Category Archives: Other Business

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Wilsonville, OR – Sprinklers limit damage in paint room fire at building materials supplier

Authorities are crediting a fire sprinkler for preventing a Thursday morning blaze at OrePac in Wilsonville from causing major damage. Just before 6 a.m., firefighters with Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue responded to reports of a fire in a paint room at the business at 30160 S.W. Orepac Way, according to a news release.

Initial reports indicated that the paint room contained a gas line, paint products, air guns and pressure tanks, all of which could pose potential hazards for firefighters and workers. Upon arriving on scene, firefighters found light smoke coming from the industrial building.

Thanks to a fire sprinkler in the paint room, along with employees using fire extinguishers, the fire was out when firefighters entered the paint room. A TVFR investigator determined that the fire resulted from the spontaneous combustion of improperly disposed rags that been used for staining. Due to the minimal damage caused by the blaze, no repairs will be necessary, according to the news release.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Chattanooga, TN – Sprinkler system helps contain fire at non-profit center for disabled individuals

Clean up continues at the Orange Grove Center after a small fire Wednesday afternoon left the facility with smoke and water damage.  The fire happened around 2 p.m. when employees were working to install a new conveyor belt in the Materials Recovery Facility.  Fire officials believe sparks from the torch used to install it started the fire. 

The fire damage was only around the conveyor belt, but fire officials say it will take some time for Orange Grove to clean up after the smoke damage, and water from the sprinkler system. There were no injuries.

The fire happened around 2 p.m. when employees were working to install a new conveyor belt in the Materials Recovery Facility. Fire officials believe sparks from the torch used to install it started the fire.  The Orange Grove Center is a private non-profit organization, serving adults and children with intellectual disabilities. Nearly 225 people were evacuated from the Orange Grove Center, after a conveyor belt caught fire.

“You could see the belt was on fire itself and the material on it was on fire,” said Bruce Garner, Public Information Officer for the Chattanooga Fire Department. “This involved a lot of combustibles with petroleum based products; computers, plastics, things like that. They burn hot and put out a lot of smoke. It’s like burning a tire.”

 

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Barrie, ON, Canada – Fire contained to equipment room by sprinkler system

The Ontario Fire Marshal’s Office has been contacted, following a late night fire at Global Electric Electronic Processing in Barrie. Barrie fire crews were called to John Street on Saturday night, around 10 p.m. to contend with smoke and flames. Officials say a sprinkler system contained the fire to an equipment room until firefighters arrived and extinguished the flames.

Staff evacuated the building quickly and no injuries are reported. The OFM will sift through the debris on Monday to determine a cause and damage estimate. A private security firm has been hired to secure the property during the investigation. This is the fourth time in the last 12 months that Barrie fire crews have been called to Geep.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Everett, WA – Sprinklers help contain fire that jumped from burning vehicle to building

At 4:15 a.m. cell phone callers reported a loud boom and truck fire in the alley next to a building on the 2700 block of Rockefeller Avenue.

Everett Police were the first to arrive on scene and reported a truck fire spreading to the building. The fire was able to spread to the basement and second floor setting off the fire sprinkler system. The first arriving engine made an aggressive offensive attack knocking down the fire within minutes. The incident commander ordered a search of the building while the fire attack was in progress. Firefighters used chainsaws to open the roof looking for any hidden fire. The fire was completely controlled in approximately 20 minutes.

Due to a quick response by firefighters and the fire sprinkler system the fire was contained to the exterior of the building. The rest of the building was impacted by smoke and water damage.

There were no reports of injuries. Everett fire and police detectives are investigating. There is no estimate of a dollar loss at this time.

Office Building, Other - Hospital/Medical

Elgin, IL – Sprinklers douse fire at medical building; Cause may have been lightning strike

Lightning may have started a small fire Friday in a northwest suburban medical office building, where an internal sprinkler system doused the flames before firefighters arrived. Elgin firefighters were called just before 7 a.m. Friday to the medical building at 1015 Summit St. after an employee arriving for work called to report a fire alarm going off, according to a statement from the Elgin Fire Department.

