Apartment Building, Residential Shreveport, LA – Sprinkler system activates in apartment fire caused by cigarette dropped down trash chute November 24, 2015 viking210 Residents of Fairmont Towers in the 700 block of Cotton Street were able to return to their apartments after smoke forced them from the building early Sunday morning. The fire was reported at approximately 8:21 Sunday morning after the sprinkler system in the apartment building went off. Firefighters arrived on the scene to find smoke through the building. Occupants of the downtown Shreveport apartment building were evacuated shortly after firefighters arrived. One person was treated on the scene from smoke inhalation. Firefighters believe the cause of the fire to be a cigarette dropped down the trash chute within the building. This has yet to be confirmed by investigators.
Apartment Building, Residential Peoria, AZ – Apartment kitchen fire controlled by single automatic sprinkler; No injuries reported November 23, 2015 viking210 Peoria firefighters said a sprinkler system in an apartment prevented a stove fire from causing more damage than it did. Peoria-Fire Medical crews responded to a fire at approximately 11:45 a.m. Thursday at the Rancho Del Sol Apartments. Crews found a home filled with smoke and a stove fire being controlled by a single fire sprinkler head. The fire damaged the stove and microwave with some damage to the cabinets and drywall, officials said, and there was also water damage from the sprinkler head. The homeowner said a pan of oil on the stove was unattended for less than a minute. “This fire . . . could have been significantly worse without the presence of a fire sprinkler system,” Peoria-Fire Medical officials stated in a release. “Flames from a grease fire can quickly spread and engulf a kitchen. In this case, the fire was being controlled by the sprinkler system until fire crews could arrive.” Everyone was able to evacuate safely with no injuries, officials said. According to fire investigator Mike Brune, a similar stove fire in a Peoria apartment complex without sprinklers did significantly more damage and left the apartment Fire crews stayed on scene to clear away the standing water so that the homeowner could get back in the home more quickly. “With Thanksgiving right around the corner, this is an important reminder that kitchen fires are the No. 1 cause of home fires. Always stay in the kitchen while cooking on the stove, and keep a fire extinguisher nearby,” the release stated.
Apartment Building, Residential, Residential High Rise Grand Rapids, MI – Fire at high-rise apartment building contained with help from sprinkler system; No injuries November 23, 2015 viking210 Emergency crews had to scramble Thursday afternoon in downtown Grand Rapids after fire broke out on the fifth floor of the Weston Apartments. At first, smoke could be seen pouring out a window, quickly followed by water from the fire hoses. Everyone in the building was evacuated, and investigators say the fire was contained to just one apartment. “Our primary concern, right now, is to get 89 families that call this building home into their homes,” said Grand Rapids Fire Department deputy chief Kevin Sehlmeyer. “Many of them, in the process of leaving, left all their belongings behind — including cell phones. We have a mother that needs diapers.” Fire officials say no one was injured, and the cause of the fire is still under investigation. There isn’t much room in downtown Grand Rapids to grow out, so the only option is up. Those taller buildings and provide more difficult challenges for fire fighters. “All of our companies are trained in high rise operations which includes working off stairs I mean they had to hike up five floors before they even began work today,” says Grand Rapids Deputy Fire Chief Kevin Sehlmeyer. This afternoon, their training allowed them to hold this fire at Weston Apartments to just one unit. Crews learn how to climb stairs quickly and efficiently to get hose and water to the burning apartments, they learn to blow water from inside out to avoid spreading flames on the inside and deeper into the building. Out of the 96 units, only one had fire damage only two water damaged. “We worked off of what is called a stand pipe. There’s a fire protection system in the building our crews hook to that then make their way onto the floor,” says Sehlmeyer. Like any high rise, these buildings come with sprinkler systems, which help.The concrete construction of older buildings, like the Weston, help contain the damage. But time is still the enemy when these apartments are so stacked together. There’s no wiggle room to stop it from spreading. “The faster we can get the water picked up the less damage to the units below so that’s the priority right now,” says Sehlmeyer.
Apartment Building, Residential Victoria, BC, Canada – Late night apartment fire extinguished by single sprinkler November 22, 2015 viking210 The fire, believed to have been caused by oil in a pan on a stove, broke out at 10:45 p.m. in a suite at Quadra Street and Caledonia Avenue. The fire was extinguished by a single sprinkler near the stove. However, four floors directly below were flooded, causing damage, said acting Battalion Chief Lance Mitchell of Victoria Fire. The resident of the suite received second-degree burns to one of his hands while trying to extinguish the blaze. He was taken to hospital by B.C. Ambulance. Several displaced residents will be given assistance with housing through the Victoria Emergency Management Agency, the fire department said. The department’s fire inspector reminds people cooking with oil not to leave the pot or pan unattended and to have a lid nearby in case of fire.
