Category Archives: Other Business

Office Building, Other Business

Stamford, CT – Fire in records room at office building put out by sprinkler system

A fire suppression sprinkler system did what it was supposed to do and quickly put out a small fire in an Atlantic Street office building that broke out after hours. Firefighters were called to 1 Atlantic St. in response to an automatic fire alarm in the building Thursday at about 7 p.m., and found the sprinkler activated and smoke on the fourth floor of the building, according to a statement from Stamford Fire Department.

The fire started in a records room, it was determined, where firefighters found damage from fire, smoke and water, the statement said. They also found that just one sprinkler head of the automatic system had activated, and that it alone was able to control the fire. A total of five engines, one truck, one rescue and the deputy chief responded to the alarm arriving within three minutes. There were no injuries reported. The cause of the fire is under investigation by the City Fire Marshal’s Office.

Athletic Club/Sports Facility, Other Business

Longview, WA – Fire in sauna room at YMCA extinguished with help from sprinkler system

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Authorities said the fire started around 8 a.m. at the Longview YMCA when a wooden bucket used to dump water on hot rocks in the club’s second-story dry sauna caught fire. The sauna normally warms up an hour before the club opens, but the bucket was not supposed to be on top of the rocks, Longview Fire said Saturday.

The sprinkler system activated to help control the fire.  The club reopened after the fire was put out, Longview Fire said.  There were no injuries.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Evans, GA – Tractor fire at construction business doused by sprinkler system

A tractor fire at Flint Construction & Forestry, just off William Few Parkway, was out pretty quickly.  In fact, according to fire crews, the sprinkler system did most of their work before they even arrived.  There was only one employee in the building and they alerted the alarm company, which then called for firefighters.  They don’t know what caused the tractor to catch fire but believe it may have been some sort of electrical short.  There were no injuries or significant damage to report.

Other Business, Recycling / Waste Facility

Springfield, MA – Recycling center fire kept from spreading by sprinkler system

City firefighters quickly extinguished a blaze at a Waste Management facility in East Springfield Thursday night. There were no injuries or major damage tied to the fire, which was reported at 8:17 p.m. at the automated material handling recycling center at 203 Tremont St.

“It ends up being a giant trash fire,” said Dennis G. Leger, executive aide to Springfield Fire Commissioner Joseph A. Conant. The facility’s sprinkler system kept the fire from spreading until crews arrived to extinguish the blaze, he said.

The fire wasn’t suspicious. It apparently began when a spark from a shredding operation at the recycling center ignited a bale of trash, Leger said.

Athletic Club/Sports Facility

Madison, WI – Fire on 5th floor of YWCA building controlled by sprinkler system

The City of Madison Fire Department is crediting an automatic sprinkler system for helping avoid major damage after a fire at the YWCA on Wednesday.   Officials say the fire started on the fifth floor of the building located at 101 E. Mifflin Street around 1:15 p.m.

 Firefighters say there was heavy smoke conditions reported on the fourth and fifth floors after using high-rise firefighting operations. They were able to successfully extinguish the fire, keeping the water and fire damage to a minimum. 

The fire department says the YWCA staff followed all proper procedures upon hearing the fire alarms. They say everyone was evacuated safely and uninjured. Damage is estimated at $5,000-$10,000. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Office Building, Other Business

Dayton, OH – Sprinkler system suppresses overnight fire at Standard Register Co.

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Passers-by saw smoke coming from the Standard Register Co. complex on Albany Street and alerted authorities, Dayton District Chief Joe Meyer said.Crews forced their way inside Building No. 2 and found fire on the second floor in a graphic arts storage area where papers, some ink products and other items were burning, he said. 

The sprinkler system suppressed the fire and did most of the work for fire crews and kept the damage to a minimum, Meyer said.

  Meyer could not estimate a dollar amount for the damage.   He said he doesn’t believe the fire was suspicious, but note that an arson investigator called in would have to determine the official cause of the fire.

