Category Archives: Apartment Building

Apartment Building, Residential

Grapevine, TX – Overnight apartment fire kept under control by automatic sprinkler system

One person was transported to a hospital after a fire at an apartment home in Grapevine early Monday morning.  The fire was contained to a downstairs unit at the Cross Creek at Grapevine apartments on Grapevine Mills Boulevard.  All units had sprinkler systems, so the fire was under control when firefighters arrived shortly after 1 a.m., officials said.  One person was transported to Baylor Scott & White Medical Center in Grapevine with minor smoke inhalation.

Apartment Building, Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential, Residential High Rise

Pittsburgh, PA – Fire chief credits sprinkler system in preventing worse situation in high rise senior apartment building fire

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The Pittsburgh fire chief credited a sprinkler system with likely preventing a worse situation for seniors evacuated by a fire Saturday at their high-rise apartment building in Hill District.

“Thankfully, this 10-story building had a working sprinkler system,” Chief Darryl Jones said in a news release.  The residents of Ebenezer Towers on Dinwiddie Street were evacuated from the 99-unit apartment building after the two-alarm blaze broke out shortly after 5 p.m. The fire was quickly contained to two units.  Two people were transported to the hospital — an 85-year-old woman who was burned on her foot and a man who needed evaluation for a pre-existing condition. The man since has been released; the woman was in stable condition.

One resident was rescued from a second-floor balcony, according to the release. During the fire, police took several elderly people and families to the Zone 2 station for shelter. The city said residents on the upper floors were allowed to return to their apartments. The 24 residents of the first two floors were displaced due to smoke and water damage.

Apartment Building, Residential

Prince George, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for apartment building fire; No injuries reported

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Prince George Fire Crews responded to a commercial fire alarm at the 3200 block of Westwood Drive just before 10 this morning. 11 firefighters from three halls responded and found a sprinkler system had activated inside the apartment building due to a fire in one of the suites. The fire was contained to the suite involved though some water damage was caused to other suites before the sprinklers were shut off. Fire and water damage is estimated at 70 thousand dollars. The cause is under investigation and no injuries were reported.

Apartment Building, Residential

Holyoke, MA – Apartment bedroom fire contained by sprinkler system allowing occupants to escape uninjured

A fire in a four-story apartment building in the flats section of the city damaged a bedroom Thursday evening.

The fire was the second that happened in the city around 5 p.m. The other fire in a single-family home at 4 Loomis Ave. displaced two residents, Fire Capt. Kevin Cavagnac said.  When firefighters arrived, they found flames in the first floor and basement.

The fire at 222 East Dwight St. originated in the bedroom of a third-floor apartment. When firefighters arrived the residents of the apartment had escaped safely, he said.

“Two sprinkler heads activated in the bedroom, containing the fire to the room or origin and allowing all occupants to escape uninjured,” Cavagnac said.  The building is fully sprinklered, he said.

Cavagnac did not say if anyone was displaced in the fire at 222 East Dwight St.

Apartment Building, Residential

Richmond, TX – (No Media Coverage) Apartment kitchen fire contained by single sprinkler; No injuries to civilians or firefighters

** Fire Department Reported – No Media Coverage ** On 11/05/2018 at approximately 1900 hours. Investigators responded to an apartment located at 1901 WATERSIDE VILLAGE Drive Richmond, TX 77407 for an oven fire in the apartment. The fire activated one sprinkler head, which contained the fire to the oven. The activated sprinkler head kept the fire from growing or spreading any further. The remaining fire was extinguished with a fire extinguisher. There were no injuries to civilians or fire service personnel. The cause of the fire is unintentional caused by unattended cooking.

Apartment Building, Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Plum, PA – Fire in senior apartment building contained by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Multiple fire departments responded to a stove top fire in a senior citizens apartment building in Plum shortly before noon on Sunday, according to authorities.  Residents of the four-story building along the 600 block of Repp Road were evacuated as smoke filled the building.  Authorities say the fire is believed to have started in an apartment on the fourth floor and was extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system, according to Tribune-Review news partner WPXI-TV.  No one was injured in the blaze, according to Allegheny County Chief Fire Marshal Matt Brown. He said the fire was accidental, and limited and contained by an automatic fire sprinkler system. The American Red Cross was summoned to the scene to provide assistance to residents who may have been displaced as a result of the fire. A web page for the building where the fire was reported lists it as the Retirement Residence of Plum, which is open to people 55 and older who meet certain income requirements.

