business

Montgomery County, TX – Single fire sprinkler controls fire and limits damage after neon wall sign caught fire at commercial building

Early this morning, Montgomery County Firefighters responded to a fire alarm in a multi-tenant commercial building.

A neon wall sign caught fire and started to spread slowly via a plastic plant used for wall decoration. The plastic material had previously been tested by an MCFMO Fire Inspector during an occupancy inspection and met safety codes for its ability to limit fire spread.

The fire eventually emitted enough heat to activate a single fire sprinkler, controlling the fire and preventing any business disruption for the building tenants.

Other Business, Place of Worship

Ocean City, NJ – Fire sprinklers keep fire in check at Ocean City Tabernacle overnight

Social distancing played a role in the fast response and prevention of a potentially serious fire at the Ocean City Tabernacle early Thursday morning.

In the pre-dawn hours, the ballast of a fluorescent lamp apparently overheated and ignited a small fire, according to Tabernacle Pastor Jay Reimer.

The incident occurred in a storage area near the gymnasium at approximately 4:40 a.m., Ocean City Fire Department Chief Jim Smith said.

The mechanism of the light fell to the ground, causing a nearby box of basketballs and other sports equipment to begin smoldering and ignite a small fire.

This in turn set off the smoke detector, as well as the fire alarm at the Tabernacle, located at 550 Wesley Avenue.

“We were very fortunate,” Reimer said. “As you may know, we had some firefighters staying with us, and they took care of it before (the situation escalated).”

In the “old normal” pre-coronavirus pandemic days, a crew of eight firefighters would have been living in close quarters at the Fire Department Headquarters building across Asbury Avenue from the Tabernacle grounds.

Because of social distancing concerns during the pandemic, however, the bunk room beds have been spread out, and three members of the eight-man crew were staying overnight at the Tabernacle, as they have since March 27.

“We’re very thankful to the Tabernacle to open its doors to us,” said Smith. “It’s probably a blessing in disguise they were there. As usual, our guys did a great job.”

Smith said the OCFD members “found smoke and fire” when they arrived at the storage area and that the Tabernacle’s sprinkler system had “held the fire in check” up to that point. The firefighters connected a hose and quickly extinguished the small fire, Smith said.

“They had to stretch the hose out and put the fire out,” he said. “There was minimum damage from the water.”

Had the firefighters not been on site, the outcome could have been entirely different, he added.

“It was fortunate our guys were there to address the fire before (they left for the night) and came back from across the street,” Smith said.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Easthampton, MA – Fire caused by careless disposal of rags put out by fire sprinklers; No injuries reported

The Easthampton Fire Department was called to a fire at the American Legion Post Monday night.

According to the Easthampton Fire Department, when firefighters arrived they found heavy smoke in the bar area and a sprinkler system on farther into the building at 7:42 p.m.

Firefighters determined the source of the smoke was remnants of a plastic trash can and the cause of the fire was careless disposal of rags used for staining wood. The sprinkler system put out the fire.

There were no injuries reported and Northampton Fire Rescue was called in to assist.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Gainesville, FL – Sprinkler system holds fire in commercial building at bay; No injuries reported

The cause of a fire at a commercial building Tuesday morning on Northwest 23rd Street is under investigation.

Gainesville Fire Rescue crews say when they arrived smoke was coming from the building.

The building’s sprinkler system was also running. Crews say this held the fire at bay until firefighters arrived and contained it.

No one was injured.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Worcester, MA – Sprinkler system helps prevent fire from spreading at historic building

Firefighters quickly knocked down a small fire on the first floor of the vacant Bull Mansion, 55 Pearl St.

The Central Fire Station received an alarm from the premises shortly after 11:30 p.m. Thursday.

Fire was showing on the first floor when firefighters arrived, District Fire Chief Adam Roach said at the scene.

Roach said fire was confined in one room and was put out in 10 minutes.

The sprinkler system was activated and help prevent the fire from spreading, Roach said.

A second alarm was sounded for precautionary reasons, according to Roach.

A historic property, the Bull Mansion was built in 1876 as a home. It was later used as a post of the Civil War veterans’ organization Grand Army of the Republic, and in more recent years has been used for dining and entertainment, including the popular “Haunted Speakeasy” series hosted by Niki Luparelli.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Cape Girardeau, MO – Laundry hamper fire contained thanks to fire sprinklers

A fire started around 7 p.m. Wednesday at Tipton Linen Service on Independence Street in Cape Girardeau.

According to firefighters on the scene, smoke was coming out of the roof.

Upon entering the building they discovered one of the laundry hampers was on fire.

The sprinkler system was activated and the fire was contained until firefighters were able to put it out.

One block of Independence Street west of West End Boulevard is blocked until 8:30 this evening.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

South Brunswick, NJ – Sprinkler system quickly extinguishes fire at commercial building

A commercial building at 335 New Road caught fire just before 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, said South Brunswick police, and it was quickly extinguished because the building had sprinkler systems installed.

Chief Smith and Deputy Chief Sean Wert of the Monmouth Junction Volunteer Fire Department arrived just before 4:30 p.m. to find smoke coming from the building and water running from under the door of one of the commercial building’s suites.

Firefighters entered the building and extinguished a smoldering fire that was being contained by a single sprinkler head. Approximately 25 firefighters responded to the one-alarm fire. The fire was contained to storage inside the single business.

This was the second fire the Monmouth Junction Fire Department responded to in the last month in a commercial building where a single sprinkler head activated to contain a fire. The fires occurred during off hours in both instances, where no employees were working.

“If these buildings had not had activated sprinklers, the fires would have continued to grow and most likely both buildings would have been destroyed. These incidents prove that sprinkler systems save property and lives,” said Chief Smith.