Category Archives: Apartment Building

Apartment Building, Residential

Calgary, AB, Canada – Apartment fire extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Just under two dozen residents of an apartment building in Bridgeland were forced out of their homes last Saturday afternoon after a fire broke out. Crews were called to the complex, in the 400 block of 2 Avenue N.E. at about 1:25 p.m. Upon arrival, firefighters discovered smoke on the second floor and soon traced it to a small fire inside one of the units but found it had already been extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system. Crews ordered 23 residents of the building out of their homes so they could be assessed by EMS. There is no information on any injuries as a result of the fire. A fire investigator has been called to determine the cause.

Apartment Building, Residential

Mission, CA – Sprinkler system holds apartment fire in check; No injuries reported

Mission Fire Rescue Services responded to an alarm at a downtown apartment building on Tuesday (April 9) afternoon. The fire started just after 4 p.m. in a fourth floor apartment at Mission Manor, located at 33165 Second Ave. The first crew to arrive on scene discovered smoke coming from the suite. “At that time we activated a full alarm assignment for all three stations,” explained Mission fire chief Dale Unrau. Originally, the fire was believed to be inside the walls of the apartment, but the real cause was soon discovered. “There was an unattended pot on the stove that caught into the kitchen cupboards,” said Unrau. The fire was contained to the inside of the cabinet as the sprinkler system held it in check. Unrau said firefighters had to extinguish few hot spots embedded in the cabinetry, but after that the situation was under control.

Apartment Building, Residential

Port Angeles, WA – Sprinkler system activated for arson fire in apartment building

A Port Angeles woman who allegedly set fire to the Serenity House of Clallam County apartment she lived in has been charged with first-degree arson.

A Port Angeles woman who allegedly set fire to the Serenity House of Clallam County apartment she lived in has been charged with first-degree arson.

Port Angeles police said Kovacevic used a lighter to set fire to a mattress in her living room last Friday morning.

A Port Angeles woman who allegedly set fire to the Serenity House of Clallam County apartment she lived in has been charged with first-degree arson.

Witnesses told police that Kovacevic had been acting erratically in the week leading up to the fire, according to the affidavit for probable cause.

Police said that Kovacevic suffered a traumatic brain injury in the past and that her symptoms had escalated since she stopped taking her medication, court papers said.

The Port Angeles Fire Department arrived at the fire at 9:10 a.m. and declared it under control at 9:28 a.m. Friday. An automatic sprinkler system in the building had activated.

Kovacevic was found in a family member’s home at about noon Friday, police said.

Kovacevic allegedly admitted to starting the fire, officer Erik Smith wrote in his arrest report.

“She confirmed she did this in the living room that morning with a black lighter,” Smith wrote.

“Before leaving the area, she saw someone checking on her apartment. She remarked that when she looked at (her unit), the smoke was grey and what she observed was ‘like a cute postcard, almost.”

Kovacevic remained in the Clallam County jail on $50,000 bond Thursday.

Clallam County Prosecuting Attorney Mark Nichols had requested a $250,000 bail for Kovacevic at her initial court appearance Monday based on community safety concerns.

A review hearing is set for April 12.

Apartment Building, Residential

Westbrook, ME – Sprinkler system keeps apartment fire from spreading

Crews are still investigating to find a cause of a fire in Westbrook. It happened on Bridge Street last Tuesday afternoon. Bridge Street is back open, and a few officials are on scene working with residents that are now displaced from the fire. Westbrook Fire Chief Andy Turcotte says they received the call of a fire outside of an apartment building. Chief Turcotte says it started on the second floor, making its way to the third-floor deck, and then extending to inside of the structure. Fortunately, all occupants made it out safely, and firefighters were able to knock it down fairly quickly.

Chief Turcotte says that’s all thanks to the sprinkler system inside the building that was able to get ahead of the fire before it spread any further. Fortunately, the weather was in our favor,” Turcotte said. “It’s not -32, where we had issues with water freezing. And it was perfect day our staffing as perfect we had good neighboring response. And again, this was an example of how sprinklers worked in our favor.”

While there are no injuries, the chief says all residents in the building will be displaced for at least Tuesday night because of the water damage that made its way to the first floor. They’re working with Red Cross right now to make sure everyone has a place to stay. There is no word yet on the cause we’ll have more details as we receive them.

Apartment Building, Residential

Kalamazoo, MI – Apartment fire prevented from spreading by automatic sprinkler system; No injuries reported

The Kalamazoo Fire Marshall is investigating the cause of an apartment blaze on the city’s Northside. Public Safety officers responded to the fire at the Douglas Apartments in the 1200 block of Douglas Avenue around 8:00 a.m. Tuesday and found heavy smoke coming from the second floor. Firefighters contained the blaze to just one apartment unit, but there was minor water damage to surrounding units. No one was located inside the specific unit and they’re unsure what sparked the fire. The Red Cross is helping two residents who were displaced due to the blaze. Nobody was reported injured and firefighters say the operational sprinkler system prevented the fire from spreading throughout the building.

Apartment Building, Residential

Sugar Land, TX – (no media coverage) Apartment kitchen fire extinguished by sprinkler system

** No Media Coverage – Fire Department Reported ** On 04/02/2019 at approximately 1854 hours, investigators from Fort Bend County Fire Marshal’s Office were dispatched to the scene of an apartment fire that was located in the 14000 FM 1464 Sugar Land, TX 77498. Northeast Fire Department was on location of the fire. They reported that the fire was a cooking grease fire which activated the kitchen sprinkler head nearest to the stove, resulting to extinguishment of the fire prior to fire crews arrival. There was very minor damage to the interior of the apartment. No other living units were affected.

Apartment Building, Residential

Florence, SC – Sprinkler system kept stove fire in check until fire crews arrived

One Florence apartment suffered slight fire and some water damage while 23 others in the same building escaped damage Sunday afternoon.

Howe Springs firefighters responded shortly after 1:30 p.m. to Charles Pointe Apartments to a reported kitchen fire.

A resident cooking lunch either left it unattended or it boiled over onto the stove and it caught fire, said Howe Springs Fire Chief William Dillon.

The building’s sprinkler system kept the fire in check until firefighters arrived and extinguished it, Dillon said. The building’s fire alarm system alerted every other resident in the building to evacuate.

Dillon said firefighters remained on scene to isolate the sprinkler flow to the apartment, salvage threatened content and then help remove water from the first-floor apartment before other apartments could be damaged.

Dillon said the resident will be out of their apartment for several days while repairs are made.

No injuries were reported as a result of the blaze.

Howe Springs responded three engines, a ladder truck and 20 firefighters.

Apartment Building, Residential

Gainesville, GA – Sprinkler system activated for stovetop fire at apartment complex; No injuries reported

A pan of grease on a stovetop was determined to be the culprit for a fire report at Lenox Park Apartments Friday, March 29.

Gainesville Fire spokesman Keith Smith said the department took the report around noon at the apartment complex off of Athens Highway.

The fire activated the sprinkler systems.

“There was minor damage to the stovetop and water damage to the fire apartment and the apartment below. Maintenance personnel were in the process of removing the water from both apartments,” Smith wrote in a news release.

No injuries were reported.