Category Archives: Apartment Building

Apartment Building, Residential

Sechelt, BC, Canada – Fire sprinkler averts major downtown blaze

The Sechelt fire department is praising the use of fire sprinklers, which averted a major fire in downtown Sechelt last Thursday afternoon. Fire Chief Bill Higgs said the fire occurred just after lunch on Feb. 19 at a residential apartment building when a pot of grease was left on a stove unattended.

 “Upon arrival it was observed that a fire had occurred in the kitchen of a second-floor suite,” Higgs said. “The heat from the blaze had activated just one sprinkler head, which extinguished the fire. The fire department was automatically called by the monitored sprinkler/fire alarm system and the residents were alerted to the fire by the alarm bells. We were on scene within five minutes and quickly learned that we were only needed to ventilate the building and begin cleanup.”

Higgs said the fire had the potential for catastrophic life and property losses. “Thankfully, this fire occurred in a building protected by fire sprinklers and therefore had been completely extinguished by the automatic system that had been installed throughout the building,” he said.

In less than an hour, the 17 volunteer firefighters and four fire trucks had returned to the fire hall. No civilian or firefighter injuries occurred. “Only one tenant was displaced from the building for a couple of days, and everyone else reoccupied their suites that day,” Higgs said. “The total dollar loss to the $3-million structure was less than $5,000. Had this fire occurred in a similar unsprinklered building, at least three other fire departments from the Sunshine Coast would have been called to assist with the suppression effort, lasting at least half a day, with the follow-up investigation, demolition and rebuilding lasting months.”

The Sechelt fire department recommends the installation of fire sprinklers to all building owners ranging from single-family homes right up to multi-family or commercial buildings, new and old. “At less than $1.50 a square foot in new construction, why not?” Higgs asked. “Come and see us to learn what we have witnessed about the community cost saving benefits of automatic fire sprinklers in our town of just 12,000 people. We encourage others to learn from our experiences and to support our efforts in the promotion and continued use of commercial and residential fire sprinkler systems.”

Apartment Building, Residential

Bismarck, ND – Firefighters credit sprinklers for knocking down fire in 24-unit apartment building

The Bismarck Fire Department responded to the fire alarm at 5:12 am at 3945 N 19th Street.  When firefighters arrived, smoke was spreading throughout the building and coming from heat registers.
The cause of the fire was an electrical junction box in the mechanical room.  The short caused insulation to catch on fire. Firefighters say a sprinkler in the room activated, knocking the fire down. Occupants of the building were evacuated, and there were no injuries. There was no damage outside the mechanical room. The estimated fire loss was limited to approximately $5,000.

Apartment Building, Residential

Wilmington, DE – High-rise apartment fire controlled with help from sprinkler system; No injuries

Residents safely evacuated their high-rise apartments last Thursday night after a fire on the ninth floor of Compton Tower Apartments in Wilmington, officials said.  Approximately 35 fire and EMS personnel responded to the fire at 325 East 5th St., which was reported about 7 p.m.

After assessing the damage, residents were allowed back into the building, where they were held on the first floor while firefighters continued to take the fire under control.

Apartment Building, Residential

Des Moines, IA – Early morning apartment fire contained to one room by sprinkler system

Fire officials said a fire broke out in a bedroom at an apartment complex at 3500 East Douglas Avenue at around 6:30 a.m.  Officials said the fire was contained to the bedroom by the sprinkler system. Fire crews arrived and were able to put out the fire.

Crews told KCCI 8 News that two people were being treated at the scene, but no one was injured in the blaze. Fire crews estimated damage to the apartment at $10,000. Investigators are not yet sure of an exact cause.

Apartment Building, Residential

Lansing, MI – Fire extinguished by sprinkler system at new apartment building

A tenant moving in to a new apartment building near downtown Lansing accidentally started a small fire that left 11 units uninhabitable due to water damage, Lansing firefighters said.

