Office Building, Other Business Boise, ID – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire in downtown commercial building May 9, 2016 viking210 Boise Fire says a small fire that broke out at the Charles Schwab building has been ruled accidental. Firefighters were called to the building, near 9th and Main Streets, just after 6:30 p.m. last Sunday. While they found smoke inside, crews say the building’s sprinkler system activated and extinguished the fire. A Boise Fire spokeswoman says there was moderate damage to the building. On Monday, Boise Fire says an employee from the building had taken laundry home to wash. After it was clean, he placed the warm laundry in a crate and brought it back to the business. The heat, mixed with cooking oil remnants, sparked the fire, Boise Fire says.
Other / Not Specified, Other Business Kent, WA – Sprinkler system protects building from fire caused by spontaneous combustion May 4, 2016 viking210 2 Comments A business’s sprinkler system did exactly what it was designed to do when it contained a small fire in the 18600 block of 72 Avenue South on Tuesday, the Kent Regional Fire Authority reported. No one was in the business at the time of the fire, though firefighters checked neighboring businesses as a precaution. The system, which also sent a signal of a possible fire to the alarm company that monitored it, activated at 5:30 a.m. The closest emergency unit to the call was a fire engine from Tukwila. When they arrived, they found water coming from inside the large two-story, concrete tilt-up building. Because they knew that a sprinkler head had activated, they upgraded the incident to a “commercial fire,” which brought a full fire response. Once additional firefighters from the Kent RFA and Renton RFA were able to get inside the building they found it filled with smoke, which made locating the fire more difficult. Once they found the seat of the fire, they were able to extinguish it quickly and shut down the sprinkler system to reduce additional water damage. A fire investigator determined that there were two locations at the business where fire started. One was inside, which activated the sprinkler system, and one was on an exterior loading dock. The cause of the fire was spontaneous combustion, after paper and filtering material, which were both saturated with paint, were placed in containers, fire officials said. Certain materials, when in a limited space, can self-generate heat until they catch fire. Paints, oils and compost are common causes of this type of combustion. The fire is considered accidental.
Other / Not Specified, Other Business Irvine, CA – Fire at uniform rental business contained by sprinkler system May 2, 2016 viking210 A fire damaged Irvine business Prudential Overall Supply Saturday night, Orange County Fire Authority Captain Carlos Huerta said. Firefighters responded to the blaze on Aston Avenue at 7:09 p.m. “Fortunately, the building had a sprinkler system that kept the fire in check,” Huerta said. “The fire was under control within 30 minutes.” Damage to the one-story building was minimal, Huerta said. “It was a contents fire that was contained to the rear of the structure,” he said. Prudential Overall Supply provides uniform rentals to employers, according to its website. Huerta said there were no injuries, but he did not know if the building was vacant at the time the fire started. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Other Business, Place of Worship Lincoln, NE – Fire in church kitchen limited by sprinkler system April 28, 2016 viking210 A Lincoln church is once again picking up the pieces after a three-alarm blaze damaged part of its new building. But Tuesday’s fire wasn’t as devastating as the one nine years ago that consumed Zion Church. “Honestly, it seems ridiculously surreal,” the Rev. Stu Kerns said. “There’s just no other word for it.” A fire in an oven in the kitchen of the old church near downtown Lincoln gutted the entire structure in 2007. “As soon as it came in it was like, incredible, what bad luck for these folks, you know? Your heart goes out to them,” Fire Battalion Chief Jim Bopp said. Kerns said they are thankful that no one was hurt in Tuesday’s fire or the one nine years ago. A sprinkler system confined the damage on Tuesday mostly to the kitchen area. The worship hall and a new 7,000-square-foot expansion area were undamaged. “It worked perfectly,” Kerns said. “The fire doors closed, the sprinklers went off. He shakes us up to make us focus in on what’s real and true and important. I’m going to look at that as a gift. It doesn’t feel like a gift right now, but I’m going to look on that as a gift.”
