Category Archives: Residential

Apartment Building, Residential

Peoria, IL – Sprinkler system activated for arson fire at apartment complex; No injuries reported

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Fire crews were called to an apartment fire on NE Jefferson in downtown Peoria early Monday morning.

Fire Battalion Chief Mike Ralston says Peoria Fire received the call from the five-story New Hope Apartments just after 12:30 a.m., finding the fire mostly contained by the building’s sprinkler system, which had activated effectively.

Ralston says the fire started in a single apartment unit and it was determined to have been intentionally set. The fire was contained to the apartment, preventing any further spread through the building.

Damage is estimated at $200,000, with most of the damage due to water from the sprinkler system activation.

All of the residents were evacuated safely, and no injuries were reported.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Hopkinsville, KY – Sprinkler system activated for early morning fire at nursing home; No injuries reported

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Bradford Heights Nursing and Rehabilitation was damaged in a fire early Friday morning, but luckily no one was injured in the blaze. 

According to Hopkinsville Fire and EMS Captain Payton Rogers, the call came in around 4:45 a.m. of a fire inside a bedroom at the nursing home. Crews arrived to find the fire inside one of the residents’ bedrooms in the 300 hall and staff were actively evacuating everyone on that hall. Firefighters immediately began helping with the evacuation.

The fire was contained to the bedroom, but the whole wing sustained damage from the sprinkler system.

A total of 16 patients were evacuated, and one adult female was transported to Jennie Stuart Medical Center for chest pains. Several staff members were evaluated for smoke inhalation, but none required transport.

No injuries were reported that were related to the fire. The cause of the blaze is believed to have begun due to an issue with the room’s wall-mounted heating and cooling unit.

Apartment Building, Residential

Georgetown, DE – Sprinkler system activated for balcony fire caused by discarded smoking materials

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A fire at the County Seat Apartments in Georgetown was caused by discarded smoking materials and contained quickly thanks to an automatic sprinkler system, according to the Delaware Office of the State Fire Marshal.

Fire crews responded to the 19000 block of Jury Way shortly after 9 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 11, and found a fire on a balcony of a multi-family residential building. The Georgetown Fire Company and several mutual aid departments responded to the scene.

All occupants were able to safely leave the building, and no major structural damage occurred. The fire was limited to the balcony area and suppressed by the sprinkler system before it could spread.

The fire marshal’s office confirmed that the fire was accidental and damage was estimated at $1,000. One firefighter was treated and released for a minor injury sustained while responding to the fire.

The incident highlights the effectiveness of sprinkler systems in reducing fire damage and injuries in multi-family housing.

Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

Tucson, AZ – Fire at university dorm extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Some University of Arizona students were displaced from their dorm following a fire on Thursday, Oct. 9.

The Tucson Fire Department confirmed crews were called to the Gila Residence Hall, located at 1009 East James E. Rogers Way, for a small fire around 7 p.m.

The TFD said the dorm’s sprinkler system put out the flames before crews arrived. There were no reported injuries, according to the TFD and the University of Arizona Police Department.

Some of the students had to find a new place to sleep on Thursday, and 13 News reached out to the university to see what is being done for those affected.

Apartment Building, Other - Retail, Residential, Retail

Yuma, AZ – Sprinkler system activated at two separate fires; No injuries reported

The Yuma Fire Department (YFD) responded to two separate calls in one week where an automatic fire sprinkler system controlled the fires, preventing further damage and injuries.

The first call happened Saturday, October 4 at around 2:20 p.m. at a business in the area of S. Florence Lane, near E. 33rd Place, according to YFD.

Upon arrival, YFD says crews saw smoke and “initiated a fire attack,” where firefighter entered the building and found a linen bin actively burning, but said a sprinkler system suppressed the fire, which extended to an additional bin.

YFD says crews contained the fire and no injuries were reported.

The second call happened early Tuesday morning, at around 4:00 a.m., at an apartment complex located in the area of W. 22nd Place and 35th Avenue.

Upon arrival, YFD says crews found a “single sprinkler head wetting down charred debris on a rear patio,” and says there wasn’t an fire nor damage inside the apartment.

In addition, no injuries were reported.

Other - Residential, Residential

Kelowna, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for balcony fire; No injuries reported

At approximately 11:55 pm Tuesday, the Kelowna Fire Department responded to a structure fire in the 1700 block of Gordon Drive. Initial arriving crews had audible alarms going off with people outside. Crews made entry to one of the units and found medium smoke conditions, the fire was contained to a single unit with the sprinkler system activated. Fire was extinguished quickly by initial arriving crew, but some water damage occurred to the single unit. The origin of the fire was on the back patio/balcony and unknown cause. There were no injuries to the resident or KFD personnel.

