Category Archives: Residential

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Brentwood Bay, BC, Canada – Space heater fire contained to single room thanks to fire sprinkler system at senior housing center

A long-term care home in Brentwood Bay was damaged by a fire Monday night.

The Central Sannich Fire Department received the call at 9:30 p.m. for a structure fire. Additional crews from North Saanich and Sidney were called in to assist.

The fire was contained to one room thanks to the sprinkler system but the water did cause damage to the rest of the care home.

“The immediate challenges with this fire were it’s a multi-unit building and with the occupants that are in there are not very mobile. So our priority was to make sure they were safe and out of harm’s way and to also stop the flow of water and clear the building of smoke,” said Chris Vrabel, Central Saanich Fire chief.

Brentwood House provides care for dementia patients and is temporarily closed while the damage is dealt with, displacing 17 patients.

Residents were taken to a nearby facility and family members were contacted. Island Health found temporary homes for those in need. 

The cause of the fire was determined to be a space heater.

There is no word to when the care home will re-open.

Apartment Building, Residential

LaGrange, GA – Bathroom apartment fire contained by fire sprinklers; No injuries reported

LaGrange fire crews responded to a fire at an apartment complex shortly after noon Saturday.

The fire happened at Mallard Lake Apartments on Old Airport Road.

As firefighters were en route to the complex, Troup County 911 was told that a bathroom in an apartment unit was on fire.

Firefighters were able to contain the fire with a sprinkler system and quickly extinguished the fire with a minimal amount of water.

No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

Tempe, AZ – High-rise fire at Arizona State University residence hall kept in check by fire sprinklers; No injuries reported

More than three dozen people have been displaced after a fire broke out at a high-rise apartment building in Tempe on Friday morning.  

When crews arrived, smoke was coming from the 8th floor, according to the Tempe Fire Department. 

Fire and medical units from Tempe, Phoenix and Mesa responded to the fire call at the University Towers on Mill Avenue and University Drive around 11 a.m.

Firefighters say they found food burning on the stove in one unit. The building’s sprinklers went off and kept the fire from spreading.

The high-rise is a residence hall for Arizona State University students. 

About 40 people from 16 units are unable to return to their apartment primarily because of water damage, according to ASU. 

No injuries were reported. 

ASU’s Fire Marshal Office is investigating. 

Apartment Building, Residential

Des Moines, IA – Fire sprinklers contain kitchen grease fire; No injuries reported

Residents were evacuated from an apartment on the south side of Des Moines early Wednesday morning.

Fire crews were called to 1516 Evergreen Avenue at around 5:45 a.m.

Fire officials say there was a grease fire in the kitchen of a first-floor apartment that caused water and smoke damage to the apartment and the hallway.

Fire Captain Tim Patava said there were no injuries in the fire and more than a dozen were evacuated.

Alarms and sprinklers were tripped by the fire and the fire was contained to that apartment.

Apartment Building, Residential

Dallas, TX – Early morning fire at high rise apartment sparked by wheelchair put out by fire sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Flames inside a high-rise apartment were caused by a wheelchair that caught fire, officials say. 

Dallas Fire-Rescue crews responded to a fire call around 6 a.m. Wednesday at the Cliff Manor Apartments near the 2400 block of Fort Worth Avenue. 

Investigators say the blaze was sparked by a wheelchair at the elderly housing community. 

Firefighters say when they arrived at the complex they could see light smoke coming from the top floor. When they reached the unit where the smoke was coming from, they say the sprinkler system had already extinguished the fire. 

Medics say an elderly man was in the unit when the fire sparked. He was transported to the hospital for a pre-existing medical condition, according to officials. 

Authorities say no one was injured during the incident. 

Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

West Lafayette, IN – Fire sprinklers control fifth floor dorm room fire at Purdue University

When Hawkins residents were roused by the blaring fire alarms Jan. 23 at 2:43 a.m., most assumed it was a badly timed drill.

The residents on the east wing of the fifth floor saw the smoke.

A resident’s reverse osmosis water filter had caught fire. Its owner was not in the room at the time, and the sprinklers were able to contain the small fire. No residents were harmed, but the lasting flooding left many of their belongings damaged. The student declined to comment.

Hannah MacLean, a freshman in the College of Science, was one of the other residents on the east wing of the fifth floor, just five or six doors down from room where the fire started.

“I didn’t really take it that seriously (at first),” MacLean said. “I kind of took my time. … Then I open my door, and I’m like, ‘Oh, I see smoke,’ and then I kinda panicked.”

MacLean said most of the residents were out of the building by 2:45 a.m.

By the time the fire truck arrived, the fire had been contained, though there was still smoke present, according to Purdue Fire Chief Kevin Ply.

“(The fire) was completely accidental, and the sprinklers worked just as they were designed to work,” Ply said.

According to MacLean, there was water coming from the door across from the room where the fire started, but Ply explained that only the sprinkler in that room went off because of their design.

“(The sprinkler) reaches a predetermined temperature and then that sprinkler head pops, and so when that happens, water comes out of the sprinkler at roughly 30-35 gallons per minute,” Ply said.

When the fire department arrived, they had to turn off the sprinkler system, which is why there was so much flooding, Ply said.

