Category Archives: 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.

Residential, Residential High Rise

Lake Worth Beach, FL – Sprinkler system activated for fire at multi-family residential building; No injuries reported

Palm Beach County Fire Rescue said it responded to the 6300 block of Pinestead Drive at 10:50 a.m. after a report of a high-rise structure fire.

Firefighters found a three-story multi-family residential building with smoke showing from the first floor.

The fire department said once its personnel entered the building, the fire sprinkler system in the building prevented the fire from going beyond the room where it was started.

Fire personnel brought the flames under control and reported no injuries because of the incident.

The Red Cross said it is providing emergency financial assistance, health services and other resources to people affected.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Gatineau, QC, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for fire at long-term care facility; No injuries reported

Ten people have been displaced by a fire at a long-term care home in Gatineau overnight.

Gatineau fire crews responded to CHSLD Lionel-Émond just before 2 a.m. and confirmed a fire in a storage room on the fourth floor.

Twenty five people from the third and fourth floors were safely evacuated from the building and there are no injuries reported.

The fire was under control around 2:45 a.m. largely due to the automatic sprinkler system in the building.

Ten people were relocated to the Hull Hospital due to fire and water damage to their units.

Damage to the building is pegged around $170,000.

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.

Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

Gorham, ME – Sprinkler system activated for fire in four-story on campus dormitory; No injuries reported

Gorham’s fire chief says the state fire marshal was called to the University of Southern Maine’s campus for the second time in roughly a week on Monday morning.

Chief Ken Fickett says his firefighters were called to Upton Hastings Hall at roughly 2:07 a.m., as students were being evacuated from the four-story dormitory.

The chief says the fire was determined to have started in a closet on the third floor, but was thankfully contained by the floor’s sprinkler system.

This latest incident comes a week after a fire on Monday, Sept. 25, in which a lithium battery from a vape pen was determined to have caused a fire in a trash can on the same floor of Upton Hastings Hall. No injuries were reported in either fire.

In that incident, 23 students were temporarily relocated.

In the latest incident, University of Southern Maine officials say 47 students from two floors are being temporarily relocated due to the damage from the fire sprinkler system, which activated immediately.

This week, there was no damage reported from the fire itself, though the cause is still being investigated.

“Details are still emerging,” wrote USM’s public affairs officer Dan Hartill. “For now, our focus is on the wellbeing of our students.”

Apartment Building, Residential

Cedar Rapids, IA – Fire at apartment complex extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

The Cedar Rapids Fire Department is investigating into the cause of an apartment fire.

Emergency crews arrived at the complex on 59 Miller Ave SE Friday at around 7:00 p.m. to see the fire already put out from the building’s sprinkler system.

The firefighters say the sprinkler system was crucial in preventing the flames from spreading.

No one was home at the time of the fire.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential, Residential High Rise

Atlanta, GA – Sprinkler system activated for arson fire in senior living high-rise; No injuries reported

Seniors living in an Atlanta high-rise building got a scare after a fire broke out overnight.

The fire happened at the Friendship Towers on Northside Drive around midnight.

Firefighters tell FOX 5 that senior residents had to be evacuated after someone set fire to trash on the 13th floor of the building.

Thankfully, the building’s sprinkler system was able to keep the flames under control and no one was injured.

Arson investigators are now working to find out who started the blaze.

If you have any information about the fire, call the Atlanta Police Department.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Waukesha, WI – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire at senior living facility; No injuries reported

A sprinkler system reportedly extinguished a fire at Linden Grove, 425 N. University Dr., in Waukesha at 5:35 p.m. Monday afternoon.

Staff brought residents outside the building and gave them blankets to keep them warm while firefighters investigated the fire’s aftermath. The residents were reportedly brought back into their rooms within approximately one hour. Attempts to obtain further information about the fire before deadline were not successful.

Residential, Townhouse / Condominium

Kelowna, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for fire in condo; No injuries reported

A condo building fire Sunday night in Kelowna left water damage to multiple units.

Platoon Capt. Robert Skeldon with the Kelowna Fire Department says crews were called about 8:45 p.m. to the building at 1740 Richter St.

Crews arrived to find heavy smoke coming from a single unit on the third floor, with water in the hallway.

Firefighters found signs of an obvious fire inside the unit, with two sprinkler activations.

There was no fire extension to the rest of the building, however there was water damage to multiple units, says Skeldon.

A search was conducted to ensure all occupants were safely out of the building.

There were no injuries in the incident.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, but is not considered suspicious.

KFD responded with four engines, a rescue unit, ladder truck, command unit, and 20 personnel.

RCMP, paramedics and emergency support services assisted at the scene.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Surprise, AZ – Sprinkler system activated for fire at senior living facility

Surprise Fire-Medical Department and Arizona Fire and Medical Authority crews responded to a fire at a senior living facility Saturday evening.

Crews were sent to Kingswood Place, a senior living facility near Bell Road and Parkview Place, where a small fire had broken out in a bedroom. Sprinkler systems were able to keep the majority of the fire at bay as firefighters arrived, according to Surprise Battalion Chief Larry Subervi, a spokesperson for the department.

About 25 residents were displaced during the fire, but after an hour all were able to return to the building. Four residents were not able to return to their rooms due to damages from the fire or the sprinkler system. They were relocated to different rooms at the facility.

A medical treatment center was set up for residents during the fire for heat-related complaints, but no residents were significantly injured, according to the department.

The cause of the fire was still under investigation.

Kingswood Place could not be reached for comment.