Category Archives: Other Business

Office Building, Other Business

Kennesaw, GA – Chemical fire extinguished by sprinkler system

Around 400 people were evacuated from a building on Roberts Boulevard in Kennesaw after a small chemical fire Tuesday morning.

Capt. Joseph Bryant of the Cobb County Fire Department said testing from the county’s hazmat team showed the building was safe to reenter. The chemicals involved include sulfuric acid, sodium hydroxide and several that are unknown but which were used in minuscule quantities.

Three employees of CryoLife, a medical device company, were working with the chemicals when a reaction set off a small fire and the building’s sprinkler system. The sprinklers extinguished the fire before firefighters arrived at the scene.

One of the three employees was taken to the hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation.

Bryant said the fire was not as serious as the county’s response would suggest.

“Any time we have a hazmat response, we send a ton of equipment out there,” he said.

As a precaution, firefighters were decontaminated as they left the building.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Knoxville, TN – Sprinkler system helps extinguish fire at gas station; No injuries reported

Officials are investigating after crews responded to a fire at a gas station early Saturday morning.

Rural Metro crews said they arrived on the scene of a reported structure fire on the 2000 block of East Governor Highway and found the sprinkler system activated and flowing water.

Crews were already working a house fire in East Knoxville, so assistance was requested from the City of Knoxville and Seymour Volunteer Fire Department, according to reports.

Officials said crews were able to quickly extinguish the fire with the help of the sprinkler system.

The Marathon gas station was not open at the time of the fire and no injuries were reported.

Officials said the cause of the fire is under investigation.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Lompoc, CA – Fire held in check thanks to sprinkler system after break in at dentist office

Lompoc Fire crews responded to a fire at a local business Monday morning.

At around 6:11 a.m., Lompoc Fire crews responded to a report of smoke coming from a commercial strip mall at 1133 North H Street. 

Fire units arrived on scene to find smoke coming from within the building along with the fire sprinkler system active. 

Fire officials located the fire in the office area of a dental office. 

The fire was held in check by the sprinkler system. 

The fire sprinkler system was shut down and the fire overhauled. 

The business sustained extensive damage from the fire along with water damage from the sprinkler system. 

Upon arrival, fire personnel noticed that the property had been broken into. 

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Officials say they are currently classifying this incident as arson. 

Casino, Other Business

Las Vegas, NV – Casino sprinkler systems helps keep fire in check; No injuries reported

After a woman crashed an R.V. through its front doors, a small fire was reported at the Cannery Casino in North Las Vegas Friday afternoon.

The fire was reported around 2 p.m. on Oct. 25. The Cannery Casino is located at 2121 East Craig Road, near Lossee Road.

North Las Vegas fire officials said about 50 firefighters responded from North Las Vegas, Las Vegas and Clark County responded to the scene. When crews arrived, they noticed a burning odor inside the property, along with some smoke. There was also a strong electrical burning smell.

The Cannery was evacuated and crews started looking for the cause of the fire. According to fire officials, several hundred people were evacuated. Crews narrowed down the location of the fire to an air handler near the restaurants.

An air handler is used to move heat or air conditioning throughout a building. As air handlers get older, they can collect dust and other build-up, becoming possible fire hazards. 

As of 4:30 p.m., North Las Vegas fire officials said investigators were still determining if the air handler was the exact cause of the fire, though “the chances seemed pretty good” that it was a motor in the air handler.

After a woman crashed an R.V. through its front doors, a small fire was reported at the Cannery Casino in North Las Vegas Friday afternoon.

The fire was reported around 2 p.m. on Oct. 25. The Cannery Casino is located at 2121 East Craig Road, near Lossee Road.

North Las Vegas fire officials said about 50 firefighters responded from North Las Vegas, Las Vegas and Clark County responded to the scene. When crews arrived, they noticed a burning odor inside the property, along with some smoke. There was also a strong electrical burning smell.

The Cannery was evacuated and crews started looking for the cause of the fire. According to fire officials, several hundred people were evacuated. Crews narrowed down the location of the fire to an air handler near the restaurants.

An air handler is used to move heat or air conditioning throughout a building. As air handlers get older, they can collect dust and other build-up, becoming possible fire hazards. 

As of 4:30 p.m., North Las Vegas fire officials said investigators were still determining if the air handler was the exact cause of the fire, though “the chances seemed pretty good” that it was a motor in the air handler.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Weston, FL – Fire sprinkler activation reduces fire damage to local business; No injuries reported

She received that dreaded phone call about 3 a.m. Wednesday alerting her to a fire in her business and when Eliana Ruiz arrived at Green Wave Body Waxing she saw fire engines everywhere.

“It could be worse,” she said. “I’m so happy and grateful it wasn’t worse.”

About 30 firefighters saw smoke pouring from the business in the 2200 block of North Commerce Parkway in Weston when they arrived shortly before 3 a.m., said Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Michael B. Kane.

“Firefighters were able to quickly contain the small fire which was already mostly extinguished by the business’s fire sprinkler,” he said. “The direct cause is unknown but may be related to a piece of waxing equipment.”

Ruiz said all the equipment is usually unplugged at the end of the day, but she thinks one of the waxing pots was overlooked.

“I’m thinking someone forgot,” she said. “It was turned on because they didn’t unplug it.”

