Category Archives: Other Business

Other Business

Charleston, WV – Sprinkler system helps contain fire caused by laser cutter at small business

Crews were on the scene last Monday night of a fire caused by a laser cutter, South Charleston firefighters say.  It happened just before 8:30 p.m. at a small business in the 1700 block of Union Carbide Drive.  Crews were on the scene a little more than 20 minutes.  The fire activated the sprinkler system at the business. No one was hurt

Hotel / Motel, Other Business

Las Vegas, NV – Overnight fire in hotel-casino’s ice cream shop is held in check by sprinkler system

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Las Vegas Fire and Rescue responded to the California hotel-casino early Thursday morning after a fire started inside an ice cream shop.  According to LVFR, firefighters arrived at the California hotel in downtown Las Vegas at 1:14 a.m. after a fire sprinkler was activated and smoke alarms went off inside the hotel’s ice cream shop, located on the second floor.  Firefighters noticed the flames were on the front counter display cooler unit and had been doused by the automatic sprinkler system, fire officials said. Once the fire was completely out, firefighters turned off the sprinklers to prevent any additional water damage.

Hotel housekeeping and maintenance worked with firefighters to help with water cleanup, according to LVFR.  Investigators believe the fire started inside the cooler unit and was “electrical in nature,” LVFR said. The damage from the fire was contained to the front counter.  Damage costs were estimated at $25,000 and the front counter will likely have to be replaced entirely, according to fire officials. Because the fire was contained within the ice cream shop, guests at the California hotel did not have to evacuate. No injuries were reported. Firefighters left the scene by 3 a.m.

“The fire sprinkler quickly kept the situation in check until firefighters arrived on scene and kept damage to a minimum as well as operations on the property were not impacted,” Tim Szymanski, LVFR’s public information officer, said.

 

Other Business

Lincoln, NE – Fire in crowded theater is put out by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Authorities say officers helped evacuate audience members after a small fire broke out at a downtown Lincoln concert venue.  Someone knocked over a container of kerosene while performing with fire around 10 p.m. Thursday at the Bourbon Theatre. The flames set off a fire sprinkler, which doused the blaze.  Lincoln Fire & Rescue Department spokeswoman Nancy Crist says police helped evacuate the large crowd that had gathered for the headline act, K Camp. No injuries have been reported. K Camp’s concert was soon canceled.  Crist says the performer using fire didn’t have authorization to perform with it at the theater.  Damage was estimated at $1,000.

Office Building, Other Business

Paso Robles, CA – Office fire that started in server cabinet is contained by single sprinkler

On Sunday, fire personnel responded to a two-story, commercial building located at 1255 Las Tablas Road in Templeton. Crews heard an audible water flow alarm and upon further investigation found the upstairs portion of the building fully charged with smoke. Crews requested a full commercial structure fire response. Fire crews made access to the building and found one fire sprinkler had activated above a computer cabinet. The fire sprinklers kept the fire contained to the cabinet.

Due to the size and construction features of the building, it took crews several hours to ventilate the smoke from the second story. The fire sprinklers also caused a significant amount of water damage and crews worked hard to remove the water and prevent further damage to the property contained inside the structure.

Crews spent approximately 20 minutes to contain the fire. Crews remained at the scene for approximately 4 hours for salvage, overhaul, and investigation. No injuries were reported. The occupants of the building were Central Coast Gastroenterology, the Wellness Kitchen, and Pacific Premier Bank. No injuries were reported.

The fire started on the second floor in a computer server cabinet. It was determined to be caused by an electrical malfunction in the computer server cabinet.

Place of Worship

Cedar City, UT – Kitchen fire in LDS chapel is “mostly extinguished” by automatic sprinkler system

The fire department was called out around 4:40 p.m. by an alarm company that notified dispatch that the inside sprinklers had been activated in an LDS chapel located on 3800 West Cody Drive.  “We get false alarms all the time,” Phillips said. “But this time, it was that the sprinklers had gone off, so it was either that one of the sprinklers broke or there was a fire, and we haven’t had enough cold days for the pipes to freeze. So, when I got here I circled the building, did my 360 and there wasn’t any smoke. Then I gained access inside and there was the smoke.”  The sprinklers largely extinguished the flames before crews even arrived on scene.  “The sprinklers did exactly what they were supposed to do. They keep the fire in check until we get there and put it out,” Phillips said. “There was a little bit of smoldering that the crews had to deal with but that’s it.”  The fire originated in the kitchen, but the cause is still under investigation.

Other / Not Specified

Utica, NY – Sprinkler system keeps fire in abandoned building from spreading; Firefighters extinguish flames

Fire officials continue to investigate the fire that broke out at an abandoned building in Utica’s brewery district last weekend. Just before 10 a.m. last Saturday, fire crews were called to the building on Stark Street, near the F.X. Matt Brewery, after a person walking by noticed smoke coming from the building. When crews arrived on scene, they found flames and heavy smoke coming from the fourth floor of the building.  Fire officials say that the quick-acting fire could have been much worse, but crews worked quickly to put the fire out without much damage.

