The fire happened in a multi-family home on Turnpike Road on Monday. Fire officials said the sprinklers in the building held off the flames long enough until crews showed up. The fire damaged a fourth floor balcony, charring the ceiling — firefighters had to use ladders to reach the fire.
No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire is under investigation.
Firefighters responded to reports of the structure fire at 500 Grand Ave. Parkway, the HomeTowne at Picadilly active senior living apartments, Thursday around 12:52 p.m. A total of nine fire department units, including a fire department ambulance, arrived around seven minutes later.
Upon arrival, they discovered the fire was on the third floor with smoke showing. An employee on the scene was complaining of smoke inhalation, but they refused ambulance transport.
Firefighters said the fire was contained to just one apartment unit, thanks to fast action from the building’s sprinkler system. They also said smoke alarms alerted children in the apartment, who then told their grandmother, and they exited together.
“We consider this a huge success and shows the value that smoke alarms and fire sprinklers bring to the community with regard to saving lives and property, especially residents in multifamily dwellings and in a senior community such as this,” the fire department said. “This is a good reminder for everyone to check your smoke alarms frequently and to have a plan to escape a fire in your home, and to practice it. Fire can become inescapable in as little as three minutes.”
Officials said the residents will be displaced from the fire, but all other apartments will be reoccupied on Thursday. There was significant smoke and water damage to the unit below.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Now, fire officials are giving credit to the building’s sprinkler system for helping to save both property and people while recalling a similar fire a few months ago that left extensive damage in another apartment building without sprinklers.
Crews from Union Fire Association, Narberth Fire Company, Belmont Hills Fire Company, Penn Wynne Fire Company, and the Lower Merion Fire Department Office responded to the building on the 600 block of Righters Ferry Road at 12:39 a.m. on the report of smoke and flames coming from an apartment.
While approaching the site, the fire department received a water flow alarm, meaning the sprinkler system had activated.
At the same time, Lower Merion police arrived and reported that everyone had been evacuated. As they arrived, fire crews confirmed that there was a fire in the building but that it appeared to be under control due to the sprinkler system. By 1:10 a.m., the fire was officially put under control by firefighters.
According to officials, the fire started when the resident was cooking fried chicken and left the stove unattended. The oil overheated and caught fire. It then began spreading to the cabinets.
The sprinkler system kicked in and extinguished the fire. The fire was contained to the stove and cabinets due to the sprinkler system.
One firefighter was injured and transported to the hospital for possible heat exhaustion. All fire crews were cleared by 1:51 a.m.
While investigating the first fire, a second fire was reported when heat tape around a soil pipe ignited in a garage.
Crews from the Union Fire Association were called back and extinguished the second fire. The occupants were allowed back into the residence after Lower Merion Fire Marshals completed their investigation at about 3 a.m.
Lower Merion Chief Fire Officer Chas McGarvey said there was another apartment fire that took place in May at the Oak Hill Terrace in Penn Valley. The main difference between the two fires is that there were no sprinklers at Oak Hill, and there was much more damage. The Royal Athena is a new building and the sprinklers helped to extinguish the fire.
Residents at the Royal Athena were then able to be back into their apartments less than three hours after the fire started. Although the fire at Oak Hill occurred May 24, residents are still not able to occupy their residences, he said.
“This is a perfect example of the importance of sprinkler systems and how they save property and lives,” McGarvey said.-
City of McKinney News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Fire sprinklers stop fish fry fire in McKinney
Cooking fires are the number one cause of home fires and home injuries
McKINNEY, Texas (July 27, 2020) The McKinney Fire Department (MFD) responded to a report of a structure fire at 575 Virginia Hills Dr. on Monday, July 20. MFD units arrived to find that a stovetop fire had been extinguished by two fire sprinkler heads located in the kitchen. Fire investigators say the resident was frying fish with the lid on. When the lid was removed, the hot grease ignited.
No one was injured and damage was limited to the stovetop, the microwave and cabinets above it.
Safety considerations when cooking with oil:
Two families are displaced Thursday night after a fire breaks out in a Twin Falls apartment complex.
The Twin Falls Fire Department was dispatched to the Timberlake Apartments around 9:45 PM, because of a kitchen fire that broke out in a second floor apartment.
The battalion chief on scene said the sprinkler system was able to put the fire out, but water damage from the system caused significant structural damage to the upstairs and downstairs apartments.
“We have contacted American Red Cross; they will come out and assist them with housing arrangements and any items they may need to get by until the apartments are ready for them to occupy again,” said Ron Aguirre, Twin Falls Fire battalion chief.
