Category Archives: Apartment Building

Apartment Building, Residential

Bath, ME – Sprinkler system activated at apartment building for elderly and disabled

Residents escaped safely from Seacliff Apartments, which provides housing for the elderly and disabled, when a fire broke out at one of the apartments at 47 Floral St. Sunday morning.

The fire was reported at 10:17 a.m. and drew firefighters from multiple communities. The building is owned by Bath Housing.

“The guys made a tremendous stop,” said Bath Fire Chief Lawrence Renaud.

The six-member crew on duty was able to extinguish the flames and upward of 50 firefighters quickly responded from Bath and the neighboring towns including Brunswick, West Bath, Woolwich, Phippsburg and Topsham.

The building houses 36 single bedroom apartment units and four two-bedroom apartments, according to the Bath Housing Authority’s website.

Given the time of the day and type of structure, there was concern the tenant was inside the apartment when the fire broke out, but Renaud said the person was located elsewhere.

“The sprinkler system in the hallways did activate so I think that was in our favor as well,” Renaud said. “I can’t advocate enough about sprinkler systems. They do save property and lives.”

A second floor apartment had a window open above the ground-floor apartment where flames were shooting from the window, causing smoke damage.

For the most part, there doesn’t seem to be any structural damage to the second floor, Renaud said. There are at least six units with water damage on the first floor and two with smoke damage on the second floor that are uninhabitable. The cause and origin of the fire haven’t been determined.

“It’s a coordinated effort,” he said.The American Red Cross was called to assist residents who may have been displaced by the fire. Bath Housing staff also responded because they know the building and their clientele.

Apartment Building, Residential

Suffolk, VA – Apartment kitchen fire extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Suffolk Fire and Rescue responded to the scene of an apartment fire on Sunday morning.

Emergency Communications received the 911 was around 2:30 a.m. for a fire in the 100 block of West Washington Street at The Lofts at Oce Eleven apartment building. According to Battalion Chief William Kessinger, on the scene, firefighters didn’t see a fire.

Fire crews entered the building and found a small fire in a kitchen area of one of the apartments. The fire was out before firefighters arrived because of the apartment building’s sprinkler system.

The fire was considered under control by 3:52 a.m.

Five adults and one infant were displaced due to the fire, and water damage to the downstairs apartment. The American Red Cross will be providing assistance.

There were no injuries as a result of the fire. The cause of the fire is undetermined at this time and remains under investigation.

Apartment Building, Residential

Chesapeake, VA – Three-story apartment fire extinguished by sprinkler system

An apartment fire displaced seven residents Saturday afternoon, officials said.

Firefighters were called to Adalay Bay apartments at 100 Sabal Palm Lane at 4:19 p.m., Lt. Anthony Barakat, assistant fire marshal, wrote in a news release.

Firefighters arrived at 4:24 p.m. and found a three-story apartment building with smoke coming from the back, Barakat said. They made sure the building was evacuated and quickly accessed the third-floor apartment where the fire started, he said.

The sprinkler system activated and extinguished the fire. Firefighters shut down the sprinkler system so no other units would be damaged, Barakat said.

He said the fire was cooking-related and no one was hurt.

According to Barakat, the third-floor unit suffered fire and water damage. The two units below also had water damage. Residents can’t stay in the units because water got into the electrical system and the electricity was turned off.

“Once there’s no power, we can’t allow anyone to stay there,” he said.

Adalay Bay management is helping those displaced by the fire, Barakat said.

Apartment Building, Residential

Las Vegas, NV – Single sprinkler extinguishes apartment fire

The Clark County Fire Department responded to a reported structure fire at the Hamptons Apartments, 3070 S. Nellis Blvd., near Vegas Valley Drive. Upon arrival crews reported light smoke in an apartment and evidence of a fire that had been extinguished by a single sprinkler head. The fire was confined to the room contents and did not extend into the structure itself. One person was reported to have suffered minor burns, and did not require transport.

