Category Archives: Residential

Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

Norman, OK – Fire sprinklers put out fire sparked by phone charger in dorm room; No injuries reported

Students living in Couch Tower at OU had a sleepless night after a fire started in a 10th floor dorm room. It was  from a phone charger plugged into an extension cord.

It happened around 2 a.m. Friday, and many residents thought it was a prank at first.

“I’m getting ready to go to bed, and all of a sudden the alarms start going off,” Charlie Reynolds said.

“Me and my roommate thought it was a joke at first, because the rest kind of had been,” Elizabeth Wright said.

“All of sudden I see videos on everyone’s stories like, ‘Ugh, not again,’ and me and my roommate look out the window and outside is just like a bunch of people,” Alexa Perez said.

That’s when students started to realize something was going on.

“They were knocking on the doors and everyone was like, ‘Get up, you need to evacuate,’ and I was like, ‘Oh, okay,'” Lauren Kennedy said.

The sprinkler system activated after the fire started, soaking some of the rooms. The tower was evacuated. No one was hurt.

“In this case, the fire that started was right next to the bed. There were actually elements of the bed, including the mattress and sheet and coverings, that caught fire, so in this case, the fire sprinkler activating and putting the fire out actually saved the student’s life,” OU Fire Marshal Justin Daniels said.

Students had to find other places to sleep. Some slept in their cars, the storm shelter or at friends’ places.

Professors were asked to provide appropriate accommodations on finals for students who’d been affected.

“I was planning on studying this morning, so I didn’t really get that chance,” Wright said.

“I have a very important final tonight, and I need to pass it, and I’m running on very, very little sleep because of this,” Reynolds said.

“I’m honestly really tired,” Julia Wu said. “I got like an hour-and-a-half of sleep,” Perez added.

The university is working with students to address damage to belongings.

Daniels says it’s a good idea to plug chargers directly into wall outlets rather than an extension cord.

Apartment Building, Residential

Murfreesboro, TN – Sprinkler system prevents stove top fire from spreading through apartment

Sprinklers prevented a stove fire from spreading after dousing flames at The Blue Apartments, 2707 S. Rutherford Blvd., Thursday afternoon, Dec. 12, causing water damage to several units.

When Murfreesboro Fire Rescue Department (MFRD) firefighters arrived on the scene around 2:30 p.m., the building’s fire suppression system had already triggered, which extinguished the flames.

The preliminary investigation revealed the tenants may have accidentally turned on a burner while cleaning. A pot with grease heated up, causing it to catch fire.

The 500 building was evacuated as a precaution.

Fire crews were able to shut off the sprinkler system and used fans to blow smoke out of the unit and overhaul the apartment.

“Sprinklers do save lives and property. I can’t emphasize enough the importance of sprinklers,” said Fire Marshal Carl Peas. “We also encourage residents to never leave food on a stove unattended.”

Several apartments sustained minimum water damage from the sprinkler system. Electricity was turned off to several units while the maintenance crews restored the units.

Apartment Building, Residential

Des Monies, IA – Single fire sprinkler prevents fire from spreading at apartment complex; No injuries reported

A single fire sprinkler prevented possibly another tragedy at Eddy Apartments.

The call came in at 1:15 p.m. on Wednesday where a small fire broke out on the first floor in the laundry room.

Resident Myra McNeary said, “It was pretty scary because you really couldn’t see because it was up and ground level was clear. I was walking bent down so I didn’t get any smoke.”

It was a single fire sprinkler that contained the fire until crews arrived on scene.

Des Moines Fire Marshal Jonathan Lund said, “[A] sprinkler head typically activates 60 to 90 seconds after the fire starts and that provides valuable time for us to get there.”

A fire sprinkler is heat reacted and responds only when the fire is directly above a specific sprinkler.

“Residential sprinklers and like light hazard occupancy so like businesses and stuff typically about 13-17 gallons. Not a ton of water, but enough to get the job done,” Lund said.

The apartment complex fell victim to a fatal fire back in 2017.

“The building code that we had adopted at the time and fire codes say that repairing fire damage or a damaged building does not necessarily require you to put sprinklers in. It requires you to build it back the way it was,” Lund said.

After the 2017 fire, the owners renovated the building adding a fire sprinkler system.

“It’s much better now and they’ve got all the sprinklers and smoke alarms and stuff in place,” McNeary said.

No major injuries were reported. The fire is still under investigation.

Eddy Apartments is located at 1120 Polk Boulevard, Des Moines.

