Category Archives: Residential

Other - Residential, Residential

Saskatoon, SK, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for fire at homeless shelter; No injuries reported

A fire that originated in a suite in the Lighthouse in Saskatoon resulted in several residents fleeing the building overnight.

The Lighthouse is a supported living facility and homeless shelter in the city.

In a release, the Saskatoon Fire Department said it received a report of a fire in a third floor suite at around 3:19 a.m. CST on Friday. When fire crews arrived, they saw occupants from that floor leaving the building.

The fire department said the fire created heavy smoke but low heat, because the sprinkler system activated and kept the fire in a small state. Fire crews finished putting out the fire.

It said fire damage was contained to the one suite, but water had drained from the suite and affected approximately 15 suites, mainly ceiling tiles.

Initially, the fire department said it was possible some residents might need to be rehoused as a result of the fire. Later Friday morning, it said no residents will be displaced, as significant water damage was confined to the one suite and the Lighthouse will accommodate its occupant.

The department said cleanup is underway and the suite is expected to be fit for occupancy by early next week.

A fire investigator determined the cause was accidental due to improper disposal of smoking material, the department said. Damage was initially estimated at $150,000, but that has since been revised down to $40,000.

No one was injured.

Apartment Building, Residential

Naperville, IL – Sprinkler system activated for fire at apartment building; No injuries reported

Naperville Fire Department extinguished a structure fire in 2100 Block of Allegre Circle on Naperville’s northwest side. No injuries reported. (PN file photos are used to help flag reports about Naperville Fire and Police Department responses to emergency calls and Crime Stoppers, always reminding readers that keeping the community safe is everyone’s responsibility.) Be alert. Stay safe.

At 7:17PM on Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2021, Naperville’s Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) received a call for the structure fire in the 2100 block of Allegre Circle. Naperville 911(PSAP) dispatched a general alarm assignment consisting of 10 pieces of fire apparatus and 24 personnel including an Incident Commander and Incident Safety Officer to the reported address.

At 7:21PM, the first unit arrived on scene and found a three-story apartment building with a fire in unit 209. Incident command was established, and a 360-degree survey was conducted of the building. Fire companies quickly ascended to the second floor with hose lines and found a sprinkler head activated in the unit. The sprinkler held the fire in check until fire companies could fully extinguish it.

The fire was contained to unit 209 and was fully extinguished at 7:28PM.

The North Aurora and West Chicago fire departments provided coverage to Naperville fire stations during this incident. The cause is fire is still under investigation. There were no injuries to firefighters or civilians.

Only two units (109 & 209) were deemed to be uninhabitable by the Naperville Transportation, Engineering, and Development Team. A total of four residents were displaced and the fire is estimated to have caused $20,000 in
damages.

Apartment Building, Residential

Duluth, MN – Sprinkler system activated for second-floor apartment fire; No injuries reported

All tenants at the Burke Apartments in Duluth are temporarily displaced due to water damage from a sprinkler system responding to the fire. The apartment building provides affordable housing to adults with disabilities.

A fire was reported around 9:30 a.m. Monday in a second-floor unit at Burke Apartments, 720 Maple Grove Road, Duluth. It triggered a sprinkler system to activate, causing water damage to nearly all 21 units in the building. A news release from the Duluth Fire Department said the sprinkler system kept the flames in check and no one was injured.

Of the 21 units in the two-story apartment building, 16 were occupied at the time of the fire. Tenants evacuated the building prior to the firefighters’ arrival. According to the Duluth Fire Marshal’s Office, the cause of the fire was accidental.

All tenants are temporarily displaced due to the water damage. Fire and water damage is estimated at $55,000, according to the Duluth Police Department. Property manager Accessible Space is providing tenants with assistance until they can return to the building. The Burke Apartments provide affordable housing for adults with disabilities.

Fire crews from Duluth Heights, Spirit Valley and Duluth Fire Headquarters used vacuums and other equipment to attempt to remove water from the affected units. A local damage mitigation company will assist in the cleanup.

Residential, Residential High Rise

Houston, TX – Sprinkler system activated for high-rise apartment building fire; No injuries reported

WHAT: High-rise apartment building fire

WHEN: November 9, 2021 at 11:27 a.m.

WHERE: 7575 Bellaire, 77036

INJURIES: No reported injuries.

PROPERTY SAVED: $45 thousand in estimated property saved.

DAMAGE: $5 thousand in estimated damage.

CAUSE: Unintentional – heat source too close to combustible.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Firefighters arrived on scene within six minutes to find a fire near a trash chute in the maintenance area on the sixth floor of a high-rise apartment building. Paper goods were placed near an electrical plug which appeared to have started the fire. The fire was kept in-check by a fire sprinkler head until HFD arrived on scene. Firefighters from Stations 21, 28, 68, 83, 10, 60, 73, 51, 37 and 57 responded to this incident.