Purdue spokesperson Tim Doty said via email because of the sprinkler system, some rooms will be offline for the rest of the semester and affected students have been offered temporary housing or new housing assignments within University Residences.

The residents were not allowed back into the building until around 4 a.m., according to MacLean. The fifth-floor residents were told they had to find a different place to stay for the night, but many other Hawkins residents offered to host them.

MacLean stayed with her friend, Maya Radjenovich, a freshman in the College of Health and Human Sciences.

“A lot of girls seemed to be really understanding and open to allowing people to spend the night with them,” Radjenovich said. “It was actually really sweet to see.”

The next night, fifth-floor residents still weren’t able to return to their rooms. Hawkins offered temporary housing to any residents who weren’t able to find a place to stay with another resident and escorted those who wanted to get any belongings from their rooms.

The fifth-floor residents weren’t allowed back into their rooms until Friday at 5 p.m., according to MacLean.

“As you can see, my books are all water-damaged,” she said, brandishing her wrinkled notebooks. “Luckily, my stuff didn’t get too damaged.”

MacLean said the maintenance workers worked hard to clean residents’ rugs, shoes and any other objects they could launder, but many girls’ belongings were too water-damaged to be reclaimed. When MacLean moved back in, there were still large fans running in an attempt to dry everything off.

“For the girls whose stuff that was damaged that needs to be replaced, I know they’re filing a report,” Mac Lean said.

Wednesday morning, residents received an email saying that Hawkins would not be reimbursing residents for any damages sustained due to the flooding.

“We are unable to assist with your request of reimbursement for damages to student owned clothing and furnishings,” the email read. They suggested reaching out to insurance companies and apologized for the unfortunate circumstances.

Apartment Building, Residential

Saskatoon, SK, Canada – Fire sparked by candle put out by fire sprinklers at 13-story apartment

A candle sparked a fire that forced the evacuation of a 13-storey apartment building in Saskatoon on Sunday.

The Saskatoon Fire Department (SFD) said it received a residential fire signal from the building at 530 25th St. E. at 3:23 p.m.

Nothing was showing from the exterior of the building when crews arrived, but a check found smoke on the third floor from a fire in a suite, SFD said.

The building was evacuated and residents were taken to the neighbouring YWCA building. Tenants with mobility issues were sheltered in their suites.

The fire department said the building’s sprinkler system put out the fire prior to their arrival, but heavy smoke remained throughout the third floor.

Higher carbon monoxide levels were reported on the third floor and above, SFD said, and positive pressure ventilation was used on each floor to remove smoke and toxic gasses.

Residents were allowed back to their apartments once carbon monoxide levels returned to zero.

A fire investigator determined a candle ignited stationary on a desk, starting the fire.

Damage is estimated at $100,000 due to the significant amount of water discharged from the sprinkler system.

Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

Boone, NC – Fire sprinkler in dorm room keeps fire from spreading

A small fire from a cooking accident occurred at the Appalachian Heights on Bodenheimer Drive on Jan. 26 at 4:41 p.m.

Boone Fire Department Battalion Chief Kent Brown said the sprinkler system in the room where the fire occurred activated and kept the fire from spreading.

Housekeeping is on scene cleaning up the water from the sprinkler systems on the first and second floors.

Residents on the right side of the building are not allowed inside until further notice, while residents on the left side of the building have been permitted back in.

Marielle Tooley, a resident on the second floor said the situation happened fast.

“We all went outside and the firemen took care of it pretty quickly and now we’re just waiting on the mess to be cleaned up,” Tooley said.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Fargo, ND – Fire at nursing home contained thanks to fire sprinklers; No injuries reported

A fire burned through the roof of a Fargo nursing home on Thursday, forcing the evacuation of about 115 residents, authorities said. No injures were reported.

Some residents of a south side Fargo nursing home were moved to an adjoining chapel Thursday afternoon while fire crews battled a blaze that started in the attic area. Elim Campus Pastor David Juve told KFGO radio that state officials will coordinate the eventual move of the displaced residents to temporary facilities.

The fire at the Elim Rehab and Care Center was called in about 3:15 p.m.. Witnesses say flames were shooting from the roof and smoke could be seen from several blocks away.

Authorities say natural gas fed the flames until the gas was shut off. Fargo Fire Chief Steve Dirksen credited a sprinkler system and fire doors for helping to contain the fire.

The investigation into the fire could take some time, Dirksen said.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Oceanside, CA – Fire sprinklers put out cooking fire at senior living center

A cooking fire at an Oceanside senior community displaced eight to 10 residents, Saturday night.

The residents were displaced because of water damage from the sprinklers that put the fire out, officials said.

The fire broke out at the three-story Lil’ Jackson Senior Community on Lake Boulevard around 7:20 p.m.

A cooking fire in a unit on the second floor triggered the sprinkler system and put out the flames before they spread.

Crews shut off the sprinklers when they arrived, but it was too late. Water pooling in the unit began seeping through the ceiling into the units on the ground-floor.

The Red Cross was called in to help the eight to 10 residents who were displaced by the fire and water damage.

One resident was evaluated by paramedics, but didn’t need to go to the hospital, officials said.