Category Archives: Residential

Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

Boca Raton, FL – Sprinkler system activated for dryer fire at college dorm

At around 10:28 p.m. the fire alarm at Heritage Park Towers (HPT) went off, prompting residents of the building to evacuate. 

“It started on the first floor in the laundry room in HPT’s south tower. What lit on fire was one of the dryers,” said resident Lorenzo Biondo, who was in the laundry room when the fire started. 

“I was in the [laundry] room, and I saw smoke,” continued Biondo.  “We opened the dryer that the smoke was coming from and there was a fire in the back of the machine that started to get bigger.” 

According to firefighter Raquel Lea, the laundry room will most likely be closed off for an ​​unknown amount of time as the fire sprinkler system has since flooded the room. 

The fire alarm went off within a minute of opening the dryer. 

“I believe it was an RA who pulled the fire alarm. It happened relatively quickly,” Biondo said.

As residents began to evacuate the building, they crowded on the breezeway. 

“I instructed them to move towards the volleyball courts,” said HPT resident assistant Christine Robinson, “which is the protocol we are taught as a resident assistant.” 

Resident Darien Strevel described their experience while evacuating the building. 

“I walked down to the first floor and it was really hot,” they said.

Amaya Swelland, a first floor resident of Heritage Park Towers was scared by the fire. 

“I was sitting at my computer and suddenly I heard an alarm,” Swelland stated. “I ran out to the hall and there was smoke everywhere. I heard people saying that it was a dryer, which made sense because the laundry room is located on my floor.”

Around 11:12 p.m., several firemen collectively pulled out the heavy dryer that started the fire. There was an audible cheer from the residents of HPT, who were still gathered outside of the building. Many residents began clapping. 

As of 1:30 a.m., students are still evacuated outside of the building.

Hospital/Care Facility, Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Danville, KY – Sprinkler system activated for fire at nursing home

A fire in one of the back wings of Landmark of Danville Rehabilitation and Nursing Center on Sunday led to evacuation of the building and seven total residents and employees transported to the hospital.

There were no life-threatening injuries, but the people transported had been subject to smoke inhalation, said Danville-Boyle County Emergency Management Director Mike Wilder. He said all the residents were evacuated with no major issues.

Danville Fire Department Chief Doug Simpson said the dispatch to a structural fire at 203 Bruce Court, the address of Landmark, came at 9:05 a.m. Sunday morning. A sprinkler in one of the back wings had gone off. “But the sprinkler system did do its job and knocked the fire down,” Simpson said. “There was just little flames when we got there, but most of the issues were dealing with smoke.”

He said the seven individuals transported were taken to the hospital via Emergency Management Services, and the fire department also received help from the Boyle County Fire Department, “Which we really appreciated.”

“All the first responders did a great job, worked as a team and the Landmark staff did a great job as well evacuating the residents,” Simpson said.

He said there was no structural damage, but there was a lot of smoke, and some damage was done to the origin of the fire area.

Wilder said when the call was first dispatched, he “cringed” because “It’s one of the horrors we have in the first responder business, something like that occurring,” like a fire at a nursing home, since it’s “such a task” to get everyone evacuated.

“It took me a little while to get myself together,” he said.

Luckily, though, everyone was evacuated safely, and he wanted to note that the there was also mutual aid from Garrard and Lincoln counties — one rescue unit from Garrard County and one from Lincoln County to help evacuate residents.

Apartment Building, Residential

Red Bank, NJ – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire at apartment complex; No injuries reported

The sprinkler system at the River Street Commons senior housing complex in Red Bank prevented possible tragedy Thursday afternoon.

The fire-suppression system doused a fire in the living room of a first-floor apartment, with follow-up effort by volunteer firefighters who answered the 12:15 p.m. alarm, said Chief Bobby Holiday.

No injuries occurred, he said.

As of 12:40 p.m., the cause of the fire was under investigation, and it remained to be determined if the apartment would be immediately habitable, Holiday said.

The three-story River Street Commons, bounded by Shrewsbury and Bridge avenues at Catherine Street, occupies the former River Street School building.

Apartment Building, Residential

Santa Maria, CA – Sprinkler system activated for fire at apartment building

The Santa Maria Fire Department is investigating the cause of a fire at an apartment building Thursday morning.

It was first reported just after 5 a.m. in the apartment complex along the 200 block of North Depot Street.

The fire started inside one of the affordable housing units on the second floor, officials said.

Firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the fire inside the apartment.

There was significant water damage from the building’s fire sprinkler system, the fire department said.

Some of the residents were displaced by the fire. The local Red Cross is working to find them temporary housing.

Residential, Sorority / Fraternity

College Park, MD – Sprinkler system activated for fire at sorority house; No injuries reported

Members of the Tri Delta sorority evacuated their sorority house on Wednesday at about 6 p.m. after a fire broke out in the basement, according to Prince George’s County Fire Department spokesperson Michael Yourishin.

The sorority house’s sprinkler system put out the bulk of the fire, Yourishin said. Nobody in the house was injured.

“It just goes to show you the importance of having a sprinkler system in buildings like that,” Yourishin said.

