Apartment Building, Residential Scottsbluff, NE – Arson fire at apartment building contained by newly installed sprinkler system; No injuries December 11, 2016 viking210 A new fire alarm and sprinkler system played a part in containing fire damage to a minimum at Eastwood Apartments in Scottsbluff. At around 12:30 p.m. on Friday, Scottsbluff Fire Department received a call of a fire alarm going off at Eastwood Apartments. Fortunately the building was recently remodeled with a properly functioning alarm and fire suppression system. The fire started inside of a first floor apartment on the north side of the building. According to Scottsbluff Fire Marshal Anthony Murphy, the fire was intentionally set but no further details can be disclosed at this time. The resident of the apartment had left shortly before the alarm went off. The apartment now suffers water damage. The sprinkler in the apartment was the only one to go off, containing the fire in the unit. “When the crews made entry into to the room that had the fire, there were a bunch of clothing articles that were burning and it definitely was put out mostly by the fire suppression sprinklers,” said Murphy. All building residents were evacuated at the time of the fire and nobody was injured. Scottsbluff Fire Department was assisted by Gering Fire Department and Valley Ambulance. The cause of the fire is still currently under investigation, the cost of damages is also unknown.
Apartment Building, Residential Keene, NH – Sprinkler system helps stop fire at multi-family building December 9, 2016 viking210 A second-alarm fire broke out at a multi-family building just northeast of downtown Keene Tuesday night. The first call for assistance came at 6:32 p.m. to battle a fire at the Beaver Brook Apartments at 543 Washington St., which is near the intersection of Cottage Street. The two-story structure has 24 apartments. Keene fire officials reported that the blaze in a second-story apartment took about 40 minutes to bring under control. Fire was limited to that one unit and there was smoke damage affecting about 25 percent of the building. The state chapter of American Red Cross reported that it was assisting one family with shelter after the blaze. The one occupant of the apartment was offered, but refused, medical transport for treatment, fire officials said. The building’s sprinkler assisted with controlling the blaze. At the height of the fire, there were eight public safety trucks on scene, according to the Southwestern New Hampshire Mutual Assistance Program. By 7:30 p.m., firefighters were bringing tenants back into the building to retrieve their belongings and their pets. First responders assisted to prevent the lower apartments from getting water damage. The origin and cause of the fire remain under investigation. Anyone with information related to the incident is asked to call the Keene Fire Department at 603-757-1863. Brattleboro, Vt., and Swanzey Fire assisted at the scene. Crews from the Marlborough, Spofford, Chesterfield, Peterborough and Walpole fire departments provided coverage to the two Keene Fire Stations.
Apartment Building, Residential Belton, TX – Overnight apartment fire extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries reported December 7, 2016 viking210 A stove that was left on led to a fire in a second-floor unit at the River Springs at Barge Ranch apartments, 3300 N. Main Street, on Sunday night. A sprinkler system in the unit put the fire out, according to a press release from Paul Romer, public information officer for the city of Belton. Nobody was injured in the fire, but it displaced two adults – one in the unit where the fire occurred and another person from the unit directly below. The Belton Fire Department responded to a call about the fire at about 11:15 p.m. on Sunday by sending two engine trucks and two ambulances. The Temple Fire Department provided mutual aid with an engine and a ladder truck.
Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential Ridgefield, CT – Kitchen fire at senior living facility extinguished with help from sprinkler system December 7, 2016 viking210 The Ridgefield Fire Department responded to a chair fire at Ridgefield Crossings around 9 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 4. Fire Chief Kevin Tappe said that an elderly woman who lives in the facility was heating a towel in the microwave and it ignited. “The woman grabbed the towel out of the microwave and then tossed it across the room,” Chief Tappe said. “It landed by a chair with clothing on it and started the chair and clothes on fire.” The facility’s manager used a fire extinguisher to put out the flames and the building’s sprinkler system finished the job, Tappe said. According to the chief, there was very little fire damage and some smoke and water damage. Chief Tappe said that the fire alarms and sprinkler system worked properly. Fire officials opened the windows and used fans to clear the smoke from the building, Tappe said. No one was injured.
Residential, Single Family Home El Granada, CA – Home sprinkler system assists firefighters in suppressing deck fire at home December 6, 2016 viking210 A small fire damaged a deck and portion of an El Granada house Friday afternoon. Maresha Leeds, who lives in the home at Isabella Avenue and Columbus Street with her husband, was in her kitchen when the fire struck around 1 p.m. “I don’t know how it happened,” she said. “It seemed so spontaneous.” Leeds said she was feeling uneasy around the time the fire started and didn’t know why. When her two golden retrievers started barking she thought something must be up. Then a ring of the doorbell clarified things. “My gardener and my UPS man told me my house was on fire,” Leeds said. The pair called 911 and Leeds worked on getting her dogs and her pet bird out of the house. Coastside Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Ari Delay said at the scene that the cause of the fire was still under investigation, but appeared to originate from the second-level deck. He said flames were shooting up 10 to 20 feet when firefighters arrived and smoke from the blaze could be seen all the way from Half Moon Bay. Leeds said dog beds and dog houses were the only items on that second-level deck. She noted that her gardener reported smelling something like gasoline coming from the flames, but that she doesn’t store any gasoline in her home. Delay said roughly 25 firefighters responded to the fire. A home sprinkler system assisted the firefighters with the dousing of the flames. Structural damage affected the deck and the neighboring room inside the home. A larger portion of the home suffered smoke and water damage, Delay said. Leeds indicated that she was fortunate the fire didn’t escalate into anything worse. “I’m so glad I was home,” she said.
