Category Archives: Residential

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Madison, WI – Sprinkler system activated for fire at senior housing facility; No injuries reported

A sprinkler system helped save lives and limit property damage after a fire broke out in a senior housing facility on Tuesday, according to the Madison Fire Department.

Firefighters were called around 3 p.m. to the 900 block of North High Point Road for a smoke detector going off and smoke in an apartment.

Spokesperson Cynthia Schuster said the 3-story 170-unit apartment building has a fire sprinkler system, which activated in a second floor apartment.

As firefighters arrived, residents were evacuating, Schuster reported. A sprinkler was activated in the kitchen area, which controlled the fire. Moderate smoke conditions were present.

Firefighters used their water can extinguisher to complete extinguishment and ventilated the apartment.

Schuster said fire sprinkler systems save lives, and reduce injuries and property loss.

No one was hurt as a result of the fire.

Apartment Building, Residential

Kingwood, TX – Sprinkler system activated for dryer fire at apartment building; No injuries reported

Just before Midnight Tuesday, Firefighters from the Porter and Houston Fire Departments were dispatched to reports of a fire on the first floor of a 3 story, 20 unit apartment building at the Marquis at Kingwood apartments on Kings Manor Drive in southeast Montgomery County. Porter Engine and Rescue 121 were on scene within minutes reporting smoke inside the building. The fire crews entered the building and quickly found the source of the smoke, a dryer that had caught fire in a utility room.

Fortunately, for the residents at the Marquis at Kingwood apartments, the building was equipped with both a fire alarm and a fire sprinkler system. In order to minimize the risk to residents, modern fire codes require fire sprinklers and alarms in multi-family residential buildings. While the building’s fire alarm system did its job and alerted residents to the growing fire, a single fire sprinkler located in the utility room activated from the heat escaping from the clothing burning in the dryer. The fire sprinkler contained the fire to the interior of the dryer, and upon their arrival, fire crews used a water-based fire extinguisher, further drenching the burning contents, before removing the dryer from the building. There were no injuries and fire damage was confined to the dryer itself.

Firefighters and the apartment’s maintenance crew then utilized a wet vac to remove the water and clean the utility room before turning the apartment back over to management. What started out as a potentially life-threatening fire in an apartment building full of sleeping residents, ended up as nothing more than minor smoke and water damage to a single room, thanks to the presence of the fire alarm and sprinkler systems and management’s commitment to maintaining those systems in working order.

The Montgomery County Fire Marshal’s Office reviews construction plans during the building process, insuring that all new and renovated buildings meet the life safety requirements found in the Montgomery County Fire Code. After they are built and occupied, MCFMO Fire Inspectors work closely with building occupants and management teams to protect the lives of our residents and the firefighters who would respond in the event of a fire.

Apartment Building, Residential

Mobile, AL – Sprinkler system activated for fire at apartment building; No injuries reported

7:20 p.m.

Mobile Fire-Rescue Department units were dispatched at about 7:05 p.m. for a report of an apartment fire at the Crossings apartments at 5799 Southland Drive in Mobile, Alabama, Monday evening, July 29, 2024.

Units arrived on scene to find smoke visible from a third-story apartment and immediately deployed a fire hose into the structure.

Multiple units are on scene at this time working to extinguish any fire and to make sure all people are clear of the building.

 

7:24 p.m.

In an update to Dispatch, the Incident Commander advised that the fire, which was on a third floor balcony, had been knocked down.

Personnel will remain on scene to ensure that all hotspots are extinguished. Crews will assist with salvage and overhaul until the incident is stabilized.

 

8:17 p.m.

A fire sprinkler on the balcony kept the fire at bay until the crews could extinguish it. The fire was contained completely on the balcony and it was stopped before it spread to the building, which houses two sections of 14 apartments.

Residents have been allowed back inside the building. The fire’s cause has been determined to be accidental in nature. No injuries were reported.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Lynchburg, VA – Sprinkler system activated for fire at nursing facility

Lynchburg crews responded Saturday to a fire at a nursing facility, Lynchburg Health & Rehab, located on Seminole Avenue.

According to Battalion Chief Mike Reeves, boxes located in a shower room in the facility caught fire just after noon.

Residents used an extinguisher on the fire, and the sprinkler system kicked in and helped finish the job by the time firefighters arrived.

Reeves said since the fire originated in a shower room, it’s unlikely it would have spread, although there was some lingering smoke in the area.

