Category Archives: Residential

Apartment Building, Residential

Marion, IA – Sprinkler system contains kitchen fire at apartment complex; No injuries reported

A sprinkler system contained a kitchen fire at the Marion apartment complex on Friday night.

The small fire happened in a third-floor apartment at Hilltop Manor on Lindale Drive.

The Marion Fire and Police Departments evacuated all residents from the apartment complex while they extinguished the fire.

Firefighters said the sprinkler system contained the fire to the kitchen and limited the fire and smoke damage to the room and the apartment building.

No one was hurt, and firefighters believe the fire was an accident.

Apartment Building, Residential

Peoria, IL – Sprinkler system extinguishes apartment fire; No injuries reported

Unattended cooking was deemed the cause of a fire at a newly built apartment complex, according to the Peoria Fire Department.

The fire occurred shortly after 10 p.m. Monday at the Providence Pointe Apartments, formerly known as Taft Homes. Crews were sent to the 100 block of Green Street and when they arrived, they found a two-story, eight-unit building with smoke coming from a first-floor unit.

The sprinkler system was operating and put out the fire. No one was found to be in the apartment. Damage was found to to the appliances and to the cabinets in the kitchen.

Water and smoke damage was found throughout, according to the department.

Two people will be displaced until restoration takes place and they were able to find their own
temporary housing.

Other residents in the building didn’t have to move temporary. There were no injuries. Damage was estimated at $25,000.

Apartment Building, Residential

Saco, ME – Sprinkler system extinguishes apartment fire

The Saco Fire Department responded to a 911 call last week and arrived to find an extinguished apartment fire, thanks to a fire sprinkler system.

The Saco Emergency Communications Center received a 911 call shortly before 8 p.m. Dec. 26 from the occupant of an apartment who discovered a fire in a bedroom, which was being contained by the building’s fire sprinkler system at the time of the call. The occupant alerted her daughter, and the family safely evacuated outside.

Fire crews arrived on the scene and saw no smoke or fire but did confirm the fire in the bedroom was fully extinguished by the fire sprinkler system, which was then shut off and drained to prevent any additional and unnecessary discharge of water.

The apartment is part of a complex consisting of two, three-story buildings connected by an enclosed breezeway with 24 units in total.

An investigation determined that a candle on top of a bookshelf ignited decorative items nearby and that some of these items dropped onto a plastic tote below, causing the ignition of the tote. The single side-wall sprinkler head in the bedroom performed as designed, and when it operated, water flowed in an umbrella-like fashion, wetting the bedroom and extinguishing the fire.

The Saco Fire Department is happy to report that the quick activation of the building fire sprinkler system prevented a developing fire from extending beyond the first few items ignited.

The department reminds everyone never to leave a burning candle unattended and that when in use, a candle should be at least 12 inches away from anything that can catch fire and that it is on a stable and heat-resistant surface.

Apartment Building, Residential

Los Angeles, CA – Sprinkler system contains third floor apartment fire; No injuries reported

Firefighters quickly doused a blaze that erupted in an Exposition Park apartment building this morning, officials said.

The fire, which was contained in a single unit on the third floor of the four-story structure at 3671 S Western Ave., was subdued by the building’s sprinkler system before the fire department arrived.

Upon receipt of a 9-1-1 call at 9:07 a.m., the Los Angeles Fire Department was dispatched to the scene.

According to LAFD, firefighters made entry and were able to extinguish the fire completely within 16 minutes, preventing the spread of flames and ensuring no injuries were reported.

The buildup of water from the sprinklers led to salvage operations by the crew to mitigate damage to the property.

The unit, part of a modern apartment complex comprised of three residential floors over parking, showed light smoke when the first responders arrived.

“Firefighters located fire in one unit on the 3rd floor being held in check by sprinklers,” stated LAFD spokesperson Margaret Stewart.

As a precaution, crews conducted thorough investigations to ensure that there were no remaining threats. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, and details as to the extent of the damage have not been disclosed. According to the fire department’s estimate, the swift action of the sprinkler system and the efficiency of the responding teams curtailed what could have been a much more severe incident, a testament to the importance of fire safety systems in residential buildings.

Residential, Residential High Rise

Virginia Beach, VA – Sprinkler system activated for kitchen fire in high-rise apartment; No injuries reported

A kitchen fire in a high-rise apartment in Town Center has displaced one person and damaged several other units in the building.

The Virginia Beach Fire Department responded to a fire alarm at the 4500 block of Commerce Street in Town Center on Tuesday evening. They arrived at about 8:35 p.m. After unsuccessfully attempting to reset the alarm, further investigation found water flowing from the door of an apartment on the ninth floor.

