Category Archives: Apartment Building

Apartment Building, Residential

Steubenville, OH – Apartment fire contained by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

A fire at the Heritage Village apartments at 3010 Johnson Road was contained by a sprinkler, allowing city firefighters to quickly extinguish the flames on Wednesday afternoon. The fire department was called around 4:22 p.m. on Wednesday and found the tenant was able to safely make it out of the apartment. Firefighters reported there was heavy smoke on the second floor of the building. The occupant of the apartment was checked by an ambulance crew and released, the fire department reported.

Apartment Building, Residential

Washington, TX – Boiler room fire in apartment building held in check by sprinkler system

A small fire was quickly extinguished Sunday in an apartment building. The fire started in the boiler room of the five-family apartment on Calhoun Street just before 10 a.m. Sunday, Fire Marshal Tom Osborne said. The room’s sprinkler system kept the fire contained until the Washington Volunteer Fire Department and Northville Volunteer Fire Department arrived. No one displaced, and the room suffered little damage. “There was some (damage), but not much,” Osborne said. “The fire department got their quick and the sprinkler did a good job of holding it.” Fire departments left the building by 12:15 p.m.

Apartment Building, Residential

Henderson, NV – Firefighters successfully resuscitate cat after sprinkler system controls overnight apartment fire

An unattended candle sparked an apartment fire Saturday morning in Henderson, sending one person to the hospital and requiring crews to resuscitate a cat, according to a fire official.  Crews had to respond to a report of a water flow alarm at Elysian at the District, near Green Valley Ranch Parkway and the 215, at about 3:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 15, the Henderson Fire Department said in a statement.  Firefighters arrived and found someone outside suffering from smoke inhalation, and they determined there was a fire in a third-floor unit.  The building’s fire sprinkler system kept the fire under control until firefighters could extinguish it, according to Henderson Fire. They also found a cat that was unresponsive, and they were able to resuscitate it.  Fivve people and five pets were displaced. One person was taken to UMC to be treated for smoke inhalation.

Apartment Building, Residential

Conroe, TX – Conroe FD reports two apartment sprinkler saves in three days

On December 13, 2018, at approximately 9:34 p.m., the Conroe Fire Department was notified of an apartment fire at 1840 Longmire Rd (The Landings of Conroe Apartments). Conroe Firefighters arrived at approximately 9:43 p.m. to find a kitchen fire that had been extinguished by the automatic fire sprinkler system. There were no injuries to occupants or firefighters during this incident.

On December 15, 2018, at approximately 3:22 p.m., the Conroe Fire Department was notified of an apartment fire at 1900 Westview Blvd. ( The Lakes at Westview Apartments). Conroe Firefighters arrived at approximately 3:29 p.m. to find a kitchen fire that had been extinguished by the automatic fire sprinkler system. One occupant was transported to Conroe Regional Medical Center ER due to a fall that occurred after the fire.

These incidents demonstrate the importance of properly installed and maintained automatic fire sprinkler systems in residential occupancies. It is likely that the automatic fire sprinkler systems saved hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage and property loss to the owners and occupants of both buildings. Further, no adjacent occupants were displaced and possible injuries and deaths to citizens and firefighters were prevented.
The cause of both of these fires has been determined to be unattended cooking. Unattended cooking represents the leading cause of residential fires in Conroe, and throughout the United States, each year. The Conroe Fire Department would like to remind the public to:

**Keep an eye on what you fry;
**Be alert when cooking; and
**Keep things that can catch fire away from the cooking area.

Over 3,000 people die in non-sprinkled residential fires each year in the United States. Automatic fire sprinkler systems have over 100 years of proven performance protecting life and property. These incidents represent the third and fourth time, respectively, that an apartment fire has been extinguished in the area of origin with the assistance of an automatic fire sprinkler system within the City of Conroe during 2018.

Apartment Building, Residential

Grand Forks, ND – Sprinkler system saves apartment building following cooking fire

An apartment sprinkler system saved a building in Grand Forks after a cooking fire got out of control Friday night. Firefighters say overheated cooking oil was to blame for the fire. Emergency personnel quickly shut off the water to minimize damage. One person was treated for minor injuries.

The full press release can be seen below:  Grand Forks, ND – A fire sprinkler system saved a building at 8 1/2 S. 3rd Street from extensive damage due to overheated cooking oil that caught fire, activating the sprinkler system.

At approximately 8:50pm December 14th, 17 firefighters responded to a fire alarm activation with the report of water flowing in the building. Firefighters arrived on scene to find a sprinkler head had activated over a cooking fire in an apartment unit on the second floor. Firefighters quickly controlled the flow of water and tried to minimize water damage to the apartment and other tenants located in the building.

The apartment occupant sustained some minor injuries related to the cooking fire. There were no reported injuries to firefighters.  Grand Forks Police Department and Altru Ambulance were also on scene assisting.

