Category Archives: Apartment Building

Apartment Building

Sprinklers Limit Fire Damages At Ashburn Residential Complex

ASHBURN, VA — Sprinklers helped contain a fire at a multifamily residential building in Ashburn Saturday, according to Loudoun County Fire and Rescue.

Units responded to a fire alarm around 7:20 a.m. Saturday to the 20000 block of Lazy River Terrace. Multiple 911 calls alerted emergency personnel to smoke coming from the first floor and alarms throughout the building. The incident was upgraded to a structure fire response, bringing in units from Lansdowne, Ashburn, Leesburg, Kincora, and Sterling. Crews found a small fire that had been extinguished by the sprinkler system in the garage space on the first floor. There was no extension of the fire beyond the garage space.

No residents or firefighters were injured.

The fire marshal’s office said the cause of the fire was combustible materials stored against a golf cart’s battery charger. The battery unit did not have adequate airflow to cool, leading to combustible materials catching fire. Damages were estimated to be $7,000.

Loudoun County Fire and Rescue said the fire caused potential for significant property damage and loss of life without the sprinkler system. The building had working fire alarms and automatic sprinkler systems. The fire department has been advocating for requiring automatic fire sprinklers in more residential homes. A National Fire Protection Association report notes that home fire fatalities 2017 to 2021 were 89 percent lower with fire sprinklers, and firefighter injuries were 48 percent lower with home sprinklers.

Apartment Building, Residential

Everett, WA – Sprinkler system controls overnight apartment fire; No injuries reported

According to the Everett Fire Department, an early morning fire Thursday at the Station Place Apartments in Everett displaced seven residents but was quickly extinguished due to an effective sprinkler system.

The fire department responded to an automatic fire alarm at 3315 Broadway at 12:35 a.m.

After residents reported seeing smoke and flames from a third-story apartment, the call was upgraded to a commercial fire response.

Firefighters arriving on the scene found residents evacuating and a small kitchen fire in a third-floor unit.

The building’s sprinkler system was controlling the fire.

Crews stretched a hose line to the third floor while others assisted with the water supply and conducted searches of adjoining apartments and the building.

While no injuries were reported, the apartment where the fire originated sustained some fire and water damage.

At least two units on the second floor and a business space on the main floor also experienced water damage.

The fire was extinguished within 20 minutes of the first crew’s arrival due to the prompt action of firefighters and the sprinkler system, officials said.

Firefighters then spent several hours working on salvage and cleanup.

The Red Cross was contacted to assist the seven displaced residents.

The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.

Apartment Building, Residential

Yorkville, IL – Sprinkler system extinguishes dryer fire at apartment complex; No injuries reported

The Bristol Kendall Fire Protection District responded late Monday night to a dryer fire at an apartment complex in Yorkville.

No one was hurt, and the fire was extinguished by a sprinkler system before crews arrived. The incident occurred around 11:40 p.m.

All residents were able to evacuate safely.

Firefighters removed the dryer, checked for any additional fires, ventilated the building, and assisted an adjacent unit with water intrusion.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, but it was contained to the single dryer. Fire crews were on the scene for about two hours.

Apartment Building, Residential

Honolulu, HI – Sprinkler system activated for early morning structure fire; No injuries reported

Honolulu Fire Department (HFD) crews responded to a structure fire early Monday morning at 60 North Nimitz Highway after a 911 call came in at 1:36 a.m.

Six fire units and about 26 personnel were on the scene, with the first crew arriving at 1:43 a.m.

When firefighters entered the apartment, they found that a sprinkler had already activated, keeping the fire contained to the kitchen.

Crews used a water extinguisher to fully put out the flames by 1:53 a.m.

After shutting off the sprinkler, they searched the apartment to make sure no one was inside.

The HFD’s Fire Investigator was called in to investigate.

Fire damage estimates have not been made.

HFD concluded operations with no reports of injuries.

Apartment Building, Residential

Gainesville, FL – Sprinkler system activated for 8th floor apartment fire; No injuries reported

Firefighters put out apartment fire in Gainesville early Monday morning.

According to Gainesville Fire Rescue, firefighters responded to an apartment fire on the 8th floor at 931 West University Avenue. The sprinkler system was able to extinguish the fire quickly.

There were no injuries reported but several apartments suffered water damage.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, but the origin of the fire believed to be a vacuum cleaner in the laundry room.

Apartment Building, Residential

Kaukauna, WI – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire on second-floor balcony

A sprinkler system is credited with successfully extinguishing a small fire Saturday at Lamplighter Apartments in Kaukauna.

