Category Archives: Apartment Building

Apartment Building, Residential

Fitchburg, MA – Apartment kitchen fire extinguished by automatic sprinkler system

A small kitchen fire at the Riverside Commons apartment complex left two units water-damaged Wednesday morning.  According to apartment manager Lisa Chaves, the fire started when a tenant was cooking on their stove top at about 10:30 a.m.  She said that no one was injured in the fire and that flames were extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system. However, Chaves said two apartments were damaged by the water from the sprinklers.

Apartment Building, Residential

Spring Township, PA – Sprinkler system holds apartment hallway fire in check; Firefighters extinguish blaze

Ten apartments at a Spring Township complex were evacuated Monday because of a fire that started in the second-floor hallway of the building.  Spring Township Fire & Rescue crews responded about 9:50 a.m. to an on-site fire alarm at Penns Crossing, 1400 W. Wyomissing Court, near West Wyomissing Boulevard and Route 724. Crews found fire around a hallway light fixture, Chief Colin Hackman said. The fire-suppression sprinkler system had activated and that kept the flames from spreading beyond that portion of the ceiling, he said.

Firefighters put out the rest of the flames and declared the fire under control within six minutes. Fire personnel assisted the facilities staff in accounting for the residents, who were taken to a common room on the first floor, Hackman said. The number of tenants affected was unavailable. Crews remained at the scene for a couple of hours, helping to contain water runoff so it wouldn’t damage the units below. The complex is next to Lincoln Park Apartments & Townhomes. All the tenants except one returned to their units by noon. The one could not return because of water damage and was staying with relatives, Hackman said. The township fire marshal is investigating the cause. A damage estimate was unavailable.

Apartment Building, Residential

Ellicott City, MD – Apartment kitchen fire contained by sprinkler system

Fire broke out at an Ellicott City apartment Friday evening. Officials said they were called to Pine Orchard Lane before 5:30 p.m. for a report of a kitchen fire.

Soon after they arrived at the 3100 block of Pine Orchard Lane, crews reported the fire was under control.

After checking to ensure the flames had not spread, officials declared the blaze out as of 5:45 p.m.

Thanks to the sprinkler system in the apartment building, authorities reported the fire was contained to the room where it started.

Apartment Building, Residential

Bend, OR – Sprinkler system credited with halting apartment fire; No injuries reported

A fire broke out in a southeast Bend apartment Friday morning, but a sprinkler system confined it to one room and doused the blaze before firefighters arrived, officials said.

The fire was reported around 10 a.m. in one unit of a three-story complex at the Seasons at Farmington Reserve apartments on Southeast Aaron Way.

Five engine crews and two medic units arrived to find light smoke coming from the one apartment and that residents of nearby units had evacuated properly, Bend Fire Department Capt. Scott Wyman said.

“We were prepared to pull hoses, but by the time we got here, there was no need to put any of our water on it — the sprinkler had done its job,” Wyman said. 

While the fire was confined to one room in the apartment, with smoke and water damage, Wyman said crews performed overhaul for some water that made into the units lower in the building.

The cause of the fire was under investigation. The American Red Cross was called in to assist the apartment’s resident, Wyman said.

Apartment Building, Residential

Harris Hill, NY – Sprinkler system assist firefighters in attacking apartment kitchen fire

Harris Hill Volunteer Fire Company responded to a building fire at 4155 Capstone Ct. last Sunday. Shortly after 2 p.m., Harris Hill fire crews arrived on location after Amherst Fire Control, a fire alarm monitoring company, reported a sprinkler activation. Harris Hill Chief Michael Schreiber reported fire in the kitchen area.

Fire crews advanced one hose line to extinguish the flames, while assisting crews from Main-Transit Fire Department, East Amherst Fire Department and Bowmansville Volunteer Fire Association provided standby coverage at the Harris Hill firehouse. The Erie County Sheriff’s Office and Clarence fire inspector are currently investigating the cause of the blaze. Reported damages to the property include $35,000 to the contents and $5,000 to the structure.

Apartment Building, Residential

Baton Rouge, LA – Sprinkler system activates to assist firefighters in apartment blaze

The St. George Fire Protection District was called to the Addison Apartments on Tuesday afternoon to battle a kitchen fire.  According to Chad Roberson of St. George Fire, a fire alarm was reported around 2 p.m at the Addison Apartments.  Firefighters arrived at the building located at 10231 The Grove Blvd and found a fire in the kitchen area of apartment 210.  Roberson said, the sprinkler system activated and controlled the fire.

There were no injuries reported and the fire was under control 20 minutes after firefighters received the call.  Both the first and second floor of the building sustained water damage.  East Baton Rouge EMS and the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office assisted St. George Fire at the scene. The fire is still under investigation and further information will be provided when it becomes available.

Apartment Building, Residential

Columbia, MD – Apartment kitchen fire put out by sprinkler system

A fire overnight in Columbia sent one person to the hospital, according to officials. Authorities said Thursday morning that the victim’s injuries were minor.  Firefighters were called to a residence in the 5400 block of Cedar Lane for an automatic fire alarm, according to the Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services.  At the location, crews found a small kitchen fire that had been put out by the sprinkler system in the building.