Apartment Building, Residential

Conroe, TX – (no media coverage – fire dept reported) Apartment kitchen fire extinguished by single sprinkler

The City of Conroe Fire Department was notified of an apartment fire at 2951 N Loop  336 W (The Retreat Apartments) at approximately 4:09 p.m. on October 23, 2018.  Conroe Firefighters arrived at approximately 4:16 p.m. and discovered that there had been a cooking  fire in the kitchen of one of the apartment units which activated a single fire sprinkler head and  extinguished the fire.  There were no reported injuries to occupants or firefighters. Fire damage was confined to the stove top cooking surface. Water damage was confined to the apartment of origin. The cause of the fire was unattended cooking and was determined to be unintentional. This incident demonstrates the importance of a properly installed and maintained fire sprinkler system in residential occupancies. It is likely that the automatic fire sprinkler system saved hundreds of  thousands of dollars in damage and property loss to the building’s owners and occupants. Further, no occupants were displaced and possible injuries and deaths to citizens and firefighters were prevented.

Over 3,000 people die in non-sprinklered residential fires each year in the United States. Automatic fire sprinkler systems have over 100 years of proven performance protecting life and property.  The Conroe Fire Department would like to remind the public that unattended cooking is the leading  cause of residential fires in Conroe, and throughout the United States, each year. Being mindful while  you cook, however, can go a long way toward helping to prevent these fires:
**Keep an eye on what you fry;
**Be alert when cooking; and
**Keep things that can catch fire away from the cooking area.
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Apartment Building, Residential

Pearland, TX – (NO MEDIA COVERAGE) Single sprinkler head extinguishes apartment kitchen grease fire; No injuries reported

*** NO MEDIA COVERAGE — FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTED *** On October 28, 2018, Pearland Fire Department responded to a reported apartment fire in the 2200 block of Business Center. When units arrived to the 3-story apartment building, they found the fire alarm activated and water flowing on the fire sprinkler system. Upon further investigation, fire crews discovered that a grease fire in the kitchen of one of the apartments had been extinguished by one sprinkler head. No injuries were reported and the fire caused minimal smoke and water damage.

Apartment Building, Residential

Manchester, NH – Sprinkler system assists firefighters in extinguishing dryer fire at apartment complex

A dryer fire forced evacuation of several units at 471 Silver St. on Sunday.  The fire was reported at about 2:47 p.m. , and companies arrived to find smoke showing from a four-story mill multi-unit apartment building. The source of the fire was the first-floor laundry room.  Firefighters discovered a fire in a commercial stacked dryer, which activated the sprinkler system. Firefighters finished extinguishing the fire and removed the affected equipment from the building.  Companies remained on scene to clear smoke that had traveled throughout the first- and second-floor common areas. Cause of the fire is under investigation, but possibly caused by a clogged exhaust pipe.  Damages are estimated at about $5,000.

Apartment Building, Residential

DeKalb, IL – Apartment kitchen fire extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Two families were displaced by a kitchen fire in the Hunter Ridgebrook apartment complex last Monday at 835 Edgebrook Drive.  The DeKalb Fire Department responded to the fire, which started on the stove of a ground-floor apartment, about 9 p.m., Fire Chief Eric Hicks said.  Hicks said the fire was put out by the on-site sprinkler system by the time firefighters arrived – six minutes after the call came in.  He said the fire is not being considered malicious and is being treated as accidental.

“It was a pretty good-sized stove fire,” Hicks said, adding that it was confined to the apartment.  The Hunter Ridgebrook property manager helped the families out with a place to stay, Hicks said. He estimated the damage at $20,000.  The city’s building and code compliance division is checking with the property owner to ensure repairs are being addressed, Hicks said.  The Sycamore, Cortland, Malta, Shabbona, Maple Park, and Genoa-Kingston fire departments assisted.