Category Archives: Residential

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

Champaign, IL – Early morning fire at University of Illinois residence hall extinguished by sprinkler system

Fire officials are investigating what caused a trash can fire in a University of Illinois dormitory early Thursday morning. At 2:13 a.m., the Urbana and Champaign fire departments responded to a report of a fire at Scott Hall, 202 East Peabody Drive, in Champaign.

When they arrived, the firefighters did not see anything from the outside, but on the second floor, they found smoke in the southwest hallway, said Urbana Fire Chief Brian Nightlinger. A fire had started in a trash can in a common area garbage closet, said Craig Grant, associate director of campus code compliance & fire safety.

A sprinkler in that closet extinguished the fire. Firefighters were able to turn the sprinkler off before it caused significant damage, Nightlinger said. “The sprinkler system did its job,” Nightlinger said.

The residence hall was evacuated until around 3 a.m. Students took shelter in Snyder Hall and the Student Dining and Residential Programs building, Grant said. Cleanup lasted into the early morning.  Anyone with information on what may have caused the fire can contact the Champaign Fire Department at 217-403- 7200.

Apartment Building, Residential

Vancouver, WA – Apartment fire caused by unattended candle is limited by sprinkler system

Sprinklers at a Vancouver apartment complex limited the fire damage from a Tuesday morning blaze to a single unit, fire officials said. Firefighters were called to Redwood Acres apartments, 3409 N.E. 62nd Ave. in Vancouver’s Bagley Downs neighborhood, about 5:15 a.m., Vancouver firefighter Pete Adams said. Arriving crews reported a working fire coming from the third floor and that all of the occupants had evacuated, Adams said.

The sprinklers kept the fire from spreading, and arriving crews doused the flames, bringing it under control in about 20 minutes, Adams said. There were no injuries. The unit affected was heavily damaged by fire, adjacent units sustained smoke damage and the units below sustained some water damage, Adams said. Vancouver Fire Marshal Heidi Scarpelli said that the total damage is estimated at $60,000.

The two people who lived in the fire-damaged unit were displaced, Adams said, but apartment management was making plans to house them in a different unit. Scarpelli said the fire was caused by an unattended candle left in the bedroom near the head of the bed.

“The important note here is that a lit candle is an open flame, it’s definitely a fire hazard,” Scarpelli said. “This was definitely a preventable fire. … It was fortunate that the apartment complex had a sprinkler system that was completely operational and functioned the way it was designed.”

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Lexington Park, MD – Fire at senior apartment building suppressed by sprinkler system

Deputy State Fire Marshals investigated a room and contents fire today at the Lexington Park Senior Apartments located at 21895 Pegg Road in Lexington Park.

The 72-year-old female occupant in Apartment 119 awoke to a small fire on her bed at approximately 11:30 a.m. this morning. As she evacuated the bedroom the fire grew large enough to activate the smoke detection system and the fire sprinkler located inside her room. As a result of the quick acting fire sprinkler, fire damage was contained to the bedroom and the estimated loss was limited to $1,500. The victim received mild smoke inhalation injuries and was treated and released at the scene.

Nearly 15 firefighters responded from Bay District, Hollywood and Patuxent River Fire Departments and placed the situation under control within one minute after arrival. Investigators determined the fire was caused by discarded smoking materials. No other injuries were reported during the incident. The victim is being relocated temporarily while the apartment is properly cleaned

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Easley, SC – Laundry fire at senior living facility contained with help from sprinkler system

Residents of the Brookdale Senior Living facility were evacuated on Monday after a fire broke out in the facility’s laundry room. According to Assistant Fire Chief J. Scott McClain of the Easley Fire Department, the facility, located at 125 Zion School Road, just off Route 8, caught fire just before 3 p.m. Feb. 1, setting off the building’s alarm and sprinkler systems.

Members of the Brookdale staff, Pickens County Emergency operations Center and Rescue 8 assisted with getting the residents to safety. Pickens County Emergency Medical Services also responded to the scene as a precautionary measure but no injuries were reported. McClain stated that while the fire itself was contained to the laundry room, smoke and water damage affected other areas of the building.

