Category Archives: Other – Residential

College/University (on campus), Other - Residential, Residential, School / University

Auburn, NY – Sprinkler system extinguishes stovetop fire at community college; No injuries reported

A minor fire, ignited by food on a stovetop, led to the displacement of several Lattimore Hall residents on Saturday, according to the Auburn Fire Department.

The incident, which occurred at the independent student housing complex for Cayuga Community College, was reported at approximately 4:47 p.m.

Officials said the dormitory’s sprinkler system quickly extinguished the fire before firefighters reached the scene.

However, the resulting water damage prompted the Auburn Code Enforcement Office to condemn the affected third-floor unit and the units directly beneath it on the first and second floors.

Fortunately, no injuries were reported.

Lattimore Hall’s management is currently arranging alternate accommodations for the displaced students, and the fire department has taken measures to manage the aftermath of the incident, including shutting down the third floor’s sprinkler system and ventilating the smoke. Auburn City Ambulance was also present on-site.

Other - Residential, Residential, Sorority / Fraternity

Winona, MN – Sprinkler system activated for fire in historic mansion; No injuries reported

Twelve residents of the historic Huff-Lamberton mansion in Winona are displaced after a fire broke out around 2:31 a.m. Friday.

The fire was confined to a common area near the entrance to the mansion, according to the Winona Police Department.

The fire, which required off-duty firefighters to be called for assistance, resulted in minor fire, smoke and water damage to the building.

The fire did not result in any injuries, but the department reported one resident had to be assisted in evacuating the building by firefighters.

The residents of the mansion are being assisted by the Red Cross to find new housing.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

The mansion was sold earlier this year to the Kappa Chi Fraternity for $1.85 million, over double the estimated market value of the mansion, according to Winona County’s commercial sale records.

Kappa Chi chapter president Creighton Butler said that the fraternity has not moved into the mansion yet and the residents had leases from before the purchase of the property.

He said the sprinkler system activated and helped contain the fire to the common space. The building’s fire alarm system automatically reported the blaze to the Winona Fire Department.

Butler said there was “a lot to be figured out still” for the fraternity regarding its plans to move into the mansion.

The mansion, built in 1857 by one of Winona’s founders, Henry Huff, has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1976.

Other - Residential, Residential

Santa Cruz, CA – Sprinkler system contains fire in six-story residential building

A sprinkler system helped contained a restaurant fire in a six-story residential building to the kitchen where it started Monday evening, according to the Santa Cruz Fire Department.

Initially reported as an individual in need of rescue, Santa Cruz firefighters responded to the 1010 Pacific Ave. scene shortly after 4 p.m. Arriving firefighters entering the building encountered heavy smoke coming from inside the kitchen, but found no trapped building occupants, Battalion Chief Josh Coleman wrote in a media release. Two adults reporting smoke inhalation were treated at the scene, the department said.

Occupants of the building’s 113 apartments were evacuated during the fire. The fire was extinguished within about 10 minutes and firefighters spent two hours searching for hidden fire extension elsewhere in the building and assisting residents in returning to their homes. The department estimated the fire resulted in about $10,000 worth of damages.

Fire investigators determined the cause to be accidental, with no foul play noted. The two-alarm fire drew mutual aid assistance from Central and Scotts Valley fire protection districts.

Other - Residential, Residential

Chambersburg, PA – Sprinkler system activated for fire at rehabilitation and wellness center; No injuries reported

Many residents of the Laurel Lakes Rehabilitation and Wellness Center have fire crews to thank for a swift response to a blaze that caused heavy smoke in the building.

According to Franklin Fire Company, the incident happened in the building at around 12:13 a.m. on Saturday.

Due to the fast response and readiness of the team, officials say the fire was contained to a commercial dryer in a utility room, which was the root of the flames.

A firefighter with the station even captured the ordeal from his perspective on camera:

Luckily, authorities say they were able to quickly “isolate gas and electric at the dryer and shut down the sprinkler system to the affected area.”

Crews say they worked with nursing staff to make sure all residents were able to safely remain inside the building during the situation.

No one was injured in the fire.

Other - Residential, Residential

Lower Merion, PA – Sprinkler system activated for fire at multi-occupancy building; No injuries reported

Fire crews in Lower Merion quickly put down a porch fire early Thursday morning at a home on the 100 block of West Montgomery Avenue in Ardmore.

The Merion Fire Company of Ardmore was called to the property at 3:30 a.m. on the report of a porch on fire at a multi-occupancy building. The sprinkler system activated and held the fire in place, so firefighters could extinguish and overhaul the fire.

All Lower Merion fire companies responded as part of the working fire procedure and staged to be ready if needed. The fire was declared under control in 15 minutes by the incident commander. There were no injuries reported.

Other - Residential, Residential

Petaluma, CA – Sprinkler system activated for fire at tiny home community; No injuries reported

One resident was displaced by a fire Friday at Petaluma People’s Village, a community of 25 tiny homes for the unsheltered.

Firefighters were dispatched at 4:09 p.m. Friday to a report of a structure fire at the tiny home community located behind the Mary Isaak Center, 900 Hopper St., according to the Petaluma Fire Department.

