Category Archives: Residential

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Atlanta, GA – Sprinkler system activated for fire on 5th floor of senior living community; No injuries reported

Atlanta firefighters evacuated the fifth floor of a senior living community Thursday morning after a fire broke out inside an apartment, officials said.

The fire occurred at the Lakewood Christian Manor off Springdale Road in southwest Atlanta, battalion Chief Tony Terrell said at the scene.

“The sprinkler system kept it in check,” and firefighters were able to get inside and extinguish the blaze, Terrell said, but crews were forced to evacuate residents on that floor because of water damage.

Fire officials said it appears the small blaze began inside a closet.

“We had a basket of clothes and laundry burning inside the closet,” Terrell said, adding that the fifth floor of the high-rise sustained water damage from the apartment’s sprinkler system. No injuries were reported, but seven residents have been displaced.

While fires at senior living complexes aren’t common, Terrell said the biggest challenge is evacuating residents who are unable to get out on their own. The building is nine stories tall and houses hundreds of residents, most of whom are older or disabled.

“The rest of the residents were allowed to shelter in place because we only had smoke in the hallway where we had the fire,” he said.

Volunteers from the American Red Cross responded to the scene and are offering temporary assistance to seven residents from six units that were damaged, agency spokeswoman Sherry Nicholson said. In addition, a company was called in to remove the water from the fifth floor.

“They’re going to have to wait until all the water is cleaned up before they can return to their apartments,” Terrell said.

The cause of the blaze remains under investigation.

Apartment Building, Residential

McFarland, WI – Exterior fire sprinkler controlled second-story balcony fire

McFarland Fire & Rescue responded to a second-story balcony on fire just before 11:30 a.m. on Monday, which staff says was controlled by a fire sprinkler.

At 11:21 a.m., crews were dispatched to the fire at 5601 Lexington St. in the village of McFarland, which they found controlled by an exterior fire sprinkler head. They were able to extinguish the fire within about 15 minutes of it being reported.

According to a press release from the department, the sprinkler prevented the fire from extending into the attic of the building, though it did spread into the furnace room of the apartment, displacing one tenant.

Though the apartment that caught fire was unoccupied, one apartment resident was transported by a city of Madison ambulance with a non-life-threatening medical emergency.

A passerby called 911 after seeing the sprinkler activate.

“Without the fire sprinkler and fire alarm system, the fire’s outcome would have been much worse,” the department said in a release.

The city of Madison and city of Monona fire departments, along with the McFarland Police, responded to the incident as well.

Apartment Building, Residential

Chilliwack, BC, Canada – Fire sprinkler system quickly douses kitchen fire; No injuries reported

A small kitchen fire broke out in a third-floor unit of the RainCity Housing on Yale Road.

It was doused quickly by the building’s own automatic sprinklers putting the kibosh on any major damage – before fire crews even arrived.

Chilliwack Fire Department got the call at about 11:30 a.m. on Sunday (Feb. 28) about the fire in the 45000-block of Yale Rd, according to Assistant Chief Chris Wilson. Firefighters responded from Halls 1 and 4, and gained access to a third floor unit where they discovered a small fire in the kitchen area.

“The fire had been extinguished by the building’s automatic fire sprinkler system prior to the arrival of fire crews, which significantly limited fire damage to a small area around the kitchen cabinets,” assistant chief Wilson said.

“Without a working sprinkler system in place, this fire had the potential of causing extensive fire, smoke and water damage to the unit.”

Chilliwack Fire had nothing but praise for preventative measures like alarms and sprinkler systems.

“The presence of an automatic fire sprinkler system in conjunction with a working smoke alarm greatly reduces the chance of being injured or dying in a fire, and also significantly improves public and firefighter health and safety by reducing the chance of injury and exposure to harmful contaminants and carcinogens.”

There were no civilian or firefighter injuries reported.

Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

Omaha, NE – Fire Sprinkler activated for fire in university dorm building; No injuries reported

The Omaha Fire Department, Omaha Police Department and Creighton University’s Department of Public Safety responded to an incident at a Kiewit Hall early this morning.