Apartment Building, Residential Hillsboro, OR – Apartment fire caused by resident smoking in bed is limited by sprinkler system; No injuries December 5, 2016 viking210 An apartment’s sprinkler system is credited for limiting the damage of a mattress fire early Friday morning. Hillsboro Fire and Rescue say the fire started in a unit at Wyndhaven Apartments on SW Edgeway Drive. A woman told officials she was smoking in bed and fell asleep. The sprinkler system in her unit put out the fire but caused damage to furniture in the apartment and seeped into the apartment downstairs. Other resident’s in the complex fled. No one was injured. The total damage of the fire is estimated at $5,000.
Apartment Building, Residential Madison, WI – Apartment building fire contained to room of origin by sprinkler system; No injuries reported December 2, 2016 viking210 Ten people living in Downtown apartment building were looking for other places to stay temporarily, after a small fire set off an automatic sprinkler system. The fire was reported at about 12:40 p.m. Wednesday at the Uncommon Apartments in the 100 block of North Bedford Street, the Madison Fire Department said. The fire was in an apartment on the fourth floor, but most of the displaced residents lived on the third floor. Nobody was hurt. “An automatic sprinkler activation kept the fire contained to the room of origin, which suffered smoke and fire damage,” said fire department spokeswoman Cynthia Schuster. “A resident reported a candle was burning in the room prior to the fire.” No damage estimate was given.
Apartment Building, Residential St. Cloud, MN – Apartment kitchen fire put out by sprinkler system; No injuries November 30, 2016 viking210 A kitchen fire Sunday displaced residents of an apartment in Germain Towers in downtown St. Cloud. The St. Cloud Fire Department was called to the apartments at 905 St. Germain St. shortly before 8:30 p.m. The occupant was cooking and a grease fire started on the stove, acting Battalion Chief Mitch Peterson reported. A nearby sprinkler was activated and put out the fire. No one was injured. The occupants of the affected unit were displaced, but all other residents were allowed to return to their apartments. Water damage from the sprinklers extended through the first, second and third floors, Peterson reported. The damage is estimated at $25,000.
Apartment Building, Residential Gainesville, FL – Apartment fire held in check by sprinkler system; Two cats rescued November 28, 2016 viking210 Two cats were rescued and a fire was contained to a bathroom in a Gainesville apartment Friday night, an incident that shows the value of sprinkler systems in buildings, said Gainesville Fire Rescue. The fire was reported a 9:45 p.m. at the Pine Hill Estates apartment complex at 1426 NW Third Ave. The fire alarm monitoring company indicated it was a “water-flow” alarm, GFR District Chief Allen Siorek said in a press release. A neighbor also called in to report smoke coming from the building. Firefighters forced their way into the apartment and found a fire in the bathroom. Siorek said the sprinkler system had activated, keeping the fire in check. Two cats were rescued but no one was in the apartment when the fire occurred. “While the fire is still under investigation, the importance of a working sprinkler system cannot be overstated,” Siorek said in the release. “Without these live-saving devices, the fire would have spread considerably, potentially damaging adjacent apartments and endangering the lives of other tenants who were home, including the residents above.”
Apartment Building, Residential Manchester, NH – Apartment fire held in check by sprinkler system; No injuries reported November 26, 2016 viking210 Two people were rescued from a fire inside an apartment above Caesarios Pizza Friday night. Just before 9:30 p.m. a box alarm sounded at 1061 Elm St. As firefighters were responding, dispatch received a call from an occupant of apartment 210 indicating that there was an emergency in their apartment and that they were trapped. Dispatchers could not get clarification from the occupant on what type of emergency that they were reporting. After further inquiry they reported a possible explosion. Fire crews from Central Station arrived several minutes after receiving the call and discovered a fire in apartment 210 with occupants still inside. Firefighters accessed the three-bedroom apartment through the only access available which led them into the living room that was on fire. Firefighters searched the two adjacent rooms for the known trapped occupants and rescued them, removing them to the exterior hall through a barricaded secondary egress, and then to the outside where they were evaluated by AMR ambulance personnel. Though shaken up they were not injured and refused transport to the hospital. Elm Street was closed to traffic during the emergency. Damage is estimated at $10,000.00. Caesario’s Pizza and Element Lounge both suffered water runoff from the sprinkler system. Manchester Health Department responded and met with representatives of both businesses. The 911 dispatcher kept the occupants on the phone (helping them stay calm) the whole time, until they were rescued. A working sprinkler system kept the fire in check until firefighters arrived and extinguished the remainder of the fire. Heavy smoke filled most of the second floor and the third and fourth floors had moderate smoke from the fire. The entire building was evacuated for approximately one hour, as were the two effected businesses. The fire was caused by careless disposal of smoking materials into a waste basket next to the recliner in the living room. This fire is classified as accidental. District Fire Chief Mike Gamache said he attributes the safe rescue of the two people trapped inside the apartment to a combination of a working sprinkler system, the calm professionalism of the 911 dispatch team and the rapid efficient response of the Manchester Fire Department.
