Other Business, Place of Worship Church Hill, TN – Sprinkler system extinguishes arson fire at Baptist church March 26, 2016 viking210 Six thousand dollars in reward money is being offered by the First Baptist Church of Church Hill ($5,000) and the Church Hill Police Department ($1,000) for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for an early Wednesday burglary and fire at the First Baptist Church of Church Hill on East Main Boulevard. The church sustained fire, smoke and water damage early Wednesday apparently after burglars started two fires in the sanctuary. On Wednesday afternoon, Church Hill Police Chief Mark Johnson issued a news release on Wednesday afternoon about the incident in which he asked that anyone with knowledge of the crime call police. “On March 23rd at approximately 2:50 a.m., officers with the Church Hill Police Department responded to a fire alarm at the First Baptist Church of Church Hill located at 202 E. Main Blvd.,” Chief Johnson wrote in the news release. “Church Hill Officers observed flames inside the sanctuary. The Church Hill Fire Department was paged out and responded to the scene. The fire was quickly extinguished by a combination of the sprinkler system and responding firefighters. However, the church was heavily damaged by smoke and water from the sprinkler system.” The fire chief noted that by the time firefighters entered the church sanctuary, the church’s fire sprinklers had discharged, extinguishing the two fires in the altar area of the church. “We didn’t have to use any water to put out the fires,” Chief Wood said. “But the sanctuary was filled with smoke and we used fans to get as much of it out as possible.” Firefighters quickly determined that the two sanctuary fires had been intentionally set, Chief Wood said. He noted that the fires remain under investigation by the Church Hill Police Department. A police spokesperson said this morning that a report about the fire was not yet on file and that Police Chief Mark Johnson was not available for comment. The police chief noted in the news release that a CHPD investigation revealed that someone (likely more than one) gained entry to the church by an unknown means. “There is a possibility that the suspect(s) had access to one or more keys to the church,” Chief Johnson wrote. However they entered the church, the suspect(s) committed petty vandalism by pouring toilet bowl cleaner onto the floor, the chief noted in news release. The suspect(s) also committed theft by removing multiple miscellaneous items from the locked music room, then placing the items in a pile outside (the church) before abandoning them, the chief wrote. “The suspect(s) deliberately set two fires near the stage/altar,” Chief Johnson wrote. “One in the middle. The other on the left side on the steps leading to the altar. we are estimating the fire, smoke, and water damage will end up exceeding a million dollars. We are excluding no one as a suspect, however, this may have crime may have been committed by young people.” The chief also noted that Church Hill police are in possession of items the suspect(s) handled and will be forwarding them to the TBI crime lab with a request to detect latent fingerprints. “We have also made a request to obtain video footage of a nearby business with surveillance equipment,” Chief Johnson wrote. The chief noted that First Baptist Church of Church Hill is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for the damage while the Church Hill Police Department is offering a separate $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible. “I am asking anyone with any information on this despicable crime to contact us immediately by calling (423) 357-7181 or (423) 357-3487,” Chief Johnson wrote.
Other / Not Specified, Other Business Saginaw, MI – Sprinkler system helps contain fire at auto repair shop March 21, 2016 viking210 Saginaw firefighters were dispatched to a fire at the corner of Holland and East Genesee about 5:50 p.m. on Friday, March 18. The fire occurred at Rick’s Automotive, 1935 E. Genesee, where black smoke could be seen coming from inside of the building when firefighters arrived at the scene. A sprinkler system that was activated helped contain the fire, according to a firefighter at the scene.
Other Business, Recycling / Waste Facility Campbell River, BC, Canada – Firefighters connect to sprinkler system to help control fire at recycling center March 18, 2016 viking210 1 Comment Wednesday’s fire in a Maple Street building containing cardboard recycling appears to have been deliberately set. “When crews arrived on the scene, they found a pile of cardboard and paper that measured approximately eight metres wide by three metres tall fully engulfed in flames. The fire was contained inside the metal clad building, and crews decided the most effective method to douse the fire was to use the waterway at the tip of the ladder fire truck,” said deputy fire chief Vrabel says. Firefighters were called out about 6:25 p.m. After a few mintures, they changed from dousing the fire with handheld hoses to a nozzle attached to the hose at the end of the ladder on the aerial ladder truck. The nozzle was then directed into the interior of the building and brought the fire under control. “We initiated a defensive attack. We were concerned about the structural stability of the metal beams that were supporting the roof so we weren’t committing any members inside,” Vrabel said. “Police did have some persons of interest in their custody while we were carrying out our fire operations.” Vrabel said that three youth “of interest” had been located by the RCMP. “It definitely appears to be intentionally set by one or more persons,” Vrabel said. The building is privately owned and is leased out to Sun Coast Waste Management. On scene were 21 firefighters with four pieces of apparatus committed to the incident. The fire department left the scene after 9:30 p.m. The fire was still smouldering as of this afternoon but firefighters managed to connect to a sprinkler system in the building and that was directed onto the pile to control it.