According to Cindy Workman, the university’s director of public relations, three small fires had been set at hand sanitizer stations. One of these fires triggered the fire suppression system in the building.

The students were safely evacuated to the student center and no one was injured.

The building was cleared for re-entry, and those students whose rooms were impacted by the sprinkler system were relocated.

Omaha Police and Public Safety are investigating the incident.

Apartment Building, Residential

Dayton, OH – Sprinkler system assisted in extinguishing apartment kitchen fire

Dayton firefighters were called to an apartment fire at a high-rise early Tuesday morning.

Firefighters were called to 108 Melba Street just before 5 a.m.

The district fire chief, Fred Haney, says when they arrived they heard fire alarms going off.

On the 6th floor, he says it smelled like burnt food.

Inside one of the apartments, they found a fire in the kitchen.

He says crews were able to put the fire out quickly.

The fire he said started from a pot of food burning on the stove.

Haney says the buildings sprinkler system helped a lot putting out the fire.

But there is water damage from the sprinklers.

He says a considerable amount of water flowed before firefighters were able to turn it off.

No one was in the apartment where the fire started.

Because of that an investigator has been called in.

No other apartments were damaged in the fire.

And residents were able to stay in the apartments.

Apartment Building, Residential

Yuma, AZ – Apartment kitchen fire extinguished by fire sprinkler; No injuries reported

A fire that started in the kitchen could have turned into something much worse without the help of a fire sprinkler.

The Yuma Fire Department received reports of an apartment fire at La Posada Apartments last Sunday around 1 p.m.

Fire crews found a stovetop fire in the apartment at the scene, but the fire sprinkler had extinguished the fire.

They say a pot of oil had splashed and burned the stove’s burner. The fire was thankfully extinguished before it could spread to the rest of the kitchen.

No injuries were reported.

Apartment Building, Residential

McKinney, TX – Single fire sprinkler extinguishes apartment fire; No injuries reported

The McKinney Fire Department (MFD) responded to a report of a water flow alarm Friday morning at Times Square of Craig Ranch apartments located at 7951 Collin McKinney Pkwy. Firefighters arrived to find light smoke in the hallway.  

Upon investigation, it was determined that single fire sprinkler had extinguished the fire started by lit candles inside one apartment. Fire investigators say the resident had lit several candles and then fallen asleep. 

No one was injured.

“Fire sprinklers are on duty 24/7. They never sleep even when you do,” said McKinney Fire Marshal Mike Smith. “They are always there, ready to extinguish a fire before it can spread and cause a large amount of property damage.”  

According to the National Fire Protection Association, candles start an average of 21 fires a day across the country. 

Residential, Single Family Home

Petaluma, CA – Sprinkler System activated for residential structure fire

Two adults including an elderly man were displaced by a residential fire in Petaluma on Sunday afternoon, Petaluma Fire Department Battalion Chief Mike Medeiros said.

The fire department received a report of a structure fire on the 1800 block of Fieldstone Lane at about 3:10 p.m. Sunday and dispatched the battalion chief, an engine, a ladder truck and an ambulance to the residence.

Upon arrival, firefighters saw that light smoke was coming from the front door of the home, Medeiros said. Firefighters quickly gained access, and they found a couch fire that had activated the overhead fire sprinkler and an elderly man who needed assistance to evacuate.

The man was evaluated for smoke inhalation and transported to Petaluma Valley Hospital for a further evaluation by a doctor, Medeiros said. A woman was outside when firefighters arrived on scene and was not injured.

An additional engine arrived to assist crews with salvage and overhaul to minimize further water damage from the sprinkler, Medeiros said.

The City of Petaluma Building Department and Fire Prevention responded to the scene. After an investigation, the residence was “red tagged,” due to the sprinkler system being activated, and the utilities shut off.

The preliminary fire investigation determined that the fire possibly started from an overloaded extension cord under the couch, but the exact cause of the fire is still under investigation, Medeiros said.

“Had it not been for the activation of the sprinkler system this fire would have grown to become much larger,” Medeiros said. Smoke detectors also alerted the residents to the fire.

