Category Archives: Residential

Residential, Townhouse / Condominium

Calgary, AB, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for cigarette fire on condo balcony; No injuries reported

A condo building in northwest Calgary had to be fully evacuated on Wednesday morning due to a balcony fire.

The Calgary Fire Department (CFD) says crews were called to a four-story residential building on Royal Oak Plaza NW near Country Hills Boulevard NW and Royal Birch Boulevard NW around 7:50 a.m.

Fire crews arrived to find a fire on a south facing balcony on the fourth floor. Officials say an outdoor balcony sprinkler activated and contained most of the fire.

The fire department says flames made their way into the attic space of the unit. The resident of the unit made attempts to extinguish the blaze but found it was too large.

“Fire crews hit the fire quickly with a master stream from a deck gun and then also deployed other apparatus including a ladder truck to continue firefighting efforts,” reads a release from CFD.

The entire 120 unit building was evacuated. The resident in the unit that caught fire escaped without injuries. Officials say no other injuries were reported.

Officials say one resident slept through the entire incident because he was wearing noise cancelling headphones.

“This is an important reminder that if people choose to use devices that significantly diminish their senses, this can put them at significant risk of missing lifesaving signals that there is an emergency and that they need to evacuate the building immediately,” reads the release.

CFD says most residents were being allowed back into their units by Wednesday afternoon.

Investigators determined the fire was unintentional and was cause by a cigarette butt being put in a planter pot. The fire department is reminding smokers to adhere to the following guidelines when disposing of smoking materials:

  • Use a deep, wide, sturdy metal container with a lid, filled part way with sand or water that should be emptied regularly.
  • Ensure all butts and ash are out by soaking them with water prior to putting in the trash.
  • Never put out cigarettes or smoking material in flower planter, peat moss, your lawn or garden.
  • Extreme caution should be used in the city’s natural areas and green spaces where extremely dry vegetation covering the ground provides readily combustible fuel if an ignition source is applied.
Residential, Single Family Home

Montecito, CA – Sprinkler system contains garage fire; No injuries reported

Fire crews were called to the scene of a garage fire on Monday afternoon in Montecito.

Crews arrived in the 200 block of Olive Mill Road and found light smoke coming from the garage, according to the Montecito Fire Department (MFD).

Fortunately, a sprinkler system within the garage effectively contained the flames, resulting in minimal damage confined to the garage and no reported injuries.

To ensure the safety of residents and motorists, the section of Olive Mill Road between Hot Springs Road and the Olive Mill roundabout at Coast Village Road was temporarily closed while firefighters continued their operations at the scene.

The closure allowed the crews to conduct mop-up activities and investigate the possible cause of the fire.

Apartment Building, Residential

Seattle, WA – Sprinkler system activated for fire inside apartment building; No injuries reported

Crews fought a fire inside an apartment in Downtown Seattle early Tuesday, causing residents to spill out onto the street.

At 3:30 a.m., crews were called to the building in the 1400 block of Madison Street. A fire was found inside a fourth-floor unit.

When firefighters arrived, the flames were under control, thanks to the building’s sprinkler system, according to the Seattle Fire Department. Crews put out the remaining fire.

No one was hurt.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Apartment Building, Residential

Columbus, IN – Sprinkler system activated for fire at apartment complex; No injuries reported

A residential sprinkler system limited fire damage at a Columbus apartment complex on Monday night.

Columbus Fire Department investigators said that the fire was caused by an improperly discarded cigarette, said Capt. Mike Wilson, fire department spokesman.

At about 6:47 p.m., Columbus firefighters were called to the St. Barts Apartments, 745 Sycamore St., for a fire alarm activation. When the first arriving firefighters arrived on the scene, they reported water flowing from a third floor balcony.

Firefighters used a ground ladder to gain access to the balcony and found an activated sprinkler head, smoldering cardboard boxes and minor fire damage on the exterior of the apartment. Firefighters moved the charred debris to allow water from the sprinkler to extinguish hot spots located within the empty cardboard boxes. When firefighters were sure that hot embers were fully extinguished, firefighters stopped the flow of water from the sprinkler system.

Columbus Fire Department investigators spoke to the apartment’s tenant, who shared that he had been smoking on the balcony approximately 30 minutes prior to the sprinkler system activation. The apartment’s tenant told fire investigators the he was storing empty cardboard boxes on the patio from a recent move.

Fire investigators determined that the tenant had been using an empty cardboard box to discard used cigarettes. The tenant told investigators that he believed he had fully extinguished the cigarette before discarding the cigarette in one of the empty boxes. Investigators have classified the fire as accidental in nature as a result of the improper disposal of smoking materials. Damage to the property is estimated at less than $5,000. No injuries were reported.

