Category Archives: Residential

Apartment Building, Residential

San Pablo, CA – Sprinkler system activated for fireworks fire at apartment complex

A balcony fire at an apartment complex in San Pablo on Tuesday is suspected to have been caused by a teenager using illegal fireworks, fire officials said Thursday.

Arson investigators arrested the 16-year-old boy on Tuesday on suspicion of setting fire to an inhabited structure and possession of dangerous fireworks, spokesman Steve Hill of the Contra Costa Fire Protection District said.

Fire investigators determined that a 5-inch mortar firework caused the blaze, Hill said.

Authorities did not identify the 16-year-old because he’s a minor. They released him into the custody of his parents.

The fire happened on the balcony of a unit in the 15000 block of Crestwood Drive. Hill said people who reported the blaze on the deck also reported hearing an explosion. Crews kept the blaze from spreading to the inside and were helped by a fire sprinkler at the apartment.

The unit suffered extensive smoke and water damage, Hill said.

Investigators said the mortar was set off on the second-story balcony and they identified the suspect as the resident of the apartment unit, Hill said. They also found more of the same kind of fireworks in the unit. Crews removed those, he said.

The case will be prosecuted through the juvenile courts, and Hill said the the district will refer him to the Youth Fire Setter Program.

All fireworks are illegal in Contra Costa County, including safe-and-sane ones such as sparklers.

Apartment Building, Residential

Madison, WI – Sprinkler system prevents apartment fire from spreading

Two families were displaced from their westside apartments Tuesday night after a fire broke out in one of the units.

Madison fire officials said they responded to the 7900 block of Tree Lane around 10:15 p.m. for a water flow alarm. When crews arrived at the apartment complex, they found the fire alarm ringing and residents evacuating the 45-unit building.

Firefighters entered the building and made their way to the second floor where they found light smoke coming from one of the apartments, but they did not detect any heat or fire. Crews then discovered a sprinkler had activated in one of the bedrooms.

More firefighters were called in to help with ventilating the building and shut down the sprinklers, which were credited with stopping the fire from spreading to other units.

Two families, which included three adults and five children, were displaced by the fire. The Red Cross is providing temporary lodging, meals and other essential items while they’re displaced.

Damage to the two impacted apartments is estimated at $25,000. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Apartment Building, Residential

Fitchburg, WI – Sprinkler system credited with saving lives for kitchen fire at apartment building

A sprinkler system at a Fitchburg apartment building is being credited for saving lives and more than $1 million in property losses after a fire started early Saturday on a kitchen stove, the Fitchburg Fire Department said.

A water overflow alarm at 12:26 a.m. at an apartment on Halite Way initiated the Fire Department’s response. In the meantime, a fire was reported in the building.

Crews found smoke and water coming from one of the five apartments in the building, and smoke detectors were sounding. The building’s fire alarm and sprinkler system were also activated. The fire was controlled by a single sprinkler head but had extended to the range hood and some of the kitchen cabinets.

The resident told firefighters about starting to warm a pan of oil on the stove and then falling asleep in a nearby chair. The resident was awakened by the alarms and evacuated safely, along with two dogs. No injuries were reported.

The resident and the dogs were displaced, but occupants of the other four units were able to stay in their apartments.

The fire caused $10,000 to $20,000 damage, but the Fire Department said the sprinkler system saved up to $1.2 million in property and contents.

Residential, Residential High Rise

Fresno, CA – Sprinkler system controls high-rise building fire until fire crews arrive

Firefighters worked to contain a fire that broke out inside a historic high-rise building in downtown Fresno on Sunday.

Around 4:00 p.m., the Fresno Fire Department says a fire engine responded to the Pacific Southwest Building near Fulton and Mariposa avenues after receiving a report that a sprinkler system was going off on the 14th floor.

When firefighters arrived, they found an alarm sounding inside of the building as residents made their way safely outside.

Firefighters made their way up to the 14th floor, where they called for a 2nd-Alarm after finding smoke.

After a 2nd-Alarm was called, several more fire engines arrived and could be seen surrounding the 16-story building.

The sprinkler system was able to keep the fire under control until firefighters could arrive and put it out.

Fire officials say investigators are working to figure out what started the fire.

Apartment Building, Residential

Brookfield, WI – Sprinkler system activated for fire at apartment building; No injuries reported

Firefighters on Wednesday morning, June 2 responded to the scene of an apartment fire on Taywood Circle in Brookfield. The call came in around 1:15 a.m.

When crews arrived on the scene they found light smoke coming from a second-floor apartment window.

The fire was contained to the kitchen of a single upstairs apartment unit and was nearly extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system that had activated prior to fire department arrival.

