Category Archives: Other Business

Office Building, Other Business

Elkhart, IN – Fire inside trash hopper controlled by sprinkler system

The Elkhart Fire Department was dispatched to a fire alarm that was set off at Altec Engineering in Elkhart Friday around 230 p.m.

Upon arrival, fire crews found heavy smoke throughout the building.

Once EFD made entry, they found a fire inside a trash hopper and up the east wall and the ceiling.

The flames were quickly extinguished. The building took considerable time to clear the smoke due to the size of the building.

The trash hopper contained fiberglass resins that caused a chemical reaction and combustion, starting the contents on fire and burning the wall up to the ceiling.

The sprinkler system was activated and contained the fire until EFD arrived.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Las Vegas, NV – Fire sprinklers saved building after suspected arson

A fire that burned through a local dentist office has been ruled it may have been caused by arson, according to Las Vegas fire Investigators.

Crews spent Thursday morning and most of the evening gutting ABLE Dental, located in the Dona Maria Plaza on North Tenaya Way.

Also, because the fire was so intense, the next door business of Africa Sanchez Attorney’s office was damaged by water.

Receptionist Jhonnathan Lopez told 13 Action News that several boxes were drenched, and the smell of smoke permeated the air, forcing them to close the office for at least a day.

“It’s the inconvenience, you know?” Lopez said. “We had a full calendar of appointments today, and we had to reschedule everyone.”

Tim Szymanski, with Las Vegas Fire and Rescue, said the fire burned so hot and so fast that the flames activated several ceiling sprinklers when naturally occurring fires usually activate just two.

“This is a complex fire here,” Szymanski said.

He said sprinklers activate when temperatures reach between 155 and 165 degrees, and with so many activating at the same time it was immediately suspicious.

“It would be similar to someone maybe throwing a match into a barbecue,” Szymanski said. “You get that big poof.”

Szymanski also said that without the sprinkler system, a third of the complex likely would have burned to the ground.

Property owner Nezira Johnson swore by the sprinkler system that may have saved her a lot of work rebuilding.

“It saved our building,” Johnson said. “I think it would have burned down at least half.”

She estimated her repair bill would reach six figures, but was confident that her insurance would cover the majority of the cost.

Casino, Other Business

Las Vegas, NV – Sprinkler system activation extinguishes fire at a Las Vegas Strip casino

Firefighters investigate reports of a fire at a Las Vegas Strip casino.  

Clark County Fire officials responded to a reported fire at the Palazzo Hotel Wednesday night around 6:46 p.m.

The fire was reported to be in an area under construction in what was referred to as a “Fan” room, according to Clark County Fire officials. 

The Battalion Chief requested an additional engine, truck and rescue to be added to the response. While arriving at the property, the crew found smoke coming from a below grade area. The fire sprinkler system activated and appeared to extinguish the fire.

Once crews were able to access the area, firefighters found the fire had been contained to some trash that had accumulated.

There was no damage reported to the structure and there were no injuries reported.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. 

Other Business, Recycling / Waste Facility

Battle Creek, MI – Sprinkler system keeps fire at recycling plant from spreading; No injuries reported

Nobody was injured in a fire at a recycling plant in Battle Creek this morning.

The Battle Creek Fire Department responded at 4:35 a.m. Friday, May 24, to ReConserve of Michigan, located at 170 Angell St. Firefighters arriving at the site found a large pile of recycled material burning, according to a news release from the department.

Heat from the recycling process likely ignited other recycled materials, the release said.

The building’s sprinkler system kept the fire from spreading. When firefighters arrived, they were able to extinguish the burning material, the release said.

The extent of the damage was minimal, according to the fire department.

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.

Office Building, Other Business

Newark, CA – Sprinkler system holds fire at local business in check; No injuries reported

NEWARK, CA — A 2-alarm fire at a Newark business was contained to a test room within 30 minutes of Alameda County firefighters arriving at the scene Thursday morning, according to fire department spokeswoman Aisha Knowles.

The fire broke out at NTS Newark Test Lab, located at 38995 Cherry Street. “A large lead-acid battery caught fire and was held in check by the sprinkler system. The battery is approximately 3’x2’x2′,” Knowles told Patch. “The business had some residual smoke through the adjacent office space, but minimal damage overall in the test room.”

No injuries were reported.

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.

Office Building, Other - Hospital/Medical

Pasadena, CA – Overnight fire at commercial medical building extinguished by sprinkler system

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Pasadena firefighters responded to a fire alarm at 39 Congress Street early Wednesday at a multi-story commercial medical building. The sprinkler system activated in response to the fire authorities that believed was caused by an electric cup warmer left plugged in, and placed in a wooden box with coffee break items, according to the Pasadena Fire Department. During the course of the night, heat from the device warmed surrounding materials enough to ignite a fire that burned the box and cabinet above, the report said. When firefighters on Engine 31 arrived at about 1:37 a.m., they found water from the sprinkler had put out the fire.

The fire crews helped clean up the water damage on the third and second floors, and reset the fire alarm to normal operations, before releasing control of the scene at about 3:46 a.m. The Pasadena Fire Department also issued a reminder that small accessories, such as the cup warmer in this case, can lead to bigger fires, activated sprinklers, and water damage.