Office Building, Other Business Appleton, WI – Sprinkler system prevents fire in office building from spreading; Adjacent businesses spared April 25, 2016 viking210 The Appleton Fire Department released a statement today saying they were dispatched to a fire at the Epiphany-Rose building around noon today for a report of smoke in the building. According to statements by workers at Kerber-Rose Certified Public Accounts, located in Suite B, they had noted that a bank of electrical lights had stopped functioning. After investigating and finding no reason for the failure, the individuals continued with their work. A couple hours later, another bank of electrical lights also failed. One of the workers then heard a “crackling and popping” sound in the ceiling above his work station. Shortly after that, smoke was seen coming from the ceiling area and the fire sprinkler system activated. The Appleton Fire Department credits the automatic fire sprinkler system for keeping the fire from spreading further. Upon arrival of fire units, smoke was found throughout the Suite. Upon investigation, a fire was found burning in the attic. Automatic fire sprinklers and a fire wall in the attic prevented the fire from spreading to the Epiphany Law Office, located in Suite A. Fire crews quickly extinguished the fire but due to the blown insulation in the attic, fire crews remained on scene for several hours conducting overhaul operations to ensure that the fire was completely extinguished. Fire crews also assisted in removing numerous items from the interior of Suite to prevent further damage. No one was injured at the fire. Initial estimates are that the fire damage was at least $150,000.
Other / Not Specified, Other Business Titusville, PA – Early morning fire at laundry business contained by sprinkler system April 18, 2016 viking210 The Titusville Fire Department was busy on Friday putting out two fires — one occurred at a Titusville business — the other was on Park Avenue near the intersection of High Street. According to Assistant Chief Joe Lamey, the first fire happened at 5:30 a.m., Friday, at ITU [formerly Farley’s Industrial Laundry] on West Spring Street. Lamey said an automatic fire alarm went off, and when firefighters arrived on the scene, the water flow alarm [sprinkler system] was on, but no smoke was showing. He said firefighters forced entry into the structure and the building’s interior was full of smoke. Lamey said Hydetown and Pleasantville volunteers were called to assist. He said one of the overhead bags the laundry uses had a contaminant, possibly an oil substance, that spontaneously combusted. “The sprinkler system did a great job, but there’s water damage,” Lamey said. “They will have a lot of clean up. There was little damage to the facility and it will probably be ruled accidental.” He said firefighters were on the scene until 8 a.m.
Other / Not Specified, Other Business Kent, WA – Early morning business fire extinguished by sprinkler system April 11, 2016 viking210 Just before 5 a.m. on Thursday, units from Renton Fire Department, Tukwila Fire Department and Kent Regional Fire Authority were dispatched to a commercial fire in the 19800 block of 84th Avenue South in Kent. Initially a small response for an automatic fire alarm, the first unit that arrived upgraded the call to a commercial fire response after confirming smoke was present, according to a Kent RFA media release. The upgrade triggered the addition of more resources. The building’s fire sprinkler system not only kept the fire in check, it actually extinguished the fire. A manual check along with confirmation from a thermal imaging camera assured there was no more fire. The business used its emergency evacuation plan to get employees outside to safety. A Kent fire investigator determined the fire to be accidental due to failure of a small electrical component. There were no injuries to employees or firefighters. The damage is estimated to be $10,000 and limited to a small area of the business. Employees were able to resume work relatively quickly after the fire was out and the building deemed safe.
Other / Not Specified, Other Business Roanoke, VA – Fire that started in ceiling heater at distribution business extinguished by sprinkler system April 8, 2016 viking210 Crews responded to a fire at a city business on Wednesday. Roanoke Fire-EMS responded at about 9:30 a.m. to a fire at Superior Distribution, in the 900 block of Rhodes Avenue. The building’s sprinkler system extinguished the fire that started in a ceiling heater, according to the fire department. No injuries were reported and the building was evacuated upon the fire department’s arrival.
Other Business, Place of Worship Cottonwood, AZ – Sprinkler system stops overnight fire at church from spreading March 26, 2016 viking210 Shortly after 1 a.m. Thursday, the Cottonwood Fire and Medical Department was sent to a structure fire at the River Community Church on the water tank hill above the 400 block of South Willard Street. Fire personnel said that flames were visible from a block away. The main body of the fire was located in a utility sub-structure attached to the main church building, containing heating and cooling system ductwork. The fire had breached the wall of the sub-structure and extended into the sanctuary of the church where flames were stopped by church’s fire sprinkler system. The fire was controlled within 30 minutes, however the blaze took about an hour to fully extinguish. Fire damage was extensive to the HVAC sub-structure and there was additional fire damage to walls and adjacent roof and ceiling areas of the sanctuary. There was also smoke damage throughout the structure as well as some water damage to furnishings. Clarkdale Fire District and Verde Valley Ambulance Company assisted Cottonwood Fire with support.
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.
