Category Archives: Residential

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Franklin Park, IL – Fire at senior apartments extinguished by fire sprinklers; No injuries reported

A ninth-floor apartment at Franklin Towers, an apartment building for seniors, caught fire Wednesday after grocery items ignited on a hot electric stove, according to the Franklin Park Fire Department.

The building’s fire alarm activated shortly before 3:30 p.m., and automatic sprinklers extinguished the fire before firefighters arrived on the scene in the 9500 block of Franklin Avenue, Franklin Park Fire Chief William Brehm said in an email.

“Residents were evacuated and evaluated for safety, but there were no injuries or transports (to the hospital),” Brehm said.

Only the apartment that caught fire was damaged, and that was limited to water damage from the sprinkler system, Brehm said. The damage was cleaned up the same day by an outside company, according to Brehm.

Apartment Building, Residential

Burlington, IA – Accidental apartment cooking fire put out by fire sprinklers

The Burlington Fire Department says residents in a nine-story apartment building were evacuated due to a fire on Monday night.

According to a news release, the department responded at approximately 9:08 p.m. to the Burlington Apartments, located at 206 North 3rd Street in Burlington, for an automated sprinkler water flow alarm.

Shortly after receiving the alarm, the fire department says dispatchers with DESCOM started receiving 911 calls of a fire on the fourth floor of the nine-story apartment building.

Firefighters arrived at 9:11 p.m. and found fire alarms activating and the building being evacuated. When firefighters got to the fourth floor, they located one activated sprinkler head in one of the apartment unit kitchens.

An investigation revealed there had been an accidental cooking fire. It was extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system.

The fire department says the overall fire damage was minimal. Firefighters focused on shutting down the sprinkler system and controlling water damage.

The apartment building is owned by Historic Burlington, LLC and is insured. There were five apartments affected with six residents displaced.

The West Burlington Fire Department, Burlington Police Department, Alliant Energy and American Red Cross assisted at the scene.

Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

Duluth, MN – Fire sprinkler contains dorm room fire after refrigerator malfunctioned; No injuries reported

The Duluth Fire Department responded to an alarm in a dorm at 1105 Kirby Drive Monday night.

They arrived just before 8 p-m to find a small fire in a dorm room due to a refrigerator malfunction.

The fire was contained by the building’s sprinkler system and extinguished by firefighters. The dorm room was not occupied at the time of the fire and nobody was injured.

Water from the sprinklers caused some damage to adjoining rooms which remained habitable after cleanup.

Superficial damages were estimated at 2500 dollars to the room and contents.

Apartment Building, Residential

Fargo, ND – Apartment sprinkler system extinguishes fire

At 12:06 a.m. Sunday morning, Fargo firefighters were called to a report of a structure fire at 414 11th St N.  Upon arrival, firefighters found an apartment unit filled with smoke.  The building’s fire sprinkler system had activated and extinguished the fire.  The apartment’s occupant had safely evacuated before the fire department’s arrival.

The fire was contained to a mattress and bed coverings.  The sprinkler system prevented the fire from spreading to any other parts of the apartment unit or building.  Water from the extinguishment did effect several other units in the building.  The cause of the fire is still under investigation.  An initial damage estimate is not known at this time.

Apartment Building, Residential

Norwalk, CT – Bedroom apartment fire held in check thanks to sprinkler system

Firefighters extinguished a small bedroom fire Thursday morning in an apartment in the Avalon complex on Belden Avenue, according to officials.

Two people, a mother and her 11-year-old child, were evaluated by Norwalk Hospital paramedics at the scene following the 9:15 a.m. fire, but they declined a trip to the hospital.

The fire, which broke out in the master bedroom of the two-bedroom apartment, was largely held in check by the unit’s sprinkler system, but firefighters doused the remaining flames. Additionally, firefighters diverted the sprinkler water out an apartment window to limit damage to the unit.

Residents of the building temporarily were evacuated, but were allowed back in by 10:30 a.m.

The cause of the fire is under investigation by Norwalk Fire Inspectors David Burrows and Dale Roos.

