Category Archives: Other Business

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.

Other Business, Recycling / Waste Facility

Salem, VA – Structure fire at landfill mostly extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Crews have extinguished a structure fire at a landfill in Roanoke County.  The fire, which was determined to have been sparked by a welding operation, was burning at the Smith Gap Regional Landfill, according to Roanoke County Fire & Rescue.  The welding was taking place on a garbage tipper machine when combustible materials ignited in that area, causing a fire in the garbage tipper.  When the first crews arrived, they reported heavy brown smoke coming from the side of the building, according to Jennifer Conley Sexton with Roanoke County Fire & Rescue.  A call for the fire came in shortly after 4 p.m. from staff at the landfill and told dispatchers they evacuated the building.

Crews at the scene marked the fire under control in about 30 minutes, according to Sexton, who also say there were no injuries reported.  The fire department said the facility’s sprinkler system extinguished most of the flames.  Damage estimates are between $5,000-$10,000.  The landfill is owned by the Roanoke Valley Resource Authority.  Firefighters from the Masons Cove, Catawba and Fort Lewis stations responded to the fire.  Fire investigators are now on scene.

Other Business

New Orleans, LA – Fire at nightclub on Bourbon Street is kept from spreading by sprinkler system

The Oz nightclub on Bourbon Street caught on fire this afternoon after DJ equipment sparked a blaze.  The New Orleans Fire Department arrived at the club just after 12:15 p.m. to see heavy black smoke billowing out of the second floor roof line.  The club was open, but no one was in the building other than the manager and the bartender, according to the NOFD.  The manager told firefighters he heard popping noises coming from the second floor and saw flames coming from the DJ equipment and attached wires.  The building’s sprinkler system was activated and helped keep the fire from spreading, according to the NOFD.  Twenty-two NOFD personnel in seven units responded to the fire, which was placed under control by 12:30 p.m.  No injuries were reported.

Government Office, Office Building

Ponoka, AB, Canada – Fire in recycle bin at government building extinguished by sprinkler system

Ponoka RCMP are investigating a small fire that occurred at the Ponoka Provincial Building Wednesday around lunch. Along with police, the Ponoka County East District Fire Department were called to the scene where a blue recycle bin appears to have burst into flames. The building’s fire sprinkler system was set off, which extinguished the fire, and also covered a portion of the main floor. What was left of the bin was moved outside while RCMP investigated. A small amount of water was left on the floor near the sprinkler that went off.