Other / Not Specified, Other Business Tumalo, OR – Fire in server room at research facility controlled by sprinklers; Faulty air conditioner identified as cause February 29, 2016 viking210 A failed air conditioning unit is blamed for a fire that caused $20,000 in damage to the Bend Research facility in Tumalo. Firefighters responded to a monitored fire alarm at 3:30 a.m., Saturday. Crews arrived to find smoke in the hallways and water coming from the sprinkler system. Investigators believe the blaze started in a room containing internet servers, backup systems and the main fire alarm system. Bend Research employees arrived on-scene shortly after fire crews and began the cleanup and repair process. The sprinkler system is credited with stopping the fire from spreading beyond the 100-square-foot room. In a release, Dan Derlacki with Bend Fire says a larger fire or more smoke could have caused millions of dollars in damage to the research facility.
Other Business, Residential Oakland, CA – Sprinkler activates to help control fire in mixed use building February 25, 2016 viking210 Firefighters quickly extinguished a small structure fire Tuesday afternoon in Oakland near the Fruitvale BART station, according to authorities. Crews were dispatched to a building in the 1200 block of 37th Avenue at 4:04 p.m. on report of a fire. A single room was burning on the second floor of a three-story structure with residential units above commercial space on the ground floor. The fire was put out by the first arriving crews and a lone sprinkler head that activated, according to firefighters. Further details were not immediately available.
Office Building, Other Business Columbia, MO – Fire at office building controlled by sprinkler system; No injuries February 18, 2016 viking210 No one was injured Wednesday morning after a fire broke out at a commercial building in south Columbia. Columbia Fire Department crews responded at about 9 a.m. to Building 5 of the Woodrail Centre, 1000 W. Nifong Blvd., to find smoke coming from the eaves, according to a news release. Firefighters saw water coming from Suite 120 in the building, then entered the suite to find light smoke and an activated sprinkler head. The crews turned off the sprinkler system to prevent further water damage. The sprinkler was enough to bring the fire under control, the release said. A fire marshal was investigating the cause of the fire, and a damage estimate was not available. Crews remained at the scene after the fire was extinguished to clean up water in the building.
Other / Not Specified, Other Business Beaverton, OR – Sprinkler system limits damage in early morning fire at small business February 16, 2016 viking210 1 Comment Firefighters extinguished a fire early Sunday in a commercial building in Beaverton. They arrived at the two-story concrete building, located at 10074 S.W. Arctic Dr., about 4:30 a.m. It was filled with smoke but the fire stayed in one room. It took Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue crews nearly an hour to clear out the smoke and water. The building houses several businesses. No one was inside at the time. A fire investigator said blaze started under a shelving unit. Two sprinkler heads activated, limiting the damage.
Other / Not Specified, Other Business Corinth, MS – Sprinkler system helps contain fire to dust collector at Kimberly-Clark facility February 15, 2016 viking210 All four units of the Corinth Fire Department responded to a fire just after midnight Friday at the Kimberly-Clark Professional facility. Corinth Fire Chief Lucky Briggs said the water sprinkler system engaged and firefighters had the blaze under control shortly after arrival. The fire was described by Briggs as being contained in a dust collector. There was no structural damage to the facility, but significant water damage. “Firemen had it out fairly quickly,” noted the fire chief. There were no injuries. The fire remains under investigation, noted Briggs. Kimberly-Clark spokesperson Bob Brand said the cleanup operation was underway Saturday and there would be an investigation to determine the cause of the fire. “We are glad no one was hurt,” said Brand. “We will get to the root of the problem and get it fixed.” Brand praised employees for their orderly response to the fire and firefighters for their quick response. The fire call came in at 12:16 a.m. Saturday and firemen remained on the scene until 2:23 a.m. Assisting Corinth on the scene was one engine and five firefighters from the Farmington Volunteer Fire Department. KC-Professional is adjacent to the K-C Global Nonwovens Division facility. KC-Professional takes raw material from the nonwovens mill and turns it into finished products ready for consumers.
Other Business, Recycling / Waste Facility Brantford, ON, Canada – Fire at rubber tire recycling business held in check by sprinkler system February 12, 2016 viking210 An hour later, firefighters were called to tire recycler Ideal Rubber for a fire in a tire shredder. Fire prevention officer Scott Hardwick said it was fortunate the plant’s sprinkler system, a requirement for such heat-intensive processes, kicked in to help keep the fire from getting out of control. Hardwick said the fire crews were able to respond quickly and suppress the fire within eight minutes of being called. “These can be very aggressive fires,” Hardwick said. None of the Ideal Rubber staff or the firefighters was injured by the fire.
Other / Not Specified, Other Business Lancaster, PA – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire in four-story commercial building February 5, 2016 viking210 A sprinkler system knocked down a two-alarm commercial building fire in downtown Lancaster Wednesday night, according to a Fox43 report. Firefighters responded to an automatic fire alarm in a four-story building at East King and North Christian streets at about 7 p.m., according to the report. Firefighters arrived to find heavy smoke on the upper floors of the building that houses an art store on the first floor and neighbors the Lancaster County courthouse complex. Crews sounded a second alarm in response to the heavy smoke that stemmed to the fire likely ignited in the basement elevator room, the report said. The building’s sprinkler system extinguished the fire, which a cleaning crew inside didn’t know had broke out until firefighters arrived, according to the report. The crew made it out of the building safely. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