The initial call indicated there may have been oxygen present in the room, but Reeves said they only observed two small bottles that may have been empty.

The Fire Marshal will investigate to determine a cause.

Apartment Building, Residential

St. Paul, MN – Sprinkler system extinguishes overnight apartment fire

Fire crews in St. Paul say a small fire inside an apartment early Thursday was put out by a sprinkler system in the building.

The St. Paul Fire Department was called to the apartment on the 2200 block of Hillcrest Avenue around 3:00 a.m.

When crews arrived, they found smoke in a first-floor apartment and evidence of a fire in a closet.

The fire department said the fire was already extinguished by a sprinkler system before they arrived.

As a precaution, the fire department searched the building to make sure all occupants had been able to evacuate safely and ventilated it.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, but the fire department said a working sprinkler system and smoke detectors prevented a much larger incident.

Residential, Residential High Rise

Ann Arbor, MI – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire at high-rise apartment building; No injuries reported

Firefighters are investigating how a plastic plant in the 7th floor lobby of the Court House Square Apartments caught on fire Tuesday morning.

Ann Arbor Fire Department personnel arrive at the downtown highrise around 7:27 a.m. to find smoke and flowing water on the 7th floor.

Officials said the floor’s sprinkler system — activated by the on-fire plant — extinguished the fire. An elevator and several floors were damaged by the water but no one was injured.

Firefighters consider the incident suspicious.

Court House Square apartments are at 100 S. Fourth Ave.

Apartment Building, Residential

Kelowna, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for balcony fire at apartment building; No injuries reported

A Saturday evening balcony fire was quickly prevented from spreading after a sprinkler activated and doused the blaze.

Just after 5 pm, the Kelowna Fire Department received a call about a fire on the balcony of an apartment building in the 1200 block of Richter Street.

Upon arrival, the crews could see an activated sprinkler on the fourth-floor balcony, with no smoke or flames visible.

Crews went to investigate and found there had been a small fire on the balcony, which was contained by a sprinkler.

There was minor damage to the contents and the exterior of the apartment. No injuries were reported and all residents were able to return to their suites.

KFD responded with three engine companies, one ladder truck, a rescue truck and a command vehicle.

Apartment Building, Residential

Roanoke, VA – Sprinkler system extinguished fire at apartment complex; No injuries reported

An unattended fire in Roanoke County on Thursday has forced several apartments to be vacated.

At 1:54 p.m. Roanoke County Fire and Rescue responded to the Ridgeview Apartments on Hawthorne Road in the North County area of Roanoke County, for a reported commercial structure fire.

Responding units arrived to find nothing showing from the outside of the multi-story apartment building. Once inside, crews found evidence of a fire on the fifth floor that had been extinguished by the sprinkler system.

Crews said fire damage was minimal but water from the sprinkler head did cause about $20,000 in damage and displaced four units.

Those displaced are either staying with family and friends, are being helped by the management at Ridgeview Apartments, or are being assisted by their renter’s insurance, according to Roanoke County Fire and Rescue.

There were no injuries and working smoke alarms and sprinkler systems both played a role in keeping residents safe.

The Roanoke County Fire Marshal’s Office reports that the cause of the fire was unattended melting wax on a stovetop.

Apartment Building, Residential

Madison, WI – Sprinkler system prevents porch fire from spreading; No injuries reported

A water sprinkler prevented a porch fire from spreading at an east side apartment complex Tuesday, Madison Fire Department reports.

According to MFD, firefighters responded around 5:45 a.m. to the 2500 block of Winnebago Street.

When firefighters arrived on scene, authorities said they saw smoke showing from a first-floor porch and people were evacuating the building.

Once the fire was out, firefighters checked to see if the fire had spread into the apartment, but it did not.

The fire damaged flowerpots, a rug and patio furniture. No one was injured.

Authorities said the exact cause of the fire is unknown. But law enforcement said based on evidence found at the scene, the fire may have been caused by improperly discarded smoking materials or by a citronella candle.

Apartment Building, Residential

Jacksonville, FL – Sprinkler system activated for fire inside 4-story apartment building; No injuries reported

St. Johns County Fire Rescue responded to a fire at the Grand Cypress apartments Sunday night.

Fire rescue said the fire happened inside a bathroom at a 4-story apartment in the 300 block of Grand Cypress Drive.

The fire was already partially extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system once fire rescue arrived on the scene. Firefighters extinguished what was left of the fire.

No victims were located and no injuries have been reported, fire rescue said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

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