Two families were displaced by the fire and were being assisted by the Red Cross.  No injuries were reported. 

There is no damage estimate at this time.

The fire is not deemed suspicious following an initial investigation by the City of Brookfield Fire Department.

Residential, Single Family Home

Fort Myers Beach, FL – Sprinkler system activated for house fire; No injuries reported

An electrical hazard caused a small home fire on Dundee Road in Fort Myers Beach on Wednesday, officials said.

Crews responded to the home at 10:30 a.m. to respond to the hazard, which ended up being a fire, according to the Fort Myers Beach Fire Department.

The home sustained minimal damage because of a Residential Fire Sprinkler System the owners installed during a home renovation a few years back, crews said.

No one was injured, and the homeowners’ pets were safely located.

Apartment Building, Residential

Springfield, MA – Sprinkler system quickly extinguishes arson fire in apartment building; No injuries reported

The fire Tuesday morning at the former Indian Motorcycle building on State Street in Springfield was intentionally set, fire officials report. 

According to Captain Drew Piemonte, with the Springfield Fire Department, the fire was called in at 10:45 a.m. 

Piemonte tells Western Mass News the sprinkler system in the building quickly extinguished the flames.

“Sprinklers kept the fire in check,” Piemonte explained.

No injuries have been reported.

Firefighters were on scene checking for any extension of the fire to make sure there were no flare ups.

Piemonte confirms damage was contained to the room of origin…” it was a bedroom,” he noted. 

The Springfield Arson And Bomb Squad has been investigating this fire.

“..(the) Squad has determined that there was two separate fires in the apartment that were intentionally set,” Piemonte told us. 

The building, which was once part of the Indian Motorcycle Company, now houses apartments. 

At this time no arrests have been made and the investigation continues.

Apartment Building, Residential

Poughkeepsie, NY – Suspected arson fire extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

City of Poughkeepsie firefighters responded to an early morning sprinkler alarm at 60 Carroll Street at 4:10 a.m. on Monday morning.  The first arriving firefighters immediately observed a heavy odor of gasoline when they entered the building less than four minutes after receiving the alarm.

When the firefighters reached the second-floor of the building, with the gasoline odor even more noticeable, they observed a charred trail where a fire had been burning, until the sprinkler system had extinguished it.

Fire officials said that most of the building’s occupants had evacuated the building when the alarm activated in the building.  As they continued their inspection, firefighters discovered that an entry door to a specific apartment had sustained fire damage prior to their arrival.

The initial investigation indicates that an accelerant, presumably gasoline, was poured in the second-floor hallway, and intentionally ignited.  The sprinkler system extinguished the fire.  The City of Poughkeepsie Police were called to the scene to investigate the possible criminal act.

No injuries were reported.  Officials noted that ceiling tiles on the first floor had sustained water damage from the sprinklers and fell to the floor.

Over the past several weeks, the fire department has responded to several calls at the address.  On one occasion, a gas can was placed in the building and evidence indicates that an attempt to ignite it had occurred.  On another date, firefighters responded to a similar call.

City of Poughkeepsie Police have responded to the building several times in recent weeks as well.  On one date, they responded to a call of gunfire that resulted in bullets entering an occupied apartment.  More recently, a drug raid was conducted at an apartment in the building, resulting in a seizure of guns, drugs, and cash.  Arrests were made during that incident.

Sources have told Mid Hudson News that the police are investigating the Monday morning fire as a possible arson.  Anyone with information is asked to call 845-451-7577.

Apartment Building, Residential

St. Cloud, MN – Apartment fire contained and extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

No one was injured but thousands of dollars in damage occurred in an apartment fire Sunday evening in St. Cloud.

The St. Cloud Fire Department responded to a call for a kitchen fire around 8 p.m. Sunday. When firefighters arrived at the apartment building in the 1100 block of 7th Street Southeast, they found that the building’s sprinkler system had contained and extinguished the fire.

There were no injuries reported, but the department says it is investigating the cause of the fire that left $14,000 in damage. It is not suspicious in nature. Two adults and three children were displaced from the apartment and are receiving help from the Red Cross.

Apartment Building, Residential

McKinney, TX – Fire at apartment complex extinguished by residential sprinkler system

The McKinney Fire Department (MFD) responded to the report of a water flow alarm at the Lakes of Eldorado apartments at 1400 Eldorado Pkwy. just after 11 a.m. Tuesday, May 18. Neighbors told 911 dispatchers that water was coming from one of the apartments. 

MFD firefighters arrived to find that the flames had been contained and extinguished by the residential fire sprinkler system. 

Nobody was home at the time of the fire. Fire investigators are looking into the cause.