Category Archives: Apartment Building

Apartment Building, Residential

Bryan, TX – Sprinkler system activates in early morning apartment fire; No injuries reported

Downtown Bryan residents are back in their homes after the sprinkler system was set off early <last> Tuesday morning.  Just before 5 a.m. Bryan firefighters were called to the 200 Block of S Main Street for reports of a fire on the second story of the apartment building. Firefighters responded to the building which houses the Bistro on Main and Ed’s Bookstore.  All residents of the three story building were evacuated for a short time but were eventually allowed to return. According to BFD, no one was hurt, but there is some smoke and water damage to the building. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Residents told KBTX they believe someone may have left their stove on.

Apartment Building, Residential

Vallejo, CA – No injuries in middle-of-night apartment fire contained by sprinkler system

More than 40 people were displaced after a major fire broke out early Saturday at a four-story apartment building in downtown Vallejo, officials said.  The blaze struck about 12:30 a.m. at a building on the 500 block of Georgia Street called Kimberly Apartments, according to the Vallejo Fire Department. There were no injuries.

The fire was quickly contained to one of the units in the building, officials said.  The building’s sprinkler system activated in the fire, the Fire Department said.  Crews remained on scene throughout the morning to douse any hot spots.

Pacific Gas and Electric Co. shut down the gas and electrical power to the building. The structure is red-tagged — meaning tenants may not return to their units — until repairs are completed, the Fire Department said.  The Red Cross provided temporary housing vouchers to the displaced residents, officials said.  The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Apartment Building, Residential, Restaurant

Sacramento, CA – Sprinkler system assists firefighters in extinguishing restaurant kitchen fire; Apartments above restaurant unaffected

A stove top fire at Localis restaurant in midtown Sacramento on Tuesday morning was contained to the kitchen by firefighters, but mop up from smoke and water damage could sideline the dining spot for several days.  Firefighters were called to the eatery on S Street at 21st Street at 9:07 a.m. when a passerby saw flames inside the business coming from the stove top, said Sacramento Fire Battalion Chief Jim Edmiston at the scene.

No one was inside the building at the time and apartments above the restaurant were not affected by the small blaze. The restaurant said in a statement on its Facebook page: “Its true, we had a small fire in the kitchen early this morning. Everybody is fine and there was minimal damage. We are closing tonight and will reopen tomorrow. We could really use your support this week to recoup from the closure.

Nearby Broadway and downtown fire crews punched through the locked entrance, and with assistance from the restaurant’s sprinkler system they knocked down the flames in about 30 minutes, but firefighters remained on scene to clean up the damage from smoke and water left behind.  “Our goal is to try to get them back in business ASAP,” Edmiston said.  Once cleanup is complete, health inspectors will come in to determine when the restaurant can reopen, Edmiston said.

Apartment Building, Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Ferndale, MI – Fire in 68-unit apartment building for elderly, disabled, and low income residents extinguished by sprinkler system

At about 8:30 pm last Monday night some residents of Withington West apartments were evacuated due to a fire that started in a fourth floor apartment.  Withington West is a 68-unit property of the Ferndale Housing Commission. It is home to elderly, disabled and low income residents. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

The fire started on a stove, by a resident cooking chicken. Fire Chief Kevin Sullivan further explained that walls in the building are made of concrete, so fire remain contained. “The fire protection system did exactly what it was designed to do, enough heat was released to set of the sprinkler head in the kitchen, effectively extinguishing the fire. The fire pump came on when the head opened, the water pressure dropped, the fire pump made up the difference,” he said. He confirmed there were no injuries. He also clarified that only apartments immediately around that where the fire started were evacuated.

Residents were permitted back into the building once the fire was extinguished, and restoration crews were on the scene as of 10pm working to clean up water from the sprinkler system and fire department. The Fire Marshall was also on hand to conduct the investigation.

Housing Director Heather VanPoucker confirmed there were no injuries and that efforts to protect residents went smoothly. “Fire suppression worked exactly as intended.” VanPoucker said. “The fire department response was excellent as always.”

Apartment Building, Residential

Berkeley, CA – Fifth floor apartment fire held in check by sprinkler system

Berkeley Fire Department responded to a fire at 2310 Fulton St. — which was determined to have been caused by a dryer that caught fire — after receiving a call at 6 p.m. about smoke billowing out of the apartment complex, according to BFD spokesperson Keith May.

May said the fire broke out on the fifth floor of the building, and firefighters put it out “within minutes.” He added that the fire did not cause any injuries to civilians or firefighters.

“The sprinkler system kicked in and held it in check,” May said. “Once (firefighters) made entry and found out where the smoke was coming from, they just immediately put it out.”

BFD responded to the fire by dispatching four engines, a truck company, a battalion chief and an ambulance, according to May.

May said the location where the fire broke out is still an “active scene.”

Apartment Building, Residential, Restaurant

Saint John’s, NL, Canada – Pizzeria fire in building with apartments above is extinguished by sprinkler system

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A Saint John restaurant remains closed after it was damaged by fire early Saturday morning. Crews from the Saint John fire department responded to call at Pomodori Pizzeria at 34 Canterbury Street, located in the city’s uptown.  There are apartments upstairs in the three-storey structure.  Platoon Chief Barry Oickle said the first crew could not locate the initial source of the fire. With the help of another crew, they searched all three floors of the building to make sure all tenants had been evacuated.  After further investigation, the source of the fire was found inside the restaurant located on the ground floor. Access was gained from an adjoining business.  Oickle said there had been a small fire that was extinguished by the sprinkler system in the kitchen. “But it also caused some smoke and water damage,” he said. Fire crews worked to clear the smoke from the building. Tenants were allowed to return to their apartments after about two hours. “The cause has not yet been determined but it does not seem to be suspicious in nature,” Oickle said.

