Category Archives: Residential

Residential, Townhouse / Condominium

Calgary, AB, Canada – Sprinkler system extinguishes car fire at condo building parkade

Residents were evacuated from a 25-unit condo building in the city’s northeast Tuesday morning after a car went up in flames in the underground parkade.

Firefighters were called to the building in the 7000 block of 80th Avenue N.E. at around 8:45 a.m.

The building’s sprinkler system extinguished the fire but residents were displaced due to smoke and carbon monoxide concerns.

As of 10 a.m., ventilation of the building was underway and fire officials expected residents would be permitted to return in short time.

A Calgary Transit bus provided shelter to some of the displaced while others entered a neighbouring building within the complex for a reprieve from the frigid weather.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Apartment Building, Residential

Ann Arbor, MI – Sprinkler system activated for fire at apartment complex

Fire crews in Ann Arbor are crediting a sprinkler system preventing a fire from causing significant damage.

According to authorities, the fire happened Saturday night at an apartment complex on Lyndenglen Drive. The Ann Arbor Fire Department said the fire was caused by hot ashes being placed on a wood pile on an outside balcony.

The damage to the apartment complex is estimated to be $5,000. Authorities said without the sprinkler, the fire would have made it into the attic before fire crews arrived.

The Ann Arbor Fire Department said any ash removed from a fireplace should be placed in a steel container with a lid and cooled for at least 24 hours. The container should never be inside, on a wooden porch, deck or balcony and needs to be placed at least 10 feet away from any structure to cool.

Apartment Building, Residential

Exeter, NH – Sprinkler system activated for vehicle fire in parking garage; No injuries reported

A sprinkler system is being credited with stopping the spread of a vehicle fire in the parking garage at the bottom of an Exeter apartment building Sunday morning.

The fire started just before 3 a.m. in Building A on Willey Creek Road inside the Ray Farm community off Route 27 in Exeter, according to Exeter Fire Chief Eric Wilking. Residents of four story building were evacuated for about an hour as firefighters put out the blaze and remained on scene to remove smoke and remove the smell of smoke and gasoline from the garage, stairways and hallways.

“This fire certainly had the potential to spread, but the sprinkler system and quick work of our crews kept it at bay. The incident is a good reminder about the effectiveness of a working sprinkler system,” Fire Chief Eric Wilking said in a statement.

No one was injured in the fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Other - Residential, Residential

Pacifica, CA – Sprinkler system activated for fire at multi-family residence; No injuries reported

Two people in Pacifica have been displaced following a fire in their residence on Monday evening, the North County Fire Authority said.

Six fire companies responded to the blaze in the 900 block of Linda Mar Boulevard at approximately 7:19 p.m.

Firefighters arrived and found smoke coming from a multi-family residence. They made an aggressive attack and began search and rescue operations but no one was inside at the time, the Fire Authority said.

The fire was extinguished and no other buildings were affected. The North County Fire Authority noted that the building’s sprinkler system activated, which confined the fire to its origin area.

Two residents are now displaced and are being aided by the Red Cross.

There were no injuries.

This fire is currently under investigation.

Apartment Building, Residential

Abilene, TX – Sprinkler system contains fire at apartment complex; No injuries reported

A fire broke out in a unit of an Abilene apartment complex Sunday evening.

According to a press release, crews arrive around 6:40 pm to the Buffalo Ridge apartments to find the alarm and sprinkler system activated in one of the units. Because of the sprinklers, the fire was contained to just the unit’s stovetop.

According to those at the scene, no one was inside the unit at the time, although neighbors did rescue a dog from the flooding caused by the sprinklers.

The damage is estimated to be approximately $5,000.

Apartment Building, Residential

Columbus, IN – Fire in apartment complex garage extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Columbus firefighters were sent to Westwood Pines Apartments at 4851 Pine Ridge Drive about a garage fire at 10:52 p.m. Tuesday.

Firefighters arrived on the scene of a three-story apartment complex and found an activated sprinkler head discharging water in a ground-level attached garage, said Capt. Mike Wilson, Columbus Fire Department spokesman.

Firefighters entered the garage and found evidence that a small fire had occurred within the garage. No flames where located during the initial investigation.

During the ongoing investigation, firefighters located several cardboard boxes that presented evidence of fire damage. The boxes contained various new home appliance items and new home décor materials. Firefighters learned that the garage unit was used as a storage and maintenance garage for the apartment complex. Some of the items were damaged as result of the fire, Wilson said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation at this time. Investigators believe that a small fire occurred near the boxed items which lead to an increase in heat within the garage unit. The sprinkler head that activated was located in close proximity to where investigators believe to be the area of origin. Investigators said that the sprinkler system worked as designed and played a significant role in reducing fire extension to the structure as well as limiting property damage. No structural damage resulted from the fire. Damages to the contents of the garage are estimated at $3,000.

