Category Archives: Apartment Building

Apartment Building, Residential

Spokane, WA – Apartment fire extinguished by sprinkler system before fire crews arrive

At 6:20 a.m. Tuesday, Spokane firefighters responded to fire alarms going off at a South Hill apartment complex at 3210 E 44th Ave. 

A mom and her baby were in their apartment when a candle was accidentally knocked onto a bed and started the fire. The mother and child safely got out of the building.

According to Spokane Fire Chief Brian Schaeffer, the building’s sprinkler system put out the fire before crews even arrived. Damage was contained the bedroom where the fire started.

Fire alarms effectively notified people in nearby units. Up to 25 people evacuated but were able to return to their apartments when fire crews got there. 

The mom and baby are now unable to stay in their unit because of smoke damage. Chief Schaeffer said Tuesday the building owner was working with the mother on a place for them to stay. 

Apartment Building, Residential

Charlottesville, VA – Fire at off-campus apartment building extinguished by sprinkler system

Wednesday October 3rd, 2018, at 5:28pm the Charlottesville Fire Department responded for an alarm activation at The Standard located at 853 West Main Street. The first unit was on scene in 4 minutes and 32 seconds. During the initial investigation crews discovered smoke on the 5th floor and water coming from sprinkler heads that had been activated. The sprinkler heads had been activated due to a kitchen fire which was extinguished by the sprinkler system prior to the fire department arrival. One civilian received non-life threatening injuries as a result of the kitchen fire and was transported to the hospital for further evaluation. Fourteen occupants were displaced from fire or water damage to their units and have been relocated by management to temporary housing until their units are repaired. The rapid application of water onto the fire by the sprinkler system prevented further fire damage to the interior of the structure. Three engine companies, one aerial truck company, one fire marshal and one battalion chief responded from the Charlottesville Fire Department along with one medic unit from the Charlottesville-Albemarle Rescue Squad. All units cleared the scene within 2 hours. The Fire Marshal’s Office is still investigating the cause at this time. The Charlottesville Fire Department would like to remind everyone that smoke detectors save lives. A free detector is available to all City residents. Call 434-970-3245 to schedule your smoke detector install.

Apartment Building, Residential

Fayetteville, NC – Single sprinkler extinguishes apartment kitchen fire; No injuries reported and no one displaced

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Two units in the Cliff Creek Apartments off Cliffdale Road were damaged by water Friday after a pan caught fire and set off the sprinkler system, according to the Fayetteville Fire/Emergency Management Department.  The fire at 731 C.L. Tart Circle was reported at 5:45 p.m.  Firefighters responded to a reported apartment fire in the complex and upon arriving, saw smoke coming from a second-floor unit, a fire department news release said.  A single-sprinkler head was activated and put out the fire in the pan left on the stove. No one was displaced or injured, and no damage estimate was given.

Apartment Building, Residential

Greenville, SC – “Their sprinkler system really saved them,” says Battalion Chief after overnight fire at apartment complex

Several families were displaced and 10 units were damaged during an early Sunday morning fire at an apartment complex on Rhett Street in downtown Greenville, officials said.  The fire was reported around 12:30 a.m. at 400 Rhett, an apartment complex named for its location. Battalion Chief Mike Marlow of the Greenville Fire Department said the fire started in the kitchen of a third-floor apartment and that several units on the first and second floors also sustained water damage.

“Their sprinkler system really saved them,” Marlow said. “The sprinkler system kept the fire contained to that one upstairs unit and kept it from spreading to others.”  Marlow said Sunday afternoon that the fire remained under investigation and that he’s not sure what caused it to start in the kitchen.   “The man who lived in the unit told us he was asleep and that he was awakened by an alarm,” Marlow said.

Heather Lockhart, a regional manager for 400 Rhett, said there was “an issue with an appliance” and that the appliance started emitting smoke.  She said a remediation company was working at the apartment complex Sunday to assess and repair the damage.

“We’ve very thankful everyone is safe,” she said. “We’re doing our best to help them and to get through this. Thankfully, some of the people have been able to return to their homes.”

No one was injured in the fire.

At least 22 firefighters responded to the blaze and remained at the scene for several hours, Marlow said.

The American Red Cross said in a prepared statement Sunday that it is responding to help residents who were affected by the fire.

“American Red Cross disaster-trained volunteers are assisting multiple families whose homes located on Rhett Street, were damaged by a fire early this morning,” the statement read. “The Greenville City Fire Department responded to the blaze. The Red Cross is helping two adults by providing financial assistance for food, clothing, lodging and other essentials, and comfort kits containing personal hygiene items.”

According to its website, 400 Rhett is a collection of one- and two-bedroom apartments that feature gourmet kitchens, granite counters, plank flooring and nine-foot ceilings. The apartment with the smallest floor plan, 588 square feet, has a monthly rent that starts at $1,125. The larger units, which have private balconies, have monthly rental prices that begin at $1,620.

Apartment Building, Residential

Fargo, ND – Third floor deck fire at apartment building contained by sprinkler system

At 3:31 p.m. Sunday, the Fargo Fire Department responded to a report of a deck on fire at 2560 55th Street South. The first arriving crew investigated and found smoke and flames coming from a 3rd floor deck. The deck fire was controlled and contained to a small area by an external fire protection sprinkler system.  Fire crews on scene used a hose line to fully extinguish the remaining fire. 