KFD responded with 3 Engine companies, Rescue truck, Ladder Truck and Command vehicle, for a total of 17 personnel.

Apartment Building, Residential

Meridian, ID – Sprinkler system activated for cooking fire at two-story apartment complex

A fire erupted at a two-story apartment complex in Meridian when residents left oil heating on the stove unattended while checking on their children outside. All residents evacuated safely and called 911.

A single sprinkler head activated, keeping the fire under control until fire units arrived. Meridian Fire Department reminds us to make sure sprinkler systems are working to prevent fires from spreading, saving property, and saving lives.

Residential, Residential High Rise

Los Angeles, CA – Sprinkler system keeps e-bike fire in check at downtown high-rise building

A woman was injured on Sunday when she jumped from the third floor of a downtown Los Angeles high-rise to get away from an e-bike fire, authorities said. 

Los Angeles Fire Department crews were sent to the Rosslyn Lofts, located in the 400 block of S. Main Street, shortly after 9:45 a.m. upon learning of the blaze, said a news release from department officials.

Firefighters were able to quickly control the flames, which were extinguished in about 20 minutes. They said that the building’s sprinkler system was able to keep them largely in check until they were contained by first-arriving crews.

“A 68-year-old female resident … reportedly jumped from a third-floor fire escape prior to LAFD arrival, sustaining a severe leg injury and minor facial trauma,” the release said. She was taken to a nearby hospital in fair condition and is expected to be okay, firefighters said.

No other injuries were reported.

“The cause of the fire was deemed to be electrical in nature,” the release said.

Apartment Building, Residential

Madison, WI – Sprinkler system credited with extinguishing deck fire at apartment complex

Madison firefighters are blaming a cigarette for causing a fire on an eastside apartment deck over the weekend.

A water flow alarm went off just before 6:45 p.m. Saturday at 1 Wind Stone Drive, according to Madison Fire Department.

Firefighters reported discovering a fire sprinkler going off on a four-floor deck when they arrived, as well as a fire on deck directly below.

A deck chair and siding to the building were damaged in the fire, MFD said.

Crews believe a cigarette not properly thrown away was to blame for the fire.

Firefighters credited the sprinkler for putting the fire out quickly. No one was displaced.

Apartment Building, Residential

Magnolia, TX – Kitchen fire at apartment complex extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Even before 911 was called, a single fire sprinkler stopped what could have been a dangerous apartment fire in Montgomery County Sunday evening. Magnolia Firefighters were dispatched to a water flow alarm at the Villages of Magnolia apartments on FM 2978 shortly after 8pm. After the alarm sounded, additional calls to 911 reported a smell of smoke in one of the buildings.

The first fire crews were on scene within minutes and quickly located the source of the smell, an extinguished kitchen fire. The stove had been left on unattended, igniting a fire that spread to the kitchen cabinets above. Just as the fire was about to breach the ceiling and spread throughout the building, the heat activated a nearby fire sprinkler and stopped the fire in its tracks. After making sure the fire was fully extinguished, Firefighters shut the water off to the fire sprinkler and began the clean-up process.

Fire damage was limited to the stove and the kitchen cabinets, and although the residents of that apartment will be temporarily displaced, the fire did not spread to the other units and there were no injuries reported. Had it not been for the building’s fire sprinkler system, this incident could have had a very different outcome.

THE IMPACT OF FIRE SPRINKLERS ON APARTMENT FIRE DEATHS AND INJURIES

It is estimated that about 25 percent of the U.S. population resides in apartment or multi-family buildings. Overall, apartment fire deaths and injuries have declined during the past five decades, but they have continued to be the second-leading occupancy for fire deaths and injuries (behind one- and two-family dwelling fires). Since the late 1980s or early 1990s, most new apartment buildings have installed residential fire sprinkler protection. While the number of apartment fires has remained fairly steady over the past thirty years, fire deaths and injuries have declined. Fire sprinkler systems have played a large role in the reduction of deaths and injuries in these types of buildings.

Deaths from apartment fires has been declining from an average of 840 per year in the 1980s to an average of about 375 per year (2013-2022). Injuries from apartment fires, however, continued to climb into the 1990s before gradually declining.

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