The displaced adults have family who can care for them until their home is safe again, Medeiros said. Smoke and water damage is estimated at $25,000.

Rancho Adobe Fire and Cal Fire were also on the scene.

Apartment Building, Residential

Warwick, RI – Sprinkler System assists fire fighters in containing apartment fire

Alarms woke residents of a 46-unit building at Les Chateaux, 1403 Warwick Ave., at 3 a.m. Saturday, and they ran out into the freezing night.

Sixty people escaped, 49 adults and 11 children in 35 families, according to a Red Cross spokeswoman Sunday evening. They were given temporary shelter in a hotel.

Warwick Battalion Chief Thomas F. Brady said he heard the zone alarms, from first to second to third, track the smoke rising through the stairwells of the three-story building that is parallel to Warwick Avenue.

Smoke filled the lobby, Brady said, and firefighters could see flames entering from the hall.

He said the fire started in a basement storage area, set off a sprinkler near the boiler, then rolled across the ceiling and up the stairs to the first-floor hallway. The fire door on the right was closed, which he said prevented damage on that side, but rooms along the hallway going left from the elevator had burns on their doors from the top to about three feet above the floor.

Without knowing that everyone had escaped safely, the first engine called a second alarm to bring more help in searching. About 32 firefighters worked the scene.

No firefighters were hurt, Brady said, but two residents suffered smoke injuries and one slipped and fell on the ice.

The temperature was 18 degrees, Brady said, and residents did not have time to grab car keys or warm clothes. Buses arrived to take them to the Pilgrim Senior Center, so they could be warm while the Red Cross enrolled them for services.

Flames were arrested at the first floor within about a half hour of the first truck arriving and attacking the the origin area with a single hose, he said. Two companies worked the roof. The wind helped clear smoke after firefighters opened sliding glass doors in each room.

At about 5 a.m., firefighters provided escorts to allow one resident from each unit to retrieve keys, medications, cell phones and other necessities before the building, which had no water, heat or electricity, was secured.

Apartment Building, Residential

McFarland, WI – Fire sprinklers contained the fire quickly and initiated the fire alarm system

McFarland Fire and Rescue crews were dispatched for an apartment fire just before 10:30 p.m. on Monday night.

Crews arrived on the scene at 10:27 p.m. to find the fire sprinkler system had contained a kitchen fire in an apartment on Farwell St. The building was being evacuated when firefighters arrived, and the fire was out by 10:45, according to McFarland Fire and Rescue.

Smoke was cleared from the building, and the fire sprinkler was restored. Most of the building tenants were able to return to their units before midnight, but the two adjacent units were relocated for the night to allow water remediation of their units’ fire sprinkler water to occur. The apartment with the fire will be uninhabitable for some time due to fire and smoke damage.

The tenant of that apartment was able to stay with family members in McFarland. The cause of the fire is under investigation and is believed to be accidental.

Damage estimates are pending further evaluation. All building occupants were able to evacuate, and no injuries occurred during the event.

With temperatures below zero on Monday night, Madison Metro assisted by providing a transit bus to allow tenants to remain warm during the incident, while the Monona Fire Department also assisted the McFarland crews.

The cold snap can have some significant effects on fire crews as well.

“The intense cold requires us to provide warm areas for the individuals displaced and the firefighters. Firefighters’ equipment will freeze, including our breathing apparatus, and may need thawing to be used. The firefighters that put the fire out last night had their turnout gear frozen while they were wearing it,” McFarland Fire and Rescue Chief Chris Dennis said. “We will rotate crews more frequently to keep firefighters warm and prevent cold injuries such as frostbite. Additionally, when using hose lines, we have to keep water flowing to prevent freezing in the lines, leading to ice on the ground and slip hazards.”

McFarland Fire and Rescue offered the following safety message to community members after the incident:

“The fire sprinklers contained the fire quickly and initiated the fire alarm system. The fire alarm system alerted the occupants and the 911 center of the fire. Without the fire sprinklers, the fire would have been much larger, and the outcome could have been much worse.”