Apartment Building, Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Newport, RI – Kitchen fire at historic senior apartment building controlled by sprinkler system

Two apartments at Clarke School Apartments, 24 Mary St., remained uninhabitable as of Friday afternoon due to fire, smoke and water damage in one apartment and water damage in a second apartment below it, according to Fire Chief Brian Dugan.  The report of a fire in a third-floor apartment came in on Wednesday at about 2:10 p.m. and people were evacuating the building when firefighters arrived, Dugan said.

There was a stovetop fire in the kitchen that had activated the sprinkler system, which did a good job of controlling the damage, Dugan said. The fire was doused within 10 minutes after firefighters arrived, and most of that time was spent getting hoses and equipment up to the apartment, he said.  No cause of the fire had been established as of Friday and it remains under investigation, Dugan said.

One of the tenants has received living accommodations through the Red Cross, according to the fire chief. Reports from tenants said three elderly residents in all have not been able to return to their apartments.  Residents said there is some water and smoke damage in other apartments that remain occupied.

The Clarke School was built in 1915 and underwent a historic renovation in 1994 when it was developed into more than 50 privately operated affordable apartments. The apartments are reserved for people 55 or older, as well as disabled individuals, and some income restrictions apply.

Apartment Building, Residential

Lacey, WA – Sprinkler system prevented fire from spreading in apartment complex; No injuries reported

A sleepy Lacey apartment dweller snoozed right through a fire in their unit and fire crews breaking through the doorway to douse the flames.

Luckily, a sprinkler head kept the fire from spreading, and the resident was unhurt.

The drama unfolded at around midnight Sunday when crews responded to a fire alarm at the apartment complex.

Arriving at the scene, firefighters forced their way into the unit and found that a cooking fire had ignited in the kitchen.

A sprinkler had kept the flames from spreading, and crews made certain the fire was out.

That’s when they discovered that the apartment resident was there and slept through the whole commotion.

“Sprinklers save lives,” the Lacey Fire Department tweeted after the blaze.

Apartment Building, Residential

Port Royal, SC – Sprinkler system assist firefighters in controlling apartment fire; Device being charged caught fire

Residents of 9 apartments were displaced Tuesday night after an electronic device caught fire on a resident’s couch at the Parc at Broad River complex in Port Royal, according to fire officials.  Fire Chief Reece Bertholf, of the Beaufort-Port Royal Fire Department, said the device, which was being charged when it caught fire, was burned up in the blaze.

He would not specify what type of device it was but said insurance investigators would be making that determination.  The building’s sprinkler system was activated and residents were evacuating when firefighters arrived just after 6:30 p.m., according to a news release from the fire department.  Smoke was coming from the third-floor apartment where the couch was burning, the news release said.

It said firefighters were able to put out the fire “within minutes” of arriving. The apartment where the fire started sustained fire, water and smoke damage, Bertholf said. Neighboring apartments sustained various levels of water damage.

Attempts to reach apartment managers by phone on Wednesday were unsuccessful.  Bertholf said there are 36 apartments in the building.  No one was injured in the fire, the news release said. Burton and Parris Island firefighters also responded to the scene. Burton Fire District posted a photo on Facebook of a firefighter holding a cat that was rescued from the building.

 

Apartment Building, Residential

Lewisville, TX – Sprinkler system activated in arson fire at apartment building

A man remains in jail after he threatened, and then followed through with, setting his girlfriend’s apartment on fire.

Josh Manning was arrested and charged with arson. He remains in the Denton County jail in lieu of $26,500 in bonds. He also was charged with probation revocation for driving while intoxicated with a child under 15 years old.

According to the probable cause for Manning, around 3:35 a.m. July 1 firefighters were dispatched to a structure fire at Valley Ridge Apartment Homes, 1000 Valley Ridge Boulevard. Firefighters arrived to find light smoke showing from the second floor balcony.

When crews entered the apartment, the fire sprinkler above the couch in the living room was spraying water. Crews also found a smoldering fire in the living room on the floor and couch.

When firefighters began investigating, they found fire damage surrounding a tray table, on the carpet, the couch and smoke and water damage throughout the apartment. They also found what was possibly a roll of paper towels and a cloth towel that had fire damage, according to the affidavit.