No injuries were reported at the scene. Agencies that assisted at the scene include the Columbus Police Department and the Columbus Regional Health Emergency Medical Service. No occupants were displaced as a result of the fire.

Apartment Building, Residential, Townhouse / Condominium

Somerville, MA – Sprinkler systems activated for two separate fires

Sprinkler systems in two Somerville buildings prevented serious fires this past week during the early morning hours while occupants were asleep, accoding to Somerville Fire Department’s Chief Engineer Charles Breen Jr.

On Friday, Oct. 28t at 4:25 a.m. the Somerville Fire Department was notified of a fire alarm activation via a building alarm system which was directly connected to the city fire alarm box system.

Firefighters were dispatched to 32 Kent Street, a 40 unit, four story wood frame apartment building. Firefighters encountered smoke on the fourth floor and forced entry into a 4th floor apartment. They found a man on the floor inside and removed him to safety. He was taken to the hospital.

Sprinklers confined the fire to one room in the apartment and firefighters completed extinguishment. Due to water damage, the building was evacuated and all occupants were temporarily displaced. The cause of the fire was determined to be accidental due to smoking.

On Sunday, Oct. 30, the department was notified of a fire alarm activation from an alarm monitoring company at 4:09 a.m.

Firefighters were dispatched to an address on Lake Street and arrived to find a sprinkler head operating in a ground level garage in a row of three story town houses.

One sprinkler head confined the fire to a very limited area in the garage and, after verifying that the fire was out, crews were able to clear the scene in 15 minutes.

The cause of the fire was determined to be an unattended candle that had ignited nearby combustible items.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Wilbraham, MA – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire at nursing home; No injuries reported

Emergency crews were called to a fire at a Wilbraham nursing home Monday morning.

Wilbraham Fire Chief Michael Andrews said that a 911 calls came in around 6:10 a.m. Monday for a kitchen fire at Vantage Nursing Home on Maple Street.

Firefighters arrived four minutes later and found heavy smoke coming from the kitchen area and that the facility’s sprinkler system activated and extinguished the fire.

Residents of the nursing home were told to shelter-in-place while crews worked to ventilate the smoke from that area of the building.

Mutual aid from Ludlow, Palmer, Hampden, and Westover was called in to assist.

Andrews noted that the cause of the fire remains under investigation, but it is not considered suspicious.

No injuries were reported.

Apartment Building, Residential

Racine, WI – Sprinkler system extinguishes unattended cooking fire at apartment building; No injuries reported

Unattended cooking led to a fire that set off a sprinkler system and caused more than $100,000 in damage in an apartment building, the Racine Fire Department said Saturday.

“When you are actively cooking, always make sure to stay in attendance of an ignited burner. If you cannot, turn the burner off completely before walking away,” the RFD said, reminding the public that questions regarding fire safety could be made to the Racine Fire Department Fire Prevention by calling 262-635-7915.

The fire was reported during the 11 o’clock hour Saturday on the 2200 block of Layard Avenue, which is near the city’s northwestern border north of Rapids Drive and west of Mt. Pleasant Street.

The fire alarm was going off in a second-floor apartment and, when firefighters first arrived, they found the sprinkler system had already extinguished the kitchen fire.

No injuries were reported. “Shelter is being provided for the displaced occupant,” the RFD said in a release.

The RFD estimated that the fire caused damages of $110,000 to the building’s structure and another $8,000 to the apartment’s contents.

Responding to the incident were six fire apparatuses, a battalion chief, one safety officer, a fire investigator and the Racine Police Department.

Apartment Building, Residential

Norwood, MA – Sprinkler system activated for fire at apartment building; No injuries reported

Chief David Hayes reports that the Norwood Fire Department responded to an apartment building this morning for a fire where a working sprinkler system had a significant impact on limiting damage.

On Wednesday morning at approximately 8:15 a.m., Norwood Fire received multiple calls for an alarm at an apartment building at 165 Lenox St., as well as calls reporting water and smoke on the fourth floor of the building.

Upon arrival, firefighters found a fire in the kitchen area of a unit on the fourth floor. The fire had been largely contained to the area around the stove due to the building’s sprinkler system. Firefighters ensured the fire was extinguished and performed overhaul and cleared smoke from the affected apartment.

There were no residents in the unit at the time of the fire, and there were no reported injuries. No other units in the apartment building sustained fire damage, however, the sprinkler system’s activation caused some additional damage in a portion of the building near the unit. 

Firefighters cleared the scene just before 9:15 a.m.

“This fire is a prime example of why it is important to have working sprinkler systems. Sprinklers can help to prevent injuries and severe property damage in a fire, and the building where this fire occurred likely would have sustained significantly more damage if not for the sprinkler system,” Chief Hayes said. “We would also like to remind everyone of the importance of evacuating a building immediately when a fire alarm sounds. In larger buildings, it can be difficult to know from one part of the building what’s happening in another part, so the safest decision is always just to leave when you hear an alarm.”

The initial investigation indicates that the cause of the fire was accidental.