Category Archives: Apartment Building

Apartment Building, Residential

St. Paul, MN – Sprinkler system extinguishes overnight apartment fire

Fire crews in St. Paul say a small fire inside an apartment early Thursday was put out by a sprinkler system in the building.

The St. Paul Fire Department was called to the apartment on the 2200 block of Hillcrest Avenue around 3:00 a.m.

When crews arrived, they found smoke in a first-floor apartment and evidence of a fire in a closet.

The fire department said the fire was already extinguished by a sprinkler system before they arrived.

As a precaution, the fire department searched the building to make sure all occupants had been able to evacuate safely and ventilated it.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, but the fire department said a working sprinkler system and smoke detectors prevented a much larger incident.

Apartment Building, Residential

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

A Saturday evening balcony fire was quickly prevented from spreading after a sprinkler activated and doused the blaze.

Just after 5 pm, the Kelowna Fire Department received a call about a fire on the balcony of an apartment building in the 1200 block of Richter Street.

Upon arrival, the crews could see an activated sprinkler on the fourth-floor balcony, with no smoke or flames visible.

Crews went to investigate and found there had been a small fire on the balcony, which was contained by a sprinkler.

There was minor damage to the contents and the exterior of the apartment. No injuries were reported and all residents were able to return to their suites.

KFD responded with three engine companies, one ladder truck, a rescue truck and a command vehicle.

Apartment Building, Residential

Roanoke, VA – Sprinkler system extinguished fire at apartment complex; No injuries reported

An unattended fire in Roanoke County on Thursday has forced several apartments to be vacated.

At 1:54 p.m. Roanoke County Fire and Rescue responded to the Ridgeview Apartments on Hawthorne Road in the North County area of Roanoke County, for a reported commercial structure fire.

Responding units arrived to find nothing showing from the outside of the multi-story apartment building. Once inside, crews found evidence of a fire on the fifth floor that had been extinguished by the sprinkler system.

Crews said fire damage was minimal but water from the sprinkler head did cause about $20,000 in damage and displaced four units.

Those displaced are either staying with family and friends, are being helped by the management at Ridgeview Apartments, or are being assisted by their renter’s insurance, according to Roanoke County Fire and Rescue.

There were no injuries and working smoke alarms and sprinkler systems both played a role in keeping residents safe.

The Roanoke County Fire Marshal’s Office reports that the cause of the fire was unattended melting wax on a stovetop.

Apartment Building, Residential

Madison, WI – Sprinkler system prevents porch fire from spreading; No injuries reported

A water sprinkler prevented a porch fire from spreading at an east side apartment complex Tuesday, Madison Fire Department reports.

According to MFD, firefighters responded around 5:45 a.m. to the 2500 block of Winnebago Street.

When firefighters arrived on scene, authorities said they saw smoke showing from a first-floor porch and people were evacuating the building.

Once the fire was out, firefighters checked to see if the fire had spread into the apartment, but it did not.

The fire damaged flowerpots, a rug and patio furniture. No one was injured.

Authorities said the exact cause of the fire is unknown. But law enforcement said based on evidence found at the scene, the fire may have been caused by improperly discarded smoking materials or by a citronella candle.

Apartment Building, Residential

Jacksonville, FL – Sprinkler system activated for fire inside 4-story apartment building; No injuries reported

St. Johns County Fire Rescue responded to a fire at the Grand Cypress apartments Sunday night.

Fire rescue said the fire happened inside a bathroom at a 4-story apartment in the 300 block of Grand Cypress Drive.

The fire was already partially extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system once fire rescue arrived on the scene. Firefighters extinguished what was left of the fire.

No victims were located and no injuries have been reported, fire rescue said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Apartment Building, Residential

San Diego, CA – Sprinkler system extinguishes arson fire at apartment building

San Diego Police are looking for a man suspected of starting a fire inside a downtown apartment building early Tuesday morning.

At around 2 a.m., SDPD officers and San Diego Fire-Rescue Department crews were dispatched to the apartment on 1453 Fourth Ave. after a woman reported a man setting things on fire in the building.

The fire inside set off alarms, which forced tenants to evacuate from the building. ABC 10News learned one man was hospitalized for smoke inhalation.