Firefighters found smoke coming from one of the units, along with the fire bell sounding and the fire sprinkler system activated in one unit, Petaluma Fire Marshal Jessica Power said in a news release.

A smoldering fire was found inside the unit but was mostly extinguished due to the sprinkler system activation, Power said.

Firefighters extinguished the remaining fire and searched for victims.

A single resident escaped the fire in the unit without injury.

There were no injuries to firefighters.

The Petaluma Building Department and PG&E responded to evaluate the next steps for making the unit inhabitable again.

“During the planning and construction of People’s Village many important safety features, including an automatic fire sprinkler system and alarms were included,” Power said. “As intended and designed, in this incident the sprinkler system and corresponding alarm bell notified the residents and gave them time to evacuate safely, kept damage to that unit at a minimum, and prevented fire damage to other units, saving vital housing for some of those most vulnerable.”

The cause of the fire remained under investigation Monday.

Other - Residential, Residential

Boise, ID – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire in multi-family home; No injuries reported

Crisis averted when a multi-family home was ultimately saved by its sprinkler system after catching fire on Wednesday.

Caldwell Fire Department said in a release that on the morning of Feb. 8, Canyon County Dispatch received several reports of a fire alarm having been activated inside of a home. 

Caldwell Fire crews were dispatched to the two-story multi-family fourplex. Upon arrival, no smoke nor flames could be detected, however, the audible water flow alarm was activated.

No one was home at the time of the incident.

Upon further investigation, it was determined that a fire had indeed broken out in one of the bedrooms. Crews concluded that the fire suppression system had activated, effectively extinguishing the fire that erupted in the back bedroom of one of the first-floor apartments. 

The statement iterated that if not for the sprinkler system, damages could have been exponential. They said the fire would have grown much larger, moving into the adjacent units and buildings, potentially displacing several families.

Let this serve as a reminder to keep fire and smoke alarms updated; and next time you reach for those batteries to replace your dying remote control…don’t.

“This is a good reminder that fire suppression systems work,” said Deputy Chief Alan Perry, Fire Marshal, Caldwell Fire Department. 

“The need for fire suppression systems in residential settings is paramount as high-density living situations become more and more common.”

Other - Residential, Residential

Victoria, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for fire at former hotel; No injuries reported

About 20 residents of a former Port Alberni hotel converted into residences were out of their homes Saturday after a fire ripped through a suite, causing smoke, water and electrical damage to the building.

The fire department arrived to the Angus Street building, located between Third and Fourth avenues, at 9:20 a.m. with an engine and ladder truck.

Port Alberni Fire Chief Mike Owens said the blaze was contained to one suite and proved difficult to fully extinguish due to what he called a “hoarding environment.” But he said the sprinkler and alarm systems in the two-storey structure worked properly and alerted residents inside.

No one was injured in the blaze.

However, the department had to ask B.C. Hydro to cut power to the building as water from sprinklers seeped into suites on the lower floors.

Emergency Support Service providers were notified and temporary accommodations are being found for the residents. The B.C. SPCA was called to care for several cats and dogs, said Owen.

Owens said an investigation into the fire is ongoing and could not say when residents would be able to return to the building.

Other - Residential, Residential

Pacifica, CA – Sprinkler system activated for fire at multi-family residence; No injuries reported

Two people in Pacifica have been displaced following a fire in their residence on Monday evening, the North County Fire Authority said.

Six fire companies responded to the blaze in the 900 block of Linda Mar Boulevard at approximately 7:19 p.m.

Firefighters arrived and found smoke coming from a multi-family residence. They made an aggressive attack and began search and rescue operations but no one was inside at the time, the Fire Authority said.

The fire was extinguished and no other buildings were affected. The North County Fire Authority noted that the building’s sprinkler system activated, which confined the fire to its origin area.

Two residents are now displaced and are being aided by the Red Cross.

There were no injuries.

This fire is currently under investigation.

Other - Residential, Residential

Quebec City, QC, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for vehicle fire in underground parking lot

Hyundai recalled some 77,000 Kona EVs in 2020 due to the risk of them bursting into flames from possibly defective battery packs and even though it supposedly fixed all vehicles that potentially had problems, the fires didn’t completely go away. Now another electric Kona caught fire while it was parked in an underground parking lot in Quebec City, Canada.

Firefighters responded to the call but they say they first had to ventilate the underground part of the building in order to gain access to the vehicle in order to extract it from the garage. They quickly managed to do that and even though they say it was the battery pack that was the source of the fire, this particular Hyundai Kona Electric has much less damage compared to others we’ve seen.

It is also noted that the vehicle was parked under a sprinkler for the emergency fire suppression system and even though the battery pack (the source of the fire) was under the car where water couldn’t quite reach it, it probably played its part in keeping the fire contained and preventing it from spreading to other cars parked nearby.

It was not noted in any of the reports that we found whether or not the vehicle had been plugged in and charging when the fire started.

The fire was reported at around 4 AM and firefighters decided to evacuate the entire eight-story building to make sure everyone was safe. Even though the fire was contained and flames were never visible from the outside, smoke had apparently entered the building’s ventilation ducts, posing health risks and making the evacuation necessary.

Everybody was given the green light to return to their homes two hours later and the fire reportedly caused no damage to the building or any of the other cars parked there at the time.