Firefighters heard a strobe horn going off, and saw water flowing out from an exterior door, but saw no smoke or flames. When the door was forced open, firefighters found that a fire had started in the telecommunications equipment and activated the sprinkler above. Investigators determined the cause of the blaze was “either an electrical issue or a lightning strike,” which caused the telecommunications equipment to catch fire until it grew strong enough to set off the sprinkler.

The alarm signal directly into the fire department did not activate because it is the telecommunications equipment that activates it, according to the department, which recommended a wireless system be installed. Fire and smoke damage to the building and contents was minimal, but the “building was determined to be unsafe due to an inoperative alarm, inactive sprinkler system, and unknown electrical conditions’ and consequently red-tagged,” the department said. City Code Enforcement inspectors were notified. No injuries were reported.

Other Business, Recycling / Waste Facility

Durham, NC – Sprinkler system helps firefighting effort at recycling center

Durham firefighters were called at 7:57 p.m. to 4619 Industry Lane in response to a structure fire at Sonoco Recycling.

Once on scene firefighters determined that “moderate smoke” was coming from the rear of the building. Employees told firefighters where the fire started and that a piece of machinery used to bale recyclable material was on fire.

Firefighters were able to control the fire within about 10 minutes. A sprinkler system in the building helped the firefighting effort.

Fire investigators determined the cause of the fire was an overheated motor in a baler machine. No one was injured and only the machine and a “large amount of recyclable material” were damaged.

Office Building, Other Business

Covington, KY – Sprinklers help save Jackson Hewitt building, according to Fire Chief

Covington Fire Department investigated the cause of a blaze that was reported at about 9 p.m. Thursday. Covington Fire Chief Dan Mathew said members of his department were working with Covington Police detectives in an effort to determine how the fire started. He said there was more smoke than fire and that the sprinkler system saved the building.

The fire started in the Jackson Hewitt office, which is in the same building with Sims, according to Matt Day, who manages the store, which has been owned since 2011 by Eagle Financial Services. Day said the sprinkler system kicked on in the Jackson Hewitt building and that water from the sprinklers seeped into the basement showroom of Sims. He said he did not think there was any fire damage inside of Sims, which occupies three floors of the building.

Office Building

Fort Worth, TX – Fire at Mutual of Omaha high rise contained by sprinkler system

Emergency crews in Fort Worth responded to a fire alarm at a 12-story building on Thursday morning. It happened at about 3:45 a.m. at the Mutual of Omaha Bank building, located in the 6300 block of Ridglea Place.

Firefighters arrived at the scene and found a small fire in a cabinet on the building’s third floor. The flames were enough to start the building’s automatic sprinkler system and set off the fire alarm.

Crews had the fire extinguished within about 10 minutes of its discovery. After an extensive search of all floors, workers determined that the building was unoccupied at the time of the fire. The overnight cleaning crews had already left the premises, and there were no reports of injuries. Investigators determined that the fire was an accident.

Workers have now moved on to damage assessment. Fire crews helped clear smoke from the building and a contractor was brought in to assist with water removal. An estimate of the damages has not yet been released.

Robert Pike is a CPA with offices in the building. He said that the timing of the fire could not be worse, as the last weeks of March and start of April are busy days for tax preparers. Delays from the incident could put financial workers behind in their work.

Other / Not Specified

Savannah, GA – Sprinklers keep parking garage fire from spreading

According to Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police, Whitaker Street was closed at Bay Street for about an hour on Friday night, while Savannah Fire worked a vehicle fire in the Whitaker Street Parking Garage. According to Savannah Fire’s Public Information Officer, Mark Keller, an SUV caught fire on the lower level of the garage, triggering the garage sprinkler system, which prevented the fire from spreading. One nearby vehicle may have received minor damage.

Other Business, Recycling / Waste Facility

Calgary, AB, Canada – Sprinkler system controls fire at plastics recycling plant; Fire crews extinguish blaze

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Calgary Fire Department crews were called to plastic recycling plant Carpenter Canada Co. in the 5880 block of 36th Street S.E. just before 2 a.m. last Friday. When they arrived, firefighters found smoke pouring from the building.

They managed to extinguish the fire, and credit an in-building sprinkler system for keeping the blaze in check before they arrived. Once the fire was extinguished, crews still had concerns about whether air quality would be impacted, as burning plastic can release toxic gases. However, fire officials say the air gradually cleared up.