Apartment Building, Residential St. Cloud, MN – Sprinkler system douses overnight apartment fire; No injuries November 17, 2015 viking210 An apartment fire late Sunday caused about $6,000 damage at Empire Apartments, 54 Fourth Ave. N. The person who lived in the apartment left the apartment with the stove on, according to fire investigators. Items on the stove caught fire and burned the cabinetry above the stove. Two sprinkler heads activated and put the fire out. No injuries were reported.
Apartment Building, Residential Riverside, CA – Overnight apartment fire extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries November 16, 2015 viking210 Two families were displaced after a sprinkler system put out a garbage can fire at an apartment in Riverside early Sunday morning, Nov. 15. Riverside firefighters were dispatched to 9800 County Farm Rd. in Riverside about 1:05 a.m., fire officials wrote on an incident fact sheet. Firefighters discovered that the fire had been in a bathroom wastebasket and had been put out by the apartment’s sprinkler system, the fact sheet said. It took fire officials two hours to clear the water from the building. The families were placed in lodging by Red Cross, the fact sheet said. Nobody was hurt in the incident.
Apartment Building, Other - School / University, Residential Greeley, CO – Off-campus apartment fire extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries November 11, 2015 viking210 Four students were displaced from their homes Tuesday after a fire in one apartment touched off the sprinklers at the Arlington Park Apartments. Greeley firefighters were called around 7:45 p.m. Tuesday to a fire at the Arlington Park Apartments, Building No. 3, 2315 9th Ave. Firefighters arrived to heavy smoke showing. The fire was contained to one apartment and was put out by the building’s sprinkler system. But students living in two rooms would be displaced because of smoke and water damage, said University of Northern Colorado spokesman Nate Haas. Students were evacuated and there were no injuries, reported Greeley Firefighter Battalion Chief Rick Hinchcliffe. Firefighters were clearing the building as of 8:30 p.m., and the fire was out minutes later. Custodians were called in to clear the water. The immediate damage was contained to the apartment with a fire, with water damage to the apartment immediately below, Hinchcliffe said. Haas said university residence officials were working Tuesday to find temporary housing for the students in the college’s residence halls. Hinchcliffe said three fire trucks, one ladder truck and one heavy rescue truck responded, with a total of 15 firefighters on scene. There is no word yet on a cause or a damage estimate.
Apartment Building, Residential Lynchburgh, VA – Overnight trash chute fire at apartment building is put out by sprinkler system November 6, 2015 viking210 Everyone made it out safely after a fire broke out at Jefferson House Apartments in Lynchburg. It happened around midnight. Officials say the fire started in a trash chute that connects all of the floors. The fire was put out by the sprinkler system before crews got there. About 30 people evacuated from the apartments, but were allowed back in around 2:30 a.m. on Thursday after each floor was cleared.
Apartment Building, Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential, Residential High Rise Fall River, MA – Sprinklers extinguish fire on 6th floor of apartment building with over 100 elderly and disabled residents; No injuries November 3, 2015 viking210 An early-evening fire sent elderly and disabled residents of Borden Place West, 181 S. Main St., out of their apartments. The fire started around 5:30 p.m. in the trash compactor, according to Fall River District Fire Chief Douglas Sullivan. The exact cause was being investigated, but Sullivan said it appeared accidental. The sprinkler went on in the trash compactor and extinguished the fire. “The system worked the way that it should have,” Sullivan said. “The fire was contained.” Wendy Carvalho, who acts as the fire warden on the sixth floor where she resides, said someone may have dropped an ashtray or cigarette into the trash chute “I knocked on everyone’s door,” Carvalho said. “They all came out.” Most of the 100-plus residents in the building are elderly or disabled, with many using walkers and in wheelchairs. Heavy smoke hung in the hallways even after the fire was extinguished, and many residents sat outside waiting to get back into their apartments. Other residents were inside the community room on the street level, and out of harm’s way. Resident Joseph Blanchard, who has lived in the building for 25 years, said it wasn’t the first fire at Borden West, but it was the worst. “There was really a lot of smoke,” Blanchard said. Sullivan said Borden West owner Peabody Properties called in professional cleaners to remove the excess water from the apartments that were flooded on the first floor. All residents were allowed back inside within a couple of hours. No residents were injured. One firefighter fell and injured his shoulder but was able to continue working. Responding to the fire were four engines, two ladder trucks, Rescue No. 1, Special Services, and Fall River police.
Apartment Building, Residential Hartford, CT – Apartment fire put out by sprinkler system; No injuries November 2, 2015 viking210 A small fire in a kitchen at 76 Pliny St. was put out by sprinklers last Thursday evening, fire officials said. Firefighters found out about the fire about 4:40 PM and found the fire in one of the apartment’s kitchen, Capt. Ted Kolosky said. The building was evacuated and no one was injured. The fire marshal is investigating the cause of the fire.
