Category Archives: Other Business

Other Business

Victoria, BC, Canada – Fire in electrical room at historic theater doused by sprinkler system

Victoria Fire Department crews responded to a minor fire in an electrical room in the basement of the Belfry Theater on Friday night.  Alarms went off around 9:50 p.m., fire crews arrived and smelled smoke at the heritage building on Gladstone Avenue in Fernwood.  They say the sprinkler system was activated and had extinguished the flames before they could spread any further.

“The sprinklers were very effective at putting out the fire,” said Battalion Chief Doug Carey.  A fire investigator has been called in to try to determine the cause. There were no performances on Friday night but a fundraiser and silent auction for Peers Victoria is scheduled for Saturday evening. “There is some water damage down there so I have to see how bad it is,” said Ivan Habel, Executive Director at the Belfry Theatre.

“There is the smell of smoke so we need to see how quickly it will clear out.” The Belfry Theatre is housed in a former Baptist Church completed in 1892. Renovations were completed in 2000 with the restoration of the exterior. The building is listed in the heritage registry and has won a number of awards for its restoration.

Other Business

Eugene, OR – Overnight fire at truck repair shop controlled by sprinkler system

A sprinkler system is being credited with saving a landscaping company’s truck repair shop in southwest Eugene after it caught fire early last Thursday.  The fire was reported at the Rexius truck shop on Bailey Hill Road shortly after midnight by an employee in the area who heard “some banging type noises” from the shop, according to Battalion Chief Lance Lighty. The employee went to the shop, discovered the fire and called 911, Lighty said.  Firefighters arrived and found smoke in and around the building. The building’s sprinkler system was on and had helped contain the fire to the shop, Lighty said. The remaining fire was extinguished quickly by crews.

Smoke and water damage was minor, and large fans removed the smoke.  The fire was under control within 10 minutes, Lighty said. “Quick notification and activation of the sprinkler system prevented a large-dollar loss to the building and disruption to the business,” Lighty said.

Other Business

Las Vegas, NV – Sprinkler system keeps potential dangerous fire at auto shop contained until firefighters arrive

Firefighters from Las Vegas and North Las Vegas joined forces Wednesday morning to battle a blaze at an auto service shop on Las Vegas Boulevard North near Carey Avenue.  Crews responded just after 1 a.m. to a fire at Sinaloa Tires, 2403 Las Vegas Blvd. North. About 15 units responded. No injuries were reported.  North Las Vegas Fire Department Capt Joe Calhoun said crews saw heavy smoke coming from a garage. When they opened the garage door, crews found debris piled to the ceiling.

Fire crews had considered calling for a bulldozer to clear the debris, which included dozens of fenders and tires. Fire crews first wanted to make sure nothing else would ignite when the debris was removed. Instead of a bulldozer, they doused the pile with foam, which firefighters said was a more efficient because it could get into small spaces and be effective in putting out a fire.

The fire started in the center of the building, behind the pile of debris, Calhoun said. The shop had been outfitted with a sprinkler system, and Calhoun credited the sprinklers for helping to keep the fire contained until crews arrived on the scene.

Calhoun said it appears some employees might have been performing some after-hours work when the fire was ignited. Investigators are trying to determine the cause of the fire and if the mountain of fenders violates any city or county codes.

Other Business, Place of Worship

Killeen, TX – Early morning church fire contained by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

An early morning fire at Lifeway Fellowship Church in Killeen led to Sunday worship services being canceled, as fire, smoke and water damage forced church staff to close the building.

“The alarm went off at 4 a.m., so no one was in the building, luckily,” Pastor Jimmy Towers said. “According to the (Killeen) Fire Department, there was an electrical shortage in the walls and that caught the insulation on fire.”

Towers said while the fire was mostly contained to the back of the church building, the sprinkler system led to most of the floor of the building being flooded.

“The sprinkler system didn’t really damage the furniture, it just flooded the floors,” he said. “We have people there right now working to clean it up, and we have the doors open to try and get the smoke out.”

Towers said he received a call about the fire shortly after 4 a.m. He said by the time he arrived at the church, the fire department already had the fire under control.

“I couldn’t be more pleased with how the fire department handled the blaze,” he said. “They got it under control very quickly.

Despite canceling the Sunday services, Towers said the church members who didn’t get the message about the fire still held a small prayer circle in the parking lot at 8 a.m.

Towers is not sure when the building will reopen, but said he hopes to have it ready for next Sunday’s services.

Other Business, Recycling / Waste Facility

Saskatoon, SK, Canada – Sprinkler system confines fire at recycling center; Assists firefighters in extinguishing difficult blaze

No one was injured after a fire broke out at the Loraas Recycling facility on First Avenue North in Saskatoon on Monday afternoon. The Saskatoon Fire Department said it received the initial call reporting the fire just after 1 p.m. When crews arrived, they encountered heavy smoke coming from an overhead door of a building. They determined the location of the fire and started an offensive interior attack, the fire department said in a media release. The fire briefly intensified as firefighters tried to put out the seat, or main body, of the fire. Another engine was called out to assist crews at the scene, the fire department said in the release.

