Category Archives: Apartment Building

Apartment Building, Residential

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

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.

Apartment Building, Residential

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Apartment Building, Residential

Amarillo, TX – Sprinkler system contains dryer fire at apartment complex; No injuries reported

The Amarillo Fire Department responded to a fire at apartments on south Coulter Saturday night.

The fire, reported at 6:18 PM, originated from a dryer inside an apartment unit.

When firefighters arrived, they discovered that the apartment’s automatic sprinkler system had effectively contained the fire before it could spread further.

According to the Amarillo Fire Department (AFD), crews conducted searches of the unit, ventilated the apartment, and assisted the occupant in retrieving personal belongings.

Firefighters also replaced the activated sprinkler head, restored the system, and worked to remove standing water from the apartment.

AFD says a total of “10 suppression units and 34 personnel responded” to the incident, which lasted approximately 1 hour and 17 minutes.

Estimated damages include $20,000 in property loss and $50,000 in content loss.

Fortunately, no injuries to civilians or firefighters were reported.

Apartment Building, Residential

Aurora, CO – Sprinkler system activated for morning fire at apartment complex; No injuries reported

A Thursday morning apartment fire in southwest Aurora left two adults and two children without a home, according to the city’s fire department.

Firefighters responded to a fire alarm in the 1300 block of Florence Street at about 11:00 a.m. Thursday, according to a news release from Aurora Fire Rescue.

Several people called 911 to report smoke coming from inside the three-story apartment building, fire officials said.

As firefighters searched the building, they rescued a dog hiding in one of the rooms and returned the uninjured animal to its owner, according to the agency.

The fire sparked in the kitchen of an apartment and was mostly extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system, Aurora fire officials said. Crews got the remaining flames under control in about 10 minutes.

The flames did not spread into the neighboring units, according to Aurora Fire Rescue.

No one was injured, but two adults, two children and a dog were displaced by the fire, agency officials said. The cause remains under investigation.

Apartment Building, Residential

Hillsboro, OR – Sprinkler system activated for cooking fire at apartment building; No injuries reported

A cooking fire sent smoke seeping through a Hillsboro apartment building and displaced four residents from two units Monday, Sept. 15, according to local fire officials.

At 1:51 p.m., multiple people called 911 after spotting smoke coming from a second-story unit in the 2000 block of Northeast John Olsen Avenue. Smoke alarms inside the unit and throughout the building rang out as residents funneled into the parking lot.

Hillsboro Fire & Rescue personnel said they received reports that the building’s fire sprinkler system had activated, prompting them to upgrade the incident to a first-alarm response to bring in additional resources.

When crews arrived, they discovered an extinguished blaze in a kitchen but heavy smoke filling the apartment and shared hallway. The sprinklers had also triggered water damage, flooding the unit directly below.

Firefighters searched all three floors of the building to ensure everyone was evacuated before working to clear smoke and remove excess water.

A Hillsboro fire investigator responded to the scene and determined the fire was unintentionally started while cooking.

No injuries were reported, though two residents were evaluated at the scene.

Two adults were displaced from the unit where the fire began, and two others were impacted from the apartment below due to water damage. A dog was also temporarily displaced.

Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue, AMR Ambulance, Hillsboro’s public works department and the Hillsboro Public Safety Chaplains assisted at the scene.

Apartment Building, Residential

Kansas City, MO – Sprinkler system activated for overnight fire at apartment complex

One woman was taken to the hospital for moderate smoke inhalation after an overnight fire, according to the Overland Park Fire Department.

Firefighters were called just after 1 a.m. Tuesday to the Corbin Greens Apartments at 140th and Russell Street.

Crews said a kitchen fire on the second floor of the three-story apartment building had been held in check by a working sprinkler system.

The blaze was quickly extinguished in about 10 minutes.

Firefighters carried an adult female from the second-floor landing.

She was taken to the hospital with moderate smoke inhalation as a precaution.

The fire was contained to one apartment, and residents were allowed to reoccupy the remaining units.

While the fire is believed to have been a cooking fire, the exact cause is under investigation.