Category Archives: Apartment Building

Apartment Building, Residential, Residential High Rise

North Adams, MA – Cooking fire in 7th floor apartment quickly put out by sprinkler system

Firefighters evacuated some residents from the high rise on Friday afternoon after a small cooking fire broke out on the 7th floor. Fire Director Stephen Meranti said the fire was quickly put out by the sprinkler system.

“Right now we are evacuating because of smoke and water. We do have water all the way from the seventh floor all the way down,” Meranti said. “We are checking apartments as we go down through, but the sprinkler system did its job.”  Meranti said no one was injured.

The Fire Department was alerted to the situation at about 12:30 p.m., when an alarm was activated in a unit at the Ashland Park Apartments. Scanner reports indicated water was “pouring down the hallways” in the Housing Authority building.

Residents clustered in the community room on the ground floor until being allowed back into their homes. Executive Director Jennifer Hohn said a few units below the seventh-floor apartment were affected.

“A significant amount of water from the sprinklers has entered the units directly below on all floors,” she said. “As a result of water seeping into electrical panels, power to these affected units has been shut off.”

Hohn said the Holiday Inn was gracious to offer accommodations and a meal for those residents affected by the fire and its containment.

 

“There is a chance the power will not be restored by the evening so I have reserved a block of rooms at the Holiday Inn for anybody needing accommodations,” she said. “I will update the board when a further assessment of the damage is concluded.

 

“The important thing is nobody was injured.”

 

Police and North Adams Ambulance Service also responded; Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts Police assisted with traffic control as Ashland Street was restricted to one lane.

 

The incident is under investigation.

Apartment Building, Residential

Florence, SC – Early morning apartment fire extinguished by sprinkler system

An apartment fire in Florence was contained early Saturday morning when the built-in sprinkler system activated and extinguished the flames. According to a release from Florence Fire Department Battalion Chief Ken Carr, the fire occurred around 6 a.m. Saturday morning at 2802 Kinloch Court in Somersett Acres.

The fire also activated the apartment building’s fire alarm system, alerting its residents, who evacuated the building. When FFD firefighters arrived on the scene, the fire had already been put out. After removing some water from the apartment, firefighters were able to leave the scene.

There was no fire damage and very little smoke damage to the apartment, as well as no reported injuries. The fire was caused by unattended cooking.

Apartment Building, Residential

Rockford, IL – Sprinklers knock down apartment kitchen fire; No injuries and only minor damage reported

Sprinklers knocked down and contained a kitchen fire that broke out in an apartment located in the 10-unit Riverside Apartments building at 3701 Trilling Ave. A resident in a first-floor apartment fell asleep while cooking. Food caught fire on the stove, activating smoke detectors and a sprinkler system, Rockford Fire Department District Chief Charles Barnes said.

“The sprinklers stopped it fast,” Barnes said. Heavy smoke, fire and the sprinkler apparently forced the resident to climb out his window which overlooks the parking lot of the apartment building.

No injuries to residents or firefighters were reported, Barnes said. “There was minor damage,” Barnes said. “The water damage from the sprinkler head, the sprinkler took out the fire so we didn’t have any fire extension. The maintenance people here are going to get it all back in service.”

Apartment Building, Residential

Sunset Beach, NC – Fire Chief credits sprinkler system for extinguishing overnight apartment fire

The cause of a fire that broke out early last Saturday at a Calabash apartment complex is still under investigation. Firefighters were called to the 7136 building at The Tides at Calabash on Town Center Road off Old Georgetown Road at 2:35 a.m. Oct. 17.

Damage was confirmed to a third-floor breezeway wall and ceiling, according to apartment management. Calabash Fire Chief Randy Bork lauded the complex’s external sprinkler system for quickly extinguishing the fire and preventing it from spreading.

Apartment Building, Residential

Westford, MA – Sprinkler system puts out apartment fire before it can spread

A fire was reported at a three-story apartment building on 3000 Princeton Way in Westford at 11:46 a.m. on Oct. 20. “Our investigators are there, but there isn’t a cause yet,” said Westford Fire Department Shift Captain David O’Keefe.

The fire occurred in a second floor single bedroom, but the building’s sprinkler system put out the fire before it spread. The Westford Fire Department had to call for mutual aid from surrounding towns because the department’s ladder truck is out of service, according to O’Keefe.