The fire involved cardboard and machinery. The fire, “very difficult to extinguish,” was brought under control in just over two hours, the fire department said. Employees left the building before the fire crew arrived and a sprinkler system had activated, confining the fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation. No damage estimate is available.

Other Business, Recycling / Waste Facility

Mount Prospect, IL – Garbage fire contained by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

A garbage fire erupted during the late evening hours of Tuesday, May 1 on Mount Prospect’s south side, which fire officials believe was related to dry weather conditions.

According to Fire Chief Brian Lambel, crews around 10:30 p.m. responded to an active fire alarm at the Republic garbage transfer station, 1701 Kenneth Dr., where they observed heavy fire and smoke coming from the one-story facility.

Lambel said the building was unoccupied with its sprinkler system activated. At the time crews arrived on the scene, Lambel said winds were gusting between 20-30 mph.

Crews sifted through the garbage piles and moved them elsewhere in the open air building. They were eventually able to spray water deeper into the piles. The fire was declared under control within 20 minutes of crews arriving, Lambel said, but firefighters remained on the scene until around 1 a.m. Wednesday.

Lambel said the fire was not suspicious in nature and he believes the garbage that was compressed, along with the dry weather conditions, ignited the flames. Things that are compressed give off heat, he said. However, the actual cause remains undetermined.

No injuries were reported and damage was estimated at $10,000.

Other Business, Recycling / Waste Facility

Niles, MI – Newly repaired sprinkler system subdues fire until crews arrive

If you are a customer of Michiana Recycling and Disposal, trash service will be delayed Tuesday due to an overnight fire at the company’s transfer station. 

The Howard Township Fire say the fire started in a cardboard bin around 12 a.m.

Another employee heard about the fire and called 9-1-1.

When crews arrived on scene, flames and heavy smoke were visible.

Employees said a newly repaired sprinkler system helped to subdue the flames until first responders arrived.

The fire was put out just after 4 a.m.

No injuries were reported.

Athletic Club/Sports Facility, Other Business

Wayne, NJ – Laundry fire at 24-Hour Fitness is kept from spreading by sprinkler system

A fire broke out in the laundry room of the 24-Hour Fitness on Route 23 in Wayne on Thursday morning.  The two-alarm fire was contained to separate laundry baskets and was mostly kept at bay by the sprinkler system, said Wayne Fire Chief John Gabriel.  “It was a very easy fire,” Gabriel said. “It was knocked down in less than five minutes.”  No injuries were reported to firefighters or customers.

Other Business, Place of Worship

Nisswa, MN – Sprinkler system tackles kitchen fire at Timberwood Church

Timberwood Church did not go up in flames thanks to a sprinkler system that put out a kitchen fire at the Nisswa place of worship in the early morning hours of Friday, April 20.

No one was in the building, which is along Highway 371, at about 9 a.m. when the Nisswa Fire Department responded and the Brainerd Fire Department was contacted for mutual aid, but not needed.

“There was a fire alarm that went through our alarm company to the Nisswa Fire Department … and they discovered smoke in the building,” said the Rev. John Just, pastor of the church.

“My understanding is Brainerd Fire also had two vehicles that responded, but were canceled before they arrived on site.”

The self-described “Bible-based, outreach-oriented church” is nestled among the trees near Gull Lake and located about 20 minutes north of Brainerd in Crow Wing County.

“It looked like the building was full of smoke,” Just said after arriving at the church. “It appears to have started on a stovetop.”

Nisswa Fire Chief Shawn Bailey was on the scene and said firefighters upon their arrival discovered a small kitchen fire that was already put out.

“The sprinkler system had activated and put the fire out. We gained entry through the end of the kitchen and from that point, we were able to verify where the fire was,” Bailey said.

Just said, “They found the water flowing out of the kitchen.”

Staff walked around barefoot inside the church as the water was being suctioned up from the carpet area by the kitchen.

In 2004, Timberwood Church’s first pastor was hired and began. The church’s first public worship service was scheduled for Easter of that same year, according to its website.

For five years, congregation members would meet at the Nisswa Community Center, and in 2009 the church relocated to its current location off Highway 371.

“There was really no structural damage to the building. We’ll need to do some water cleanup, and we will be open for services on Sunday morning at 9 and 10:30.”

Other Business

Sussex, WI – Fire at large printing and fulfillment center put out with help from sprinkler system

Quad/Graphics employees extinguished a small fire at the facility in Sussex on Tuesday morning, April 17.  According to an official with Quad/Graphics, the fire started in the paper recycling area. It happened in a piece of equipment that shreds and bails excess paper. The fire was put out quickly by employees and the internal sprinkler. The Sussex Fire Department was also called to the building as precaution. Thankfully, no one was hurt and there was no major damage.