The fire incident commander, Capt. Dave Dwyer, said that the sprinkler system operated appropriately and helped to avert a more significant fire. “ With plenty of fuel and oxygen, the fire could have easily spread to other combustible materials or potentially entered the living space, if not for the sprinkler system,” said Dwyer said. The Columbus Fire Department has responded to two fire incidents in the past week that were extinguished by automatic sprinkler systems.

Residential, Residential High Rise

Fresno, CA – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire at eight-story building

A water sprinkler doused a fire Friday afternoon at an eight-story building in downtown Fresno.

The Fresno Fire Department responded to the fire at 4:45 p.m. at Fulton and Amador streets with reports of a fire that started on the balcony, spokesman Jonathan Lopez said.

The sprinkler system had already extinguished the fire when crews arrived.

No one was displaced.

Lopez credited the Silvercrest Retirement Residence management for helping fire crews get to where the fire started and stressed the importance of having a working sprinkling system.

”This incident really highlights the importance of not having working smoke detectors, but especially in buildings like this working fire suppression,” he said. ”Sprinklers and self-closing doors really minimize the potential disaster that could happen in a high-rise building without these fire protection features.”

Five engines and two ladder trucks responded to the commercial fire.

Apartment Building, Residential

Spring Hill, TN – Sprinkler system holds fire in check at early afternoon apartment fire

Spring Hill Fire Department responded to a reported apartment fire early Saturday afternoon.

The fire was contained to the balcony of the affected unit. Investigation found that discarded smoking materials in a flowerpot started the fire which spread to a plastic rocking chair.

Fire was held in check by the sprinkler system until SHFD Units arrived to complete the extinguishment.

No extension into the building or other hazards were found.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Spokane, WA – Sprinkler system activated for arson fire assisted living facility

Three different fires in Spokane broke out on Mother’s Day keeping firefighters busy all day.

The first fire broke out at Fairview Assisted Living at 1617 North Calispel Street where firefighters discovered a resident intentionally setting fires.

The call came from five different alarm activations around 6:20 a.m. that activated their sprinkler system and stopped the fire from spreading further.

Residents inside the center were evacuated as firefighters quickly put out any additional flames.

There is a current investigation with the Spokane Police Department into the person responsible for intentionally setting the fire.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Lynchburg, VA – Sprinkler system activated for fire at nursing home

The Seven Hills Rehabilitation & Nursing facility in Lynchburg has been evacuated due to a fire on Friday night.

At around 7:45, Lynchburg Fire crews were dispatched to a reported structure fire at the facility in the 2000 block of Langhorne Road.

LFD says a fire had started in one of the rooms of the single-story structure and was being contained by the sprinkler system. Responding fire crews quickly finished extinguishing the blaze, but smoke from the fire spread and forced the evacuation of the rest of the facility.

Two residents were taken to Lynchburg General Hospital for treatment of minor smoke inhalation. There is no update on their condition yet.

LFD said there were over 70 patients who had to be evacuated during the ordeal.

Lynchburg Fire said that eventually all residents were allowed back inside, but five rooms are uninhabitable due to the fire and smoke damage.

Due to the potential size of the incident, LFD says Concord Rescue Squad was called in to fill Station 2 while several of Lynchburg’s medic units were tied up at the scene of the fire.

The Lynchburg Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating and the cause of the fire is unknown at this time.

This story will be updated as more information is provided.

Other - Residential, Residential

Swift Current, SK, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for fire at multi-tenant building

A small late-night fire yesterday at a multi-tenant building in Swift Current was tackled mostly by the building’s fire suppression system.

The Swift Current Fire Department was called into action at 8:30 p.m. as alarms were ringing on the 300 block of 2nd Avenue Northwest.

Fire crews arrived to evacuation already underway but assisted two occupants from the building to safety.

Light smoke was seen coming from the building with the sprinkler system activated.

“They’ve been shown time and time again that they’re effective and they really help contain a fire until we get there,” Swift Current Fire Department Deputy Fire Chief Dean Diguer said.

Structural and content damage was noted but Diguer chalked that up mostly to water damage, not the fire itself.

The cause of the fire is unknown and is under investigation.

Apartment Building, Residential

Mackinac Island, MI – Sprinkler system activated for fire at apartment complex

Just before 2, the Fire Department was sent to the Stonecliffe Neighborhood for a report of an Apartment Fire.

The chief tells us a 2 story employee dorm was on fire after an incorrect use of an appliance.
The majority of the fire was knocked down by the sprinkler system.

Units cleared in 40 minutes.