“The fire was extinguished in a short period of time, with additional time spent performing salvage and overhaul operations,” McClain said. EFD also stated that Easley Combined Utilities responded to assist with water issues along with the City of Easley Building Official’s Office to check the building for damages. DHEC was notified of the incident.

Two pumper trucks, a platform truck and several support units responded to the fire which was extinguished “in a short period of time.”

Residential, Townhouse / Condominium

South Portland, ME – Sprinkler system prevents fire from spreading in condominium complex

Officials with the South Portland Fire Department said no one was hurt after a fire broke out at a condominium complex. The call came in at 12:41 a.m. for a working structure fire.  It happened at Ferry Village Landing condos located at 215 High Street in South Portland.

Authorities said two of the building’s 15 units were damaged. The fire is believed to have started in the walls of one unit and continued up to the attic.  Officials said the activation of the sprinkler system contained the working fire from spreading to other units.

The Red Cross is assisting in the relocation of occupants of one of the units and others are staying with family and friends. Officials said the fire is not considered suspicious, but an official cause is still under investigation.

Portland, Cape Elizabeth, Scarborough and Westbrook fire departments assisted in station coverage and mutual aid.

Apartment Building, Residential

Reno, NV – No injuries in apartment fire after sprinkler system activates to assist firefighters

American Red Cross volunteers are assisting 14 people who were displaced after an apartment fire near 4th Street and Morrill Avenue on Friday, Jan. 5, 2016. A Reno Fire Department spokesman says firefighters responded to a report of a kitchen fire at the apartment complex about 2:30PM. Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire within minutes of arriving on the scene. However, 14 units, including the one with the kitchen fire, were damaged when the automatic sprinkler system was activated.

No one was injured and the cause of the fire remains under investigation. Red Cross Disaster Action Team volunteers are meeting with the residents and will ensure everyone has a safe place to sleep, has food, clothing, medication and other essentials.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Camarillo, CA – Sprinkler activates to help control overnight fire at senior living center

The Ventura County Fire Department responded late Tuesday to investigate a fire alarm at a senior living center in Camarillo. The alarm was reported at 11:48 p.m. at Alma Via of Camarillo in the 2500 block on North Ponderosa Drive. Crews at the scene said there was a light smell of smoke in a maintenance room and that a fire-suppression sprinkler had activated. At 12:20 a.m., crews on the scene said the small fire was out.

Apartment Building, Residential High Rise

Stamford, CT – Laundry fire in high-rise apartment building held at bay by sprinkler system

1 Comment

Though tenants had to wait outside for a bit as firefighters did their work, nobody was hurt and nobody displaced after a drier caught fire in a 12-story high rise on Strawberry Hill Avenue late Friday night. The fire department got the call for a fire at the Carlton Plaza apartment building, situated roughly between the Stamford Police Department headquarters and Stamford High School as the crow flies, shortly before 10:30 p.m.

Fire Capt. Michael Terenzio said that the fire started in or near a drier on the third floor. It is as yet unclear whether a malfunction in the drier started the fire, and the fire marshal is still investigating. “The third floor was evacuated, no one lost use of their apartments, everyone did react to the fire alarm system and it looks like the damage was confined to the object that was on fire, except for, obviously, smoke damage,” said Terenzio. “Everyone was probably out for an hour or so.”

After that, the 120 tenants were able to go back to their units. The captain said the building’s sprinkler system worked as it should and helped keep the fire at bay until firefighters were able to bring up a hose.  As a precaution, firefighters recommend regularly cleaning highly flammable drier lint out of traps and ducts.

Apartment Building, Residential

Henrico, VA – Apartment kitchen fire extinguished by sprinkler system; No other apartments affected

Crews responded to a kitchen fire at an apartment complex in Henrico’s Northside. It happened around 4 p.m. in the 5500 block of Cliffbrook Circle, near Brook Road and I-95.  Officials say someone in the apartment was cooking at the time and left the stove briefly unattended. When she came back, the pan caught on fire and the sprinkler immediately went off, extinguishing the fire.

The fire was marked under control and was determined as “accidental in nature and caused by cooking in the kitchen.” The woman who was cooking was evaluated on scene but not taken to the hospital. Everyone who was in the apartment made it out ok and will be displaced for a short period of time. Two women are being assisted by the American Red Cross, according to fire officials.

No other apartments were affected in the fire.