Apartment Building, Residential

Jackson, WY – Sprinkler system activated for fire at apartment complex

At 10:40 a.m. this morning, Jackson Hole Fire/EMS responded to a structure fire at the Blair Place Apartment Complex.

Upon arrival, first responders observed flames coming from the third floor of apartment building 245. 

After arriving on the scene, firefighters were able to successfully control the fire which was contained to the third floor and roof, causing fire damage to two apartments according to Battalion Chief Mike Moyer. Other units on the first and second floors experienced water damage. 

The fire alarm and sprinkler systems were activated and responsible for effectively alerting residents of the  14-unit building and for helping to control the fire.  

“This is a good reminder to make sure your fire alarms and sprinkler systems are in working condition because they do make a difference,” Moyer said.  

While all residents were able to evacuate without injury and several pets were able to be evacuated. Residents will not be able to return to their apartments at least through tonight as the fire department will conduct its investigation and property managers will assess the damage to fire alarm and suppression systems.

Apartment Building, Residential

College Station, TX – Sprinkler system activated for fire at apartment complex; NO injuries reported

Residents in three units of a College Station apartment complex were relocated following a fire Monday afternoon.

College Station fire investigators found an electric skateboard battery that blew up while it was being charged.

CSFD responding to a smoke detector alert at The Zone complex found sprinklers had turned on and kept the fire from going full blown.

Firefighters found on the third floor heavy smoke and arcing electrical equipment that was shut down.

No one was injured, and the damage came from water from the sprinkler system.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Kennwick, WA – Sprinkler system activated for attic fire at nursing center

Kennewick fire officials are praising a sprinkler system for preventing a possible tragedy at a rehabilitation and nursing center early Tuesday. About 30 residents were at the facility at 2 a.m. Tuesday when a fire ignited in the attic of the Regency Canyon Lakes Rehabilitation and Nursing Center on Ely Street. Fire Chief Chad Michael said the fire sent a light amount of smoke through the building. Firefighters arrived within four minutes of being called and discovered where the fire started.

A heating and ventilation system is suspected of causing the fire. “Fortunately, the attic space is fully sprinklered and a single sprinkler head contained the fire until fire crews arrived on the scene,” said the release.

All the physical, occupational and speech therapy patients living at the center and staff members were able to remain sheltered in the building, though firefighters helped move 12 patients to different rooms. Michael pointed out that sprinklers reduce fire-related deaths by 87% and injuries by 27%, according to the National Fire Protection Association.

Apartment Building, Residential

Gainesville, FL – Sprinkler system contains apartment fire; No injuries reported

Gainesville and Alachua County Fire Rescue responded to an apartment fire on Sunday.

A resident reported smoke inside of their apartment on the third floor around 5 p.m.

When rescuers arrived, heavy smoke was visible inside, but the sprinkler system inside contained the fire to the closet.

Crews were quickly able to extinguish the small fire.

No people were injured.

Other - Residential, Residential

Campbell RIver, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for fire at homeless housing facility

No injuries to report after flames broke out in a top floor unit at a supportive housing facility in Campbell River.

Just after 11:30 last night (Wednesday), Campbell River fire chief Thomas Doherty says crews were dispatched to Q’waxsem Place.

The 50-unit building, located at 580 Dogwood St., opened in February and provides homes with 24/7 support for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

According to Doherty, an alarm call is what first prompted Campbell River Fire Rescue to attend.

Once on scene, he says crews quickly noticed smoke spewing out a third-floor window. They then utilized hose lines, working to extinguish the blaze in hopes it wouldn’t spread to other units.

But Doherty says the building’s sprinkler system did activate, which played an ‘instrumental’ role in getting the job done.

The cause of the fire is now under investigation.

“All said and done, there’s damage to the one unit on the third floor, and a little bit of water damage as well to some subsequent units,” Doherty explains. 

However, while a number of residents did evacuate before firefighters arrived, others did not, which posed a challenge, Doherty tells My Campbell River Now.

Eventually, everyone made it out. Doherty notes that a transit bus stopped by, offering a warm and dry place for residents to stay while crews assessed the damage.

“We were fortunate to be able to let the occupants return to their units, with the exception of those that were damaged,” he adds.

Residential, Single Family Home

Frederick, MD – Sprinkler system activated for kitchen fire in home; No injuries reported

A microwave caught fire Monday morning, endangering a Frederick home, but fire department officials say sprinklers kept the blaze at bay.

The Frederick County Division of Fire and Rescue Services responded to a kitchen fire in the 1500 block of Rambling Way South at about 9 a.m., according to posts on the division’s social media. The American Red Cross came to assist three adults and three children, but the fire marshal determined the house was still livable after firefighters extinguished the flames. There were no injuries.

The home’s sprinkler system reportedly contained the fire.