The fire at Marketplace, on Cedar Street near the Lansing City Market, started in a fifth-floor unit between 5 and 5:30 p.m. Friday, said Steve Mazurek, a public information officer for the city’s fire department.

The building’s sprinkler system extinguished the fire, which started on a stovetop that was turned on by accident and sparked a box or other material that had been placed there, Mazurek said. The fire was contained to a single unit, whose tenant had moved in the same day, he said.

Firefighters were called because water from the sprinkler system caused damage to surrounding and lower units, Mazurek said. No one was injured. Eleven of 79 units can’t be occupied until they’re repaired.

The $8.5 million Marketplace building opened last fall. It is owned by Lansing developer Pat Gillespie. Gillespie could not immediately be reached by phone.

His company, Gillespie Group, posted a message on its Facebook page this morning, saying a restoration company will be on site throughout the weekend to repair damaged units. Office staff are available to answer residents’ questions, the company said.

Apartment Building, Residential

Fort Myers, FL – Sprinklers help contain apartment fire; No injuries reported

Firefighters were dispatched to the area of Bay and Dean Streets around 1 p.m. for a report of a fire on the third floor of the Dean building.  Firefighters rescued a small dog but the fire itself was contained to the apartment’s kitchen.

Sprinklers activated to help control the fire.  “It’s not fun. But the biggest thing out of the fire is that nobody was hurt,” said Perry Hauser the City Tavern General Manager. Everybody knows, it’s out of everybody’s hands.”

Apartment Building, Residential

Brunswick, NY – Overnight apartment fire contained to one unit by sprinkler system

The fire started around 2 a.m. Monday morning at the enclave at Duncan Meadows Apartments. The fire chief tells NEWS10ABC the buildings sprinkler system contained the fire to one unit. Officials say no one was hurt and residents were allowed to return after crews finished their investigations.  Some residents to wait in their cars while the building was evacuated.

Apartment Building, Residential

Payson, AZ – Kitchen fire at apartment complex smothered by sprinkler system

A sprinkler system saved a kitchen and likely an entire apartment complex from extensive damages last Thursday night after a pot of oil boiled over, officials say. The resident was heating up the oil to cook some chicken in an upstairs apartment at Northview Apartments, 213 W. Bonita St., around 7 p.m. when he stepped outside.

Within minutes, a grease fire erupted. Flames licked up the backsplash and to the overhead cabinets. Heat triggered a sprinkler in the center of the kitchen ceiling, smothering the flames.

Fire Capt. Rick Winton said when firefighters arrived, the fire was out, but the sprinklers were still going. Crews turned the system off. They then entered the unit below Jones’, grabbed everything on the ground, piled it on the beds and covered it with tarps. Water did seep into the lower unit via the ceiling and walls, but was contained to the kitchen, Winton said.

“The sprinklers definitely served their purpose,” he said. “Everyone was able to get out of the building safely.”  If the building had not had sprinklers, firefighters would have battled a roaring grease fire, he said.

Apartment Building, Residential

Westford, MA – Sprinkler system does its job in afternoon apartment fire

Fire officials are investigating whether an icicle that fell from a condominium rooftop punctured and ignited a gas meter, sparking a three-alarm fire at the complex Wednesday.

Four local families were displaced by the midday blaze, which scorched parts of the exterior walls of their condominium building on Bandon Circle. There were no reports of injuries.

What kept the fire from causing further damage was the sprinkler system that activated inside the condos, according to Westford fire Lt. Donald Parsons.

Apartment Building, Residential

Dale City, VA – Sprinklers extinguish cooking fire at multi-family complex

On Monday evening, the Prince William Department of Fire & Rescue responded to the call at a multi-family complex building in Dale City.

Emergency personnel observed smoke, and called for a full structure fire response. 

The sprinkler system in the unit where the fire originated put out the fire on the stove and there was minor fire damage in the unit.