Category Archives: Residential

Other - Residential, Residential

Gasden, AL – Sprinkler system helps put out kitchen fire at group home; No injuries reported

A bad situation Saturday morning could have been a tragic one, according to Rainbow City firefighters, when a kitchen fire started in a group home.

Firefighters responded to a fire alarm at the home, Nick Hill of the RBC Fire Department said in a press release, and while en route, they received an update that a heat/smoke alarm and a sprinkler system at the home had activated.

Rainbow City Dispatch told firefighters a caller said grease had boiled out of a pot onto a stove, starting the fire.

“Upon arriving on scene we found smoke exiting the structure,” Hill said. Crews went to work to locate anyone who might be in the structure and to battle the blaze, he said.

“Search and Rescue crews found that there was a bed-bound subject within the home,” Hill said. That person was safely brought out of the home.

Fire fighting crews found a small fire on the stove in the kitchen, he said, but thanks to the activation of the sprinkler system, there was minimal damage.

“What fire remained was still burning due to the stove hood blocking the water from the sprinkler,” Hill explained. The fire was extinguished with a dry chemical extinguisher, and crews checked for fire extension into the walls and cabinets.

They found no evidence the fire had spread further.

All occupants in the residence were accounted for and safe, Hill said. Property owners and managers were looking into finding a place to move the occupants until the residence was repaired.

The outcome of this incident, Hill said, can be greatly attributed to the working smoke/heat alarms and the properly working sprinkler system.

Rainbow City Fire Rescue has a smoke alarm installation program to install smoke alarms in the homes in Rainbow City at no charge to the residential property owner, he said.

“This is a program provided by anonymous donors at a state level, ‘Get Alarmed Alabama!’ and ‘The Alabama Fire College,’” he explained.

For any questions about the smoke alarm installation program contact Rainbow City Fire Rescue at (256) 442-2511.

Apartment Building, Residential

McKinney, TX – Fire sprinklers keep fire from spreading at second floor apartment

The McKinney Fire Department (MFD) responded to a reported water flow alarm at the Magnolia Ranch apartments located at 3191 Medical Center Dr., at 1 p.m. on May 17. Units arrived to find smoke alarms going off and water running off the balcony of one of the second floor apartments. Fire sprinklers kept the flames from spreading and firefighters were able to shut the fire sprinkler system down.

Apartment Building, Residential, Residential High Rise

St. Paul, MN – Fire on 10th-floor of residential high-rise contained by fire sprinklers

Hundreds of people were forced from a St. Paul high-rise by a fire on Monday night, but sprinklers helped contain the damage.

The fire started just after 8 p.m. in the 16-story Wilder Park senior high-rise a few blocks from the junction of Interstate 35E and Ayd Mill Road.

Resident Diane Welch said she could hear the fire burning right above her 10th-floor unit as alarms sounded.

“And I knew things were crumbling, because I could hear it in the walls, like if you put sand through a sifter,” she said. 

Deputy Fire Chief Roy Mokosso said that more than 60 firefighters responded to fight the fire and evacuate residents. Paramedics stood by and St. Paul police helped search the building and get residents into waiting buses.

Some residents who could not use the stairs were left in place, due to what the building’s governing board told residents was serious damage to the elevators.

Mokosso said at least some areas in the building had sprinklers and the system had activated. Fire investigators were at the scene on Monday night, trying to determine the cause of the fire.

A high-rise fire at a Minneapolis Public Housing building without sprinklers killed five people in November.

Apartment Building, Residential

Oklahoma City, OK – Apartment sprinkler system puts out fire suspected to be started by a Molotov cocktail

An investigation is underway after an apartment fire officials believe was started by a Molotov cocktail.

Fire crews were called to the West Chase apartments on NW 23rd street near Ann Arbor around 12:30 AM Friday.

A witness on scene said they saw one person running, after placing a Molotov cocktail outside of a building at the complex.

The fire was small and was put out by the apartment’s sprinkler system.

No one was inside the unit at the time.

Apartment Building, Residential

Bristol, VA – Apartment kitchen fire controlled by sprinkler system

Five people were rescued Monday night when firefighters responded to a blaze in one unit at Douglass School Apartments in Bristol, Virginia.

Multiple crews arrived at the scene after the fire was reported at 9:17 p.m. at the apartment complex off Oakview Avenue, according to Mike Armstrong, the city’s fire chief.

Firefighters located the fire in the kitchen area of an apartment, where it appeared to have started on a stovetop with some type of combustible material, Armstrong said.

A sprinkler system contained the fire in the apartment where it started, but surrounding apartments still suffered water damage, he said.

