Category Archives: Residential

Residential, Residential High Rise

Madison, WI – Sprinkler system keeps dryer fire at high-rise in check; No injuries reported

A sprinkler prevented a dryer fire at a downtown Madison high-rise from becoming a Christmas Eve nightmare, fire department officials said.

Fire crews were called to a building in the 300 block of West Dayton Street just before midnight on Wednesday for an alarm. Several residents met firefighters outside the building and reported a fire.

A dryer and its contents were found on fire in a laundry room. A single sprinkler was keeping the flames from extending to the rest of the room.

Crews used an extinguisher to take out the remaining flames, and crews remained on scene to ventilate the building and stop the water flowing from the sprinkler.

No injuries were reported.

Apartment Building, Residential

Langford, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for fourth floor apartment fire

At least one person was left homeless on Christmas Eve after a fire badly damaged one suite and water damage rendered others temporarily uninhabitable at an apartment building on Treanor Avenue in Langford.

View Royal Fire Chief Paul Hurst said at least one person was displaced as a result of the midday blaze, a kitchen fire on the fourth floor, which drew firefighters from Langford, Colwood and View Royal.

The fire was contained to the suite after the sprinkler system activated, controlling the blaze, he said.

“But unfortunately, you know what happens when a sprinkler system goes off on the fourth floor — everybody on floors three, two and one [is affected] — it makes for a pretty wet experience all the way around.”

Hurst couldn’t say exactly how many people were displaced, but the unit where the fire started is uninhabitable due to flame, smoke and water damage. He expected at least a handful of other units would have been hard to live in as a result of water damage.

“We got the water shut off as quickly as we could, but still they flow at 20 to 30 gallons per minute,” he said. If it takes 10 minutes for the fire department to shut off the water, that amounts to 300 gallons, “a lot of water in a small apartment.”

The occupant of the suite on the fourth floor was not in the unit at the time of the fire.

The province confirmed Wednesday afternoon that one person is receiving a shelter allowance through Emergency Support Services.

Hurst said if it was any other time of year, more people could have been displaced.

But because it was Christmas Eve, the crews on scene used “vacuums and all kinds of stuff to get up as much of the water as we could to make the suites somewhat habitable.”

Apartment Building, Residential

San Marino, CA – Sprinkler system activated for fire on fourth floor of apartment building

On Thursday, Dec. 4, the San Marino Fire Department’s Battalion 9 assisted the Pasadena Fire Department on a mid-rise apartment house fire on the fourth floor. The fire was isolated to the primary apartment unit, and due to the activation of the building’s fire sprinkler system, damage was kept to a minimum. BC9 provided Command Support throughout the incident.

 

Apartment Building, Residential

Fenton, MO – Sprinkler system activated for fire at apartment complex; No injuries reported

Two residents at the Sugar Creek Apartments complex have been displaced due to a fire that started Thursday night, Dec. 18.

The High Ridge Fire Protection District was called to an apartment building at the 4200 block of Jade Way Court in the Jefferson County portion of Fenton about 7 p.m. Fire Chief John Barton said the fire started near an outdoor storage closet attached to a first-floor apartment.

He said none of the complex residents were injured in the fire.

“When we arrived, there were residents outside the building, and there was a fire on the first floor that had extended to the second floor,” Barton said. “There was also a sprinkler that had activated, so there was a lot of water flowing from the sprinkler already, which we believe helped keep the fire in check, so to speak, and prevented it from extending into the second floor or into the void space.”

The fire was extinguished by 7:24 p.m. and crews left the scene by 9:20 p.m., Barton said. The cause of the fire is still unknown, he said, but likely will be ruled as accidental.

“I spoke with the investigator this morning, and the cause will probably be listed as undetermined,” Barton said today, Dec. 19. “We can’t rule out an electrical problem with something in that apartment, but I don’t think they were able to identify a specific outlet or circuit that would have been responsible for it.”

Barton said the first-floor apartment has significant damage due to the fire. However, because the fire originated outside the residence, he said most of the residents’ belongings should be undamaged. He said the second-floor apartment was vacant at the time of the fire.

Barton said High Ridge Fire was assisted on the scene by the Valley Park, Eureka, Saline Valley and Fenton fire protection districts, along with the North Jefferson County Ambulance District.

Barton said this incident was a good example of how effective sprinkler systems can be. In general, Barton said apartment sprinkler systems are checked annually by the fire district and when completing occupancy inspections.

“This certainly would have been a much more significant incident with more residents and apartments affected, but the activation of one single sprinkler head was enough to prevent the fire on the first floor from moving up and causing serious damage on the second floor,” Barton said. “That, combined with residents calling 911 right away and evacuating the building instead of wasting some time trying to put the fire out themselves, is what made the difference.”

Apartment Building, Residential

Austin, TX – Fire caused by charging e-bike knocked down by sprinkler system

AFD is at the scene of a second floor apartment fire in east Austin. It is the fire department’s third major fire response this morning after an apartment fire in southeast Austin and a fire at a liquor store in east Austin.

Fire crews are at the scene of smoke coming from an apartment at 1700 E. Third St. AFD initially reported the fire at around 5:50 a.m. Friday morning.

AFD says that fire crews entered the apartment to find that the sprinkler system knocked down the fire. Crews extinguished the fire, including hot spots, and worked to shut off the water flow from the sprinklers.