There were no reported injuries to civilians or firefighters.  A fire investigation was conducted and the cause of the fire was determined to be inappropriately discarded smoking materials.  The total cost of the fire loss is unknown at this time.

The Fargo Fire Department responded with 17 personnel on 4 engines, 1 truck, 2 Command vehicles and the Fargo Police Department. 

The Fargo Fire Department would like to remind everyone to properly discard smoking materials by making sure they are extinguished and discarded in a non-combustible container such as a metal container with a lid.

Apartment Building, Residential

Sterling, IL – (Fire Dept. Reported) Bathroom fire in loft apartment building extinguished by single sprinkler

** No Media Coverage – Fire Department Reported **

Date: September 13, 2018
Time: 20:53
Location: 218 First Avenue, Sterling, Illinois
Property: Lawrence Lofts – 5 story residential structure
Sprinklers Activated: 1

Event details:
Dispatched to a water flow alarm at five-story residential structure. Upon investigation, found a fire had occurred in a bathroom in a 4th floor unit.   Fire had been extinguished by the sprinkler system.

This is a 20-unit apartment building with 5 floors above the Whiteside County East Courthouse.  Two courtrooms all open for business the next day.  “If not for sprinkler, life and property would have been lost.”

*Reported by Gary Cook, Fire Chief, Sterling, IL

 

Apartment Building, Residential

Westbrook, ME – Automatic sprinkler system extinguishes apartment kitchen fire; No injuries reported

A cooking fire in a Westbrook apartment building displaced 16 people on Friday morning, but no one was injured.  Fire Chief Andrew Turcotte said the fire on Walker Street started in a second-floor kitchen just before 9 a.m. The heat triggered the sprinkler system in that unit, so the flames had been extinguished when Westbrook fire crews arrived on scene.  “The sprinkler system did its job,” Turcotte said.

Still, the incident caused fire and smoke damage to the three-unit building, which Turcotte said is owned by Avesta Housing. The Red Cross of Maine said it is working with three families to ensure they have food, a safe place to sleep and access to services. A spokesperson for the affordable housing developer did not immediately return a request for comment Friday afternoon.

Turcotte pointed to statistics from the National Fire Protection Association, saying that nearly 100,000 apartment fires take place every year. Sprinkler systems like the one triggered Friday have been proven to reduce the rates of injury or death in those fires, he said.  “These fire protection systems save lives,” the fire chief said.

Apartment Building, Residential

Waco, TX – Apartment kitchen fire contained by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Waco Fire Department units arrived on the scene of an apartment fire at 2301 Woodgate Drive on Wednesday afternoon.  The fire occurred in a downstairs apartment, where crews say started in the kitchen area. The fire did not spread beyond the kitchen.  Nobody was home at the time of the fire, but there were two dogs inside. The dogs have been reported safe, but Animal Control was called to assist with them because they were reportedly aggressive toward the crews. The department says the fire was largely contained by a sprinkler system. No injuries have been reported.  The department goes on to say construction codes require sprinklers in most new apartment buildings, due to possible scenarios like this fire. They say to consider them for residential construction if you are building a house because they save lives and reduce damage.

Apartment Building, Residential

Norcross, GA – Sprinkler system helps contain apartment fire; Woman charged with arson

A Norcross woman has been charged with arson after allegedly setting her own bed on fire, Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services said.  Mirtha Valcin, 29, was arrested Sept. 6 in connection with the Aug. 26 fire at The Retreat at Arc Way Apartments in Norcross.

Firefighters responded to the apartment complex around 9 p.m. on Aug. 26 and found Valcin’s bedroom extensively damaged by the fire. The flames had been contained to the mattress and headboard, but caused damage to items throughout the room and sent smoke through the entire apartment, the department said in a release.

There was also a smaller fire in the laundry room that appeared to have started with a pile of clothes. That triggered a sprinkler system to go off, causing water damage, according to the department.  Valcin told firefighters she fell asleep and discovered the fire when she was awoken by a noise, the department said. She was the only one in the apartment at the time of the fire and lives alone, according to the department.

Valcin’s story changed in a follow-up interview, according to fire investigators, leading her to be charged with arson. The department is not releasing information about how the fire was set or Valcin’s alleged motive at this time, a release says.  Valcin is being held at the Gwinnett County Jail on $27,700 bond.

Apartment Building, Residential

Gainesville, FL – Apartment kitchen fire contained by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Gainesville Fire Rescue responded to a report of a kitchen fire in an apartment complex Saturday night. Crews arrived at the Gainesville Place Apartments on SW 35th Place at 10:20 p.m. and found an apartment filled with smoke. Residents reported that they had a fire on the stove in the kitchen of the apartment. Heat from the fire activated a sprinkler head located in the kitchen which contained the fire, and gave residents in the building a chance to exit the structure safely. Several residents were displaced due to the damage, but fortunately no one was injured. Gainesville Fire Rescue crews used Positive Pressure Ventilation to remove smoke from the apartment and capped the sprinkler to avoid any further water damage.