Apartment Building, Residential

Crescent City, CA – Apartment fire put out by sprinkler system; Man rescues elderly woman from smoke-filled apartment

Crescent City Fire and Rescue officials are acknowledging a local man for his efforts in removing a woman from a burning apartment Tuesday night. According to a release from Interim Fire Chief Bill Gillespie, firefighters responded to a structure fire at 1000 Scenic Creek, Scenic Creek Apartments, to find a downstairs apartment with heavy smoke inside. Gillespie said the apartment’s sprinkler system had also been activated.

“Arriving crews also found that an elderly victim had been removed from the smoke-filled apartment by neighbor Daniel Hungerford,” the release said. “The rescued occupant was suffering from smoke inhalation.” An ambulance was requested and oxygen was administered to the patient.

Mr. Hungerford told fire officials he heard a neighbor yelling “smoke” and ran to the apartment door. “When he opened the door, there was smoke down to the floor,” the release said. “He stated that he saw the victim’s hand in the smoke and rushed in to grab her. He was able to remove the victim just as the fire department arrived on scene.”

The building’s sprinklers put out the fire, which appeared to have been caused by smoking materials nearby an oxygen tank and tubing, which ignited the tubing. The sprinkler and alarm systems were reset so other tenants could reenter the building.

“Crescent City Fire & Rescue would like to remind our community that oxygen and open flames and smoking materials do not mix,” the release states. “Oxygen can rapidly accelerate fire and flame spread. Oxygen-fueled fires can also cause significant
injury. Please be safe when using oxygen.”

Officials estimated the damage of the fire to have been about $10,000 and the name of the elderly woman pulled from the apartment was not released.

Apartment Building, Residential

Denham Springs, LA – Apartment fire caused by man trying to manufacture methamphetamine limited by single sprinkler

A Denham Springs man is in custody at the Livingston Parish Detention Center after an attempt to manufacture methamphetamine in his apartment caused a minor blast and forced temporary evacuation of the complex late Wednesday.  The microwave blast caused a small fire in the apartment, but a sprinkler head prevented the blaze from spreading.

Livingston Parish sheriff’s deputies and several other agencies were dispatched to the Parc Apartment Complex at the 31000 block of La. 16 around 3:30 p.m. following the blast and the discovery of “suspicious items.”  Deputies arrested Jeffrey Owens, 46, following the blast. The charges and the bond were not yet announced by the LPSO as of 10 p.m.

Detectives located items commonly used in the manufacturing of methamphetamine, along with suspected molotov cocktails, but no active explosive devices were found, Sheriff Jason Ard said.  “Our initial investigation revealed that the suspect placed propane and other items in his microwave,” he said. “Once turned on, the items exploded.”  Detectives suspect that the manufacturing of drugs was the root motive.

Owens fled from the scene before deputies arrived, but he was later located and arrested in Walker. No injuries were reported. First-responders ordered the evacuation as a precautionary measure to search the complex for explosives.  Authorities gave residents the clearance to return around 7:30 p.m.  Owens allegedly used over-the-counter sudafedrene for the meth. Owens put the fuel in the microwave along with a set of with lithium batteries, said Joe Koczrowski, fire chief for Livingston Parish Fire Protection District No. 5.

“He thought he knew how to make meth and didn’t have even have the right materials to make it,” he said. “He had the Coleman fuel, the ammonia, the propane … everything he needed, except that he had the wrong batteries and wrong Sudafed.”  A Hazmat unit, along with officials from the ATF and Office of the State Fire Marshal, were summoned to the scene.  Owens allegedly had previous mental health issues, Koczrowski said.  “He’s not a terrorist and was not affiliated with anyone … he just had mental issues,” he said.

Owens’s apartment was in squalor at the time authorities arrived, with garbage spread throughout the apartment and canine fecal matter in numerous spots around the dwelling, Koczrowski said.

Apartment Building, Residential

Victoria, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system activates; Helps control fire at low-income apartment building

Victoria Fire Department crews were called to a building on Swift Street and Store Street near Fisgard on Wednesday night after reports of a fire.  Upon arrival around 6:50 p.m., crews investigated and found a grease fire in one of the units at 467 Swift, a building operated by Victoria’s Cool Aid Society.  Fire officials say the flames were quickly extinguished.  The lone occupant of the suite suffered a minor burn to one hand and was examined by BC Ambulance Paramedics.

The incident did trigger the sprinkler system and fire crews remained on scene to deal with water issues in the affected suite and elsewhere in the building.  The cause is believed to be accidental. The Victoria Fire Department estimates the cost of the water damage to the first and third floors to be approximately $100,000. All tenants except the one living in the affected unit are expected to be able to return home Wednesday night.

Apartment Building, Residential

Morgantown, WV – Sprinkler system extinguished apartment fire caused by battery rechargeable devices

A fire at Mountaineer Court Apartments caused about $30,000 in damage to two apartments, but no one was injured Tuesday afternoon.

Investigators concluded that a fire in apartment 202 began due to several battery rechargeable devices. The fire then spread to an inflatable mattress.

A maintenance worker called 911 at 12:05 p.m.

Nobody was home at the time of the fire. The sprinkler system activated shortly after and extinguished it, but also caused water damage to apartment 101, which is directly below 202.