When they entered, firefighters found an active sprinkler head, fire and smoke in the apartment.

The fire was extinguished at 9:03 p.m. There was also water damage to twelve units below the apartment.

One person has been displaced. No civilians, firefighters or pets were injured.

The cause of the fire was found to be accidental from boxes left on a stove.

Other - Residential, Residential

Paso Robles, CA – Sprinkler system activated for fire in multifamily residential building

A fire forced residents to evacuate a three-story Paso Robles multifamily residential building Sunday evening.

The fire on 33rd Street was first reported around 8:15 p.m., according to a news release from Paso Robles Fire and Emergency Services.

It was located in an exterior storage space on the second floor of the building, the release said.

The fire suppression sprinkler system was working and helped mitigate the effects of the flames until firefighters could arrive on-scene.

“Due to the fire suppression system and quick actions by firefighters, there was no fire extension into the living quarters, and there was minimal damage to the structure,” the release said.

All occupants safely evacuated their homes during the blaze and were able to return after the fire was extinguished by firefighters, the release said.

The cause of the fire remains undetermined, according to the release.

Two fire engines, one battalion chief from Paso Robles Fire and Emergency Services responded to the fire, along with two San Luis Obispo County Cal Fire engines and one battalion chief and a ladder truck from the City of Atascadero Fire Department.

Apartment Building, Residential

South Portland, ME – Sprinkler system activated for fire at apartment building

Firefighters in South Portland are crediting a sprinkler system for minimizing the damage to an apartment building at 340 Clarks Pond Parkway.

The fire department was alerted to a fire at the Latitude apartment complex by a building’s fire alarm system. The building is a six-story apartment building  housing 64 units.

The automatic sprinkler system had contained a fire on a third floor balcony.

The building was evacuated while firefighters checked the structure.

The damage was minor, and there was no smoke or water damage inside the building, according to the department.

“This is a perfect example of why fire codes and safety systems are vital,” Fire Chief Phil Selberg said.

Without the activation of the sprinklers, damage could have been substantial and people may have been harmed, according to the chief.

Portland, Scarborough and Cape Elizabeth fire departments assisted.

Apartment Building, Residential

Bend, OR – Sprinkler systems activated for two separate apartment fires

Bend firefighters responded to two apartment fires over the long weekend. The first was on Atwood Drive, Thursday. Everyone evacuated the building after the batteries of an electric skateboard caught fire while charging in a bedroom. The building’s sprinkler system extinguished the flames and damage was limited to the bedroom.

Friday evening, a new tenant moving in to a newly constructed building in southwest Bend inadvertently turned on a burner while setting something on the cooktop. They quickly used a hallway fire extinguisher before the sprinklers activated.

Apartment Building, Residential

New London, CT – Sprinkler system activated for fire at apartment complex

Nov. 19—NEW LONDON — A fire at an apartment complex on Jefferson Avenue displaced a family of five Sunday.

At 11:41 a.m., New London firefighters responded to a call for a kitchen fire in apartment B7 in Jefferson Commons, 432 Jefferson Ave., Battalion Chief Mark Waters said.

When firefighters arrived, they evacuated the family, and cleared smoke and water from the apartment, he said.

The American Red Cross provided assistance to the family and caseworkers will be working with them to come up with a long-term recovery plan.

The fire had been controlled by the apartment’s sprinkler system, he said. Crews were at the scene for about half-an-hour.

The fire caused damage to the stove, cabinets and range hood, as well as smoke damage to the ceiling, Waters said, adding that repairs will have to be made.

Waters said the cause of the fire is being investigated by the fire marshal’s office.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Quincy, IL – Sprinkler system activated for dryer fire at senior center; No injuries reported

Two engines from the Quincy Fire Department responded to a fire at the Quincy Senior Center, 639 York, on Monday night.

The Quincy Fire Department responded to a report of a fire in the basement, but it received no indication of what was on fire was given. The first crew arrived on scene at 8:10 p.m. No smoke or other signs of fire were observed from the exterior.

The first-arriving crew made entry into the basement and discovered a fire in an industrial dryer. One sprinkler head had tripped, and the fire was kept in check and extinguished by the sprinkler system. Two other crews arrived on scene and assisted blocking the flow of water from the sprinkler head. They then squeegeed the water into a floor drain. The sprinkler system was shut down until a sprinkler technician arrived and reset the system.

No civilians or firefighters were injured at the scene. The dryer appears to be a complete loss. The laundry room, south hallway, and kitchen in the basement sustained water damage.

An investigation determined that mop heads and rags, which previously had cleaning solution on them, had been drying in the dryer.

The fire department had 10 members on scene from two engines, as well as a quint and the assistant chief.