One resident was taken to Howard County General Hospital with what officials said were minor injuries.

Apartment Building, Residential

Cleburne, TX – Fire in apartment at historic building contained to room of origin by sprinkler system

Cleburne firefighters say that an apartment fire in a historic downtown building was limited to the room of origin thanks to the building’s sprinkler system. That said, firefighters also noted that the building’s sprinkler system appears to be “substandard and poorly installed.”

Firefighters responded at 6:43 p.m. to the 400 block of East Henderson Street on reports of an earlier fire already extinguished. The fire originated in the kitchen of an apartment on the building’s second floor because of a pan of unattended oil on the stove top. The occupants told firefighters they went downstairs to eat but returned to find that the pan of oil had caught fire and spread to the microwave oven and cabinets above the stove, according to reports.

The occupants were unable to shut the sprinkler system off, which resulted in water damage to the kitchen area and the apartment below. Cleburne Assistant Fire Chief Keith Scarbrough said the fire may have caused far more damage but for the sprinkler system.

“Sprinkler systems work,” Scarbrough said. “Statistics from across the U.S. show that they put fires out 97 percent of the time. Of the other 3 percent, 1 percent is because of mechanical failure like weather or freezing temperatures.

“The other 1 percent is because someone turns them off and the last 1 percent is because the fire’s too big for the sprinkler’s capacity. That’s instances where someone originally used the building for offices or something like that and installed a system to handle that but later repurposed the use of the building, like making it a warehouse or paint processing facility and didn’t upgrade the sprinkler system to suit the new purpose.

“But, in my career here, I’ve seen three earlier instances where sprinkler systems almost certainly saved buildings from being lost, two school fires, a manufacturing plant fire and now this fire.

“Sprinkler systems are one of the most effective fire fighting processes available, which is why all businesses and even homes should have them.”

Firefighters responded to an industrial oven fire at 12:38 a.m. Saturday in the 200 block of West Industrial Boulevard to find heavy smoke emitting from the roof level of the plant.

Excess materials within the system caused the plant’s industrial ovens to catch fire. Workers on scene extinguished some but not all the fire having to quit because of heavy smoke. Cleburne firefighters completed the task and remained on scene until the ovens cooled sufficiently.

Firefighters responded to reports of a possible house fire at 8:05 p.m. March 2 in the 1700 block of Shawnee Drive.

Homeowners told firefighters they left a pot of chicken unattended on the stove. They turned the stove off and removed the chicken but the incident filled the home with smoke.

Firefighters checked but found no signs of heat or fire in the house. They set fans to clear the house of smoke and made note that the pot contained a burned chicken.

Apartment Building, Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

Tucson, AZ – Fire at college student apartment put out by sprinkler system

Thanks to a sprinkler system both lives and property was saved from a fire on Tuesday, March 13 according to a news release from the Tucson Fire Department.  An alarm sounded around 5 p.m. Tuesday, notifying the 911 center of a possible fire on the 6th floor of an apartment complex in the 300 block of East Congress. TFD sent a truck to investigate the alarm and when firefighters arrived they found the sprinkler system was on and working.

Fire crews shut down the sprinklers and put stops in the two sprinklers that activated, according to the release. They also treated a resident at the scene, who was initially hurt by the fire.

According to the release, the resident, a college student, had been cooking dinner when he stepped in for a quick shower while his dinner simmered. However a short time later the student heard the alarm going off and ran to the kitchen. He attempted to put the fire out, but the fire had spread to the point where he wasn’t able to stop it, at that point the sprinkler system kicked in.

Both the student in the apartment where the fire was and the unit below it will be displaced until the water and fire damage can be repaired. Crews shut down the sprinkler system once the fire was out. This means the sprinkler system is out of service, leaving the building vulnerable. A Tucson Fire inspector was called to the scene to ensure the property would be protected until the sprinkler system could be reactivated and placed back in service.

Apartment Building, Residential

McKinney, TX – Sprinkler activation stops apartment kitchen fire

The McKinney Fire Department (MFD) responded to a water flow alarm at 3300 N. McDonald St. this afternoon. A cooking fire went out of control, but before it could spread, the fire sprinkler system kicked in. It took one sprinkler head to stop the fire.

FEMA reports more than half of all residential fires are due to cooking. No other risk factor comes close.

Ways to prevent a kitchen fire:

– Never leave cooking food unattended.

– Use a timer so you’ll remember the stove or oven is on.

– Always check the kitchen before leaving the home or going to bed.

– Enforce a ‘kid-free zone” at least three feet from the stove.

– Install a smoke alarm near your kitchen and near sleeping areas.

“Keep your cooking areas clean of grease and clear of flammable clutter like pot holders or food packaging,” said Mike Smith, McKinney Fire Marshal. “A few steps can save you a serious injuries or damage.”