Lewisville Fire Department Division Chief Mark Richards responded and interviewed the woman who lived in the apartment. She said her ex-boyfriend, Manning, came to her apartment to visit their daughter. She said everything was fine until he got a phone call. After that, the two began arguing, and Manning threatened to burn her apartment.

At that point, she left the apartment with her daughter. According to the affidavit, Manning began sending her threatening text messages.

As she was driving, Manning sent her another text that showed a fire in her living room, according to the affidavit. She came back home and saw smoke on the second floor breezeway and on her balcony.

Later that morning, around 9:35 a.m., Lewisville police officers located Manning. Richards responded to the location, and Manning agreed to speak with him. When asked about the fire earlier that morning, Manning said he didn’t know anything, according to the affidavit.

When confronted with the photos of the fire and threatening texts, Manning turned around, put his hands behind his back and refused to answer more questions, according to the affidavit.

Manning, who is homeless, was deemed a flight risk and was then arrested for starting the fire, according to the affidavit. The affidavit stated, “Manning was reckless about whether the burning would endanger the life of some individual or the safety or the property of another.”

Richards said if not for the fire sprinkler system the fire would have consumed the apartment, risking the lives of multiple families. In the end, the fire was about $70,000 in damage.

Apartment Building, Residential

Hickory, NC – Sprinkler system keeps dryer fire in apartment building contained until fire crews arrive

The Hickory Fire Department responded to a fire at the Estates at Legends apartment complex on Wednesday.

Battalion Chief J.L. Barger said a dryer was a source of the fire. Sprinkler systems kept the fire contained until firefighters could ensure it was out.

The building has no fire damage but the sprinkler system has flooded several apartments, Barger said. No one was hurt, but several people will be displaced.

Barger said that the fire department is asking owners of the complex to find temporary housing for those displaced. If units aren’t available they will seek assistance from the Red Cross, Barger said. The complex sits behind AMC Hickory 15 movie theater.

Catawba County Emergency Medical Services were also present as a precaution. 

Mildred Barbitta lives on the ground floor a couple floors below where the fire occurred.

“Just everything’s wet, really,” Barbitta said after taking a look in her apartment. “There is some water damage, I guess, on the ceiling. Things happen.”

Barbitta estimated the fire happened between 11:30 a.m. and noon.

Devon Payne was in her apartment on the floor just above where the fire occurred.

“I was microwaving something and I thought, ‘Oh no,’ and then I realized it was the fire alarm,” Payne said.

Payne left her apartment with her two children and dog.

Apartment Building, Residential

Vancouver, BC, Canada – Apartment building fire contained to single unit by sprinkler system

The sprinkler system installed at Isabella Court Apartments in Vancouver prevented a single-unit fire late Sunday morning from spreading, according to the Vancouver Fire Marshal.

The fire was reported at 11:14 a.m. at the large, four-story, 49-unit complex in the Bagley Downs neighborhood, according to dispatch records. The complex is owned by the Portland-based Reach Community Development nonprofit and opened last year, serving low income seniors.

Crews reported that the fire was extinguished in about 30 minutes.

Fire Marshal Heidi Scarpelli said a tenant was heating oil to cook french fries in their kitchen, and then they went to the bathroom.

The smoke alarm in the apartment began blaring, and the tenant returned to the kitchen to find the sprinkler system dousing a fire, Scarpelli said.

The sprinkler worked as intended, according to Scarpelli.

“We have similar buildings where systems haven’t been installed, and the outcome is dramatically different,” she said.

The cause of the fire was categorized as an unattended cooking incident.

There was significant damage to the third-story unit that caught fire, as well as some damage to a ventilation system.

Scarpelli said the monetary damage totals about $200,000. The building is worth $7.8 million, she said.

Lauren Schmidt, fundraising and public relations manager at Reach, said the two units below the fire’s origin were damaged by water. Three tenants have been displaced, she said. Two are staying in hotel rooms while the third moved to a vacant unit in the building.

There is no time estimate for when the units will be repaired.