“Unfortunately, our ladder truck is out for servicing, so we had to call the Chelmsford ladder truck,” O’Keefe said. However, the Chelmsford ladder truck was not needed before it even arrived. “At that point, the fire was already knocked down,” O’Keefe said. “The sprinklers put it out.”

Apartment Building, Residential

Johnson City, TN – Sprinkler system extinguishes apartment fire before crews arrive

Early Sunday morning the Johnson City Fire Department responded to the report of a cooking fire at an apartment complex on Plymouth Road. When fire crews arrived they found the fire had activated the sprinkler system, ultimately extinguishing the flames.

Crews on scene say water and smoke had to be removed from four apartments. No injuries were reported.  The American Red Cross was there to assist a family displaced by this fire.

The Johnson City Fire Department says this fire reiterates how important it is to have working smoke detectors and functions sprinkler systems in your home.

Apartment Building, Residential

Pasadena, TX – Apartment cooking fire extinguished by sprinkler system; Potentially devastating fire averted

(Fire Department Reported – NO MEDIA COVERAGE. Courtesy of City of Pasadena (Texas) Fire Marshal’s Office)

On Sunday, October 11, 2015, at approximately 1815 hours, the Pasadena Fire Department was dispatched to 2907 Red Bluff Road, #309 for reports of a structure fire. This location is known as Palm Bluff Apartments. A small cooking fire was ignited on the stove top while the occupants were cooking French fries. The fire sprinkler head located in the kitchen above the stove top was subsequently activated due to the fire. The fire was promptly extinguished by the single operating fire sprinkler. Fire damage was contained to the stove top, cooking pan and vent hood above the cooking range. No injuries were reported. The fire sprinkler and alarm system functioned as designed notifying the occupants of the building who evacuated without any reported injuries.

This incident shows the importance of an automatic fire sprinkler system and demonstrates that if the building did not have an automatic sprinkler system, the outcome could have been completely different.

Furthermore there is no doubt whatsoever that at the very least the presence of a sprinkler system saved hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage and property loss to the building owners and potentially prevented citizens and firefighters from being injured or killed.

Automatic fire sprinkler systems have over 100 years of proven performance in protecting life and property.

For further information contact: Chief David Brannon, Fire Marshal 713-475-5556.

 

Apartment Building, Residential

Spokane Valley, WA – Sprinklers stop apartment deck fire from spreading to surrounding units

Spokane Valley Fire Department said they responded to a deck fire at a second-story apartment early Sunday morning. Crews arrived at the Parkside Apartment complex around 4:00 a.m. Sunday. The alarm and sprinkler systems were activated and crews said the sprinkler stopped the fire from spreading to surrounding units.

SVFD crews said they knocked the fire down quickly and contained it to the deck.

All residents were safely evacuated, including the two adults and two children that lived in the unit. No injuries were reported.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Apartment Building, Residential

Poughkeepsie, NY – Sprinkler system controls accidental kitchen fire at Hillcrest House

Approximately 120 people were displaced after a kitchen fire in the Town of Poughkeepsie Saturday. At 3:38 p.m., the Fairview Fire District responded to a fire at the Hillcrest House, 28 Snow Terrace.

The blaze was kept under control by the sprinkler system in the building until firefighters arrived, Chief Christopher Maeder said.

The cause of the fire was ruled “accidental,” and the result of unattended cooking, Maeder said.

Temporary housing needs for displaced residents was provided by the New York State Office of Mental Health and the American Red Cross. The residents are expected to return to the home Sunday afternoon, Maeder said.

Mutual aid from the City of Poughkeepsie Fire Department, Roosevelt Fire District and Mobile Life Support Services. The Hillcrest House is managed by Hudson River Housing.

Apartment Building, Residential

Houston, TX – Sprinklers help control high rise apartment fire; no injuries

A fire broke out at a high rise in Midtown Saturday afternoon. It happened just before 4:30pm in the 5000 block of Fannin.

HFD arrived to find heavy smoke on the seventh floor of the high rise and a fire in the kitchen of an apartment. The sprinkler system was activated throughout the building. A second alarm was requested at 4:44pm. The fire was declared under control just before 5:30pm.

There was heavy smoke, water damage and fire damage to kitchen in the apartment.

The woman whose apartment the fire started in, tells Eyewitness News she was using her microwave when it shorted. She said she was able to get her kids and parents out of the apartment.

There were no injuries.