Investigators determined the fire was caused by an electric E-bike being charged in the apartment.

One apartment sustained fire and water damage, while another apartment sustained water damage. Crews remained at the scene to limit further water damage from the sprinkler system.

Apartment Building, Residential

Essex, VT – Sprinkler system activated for fire at apartment complex; No injuries reported

A small apartment fire in Essex was extinguished Wednesday evening before spreading to the rest of the building.

Emergency crews responded to an apartment complex on Susie Wilson Road at around 6:30 p.m.

According to the Essex Fire Department, the unit’s sprinkler system had stifled most of the fire by the time crews arrived to put out the rest.

Residents were evacuated from the building as a precaution, and the power was shut off in one wing of the building to avoid electrical damage.

Nobody was injured.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Milwaukee, WI – Fire at assisted living center quickly contained by sprinkler system

A fire in one unit of an assisted living facility occurred on Milwaukee’s north side on Dec. 12.

The fire took place at an assisted living facility at North 46th Street and West Hampton Avenue in one unit of the building around 5 p.m. First responders took one person to the hospital due to smoke inhalation and another for a separate medical need.

The fire was contained by the building’s sprinkler system and responding firefighters, said Milwaukee Fire Department Deputy Chief Travis Jones.

“If it weren’t for the sprinkler system, it probably wouldn’t have turned out the way it did,” Jones said.

Firefighters were able to force the door open to the unit with the fire and rescue the one occupant, he said.

The fire department received its first call for the fire at 5:05 p.m. and an initial unit arrived four minutes later, he said. By 6:03 p.m. the department completed its initial response to the fire.

Department fire investigators and the Milwaukee Police Department were called to the scene to determine the fire’s cause and the extent of the damages remains under investigation, Jones said.

The department called on the Red Cross for assistance for at least one resident, Jones said. A spokesperson for the Red Cross did not immediately respond to comment on the extent of the organization’s work.

In a post on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, Fire Chief Aaron Lipski said “all other occupants able to return.” He credited the building’s sprinklers and firefighters for the outcome.

“Fantastic outcomes,” his post said.

Sprinklers in Milwaukee’s residences have taken on increased focus in the last year, after one of the worst fires in the city’s history took place and killed five in May. That fire occurred in an old apartment building that did not have sprinklers, which is allowed due to its age.

Nearly 70% of Milwaukee’s high-rise buildings were constructed before sprinklers were required by state law, city officials said previously.

Lipski has pressed for changes to state law that would require sprinklers in these buildings. However, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, a Republican from Rochester who owns rental properties in Whitewater, said it’s unlikely lawmakers would mandate sprinklers after that fire.

State Sen. LaTonya Johnson introduced a package of bills in November that would allow the city to mandate them and offer landlords grant funds to help pay. Those bills have been referred to assembly committees, but it remains to be seen if they move any further.

Apartment Building, Residential

Charleston, SC – Sprinkler system contains kitchen fire at apartment complex; No injuries reported

The Charleston Fire Department is reminding residents to stay attentive to cooking food after a fire broke out in a West Ashley apartment kitchen early Saturday.

CFD said emergency personnel responded to a 911 call that came in shortly before an automatic alarm notification off off William E. Murray Boulevard in West Ashley just after midnight. Firefighters entered the first-floor apartment where the fire was reported, and found that the automatic fire sprinkler system had contained the blaze.

Fire marshals determined the fire started due to unattended cooking, damage was contained to the one unit, and no injuries were reported.

CFD said it is important to stay in the kitchen while frying, boiling, grilling, or broiling food, regularly check simmering, baking, or roasting food and remain home while food is cooking, and to keep combustibles away from the stove top.

Apartment Building, Residential

Jefferson City, MO – Apartment fire controlled by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

The Jefferson City Fire Department responded to a reported structure fire in the 500 block of East Elm Street at 6:21 a.m. Thursday, according to a JCFD Facebook post.

Occupants of a multistory apartment building reported smoke and fire coming from a wall near an electrical outlet inside their unit. No injuries were reported, according to the post.

Upon arrival, firefighters found light smoke conditions and confirmed a fire contained to a bedroom within the apartment, according to the post.

The building’s fire sprinkler system and smoke alarms activated and successfully controlled the fire before it could spread beyond the room of origin, according to the post.

JCFD said the American Red Cross was contacted to assist the people displaced by the fire.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, according to the post.

Apartment Building, Residential

Peoria, IL – Sprinkler system prevents fire from spreading at apartment complex; No injuries reported

The Peoria Fire Department said “multiple” people have been displaced after a trash fire in a hallway at New Hope Apartments in Downtown Peoria.

The fire department was called about 6:35 p.m. where a fire was on the fifth floor of the building at 301 NE Jefferson.

All residents were safely evacuated, and there were no injuries, said Battalion Chief Josh Maroney.

The chief also said the building’s sprinkler system prevented the fire from spreading. The water damage, however, caused “multiple” residents to be displaced.

According to the chief, restoration work is underway, and residents will be able to return to their homes when repairs are done.

This is the second time in recent weeks that firefighters were called to put out a fire at New Hope. Investigators determined the fire that happened about 12:30 a.m. on Oct. 20 was intentionally set and caused an estimated $200,000.

Total damage of Tuesday evening’s fire is estimated at $60,000.

Reporting on lives and property saved by fire sprinklers