Category Archives: Residential High Rise

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential High Rise

Topeka, KS – Sprinkler system keeps senior high rise fire under control until firefighters arrive

Residents of a west Topeka senior high-rise apartment building were awakened by the sound of smoke alarms early Wednesday after a trash fire inside their building, authorities said.  The residents either made it outside safely or sheltered in place as Topeka Fire Department crews extinguished the blaze.

Authorities said the fire was reported shortly after 12:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Plaza West Apartments, a seven-story building at 5620 S.W. 22nd.  Upon their arrival, firefighters found light smoke on the first-floor of the building.  Crews searched and found a small fire in a trash bin. Officials said the bin was located in the trash room of the complex.

Topeka Fire Department officials said the sprinkler system activated properly and kept the fire under control until firefighters could arrive.  Firefighters then removed the trash bin from the building and finished extinguishing the blaze.

Damage was confined to the trash bin and the surrounding trash-chute system. A Topeka Fire Department investigator responded to the scene to determine the origin and cause of the fire. A preliminary investigation indicated the cause of the fire was undetermined, pending further investigation.

The estimated dollar loss was $500 to the structure. There was no content loss. Three engine companies, two truck Companies, two battalion chiefs and an investigator responded to the incident. No injuries were reported.

College/University (on campus), Residential, Residential High Rise

Ithaca, NY – Fire on 10th floor of on-campus residential high rise contained by sprinkler system

Firefighters from the Ithaca Fire Department were called to Ithaca College campus for a fire in a dorm room on the 10th floor of the East Tower high-rise. Fire officials credit a working sprinkler and fire alarm system for keeping the fire from spreading from the one dorm room.

Ithaca College Safety Personnel reported heavy smoke in the hallway and a sprinkler activation on the 10th floor at about 9 a.m., according to the Ithaca Fire Department. Students evacuated the building to the Towers parking lot.

Ithaca firefighters arrived and entered the building to search for anyone still inside, while others stretched hose lines to the fire. The fire was quickly knocked down.

No one was injured in the blaze and students were moved into the Towers dinning hall due temperatures in the teens, the fire department said. The fire caused significant damage to the the dorm room, but the fire was contained and did not spread to any other rooms, the department said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation at this time.

“Early notification and quick responses keep these potentially serious events, from turning tragic,” the fire department said on its Facebook page.

Residential, Residential High Rise

Hutchinson, KS – Fire in residential high rise contained to kitchen area by sprinkler system

A Hutchinson man “narrowly escaped the smoky conditions” of a kitchen fire late Friday night on the 11th floor of the Plaza Towers that caused other residents to flee their apartments in the 12-story building, the Hutchinson Fire Department stated.

The man used a stove burner to heat the apartment when other material on the stove ignited, according to a press release. A single sprinkler went off, and the man made his way through the dense smoke and out of the apartment. The sprinkler helped contain the fire to the kitchen area. Firefighters found the blaze spread to the kitchen cabinets when they arrived after 11:45 p.m.

Firefighters used thermal-imaging equipment to locate the fire, the release said, while other firefighters evacuated the 11th and 12th floors of the apartment building at 17 E. Second Ave. Approximately 45 apartments are being rented, the fire department said.

The man was the only one in the apartment at the time, fire Chief Steve Beer said. He was treated on site by Reno County EMS and is being assisted by the American Red Cross. Beer said the man and his son were the only residents displaced by the fire

Residential, Residential High Rise

Jersey City, NJ – Sprinklers assist firefighters in containing early morning fire in luxury high-rise; No injuries reported

The Jersey City Fire Department responded to a small fire at the Monaco luxury high-rise early last Wednesday morning, authorities said. After arriving to the Washington Boulevard apartment complex at 1:30 a.m., firefighters located a fire in the heating component of one of the building’s units, Jersey City spokeswoman Kimberly Scalcione said. The small fire, which set off two sprinkler heads, was determined to have been caused by a faulty heating system, Scalcione added. One apartment sustained fire damage and two others had minor water damage, the spokeswoman said, adding that no injuries were reported.

Residential, Residential High Rise

Elgin, IL – Residential high-rise fire put out by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

A kitchen fire was reported in a northwest suburban high-rise building Monday afternoon in Elgin.  At 12:55 p.m. fire crews responded to reports of a kitchen fire with sprinkler activation on the fifth floor of a high-rise building at 104 S. State St., according to a statement from the Elgin Fire Department.  A resident who went down to the second floor told crews she had smoke in her apartment, fire said. Crews located a cooking fire on the stove that had spread to the cabinets and was extinguished by the sprinkler system.  Firefighters ensured the fire was put out, shut off the activated sprinkler, evacuated smoke from the building and checked on residents as needed, fire said. Water accumulation is being removed by the building maintenance crews. Total damages total $5,000, fire said.