Apartment Building, Residential

Spring, TX – Fire sprinklers put out apartment kitchen fire

South Montgomery County Firefighters responded to a fire alarm just around dinner time Wednesday at the Rayford Edge apartments located at 25650 I-45 South. When the first unit arrived they found that a cooking fire had started in an apartment in building 7, but was quickly extinguished when a fire sprinkler in the kitchen was activated by the heat. The occupant reported that he had been cooking when cooking oil ignited a fire on the stove and began spreading smoke and heat throughout his apartment. Before he could even call 911, the building’s fire sprinkler system activated and contained the fire to the top of the stove.

Firefighters checked to make sure the fire was out and cleared up the smoke in the apartment before turning the building back over to management. Fortunately, for the other residents and the building’s owner, the building had been equipped with a fire sprinkler system after it was destroyed by a previous fire. Many older apartment complexes were built before modern codes required them to be protected by fire sprinklers. In 2008, Montgomery County Commissioner’s Court adopted a County Fire
Code after a series of disastrous fires and that code requires fire sprinklers be installed in all new multi-family buildings, including buildings like this one that are modernized or rebuilt after previous fires. Had the fire broke out in any of the other existing buildings in the complex that are not equipped with fire sprinklers, it would undoubtedly have spread further and led to extensive damage, risking the lives of residents and firefighters.

The Montgomery County Fire Marshal’s Office has been working with owners of older multi-family complexes to bring them up to modern safety standards during major renovation projects. Two of the more dramatic examples are taking place at the Woodglen and Holly Creek Apartment complexes in The Woodlands. Both are undergoing renovation and ownership is committed to installing fire sprinkler systems in every building in both complexes after past fires have left residents homeless or worse. The vast majority of the nearly 3000 annual fire deaths in the Nation occur each year in residential property, with multi-family buildings at higher risk due to the number of occupants and sheer building size.

While fire sprinklers are the best protection, and required in all new multi-family construction, tenants should make sure that there are working smoke alarms in every bedroom, hallway and living area. Under State Law, Texas Landlords are required to provide working smoke alarms in all residential rental property. Tenants are responsible for testing them, replacing batteries as needed and may not tamper with or disable any fire protection device, including fire sprinklers and smoke alarms.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Bettendorf, IA – Nursing home fire extinguished by fire sprinkler system

A room in the west wing of Bettendorf Health Care Center caught fire Saturday morning, leaving 11 residents relocated to new rooms and one sent the hospital.

At just after 9:30 a.m. on October 10, Bettendorf Fire Rescue was dispatched to the nursing home on Crow Creek Road in response to a structure fire. 

The fire had broken out in one room in the building’s west wing, and was easily extinguished by the sprinkler system while firefighters at the scene got residents out of the building. The fire was reportedly strong enough to trip both of the room’s sprinkler heads.

Eleven residents of the west wing have been relocated to different rooms, while one occupant was sent to the hospital for evaluation. The building’s west wing is closed for repairs due to significant water and smoke damage.

Apartment Building, Residential

Westbrook, MA – Fire sprinklers extinguish kitchen apartment fire; No injuries reported

The Red Cross says it is helping 11 people after a fire in Westbrook Sunday.

Firefighters were called to the Larrabee Village housing complex on Liza Harmon Drive at about 1:15 Sunday and found a kitchen fire in a fourth-floor apartment. They said flames started on a stovetop and spread upward.

Firefighters said the automatic sprinkler system in the kitchen put the fire out before they arrived. Crews worked quickly to contain water damage.

No one was hurt, but there was some cleaning work to be done.

The exact cause of the fire was under investigation Monday morning.

Larrabee Village offers one-bedroom subsidized apartments with kitchenettes, primarily for those age 62 and older.

Apartment Building, Residential

Farmers Branch, TX – Single sprinkler head extinguishes apartment fire

On September 17, 2020 at 11:09 am, the Farmers Branch Fire Department was dispatched for a structure fire at 11601 Lago Vista West #1156.   Quint 133 arrived on scene with nothing showing and began an investigation.  No audibles or strobes were activating.  A fire alarm technician approached the crew and advised the fire alarm system was being worked on, but a fire occurred in apartment #1156 with one sprinkler head activation.  Upon arrival to the apartment, the door was closed.  Resident was in the hallway.   Upon entering the apartment, light smoke was observed and one head had activated in a bedroom.  The fire had been extinguished.  Sprinkler system and fire pump were turned off.  Quint 133 requested an investigator.  Investigation determined the fire started along a base board by a dresser where a laundry basket of clothes were stacked.  The cause of the fire is undetermined at this time.  Estimated loss is $15,000.