Members of the sorority were evacuated for about an hour after the fire started in a dryer in the laundry room, said Tri Delta member Ellie Laffargue.

Laffargue, a junior public health science major, was in her room watching “Gilmore Girls” when the house’s fire alarms went off. At first, she thought it was one of many false alarms that occur in the house when sorority members blow dry their hair or accidentally set the alarms off, she said.

Laffargue said she darted down the stairs without shoes on after she heard the house chef scream at residents to evacuate.

Once it was safe to return back into the building, Laffargue says many of the residents noticed smoke in the hallways and in their rooms.

“Even when we were allowed back in, a lot of girls stayed outside because of how bad it smelled,” Laffargue said.

The laundry room is off-limits to residents for the next couple days due to smoke and water damage from the sprinklers, she added.

Apartment Building, Residential

Portland, OR – Sprinkler system activated for tent fire that was spread to nearby apartment building; No injuries reported

A tent caught fire and spread to a four-story apartment building in the 2100 block of SE Powell Boulevard early Sunday morning.

According to Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R), the fire was contained before too much damage was sustained. The building had vinyl siding, which burns quickly. The fire activated a sprinkler inside the building but there were no injuries and no one is displaced.

Officials said the fire could have been much worse. However, there was some water damage inside. The fire began due to carelessly discarded smoking material.

Houseless/tent fires increased from one in February 2021 to 64 in April 2021. The latest data, recorded in May 2021 from PF&R shows 45 fires for the month of May. In May, it accounted for the most number of calls to PF&R, followed by trash fires with 42 calls in May 2021.

“This building did have vinyl siding and our crews did do a great stop on this fire,” said Rob Garrison, public information officer with PF&R said in an email. “A few more minutes and the fire would have spread to the inside of the building.”

Apartment Building, Residential

Rochester, MN – fire at apartment building extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

The Rochester Fire Department is crediting an automatic sprinkler system for preventing a fire at a Rochester apartment building from spreading.

The fire was reported at 3731 Technology Drive Northwest. A Fire Department news release says the initial call was made by the building’s alarm system and was followed by multiple 911 calls that confirmed flames and smoke were present. When firefighters arrived at the scene just before 2 PM they found smoke, fire, and water spray from the sprinkler system coming from a window on the fourth floor of the building.

The responding firefighters rushed to the fourth floor while a firefighter on an aerial ladder inspected the roof for signs of a fire extension. They discovered the sprinkler system had done its job and extinguished the fire after confining it to a single apartment unit. Fans were then deployed to remove the smoke and other equipment was brought in to remove the water from the sprinkler system.

No injuries were reported and a dollar estimate of the damage is not yet available. The fire department also did not list a cause for the fire but it appears it started on the stovetop.

Apartment Building, Residential

Wylie, TX – Fire at apartment building contained by sprinkler system

An apartment building in Wylie is damaged after a fire on Wednesday morning.

According to the Wylie Fire Department, the incident occurred at 1315 West Brown Street at approximately 4:10 a.m.

Officials said a three story apartment building had smoke showing on the third floor.

The sprinkler system was able to suppress the blaze before firefighters could arrive on the scene, officials said.

According to officials, cats were evacuated from the third floor unit, and the second floor unit sustained water damage.

Officials said the attic and roof were unharmed.

Apartment Building, Residential

Winnipeg, MB, Canada – Kitchen fire at apartment building quickly extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Fire crews had a busy Sunday, as they battled three different blazes in 10 hours across Winnipeg.

Just after midnight, a vacant home on Arlington Avenue caught fire. The same house was also the scene of a fire about a year ago.

Then at about 2:30 yesterday morning, a three storey apartment building on De La Seigneurie Boulevard was evacuated when the building’s sprinkler system extinguished a kitchen fire.

The third fire happened around 10 a.m. at a commercial building on Gateway Road. It was limited to a small room and only took a few minutes to put out.

No one was hurt in any of the incidents and all of them are under investigation.

Apartment Building, Residential

Medicine Hat, AB, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for fire at apartment complex; No injuries reported

Update: The Medicine Hat Fire Service says residents residing at the Toronto Street Apartments have been taken to a local hotel, after their building sustained extensive water damage following a structure fire Saturday afternoon.

Crews were called to the area just after 4p.m. Saturday.

“On arrival there was smoke coming from a set of patio doors on the fourth floor. The first arriving crew, gained access quickly, and with the assistance of the sprinkler system in the building, the fire was extinguished quickly,” said Kevin Heinrich with the Medicine Hat Fire Service.

No one was hurt in the blaze.

Members of the Medicine Hat Fire Service were called out to the Toronto street apartments Saturday afternoon to battle a structure fire.

Photos submitted to CHAT News, and videos on social media appear to show smoke coming out of a top-floor apartment unit.

The cause of the fire is unknown at this point. A fire investigator remains on scene.

Portions of 3rd street were blocked off from traffic as fire crews worked to put out the blaze.

EMS and the Medicine Hat Police Service were also on scene.

CHAT News has reached out to the Medicine Hat Fire Service for more details.

As of 5p.m. the Medicine Hat Fire Service remains on scene.

More to come.