Residential, Residential High Rise

Halifax, NS, Canada – Fire on 26th floor of high rise apartment building controlled by sprinkler system

Fire crews responded to reports of a fire at Fenwick Tower in Halifax on Wednesday. They were called at about 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday after a fire broke out on the 26th floor. Deputy Chief Roy Hollett says the building’s sprinkler system controlled the fire, and firefighters were able to put it out completely. Power was shut off to the building and there is water damage from the 26th floor and below. While the Canadian Red Cross was called in to prepare emergency shelter for residents, the city said late this afternoon that the decision had been made to allow tenants to remain in the building. Power is being restored one floor at a time, while building electricians make repairs.

Residential, Residential High Rise

Honolulu, HI – Fire in 37th floor high rise condo extinguished by sprinkler system

A fire at a new luxury tower condominium in Kakaako was extinguished today by an activated sprinkler, a Honolulu Fire Department spokesman said. Firefighters received a call at about 3:45 p.m. from a person on the 37th floor of Keauhou Place, 555 South St., about smoke coming from the floor above, said Honolulu Fire Capt. David Jenkins. Firefighters arrived to find a kitchen fire that was extinguished by an activated sprinkler. Jenkins said there was some water damage from the sprinkler, but it was “positively way better than structure fire damage.” A damage estimate and the cause of the fire were under investigation. The 43-story luxury tower with units priced from about $400,000 to $1.4 million opened to residents in late October.

Residential, Residential High Rise

Hamilton, ON, Canada – High rise apartment fire that started in garbage chute limited by sprinkler system

At 2:01 a.m., fire crews were called to a high rise apartment building at 43 Forest Ave. They found a fire on the second floor at Villa Marie III, in the building’s garbage chute. Fire officials say there was heavy smoke on the 17th and 18th floors.   There are no injuries, however, residents of the building were without power. The sprinkler system was activated during the fire, causing damage to the electric system in the apartment. Electra Utilities shut down power to the entire building, pending an inspection by the electrical safety authority.  Damage is estimated at $10,000.

College/University (on campus), Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential High Rise

New Brunswick, NJ – Sprinkler system successfully activates in Rutgers University residential high-rise fire; No injuries reported

Hundreds of residents were evacuated from The Yard @ College Ave this afternoon after a grease fire on the 12th floor set off the alarms and sprinkler systems — but according to students on the scene, there was a notable gap between the evacuations of the top and the bottom floors. “The sprinkler system activated, causing water to reach lower floors down to the lobby,” said University spokesperson Neal Buccino. “Residence Life representatives have been on (the) scene since the incident began.”

No injuries were reported, but according to Buccino, approximately 26 students were displaced as a result of flooding in their apartments. He said Residence Life has connected those students with temporary housing that will be available until they can return to their apartments. Laura Dengrove, a School of Arts and Sciences senior, said that some individuals were asked to provide a record of the possessions in their apartments as a provision in case of flooding-related damage.

“We didn’t really see anything because we’re on the fourth floor. Apparently there were flashing lights near the elevators but we didn’t get any alarm at all, even though the people above us did,” Dengrove said. “There are some people who have been out here for an hour — we just got out five minutes ago. When you look at the whole picture that probably isn’t great.”

The Sojourner Truth Apartments opened earlier this year and aside from drills, this was the first time that an emergency has forced students to evacuate the building. There are a total of 442 students currently living in the complex. Michael Collins, a School of Engineering senior, lives just two floors below where the kitchen fire took place. Unlike residents on the fourth floor, he said he was alerted to the emergency by a series of alarms.

“The first thing that happened around 3 p.m. was we got an alarm that was automated, saying ‘an emergency has been reported’ and to the best of my knowledge it’s the same alarm that happens when there’s a fire drill,” Collins said. “I was cooking when it happened so I figured I’ll just be quiet and stay in my room — it’s a drill, it happens. Then about 15-20 minutes ago we got an actual alert from a person on an intercom saying ‘all residents evacuate’ it sounded legit so we all left.”

After talking to some of the other displaced students, Collins said he began to realize that everyone appeared to have been evacuated at different times, through different means. “I did hear my friend got an actual person on the intercom first and apparently that was a lot earlier than in my apartment. She’s on the seventh floor. To me it seems very disorganized and I’m very confused as to what would happen if a bigger emergency actually did happen,” Collins said.

Residential, Residential High Rise

Houston, TX – Fire on 26th floor of high-rise apartment building controlled by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

A two-alarm high-rise apartment fire blocked Weslayan and West Alabama for nearly two hours Saturday evening. The fire was the result of a kitchen fire on the 26th floor of the 40-story building.  The problem was a faulty stove with what was described as a leaking gas valve, Houston Fire Department said. A sprinkler system in the apartment was activated and firefighters did the rest, including capping the leaking valve. Damage was reported to that unit, smoke damage next door, as well as that from water used to put out the fire.

According to the deputy fire chief on scene, apartments one floor above and beneath the unit where the fire was reported were evacuated. The rest of the building was not affected and was not alerted, but some residents were called by friends who saw the firetrucks surrounding the building. One woman walked down 31 flight of stairs with her dog and children in tow.  “A friend texted me and suggested I leave,” she said.

Another couple, with their 2-year-old son were returning from dinner when they saw the flashing lights. “We’re here because our house in Brays Heights flooded, and now this,” said Buck Baker. “It’s too much drama.” No injuries were reported and no high rise rescues were required.