According to a news release, the Kaukauna Fire Department responded to an alarm and water flow activation at the two-story complex around 3:30 p.m.

When they arrived, firefighters saw residents evacuating the building, but no visible signs of smoke or flames.

A search, with the assistance of residents, located what had been a small fire on a second-floor balcony.

The fire had been completely extinguished by a single sprinkler head before firefighters arrived.

Fire damage was limited to the exterior of the building.

The sprinkler system prevented the fire from spreading into the attic, significantly minimizing property damage and potentially saving lives, according to firefighters.

The Kaukauna Fire Department also reminded residents to properly dispose of smoking materials in fireproof receptacles.

Apartment Building, Residential

North Bethesda, MD – Sprinkler system activated for fire on fifth floor apartment unit; No injuries reported

Several families are likely to be displaced after a Tuesday morning fire at Arrowwood Apartments in North Bethesda, according to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) spokesperson Pete Piringer.

According to radio transmissions, a report of a fire on the fifth floor of an apartment building at 5410 McGrath Blvd. came in at roughly 10:02 a.m. The fire activated sprinklers and fire alarms and residents of the building were evacuated.

Responding MCFRS crews reported there was light smoke throughout the fifth floor at roughly 10:15 a.m. but the fire had been extinguished by sprinklers. According to transmissions, a small pile of combustibles caught fire.

According to Piringer, the fire was controlled and extinguished by the sprinkler system by roughly 10:40 a.m.

Piringer said there were no injuries, but there was some water damage in the building.

Apartment Building, Residential

Hartford, CT – Sprinkler system contains fire at fifth floor apartment unit; No injuries reported

The Hartford Fire Department received reports of smoke in an apartment building in the Clay Arsenal neighborhood Saturday morning.  

Officials say the multiunit apartment’s fifth floor sprinkler system contained the fire before crews arrived at the scene, located at 1630 Main Street.

Crews said the fire was contained to one apartment and they made sure the fire was promptly extinguished.

The fire displaced two families who were given temporary shelter by a CT Transit bus. The American Red Cross is working to assist the displaced families.

Officials say no one was injured and the incident is under investigation.

Apartment Building, Residential

San Francisco, CA – Sprinkler system activated for battery fire at apartment building; No injuries reported

Firefighters responded to a fire in San Francisco caused by a battery that was charging Sunday, fire officials said.

The battery caught fire while charging in a unit in an apartment building on Minna near Sixth Street around 3:15 p.m., according to the fire department.

A fire sprinkler slowed the progress of the fire and firefighters rescued two dogs from the unit.

No injuries were reported, according to the fire department.

Apartment Building, Residential

Dalton, GA – Sprinkler system activated for fire at apartment complex

A Tuesday afternoon fire at the Crown Mill Lofts apartments could have been much worse but it was stopped by the building’s sprinkler system.

The fire started in an electrical outlet when a resident was not home. Thanks to the sprinkler system, the damage was limited to some scorched drywall, a burned dresser and water damage. There were no injuries.

“It’s a textbook example of why sprinkler systems are important,” said Dalton Fire Marshal Donnie Blankenship. He’s using the incident as a reminder of the importance of making sure sprinkler systems are in good working order. “Those are concrete floors (in the apartment) but if I’m not mistaken there’s a lot of heavy timber in there … they may have put concrete over the timber … but you had the potential of another Thread Mill-style fire with that building. Other than some water damage to some apartments below it, there was minimal damage.”

“There was a dog and two cats in the apartment,” Blankenship added. “And all those survived.”

Blankenship is in charge of the Dalton Fire Department’s Prevention Division. The firefighters in that division are tasked with inspecting the fire prevention systems in new buildings and making sure they are up to code as well as inspecting the fire safety systems in existing businesses and apartment buildings on an annual basis.

“We go out to these buildings and make sure they’re maintained annually and that way, when (a fire) does happen, the sprinklers and alarms work properly,” Blankenship said. “We don’t see many (systems) that are totally inoperable, but we see the majority of them have some type of issue that we usually address with (the owners) to get them to fix it.”

The fire department also receives reports from sprinkler and fire alarm contractors who do any work in the city, and the department reviews those reports to make sure the systems are working properly. If any deficiencies are noted, the department contacts the companies to make sure they’re fixed.

Blankenship said if any building managers or property owners are concerned about the condition of their sprinkler systems or other fire safety equipment, they can contact the Dalton Fire Department to request an evaluation.

“We’ll come out and inspect it, and their sprinkler contractors usually are set up to come out at a certain time, usually once a year, to inspect them, too,” Blankenship said.

Simple Share Buttons