He also said no one was hurt in the fire, and Magic Valley Paramedics and the Twin Falls Police Department assisted them in the incident.
Fire crews responded to the scene at 320 Sugarcreek Trail, just northwest of Beaverbrook Avenue and Riverside Drive, around 3 p.m. July 23.
The call came in after the occupants of a unit at the address, who weren’t home at the time, were alerted to the fire by a home monitoring system, said Platoon Chief Gary Mosburger.
After making a forced entry into the unit through a patio door, Mosburger said firefighters located two dogs inside and managed to get them out.
he building’s sprinkler system held the fire at bay until firefighters arrived, he added.
It was later determined the blaze began when a battery pack, chewed up by the dogs, ignited the mattress it was sitting on.“[Mattresses] are basically like a petroleum-based foam, so as soon as it gets going, it can be incredibly violent… and can consume a room and an apartment very, very quickly,” Mosburger said.
The two pups have since been taken to a veterinarian, he said. “From what I’ve heard, everything seems to be fine with the dogs.”
The blaze caused mostly smoke damage — about $25,000 worth, fire officials say. That tally doesn’t include water damage left behind by the sprinklers and fire crews.
A fire broke out early Thursday morning at the Vine Street Tower Apartments in Johnstown.
Johnstown fire chief Bob Statler says they arrived on scene around 3 a.m.
According to Statler, there were smoke and flames pouring into a hallway from a unit on the ninth floor.
Statler says the fire started in the bedroom of that unit and that the sprinkler system was activated, which he says helped keep the fire contained.
Statler tells 6 News the ninth, 10th and 11th floors were evacuated. Two people were taken to Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center for difficulty breathing.
Statler says the fire was put out quickly, but there is extensive water damage to the building.
The cause is unknown. The fire marshal will be investigating.
“Someone was cooking upstairs and got an oil fire going, it must have kind of exploded in their face, but no one was injured,” Rose said.
Rose acknowledged the role the effective fire suppression system played in putting out the fire. “It’s good to see some sprinkler systems that really work,” Rose said.
He also thanked Tisbury emergency personnel for their assistance in the entire process.
“It was a fast response from Oak Bluffs, and a great response from both towns,” Rose said. “I think they [Tisbury] deserve to be recognized for their help in providing station coverage.”
After the fire was extinguished (mainly by the sprinkler system), Rose said the majority of the work was making sure the scene was safe and cleaned up. After The Times responded to the fire, everything had already been cleaned up, apart from some water that was being swept out of Linda Jean’s by an employee.
Linda Jean’s is open for business.
An apartment catches on fire after cooking was left unattended in the kitchen.
On July 13 at 9:50 p.m., Colonial Heights Fire and EMS with Chesterfield Truck 12 were dispatched to the 200 block of Archer Avenue for an apartment fire.
Units arrived on the scene to find a fire in the kitchen had been extinguished by the fire sprinkler system.
Crews say minor damage was done to the apartment.
Two residents received burns after attempting to move the burning cookware from the stove to the sink.
The burns were non-life-threatening with one person being treated at the scene and the other was transported to MCV.
Occupants in the apartment and adjacent apartments were displaced. Red Cross was on scene to assist them if needed.
A sprinkler system helped contain a Monday afternoon fire at a retirement community.
Firefighters were called to the Attleboro Village community off Winchester Avenue on the Langhorne Borough and Middletown Township border at 1:27 p.m. for an alarm. It was quickly determined that there was an active fire.
The fire was in an apartment and spread up the wall into the ceiling, said Langhorne-Middletown Fire Company Chief Frank Farry.
The four-story senior living building was cleared of residents and crews had to account for everyone, Farry said.
The Penndel-Middletown Rescue Squad and Capital Health Emergency Medical Services evaluated the residents. No injuries were reported.
The fire was declared under control by 1:43 p.m., but Farry said it was largely held in check by the sprinkler system.
Several nearby apartments suffered water damage from the sprinkler system, Farry said.
The chief said the blaze was caused by the resident who turned on the stove with a plastic toaster on it.
The fire happened around the same time as strong storms came through the area. Farry said the worst of the storm had passed by the building was cleared of residents.
Farry said fire crews were able to response so fast to the retirement community because they were returning from an unfounded downed wires call by Maple Point Middle School.
The Langhorne-Middletown Fire Company was assisted at the scene by the Middletown Township Department of Fire and Emergency Management, Parkland Fire Company, Penndel Fire Company, Newtown Fire and Emergency Services, and the William Penn Fire Company.