Apartment Building, Residential

San Angelo, TX – Four residents and a pet escape unharmed after sprinkler system helps snuff out apartment fire

Four residents of an apartment at Angelo Place Apartments escaped injury Wednesday during a noontime kitchen fire that damaged the apartment. San Angelo Fire Marshal’s Office Fire Inspector Brent Donoho said the fire started at the kitchen stove while the residents were cooking. The four residents and a pet managed to escape the apartment unscathed. Firefighters saw flames in the kitchen and the fire sprinkler system in the building put out the fire. Angelo Place is located at 1426 Western Ct. just off of Knickerbocker Rd. in San Angelo

Apartment Building, Residential

Apple Valley, MN – Sprinkler system assists firefighters in extinguishing apartment fire

A woman was transported to a hospital after a Dec. 9 fire broke out at her apartment in Apple Valley. The Apple Valley Fire Department was dispatched to a report of a fire in an apartment at 6583 158th St. W. at 10:10 a.m. Dec. 9. Someone was reportedly in the apartment and couldn’t get out, said Acting Fire Chief Chuck Russell.

When firefighters arrived, the fire was contained within one apartment unit on the third floor. Apple Valley police officers and Allina paramedics were already on the third floor trying to gain access to the door which was locked. They were able to enter the apartment but were unable to reach the woman inside because of heavy smoke conditions. One officer and one paramedic took themselves to the hospital as a precautionary measure, Russell said. Russell said firefighters were able to get the woman out of the apartment. There were flames in the living room, which were extinguished by the firefighters and the apartment building’s sprinkler system that had been activated.

The woman was transported to the hospital for smoke inhalation and light burns, Russell said. The fire department was on the scene for about two and a half hours and was assisted at the scene by the Lakeville Fire Department. Russell said the cause of the fire is still under investigation, but the department believes it started in the living room. That unit was had fire damage and the unit below had water damage, so the occupants had to evacuate.

He noted that the damage to the overall building would have been more extensive without the sprinkler system. “The sprinkler systems really do a nice job of controlling that fire for us,” he said.

Apartment Building, Residential

Norwich, CT – Sprinkler system activated for garbage fire at apartment complex; No injuries reported

Two apartments and a common area in a downtown Norwich apartment complex sustained smoke and water damage following a fire in its garbage area early Monday morning, officials said in a press release.

At 2:14 a.m., Norwich Fire Department said crews responded to the Thayer Building, 16 Franklin Street, for a fire alarm activation and water flow alarm.

Firefighters said while on their way, dispatch notified responders that residents reported smoke in the building.

On scene, officials said crews found a rubbish fire in a room used to store garbage containers and waste, according to a press release.

A single sprinkler head had activated in the area of the fire, officials said, which slowed down the fire’s growth.

Crews extinguished the fire with a hose and the sprinkler system was shut down to minimize water damage, the release said.

According to firefighters, the fire was contained to the garbage room, but the building sustained some water and smoke damage to a common area on the second floor and two apartments on the first floor.

No civilians or firefighters were injured, officials said, and the Norwich Fire Marshals’ Office is investigating the cause.

Apartment Building, Residential

Silver Spring, MD – Apartment fire caused by smoking in bed is extinguished by sprinkler system

When a Montgomery County man went to check on his wife last week, she was in the bedroom, on a bed, and the bed was on fire, according to a report from the county fire department.  A smoke alarm and a sprinkler were credited by the department with averting possible tragedy.  The man had been in another room when he heard the alarm, the fire department said. According to the department, he went to the bedroom, and found the fire “on the mattress by the pillows with his wife still on the bed.”

The incident occurred around 6:45 p.m. Wednesday at a senior independent living facility on Old Columbia Pike, the fire department said. The building was identified by the department as Arbor Crest, in the Fairland/Calverton area, in the 12800 block of the pike.  In a statement issued Sunday, the fire department said the woman had been smoking cigarettes, and “at some point fell asleep.”

Once in the bedroom, her husband was able to rouse her, the statement said. Then, it said, he tried to put out the fire. After making numerous attempt to put it out, the statement said, the couple left the apartment. No one was injured, and damage was estimated at $30,000, the department said in its statement.

When fire fighters arrived, the department said, the fire “was mostly out.” In the meantime, some residents had been evacuated and others sheltered in place, the department said.  Neither the man nor the woman was identified. Their ages were not given. A cat was rescued from their apartment, the fire department said.

Apartment Building, Residential

St. Louis, MO – Seventh floor apartment fire contained by sprinkler system; No injuries

A north St. Louis apartment seventh floor was heavily damaged by fire overnight.  Firefighters were called to the Roosevelt Town Apartments on North Euclid just before 12:30 Thursday.  Thanks to the sprinkler system the fire was contained to one unit and mostly extinguished when crews arrived.  Everyone living in the apartment made it out safely.