“There was a lot of contents up on the fourth floor that had the potential to catch fire,” said Scott Ingersoll, interim chief of the Utica Fire Department. “Fortunately,the sprinkler system activated and it was able to keep the fire contained. And what our firefighters did was go in and finish putting it out.”  Officials are still working to determine the cause of the fire.

Other Business

Wetumpka, AL – Sprinkler system activates; Helps limit damage after overnight fire at Skate Zone family entertainment

The Wetumpka Fire Department extinguished a fire at Skate Zone 2000, located on Red Eagle Drive, at around 2 a.m. Oct. 4.  According to Fire Chief Greg Willis, the fire department was dispatched to Skate Zone through the building’s fire alarm system. Once they arrived, Willis said they noticed a light amount of smoke outside of the building and forced their way in.  Willis said the fire started near the skating rink’s DJ booth. By the time they got there, Willis said the fire had gone up a nearby wall and spread to the ceiling. With the help of the building’s sprinkler system, Willis said firefighters were able to extinguish the fire within minutes.  Willis said an area of about 10 square feet was damaged.

“It burned an area that would be the equivalent of a room in your house,” Willis said.  “I think it’s a good example of why we work so diligently to help our commercial buildings have these systems in place,” Willis said. “Our personnel did a great job of stopping what could have been a major loss to the community.”

In the 1990s, Willis said firefighters faced a similar situation with another skating rink. Unlike Skate Zone, Willis said the previous skating rink did not have an alarm or sprinklers. “The one in the ’90s was a completely different situation. It was completely destroyed,” Willis said. Cole said he is grateful for the fire department, not only for saving Skate Zone 2000, but for the effort they put in year round.

“I really appreciate the effort that the Wetumpka Fire Department puts in,” Cole said. “It takes a lot of dedication to do what they do.” Cole said Skate Zone 2000 will remain closed for clean-up and repairs, and is unsure when it will be open again.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Williston, VT – Sprinkler system activated after minor explosion at cosmetics business

Fire and rescue responded Tuesday morning after a small explosion at a cosmetics business in Williston caused a fire.

One person suffered minor injuries and burns from the fire. They were checked out at the scene and did not need to be brought to the hospital.

The building’s sprinkler system assisted firefighters in fully containing the fire.

Fire officials believe they know what caused the fire.

“They used Isopropyl alcohol as a cleaner as part of their processes and one of the alcohol bottles had in fact caught on fire and that had a minor explosion inside the building,” said South Burlington Fire Department’s Tim Gerry.

Fire officials say the building is being ventilated and they monitored the building’s air quality. Repairs need to be made before the business can get back up and running.

Athletic Club/Sports Facility, Other Business

Allentown, PA – Sprinkler system knocks down pretzel oven fire at Coca-Cola Park

Allentown firefighters were dispatched to Coca-Cola Park on the city’s East Side on Wednesday evening on a report of a smoky fire touched off by a pretzel oven that was left unattended.

As firetrucks arrived about 6:10 p.m., the smoke was thick but the fire was out, fire officials said. No one was injured.

“When we got there, in one of the storage rooms, there was a heavy smoke condition,” fire Capt. John Christopher said. “What it was, was a pretzel oven. It remained plugged in, it overheated and bags on top of the oven caught fire.

“The sprinkler system kicked in, two sprinkler heads went off and the fire was out when we got there,” he said. “That’s what knocked the fire out. We didn’t have to do anything.”

Christopher said he didn’t know why the pretzel oven was on. He didn’t know of any event going on at the park at the time. He said officials ruled it an accident.

The oven fire reached into a wall, he said. Firefighters checked the walls for hot spots to make sure any hidden fire was extinguished.

Activation of the water sprinklers automatically set off the fire-alarm horns at the stadium, which serves the Lehigh Valley IronPigs baseball team. It took several minutes to shut off the noise.

Just before 10 p.m., firefighters were called back to the stadium on another alarm, but there was no new fire. Workers were resetting the alarm system when it erroneously signaled another emergency.

Other Business

Waterbury, CT – Fire at lumber business caused by improperly discarded oily rags suppressed by sprinkler system

Ed Bushka’s American Millwork and Lumber remains open after a backroom caught fire early Thursday.  At about 12:20 a.m., firefighters responded to the business at 625 Wolcott St. for an automatic fire alarm.  The first firefighters on scene saw smoke coming from the building and upgraded the call to a structure fire, Fire Chief Dave Martin said.

The fire occurred in a back area of the shop, where workers had finished wood with an oil-based urethane, Martin said. The fire was contained to that room.  “The sprinklers did their job and we were able to extinguish the little bit of fire that was left,” Martin said.

The cause of the fire was traced to rags containing urethane that were discarded in a plastic garbage can, Martin. The rags emitted volatile organic compounds, causing a spontaneous combustion, he explained.  The blaze was found to be accidental.

The fire department recommends discarding rags containing oil-based products in a metal container with a lid, preferably outdoors. Also, soak them in water to prevent a chemical reaction.  American Millwork and Lumber is open for business today.