As the building’s sprinkler system put out the fire, responding firefighters helped prevent most of the water damage from the sprinklers.

Officers forced their way into the apartment where the fire started, but the suspected arsonist was not inside.

Police questioned the woman who called 911 to report the incident; her relationship to the suspected arsonist was unclear.

A description of the man was not immediately available.

Apartment Building, Residential

Lexington, KY – Sprinkler system activated for fire at apartment complex; No injuries reported

Residents in an apartment have been displaced after a fire Sunday afternoon.

The Lexington Fire Dept. was called out to the 500 block of Angliana Ave. for a fire just after 6 p.m.

Officials say they found the fire in a dryer in a first-floor apartment.

It was contained to the laundry room and put out with a watering can and apartment sprinkler system.

No one was injured, but officials say the apartment occupants will be displaced.

Fire investigators are looking into the cause of the fire.

Apartment Building, Residential

Portland, OR – Sprinkler system activated for fire at apartment complex

One person was displaced due to a two-alarm fire at an apartment complex in downtown Portland Monday night.

At about 8 p.m., Portland Fire & Rescue were called out to a fire near the intersection of Southwest 10th and Southwest Salmon. First crews on scene saw fire showing from a third story window and a second alarm was called to bring in additional resources.

While evacuating residents, a firefighter came upon a person struggling to breathe in a stairwell. PF&R says the firefighter gave their mask to the struggling resident and helped them outside. The resident was evaluated for possible smoke inhalation but denied medical need in the end.

PF&R says the apartment complex’s fire sprinkler system helped keep the fire from spreading to other units in the building. The fire was extinguished about 20 minutes after the 911 call was made.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Apartment Building, Residential

Seattle, WA – Sprinkler system activated for fire inside apartment building; No injuries reported

Crews fought a fire inside an apartment in Downtown Seattle early Tuesday, causing residents to spill out onto the street.

At 3:30 a.m., crews were called to the building in the 1400 block of Madison Street. A fire was found inside a fourth-floor unit.

When firefighters arrived, the flames were under control, thanks to the building’s sprinkler system, according to the Seattle Fire Department. Crews put out the remaining fire.

No one was hurt.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Apartment Building, Residential

Columbus, IN – Sprinkler system activated for fire at apartment complex; No injuries reported

A residential sprinkler system limited fire damage at a Columbus apartment complex on Monday night.

Columbus Fire Department investigators said that the fire was caused by an improperly discarded cigarette, said Capt. Mike Wilson, fire department spokesman.

At about 6:47 p.m., Columbus firefighters were called to the St. Barts Apartments, 745 Sycamore St., for a fire alarm activation. When the first arriving firefighters arrived on the scene, they reported water flowing from a third floor balcony.

Firefighters used a ground ladder to gain access to the balcony and found an activated sprinkler head, smoldering cardboard boxes and minor fire damage on the exterior of the apartment. Firefighters moved the charred debris to allow water from the sprinkler to extinguish hot spots located within the empty cardboard boxes. When firefighters were sure that hot embers were fully extinguished, firefighters stopped the flow of water from the sprinkler system.

Columbus Fire Department investigators spoke to the apartment’s tenant, who shared that he had been smoking on the balcony approximately 30 minutes prior to the sprinkler system activation. The apartment’s tenant told fire investigators the he was storing empty cardboard boxes on the patio from a recent move.

Fire investigators determined that the tenant had been using an empty cardboard box to discard used cigarettes. The tenant told investigators that he believed he had fully extinguished the cigarette before discarding the cigarette in one of the empty boxes. Investigators have classified the fire as accidental in nature as a result of the improper disposal of smoking materials. Damage to the property is estimated at less than $5,000. No injuries were reported.

The fire incident commander, Capt. Dave Dwyer, said that the sprinkler system operated appropriately and helped to avert a more significant fire. “ With plenty of fuel and oxygen, the fire could have easily spread to other combustible materials or potentially entered the living space, if not for the sprinkler system,” said Dwyer said. The Columbus Fire Department has responded to two fire incidents in the past week that were extinguished by automatic sprinkler systems.

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