A total of five occupants were evacuated from various apartments, and one person was treated for smoke inhalation but was not transported to a hospital, Armstrong said. No other injuries were reported.

Although the fire damage was contained, water damage in other apartments displaced at least two occupants, and the Red Cross is assisting them, he said.

The fire was determined to be accidental, the fire chief said.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Iowa City, IA – Sprinkler system contains fire at assisted living facility

Officials said that one person was taken to the hospital after a fire in a unit at a west side assisted living facility on Saturday morning.

At around 12:42 a.m. on Saturday, May 9, the Iowa City Fire Department was sent to a report of a structure fire at Melrose Meadows Retirement Community, located at 350 Dublin Drive. The staff reported a fire in one of the assisted living units.

Firefighters arrived and located the fire, which was being kept under control by a sprinkler system. They were able to extinguish the flames within five minutes.

The person living in the unit was able to be evacuated safely by the staff, and nearby units were also evacuated.

Fire department officials said that one person at the facility was taken to the hospital via ambulance. There was no information given about their condition.

Officials estimate the damage to the building at around $20,000.

The Coralville Fire Department, Iowa City Police Department, and Johnson County Ambulance Service assisted in the emergency response.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Apartment Building, Residential

Forest Grove, OR – Sprinklers extinguish fire sparked while residents move into new apartment; No injuries

Residents accidentally sparked a fire while moving into their new apartment on Wednesday evening, according to Forest Grove Fire & Rescue.

The fire at the Jesse Quinn Apartments in downtown Forest Grove occurred in a second floor unit. Firefighters arrived to find the flames had been extinguished by fire sprinklers. Crews then worked to mitigate the water from the sprinkler activation. They found water in two neighboring units and a tap house below.

Investigators say the residents while moving in had set a box on the stove, most likely accidentally turning it on at the same time. The box started to burn as they were bringing additional items up to the apartment.

Firefighters say three apartments are uninhabitable right now. Affected families are being assisted by the Red Cross. The tap house below, The Growler Garage, is closed until water damage can be mitigated and electrical wiring can be assessed, according to Forest Grove Fire & Rescue.

Firefighters from Cornelius, Hillsboro, and Banks assisted at the scene. Forest Grove police officers and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office also helped.

Apartment Building, Residential

Charleston, SC – Apartment kitchen fire controlled by fire sprinklers; No injuries reported

The Charleston Fire Department (CFD), James Island Fire Department, Charleston County EMS, and Charleston Police Department responded to a fire at the 35 Folly Luxury Apartment building just before 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday.

According to CFD, dispatch was alerted to the fire by an automatic fire alarm as well as a 911 call from a resident. Crews responded within four minutes of the call.

Upon arrival, firefighters “encountered light smoke and searched the building.” They discovered that a small fire originated in the kitchen of an apartment, and was put out by the sprinkler system. No injuries were reported.

Firefighters “verified the fire had been extinguished, controlled the water to the system, and ventilated the smoke from the building.”

Apartment Building, Residential

Chelmsford, MA – Overhead sprinkler contains fire in apartment unit to chair it originated in

A fire last Friday at an apartment complex in which a woman suffered burns remains under investigation, Fire Chief Gary Ryan said.

Ryan said the Fire Department responded at 9:40 p.m. on May 1 to The Kinloch Apartments for a report of smoke from a building in the complex.

An alarm on the building’s fourth floor alerted the responding crew, who discovered smoke coming from a fourth-floor dwelling unit, Ryan said. The crew forced entry into the unit, and rescued a female resident from a burning chair.

The woman was extricated and taken by medical helicopter to Boston Trauma Center for burns, Ryan said.

An overhead sprinkler contained the fire to the chair, although the unit and a few others nearby sustained some water damage.

Apartment Building, Residential

Madison, WI – Single sprinkler head extinguishes apartment fire

One person was taken to the hospital following a fire in a Sun Prairie apartment.

According to the Sun Prairie Fire Department, Sun Prairie Emergency Services responded to the 1000 block of O’Keefe Avenue for an occupant reporting the smell of smoke and an active fire alarm system on Thursday.

Officials found a fire inside an apartment unit that had been extinguished by a single fire sprinkler.

One resident was taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation, and all other occupants were able to return to their units. Damage is estimated at $15,000 in one unit of the 28-unit apartment building.

According to the fire department, initial reports indicate the occupant attempted to extinguish the fire before calling 911. If you discover a fire, get to a safe location and immediately call 911 and activate the fire alarm system if present. Officials says this is the second incident on OKeefe Ave this year that someone attempted to extinguish a fire themselves in lieu of getting out and calling 911.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.