Office Building, Other Business

Herndon, VA – Sprinkler helps contain high-rise fire to room of origin

There were no injuries in a fire in a high-rise office building near Dulles Airport on Tuesday, which started in a first-floor “battery room,” according to the Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Department. A security guard in the 10-story building called 911 after hearing an explosion.

Arriving on the scene at about 7:45 p.m., firefighters and rescue personnel found an electrical transformer on fire outside the building, the fire department said.

The building at 13820 Sunrise Valley Drive is the headquarters of Time-Warner, according to media reports. It is just south of the interchange of Route 28 and the Dulles Toll Road near Herndon.

The firefighters also encountered heavy smoke coming from the lower level of the building, with flames coming from the battery room.

The incident commander sounded a second alarm, bringing more than 60 firefighters to the scene, the fire department said. There were about 50 employees in the building when the fire broke out, and the firefighters ensured all occupants got out.

The firefighters contained the blaze to the battery room and the transformer; it didn’t spread to other parts of the building, the fire department said. The building’s automatic fire alarm activated, as well as one sprinkler head, which helped contain the blaze.

The fire department estimated that damage to the building totals $2 million. According to fire investigators, the blaze was accidental. They traced the cause to an “electrical event” in the control module of the building’s power supply.

Other Business, Place of Worship

Murfreesboro, TN – Sprinklers activate and control suspected arson fire at church

Two small fires damaged a Murfreesboro church and a beer brewery late Monday night.  According to the Murfreesboro Fire and Rescue Department spokeswoman Ashley McDonald, crews responded to a fire alarm call in the 500 block of Old Salem Road around 11:45 p.m.

While on their way to the scene personnel learned the burglar alarm was also going off.  The front doors of the building were not secure and the sprinkler system had been activated in the front corridor, which is shared by Experience Community Church and Mayday Brewery, according to McDonald.

Fire crews found two small fires that had been reportedly set in what appeared to be donation bins in that corridor, and a gas can was nearby. McDonald said an abandoned pick-up truck was found in the parking lot. The doors were unlocked and there were slashes in the back tires.

The sprinkler system kept the fire damage to a minimum, however the church did receive water and smoke damage while the brewery appeared to have very minimal water damage, according to the acting shift commander.

The Fire Marshal’s Office is now investigating the case. It wasn’t clear if it would be ruled an arson.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Napa, CA – Sprinklers credited with extinguishing overnight fire at design center

An automatic sprinkler is credited with putting out a fire in the pre-dawn hours in a business at Tannery Row, 101 S. Coombs St., the Napa Fire Department reported.  The call came in at 3:48 a.m. Thursday as a water flow alarm, suggesting that heat had triggered a fire sprinkler, said Capt. Roger Reichenberg, whose engine crew responded from Station No. 4 on Gasser Drive.

Firefighters discovered water flowing from under a wall at VonSaal Design Center. When they forced open a door, they found that a sprinkler had extinguished a small blaze at a work bench, Reichenberg said.

The owner, Richard Von Saal, had been working late into the night on items for this weekend’s Auction Napa Valley, when a spark apparently jumped from one bench to another, creating the fire that blazed after he left the building, he said. The fire was contained to the single work bench and apparently did no damage to Von Saal’s creations, Reichenberg said. 

Firefighters stayed on the scene to vacuum up water that also had seeped into a space rented by ZuZu restaurant and tapas bar, he said.

Manufacturing, Other - Manufacturing, Other Business

East Moline, IL – Fire at uniform services business extinguished by sprinkler system

A fire at a uniform services company is out thanks, in part, to the building sprinkler system. The fire broke out just before 1:30 a.m. on Wednesday, June 3, 2015, at the Aramark Uniform Services building on Avenue of the Cities.

East Moline fire crews say an air compressor caught fire at the back of the building. While the sprinkler system put out any flames, firefighters on scene dealt with heavy smoke.  Officials say no one was hurt, but crews are estimating thousands of dollars in damage.

The Battalion Chief says a mechanical malfunction is most likely to blame for the fire, but it’s still under investigation.