Category Archives: Other Business

Saginaw, MI – Sprinkler system helps contain fire at auto repair shop

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.

Campbell River, BC, Canada – Firefighters connect to sprinkler system to help control fire at recycling center

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.

Tumalo, OR – Fire in server room at research facility controlled by sprinklers; Faulty air conditioner identified as cause

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.

Oakland, CA – Sprinkler activates to help control fire in mixed use building

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.

Columbia, MO – Fire at office building controlled by sprinkler system; No injuries

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.

Beaverton, OR – Sprinkler system limits damage in early morning fire at small business

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.

Corinth, MS – Sprinkler system helps contain fire to dust collector at Kimberly-Clark facility

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.

Brantford, ON, Canada – Fire at rubber tire recycling business held in check by sprinkler system

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.

Lancaster, PA – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire in four-story commercial building

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.

Pittsburgh, PA – Fire at U.S. Steel Tower extinguished by sprinkler system

Pittsburgh firefighters responded early this morning to a fire in the U.S. Steel Tower in Downtown. According to a release by the city’s department of public safety, firefighters responded to the fire at Pittsburgh’s tallest building at about 4:45 a.m., but found that a small fire in a custodian room in the lower level of the building had already been extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system. There were no injuries and only minor damage, according to the release.