Category Archives: Residential

Apartment Building, Residential

Frederick, MD – Sprinklers contain Memorial Day apartment fire; No injuries reported

Crews arrived at the Mountain Glen Apartments in the 5700 block of Sugar Maple Court at 10:35 p.m. Monday to find smoke coming from the second floor of a three-story, garden-style apartment building, said Capt. Kevin Fox, a spokesman for the Frederick County Division of Fire and Rescue Services. The apartment’s sprinkler system helped contain the fire while firefighters were setting up.

“It was held to the stove and cabinet area of the kitchen and prevented from spreading into the rest of the building,” Fox said. “It took about 30 firefighters 10 minutes to bring it under control.”

The 12-unit building was evacuated during the firefighters’ response, but no one was displaced by the blaze and no injuries were reported, either to firefighters or residents, Fox said. Firefighters quickly determined that unattended cooking sparked the fire.

Other - Residential, Residential

St. Cloud, MN – Fire at veterans home contained by sprinkler system

The St. Cloud Fire Department received a report of a fire at about 3:08 p.m. at a St. Cloud veterans home on the 800 block of 8th Avenue South. When firefighters arrived, the sprinkler system in the building had largely contained the fire.

Authorities said the fire likely started because of a cigarette that was left on a mattress in one of the rooms. The residents affected by the fire were moved to different rooms within the facility until the clean-up can be finished. Fire officials said there were no injuries in the incident, but the facility suffered about $1,000 in damage.

Residential, Townhouse / Condominium

Tampa, FL – Condo fire extinguished by sprinkler system; Lightning strike possible cause

A fire that may have been sparked by a lightning strike was quickly extinguished by a sprinkler system at a condominium complex at 4115 Chatham Oak Court, Hillsborough County Fire Rescue said Sunday. Residents said they thought they smelled something burning after the lightning strike on the roof of the complex late Saturday, but they could not locate a fire, according to fire officials.

But a small blaze smoldered in the roof before it burned through the ceiling of unit 222 some time later, fire officials said. No injuries were reported. The American Red Cross helped families find temporary housing. Fire officials did not say how many families were affected nor provide the time of the blaze.

Apartment Building, Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential, Residential High Rise

Columbia, MO – Single sprinkler activates to control fire in apartments for seniors and disabled

Officials said unattended cooking was the cause of a Thursday fire in an apartment at Paquin Tower, 1201 Paquin St., according to a Columbia Fire Department news release. A fire department crew was dispatched at 9:39 p.m. to the apartment building, where water was spotted coming from under an apartment door.

According to the news release, one sprinkler head brought the fire under control and 84 percent of residential fires are contained by one sprinkler head. The crew remained on the scene to clean up the water in the apartment and in the hallway.

 

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential High Rise

Auburn, WA – Early morning fire in senior apartment building doused by sprinkler system

A building sprinkler system contained a fire in a seven-story senior apartment complex in Auburn early Thursday morning. Damage was limited to four apartments, the Valley Regional Fire Authority reported.

VRFA crews responded to a report of the fire at the Plaza 17 Apartment building, 1001 17th St. SE, shortly after 7:30 a.m. When crews arrived, they found that three sprinkler heads had activated containing the fire to one apartment unit on the sixth floor of the building. Residents were evacuating.

Firefighters completed fire extinguishment and searched the building for any remaining residents needing assistance. Residents were able to rest in the building’s community room, unaffected by the fire, while fire crews cleared smoke and used water vacuums to remove excess water.

Four apartment units were deemed uninhabitable, primarily because of the water damage. Building managers were able to find housing for all but one resident who will be helped by the American Red Cross. Kent Fire Department RFA, South King Fire and Rescue and King County Medic One assisted the VRFA. The fire is under investigation.

Residential, Townhouse / Condominium

Grande Prairie, AB, Canada – Condominium fire confined to one suite by sprinkler system

On Sunday, the Grande Prairie Fire Department (GPFD) responded to reports of a fire at Grande Plaza Condos on 92 Avenue, near Resources Road.

Firefighters found the alarm system indicating a sprinkler activation on the first floor and then discovered a fire in one of the suites. Tony Lutzmann, the platoon chief on duty, said a heat-activated sprinkler in the suite went off and controlled the fire.

“In this case, obviously, there was a large enough fire that there was enough heat to set a sprinkler head off,” he said. The fire was confined to one suite, which sustained smoke and water damage. “Basically, it’s what we call a room and contents fire,” said Lutzmann.

“It didn’t spread beyond the suite of origin and that’s what exactly what a sprinkler system is designed to do, is to catch a fire in its early stages and prevent it spreading into a larger, more serious fire.”

Apartment Building, Residential, Residential High Rise

Shreveport, LA – High-rise apartment blaze knocked down by sprinkler system

Firefighters were called to the high-rise Fairmont Apartments building in downtown Shreveport just before 7:00 Monday evening. Fire officials say the fire appeared to have started in the kitchen of a third floor apartment. Fortunately, the sprinkler system had mostly knocked out the fire before firefighters arrived.

“The sprinkler system did what it was supposed to do, save the owners of the building money, reduce the damage and minimize injuries to the occupants. So, the sprinkler system was effective in doing its job,” says Shreveport Fire Chief Fred Sanders. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential, Residential High Rise

San Diego, CA – Sprinklers help contain blaze at senior residential high-rise; No injuries

A fire of unknown origin erupted in a City Heights senior-housing high-rise Monday afternoon.  The non-injury blaze began spreading on the seventh floor of the 10-story building in the 4100 block of 42nd Street about 2:45 p.m., according to the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.

It took crews about a half-hour to extinguish the flames, which appeared to have originated on or near an outdoor deck, SDFRD Capt. Joe Amador said.  A built-in fire sprinkler helped keep the blaze from rapidly spreading prior to the arrival of emergency personnel, he said.

Firefighters were able to contain the fire to the unit where it originated, though several nearby ones sustained smoke and heat damage, according to Amador.

Authorities evacuated about 70 people from the building and directed others to remain in their apartments for a time as a precaution. The American Red Cross was called in to help arrange interim lodging for those unable to return to their residences immediately.

Residential, Townhouse / Condominium

Woodbridge, VA – Sprinklers contain fire in townhouse occupied by two adults and five children

Two adults and five children are safe after a townhouse fire Sunday evening in Woodbridge, Va., officials said. The fire happened around 7 p.m. in the 2700 block of Corbin Court, Prince William County Fire and Rescue Department said. Crews found a kitchen fire contained by the home’s sprinkler system when they got to the home. Residents inside of the home were safely evacuated, officials added.

The Red Cross is helping two adults and five children who were all displaced by the fire. Damages as of now are estimated at $10,000. Officials said the reduction in damages is due to the quick activation of the sprinkler system inside of the home. The fire remains under investigation.

Other - Residential, Residential

Olympia, WA – Sprinkler system controls fire at homeless shelter

A Sunday morning fire in Olympia was largely controlled by an automatic sprinkler system according to the Olympia Fire Department. About 10 a.m. Sunday, Olympia fire crews were dispatched to the homeless shelter operated by Family Support Services in the 800 block of Seventh Avenue Southeast.

Once there, fire crews contained the fire to one apartment. They also evaluated two patients — one for a minor burn and the other for smoke inhalation. Both refused aid and were released at the scene, according to a news release. One firefighter at the scene also suffered a minor laceration. The cause of the fire appeared to be accidental, according to the news release.