The fire alarm and fire suppression system activated, reducing fire damage to the building and adjacent businesses, Kane said.

“Without proper fire protection, this fire could have grown considerably and quickly devastated the strip mall,” he said.

There were no reported injuries and damage to the adjacent businesses was minor.

Ruiz and husband Carlos Arango were boarding up some glass doors and cleaning up the water inside the business before dawn. She expects to be reopen in a couple of days.

“I’m very optimistic and I know I can push to get it done,” she said.

Other Business, Place of Worship

Longmont, CO – Early morning suspected arson fire at local church controlled by sprinkler system

An arson investigation is underway after police say a man broke into a historic church in Longmont and set it on fire.

Police say a man broke into the CENTRAL Longmont Presbyterian Church on Kimbark Street at 5:40 a.m. on Sunday. Fire investigators say suspect used accelerant to start the fire. The fire caused more than $5,000 in damage, but the alleged perpetrator was caught on camera.

As the sun filtered through the trees along Kimbark Street Sunday, the sound of mallets tapping lightly on a table could heard in a peaceful rhythm.

“The weather is beautiful today,” Carol Duarte with the Northern Colorado Caledonia Pipe Band said.

The Northern Colorado Caledonia Pipe Band was holding an outdoor lesson, after police say a man set fire to the church where they hold practice.

“Any time anybody is disrespectful or vandalizes someone else’s property it’s a sad thing,” Duarte said.

In the surveillance video a man can be seen peering into the glass door, near the Recovery Café area of the church. Then he readjusts his scarf to cover his face and that’s when police say he broke in.

“Like all our faith communities, they do incredible work in our community all the time. So it breaks our heart when our churches get targeted,” Jeff Satur, Longmont Deputy Chief, said.

Police said the suspect poured an accelerant on the floor, that some said smelled like gasoline, and took off. Officers credit the sprinkler system and fire crews for their quick response.

The church, which was built in 1905, suffered extensive damage. The band members said they will continue to improvise and have confidence the church community will be resilient.

“It’s a very vibrant church with a lot of programs that a lot of people benefit from,” Duarte said.

Police are hopeful someone will recognize the man in the video and help them make an arrest. If you have any information, call Longmont Police Dispatch at 303-651-8501.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Seattle, WA – Nightclub sprinkler system prevents fire from spreading; No injuries reported

A fire broke out outside a popular Pioneer Square nightclub early Monday morning and fire officials are investigating the fire’s cause as a possible arson.

The fire broke out around 3 a.m. at the Trinity nightclub in the 100 block of Occidental Ave. South, according to Seattle Fire officials.

Investigators say most of the fire damage was outside the front door and in a vacant part of the club. Luckily the building’s sprinkler system activated and helped prevent the spread of flames.

Firefighters arrived moment later and finished dousing the fire. No one was hurt.

Investigators are still looking into how the fire started but have described the fire as “suspicious.”

Hotel / Restaurant, Office Building, Other Business, Restaurant

Chicago, IL – Fire at high-rise contained by fire sprinklers; no injuries reported

No one was injured Thursday when a fire broke out at a Starbucks along the Chicago River in the West Loop.

Firefighters were called about 12:20 p.m. for a fire in the coffee shop in the lobby of the high-rise at 150 N. Riverside Plaza, according to Chicago Fire Dept. spokesman Larry Langford.

“The fire was contained to the Starbucks, and it looks like everything is under control,” Langford said. He said the sprinkler system was engaged and the fire was put out within the hour.

A preliminary investigation indicates the fire may have started in the brewing machine or dishwasher, Langford said.

Several ambulances and fire engines were called to the site as a precaution, and crews remained on scene after the fire was extinguished to douse the burned area, Langford said.

Employees in the building were ordered to shelter in their offices, since evacuating a building so large would be unnecessary in this case, Langford said. Some people, however, evacuated on their own.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, Langford said.

Other Business, Recycling / Waste Facility

Longwood, FL – Fire sprinkler keeps trash fire at recycling center in check until firefighters arrived

Several fire departments responded to a fire at Seminole County’s Central Transfer Station early Thursday morning.

Firefighters from Longwood Fire Department, Sanford Fire Department, Lake Mary Fire Rescue and Seminole County Fire Department responded to the fire at 1950 SR 419 just before 3:00 a.m.

A spokesperson for the Seminole County Fire Department said the person who called 911 and reported the fire said the flames could be seen shooting into the air.

“Our units arrived on scene and they could see heavy smoke and a glow in the building,” said Paula Thompson, the public information officer for the Seminole County Fire Department. “Once they made entry they realized they had a trash fire and it appears a sprinkler did keep it in check until our units arrived to extinguish it.”

Crews used front loaders to pull apart the smoldering trash in order to completely extinguish the flames. The center was scheduled to open on-time Thursday morning.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Winston-Salem, NC – Overnight fire at auto body shop held in check by fire sprinklers

Fire crews fought back smoke and flames at a Winston-Salem business overnight, according to the Winston-Salem Fire Department.

At about 11:43 p.m., the fire department shared video of smoke pouring out of Modern Auto Body Shop at 1020 Southpark Boulevard.

At about 1:42 a.m., officials said the fire was held “in check” thanks to the building’s sprinkler system which helped keep the fire in a small area of the building.