Apartment Building, Residential

Farmers Branch, TX – (no media coverage) Cooking fire put out thanks to fire sprinklers

On November 27, 2019, at approximately 11:08 am,  the Farmers Branch Fire Department and Addison Fire Department responded to an automatic fire alarm – water flow alarm at Jefferson Landmark Apartments, located at 14650 Landmark Blvd.  Farmers Branch Medic 132, Addison Battalion 101, and Addison Engine 101 arrived on scene at 11:13 am with nothing showing from the exterior.  Crews were directed to apartment #1209.  Occupant stated that she was heating food on the stove and she had turned away for a brief minute.  Later she observed the pan of food on fire.  Occupant grabbed the pan to carry to the sink to put the fire out.  During this time, the single station smoke alarm  activated in the apartment and startled her.  Occupant dropped the pan on the floor and the fire increased in size.  The heat activated one sprinkler head above the sink and stove.  The fire was extinguished.  Sprinkler floor control valve was shut off and water was removed out of the unit. Fire loss was estimated to be $10,000.   Units cleared the scene at 11:54 am. 

Apartment Building, Residential

Tuscon, AZ – Two sprinkler heads activated to put out fire at apartment; No injuries reported

Crews responded to an apartment Thursday afternoon in central Tucson.

Tucson Fire Department units were dispatched to Haskell Drive and Grant Road.

TFD responded to an apartment fire near Haskell Dr and Grant Rd on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2019.

Officials say water was coming from an apartment door on the second floor. As firefighters made their way inside, they found that two sprinkler heads had activated inside the apartment – putting out a bulk of the fire. The fire was under control minutes later, TFD says.

The resident was not home at the time of the incident. No injuries were reported.

Fire officials say the cause and origin of the fire are under investigation.

Apartment Building, Residential

Everett, WA – Fire sprinkler at apartment does its job, extinguishes unattended cooking fire; No injuries reported

Saturday night, shortly before 10:30 p.m., firefighters were dispatched to the Library Place Apartments, located at 2720 Hoyt Avenue, for a fire alarm that monitors the building’s fire sprinkler system. As crews investigated the source, they found light smoke and a significant amount of water on the third floor caused by a stovetop fire from unattended cooking in one of the units.

The fire sprinklers in the affected apartment did their job and controlled the stovetop fire, containing the fire to the kitchen area and preventing it from spreading to the rest of the unit or to other units in the building. Fire damage was limited to the involved apartment’s kitchen area. At the time of the call, water had flowed through the affected apartment, into the third-floor hallway, and into the elevator shafts, causing the elevators to be shut down until an elevator technician inspects them for safe operation.

There were no injuries in this fire. The Red Cross was called to assist one adult male who was displaced by the fire.

This fire is a good reminder that cooking fires are the number one cause of home fires and home injuries. The leading cause of fires in the kitchen is unattended cooking. According to the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA), almost two-thirds of home cooking fires start on ranges or cooktops. Thanksgiving is the peak day for home cooking fires, followed by Christmas Day and Christmas Eve. 

Apartment Building, Residential

Lowell, MA – Ninth-floor apartment fire doused by fire sprinkler; No injuries reported

A small fire in a ninth-floor apartment inside the River Place Towers on Thursday evening activated a sprinkler head that helped douse the fire, but which also sent water cascading down through the building to as far as the fourth floor, according to firefighters.

Deputy Chief John Dowling said crews were called to the towering building about 4:30 p.m., and discovered there was a small fire in a bedroom on the ninth floor. The cause of that blaze remains under investigation.

The blaze activated a spinkler head, which sent water flowing from the ninth floor apartment all the way down to the fourth floor, Dowling said.

Firefighters spent about an hour at the scene, with much of that time sent helping residents cover their furniture and other valuables with salvage covers to protect them from water damage.

There were no reported injuries.

Apartment Building, Residential

Roanoke, VA – Fire caused by unattended burning incense extinguished by apartment fire sprinklers; No injuries reported

A small fire temporarily displaced several residents of the Melrose Towers building Tuesday, according to Roanoke Fire-EMS.

The fire, accidentally kindled by unattended burning incense, was quickly extinguished by the complex’s sprinkler system.

No injuries or extensive property damage were reported. Several apartments did sustain water damage. Those tenants were relocated by apartment management, officials said.

The fire was reported just before 5 p.m. Tuesday.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Long Beach, CA – Sprinkler system helps take down fire at senior housing complex

A small fire inside a second floor unit of a senior affordable housing complex sent one person to a local hospital for smoke inhalation, Tuesday night.

Long Beach firefighters are working to mop up the mess and minimize water damage after the sprinkler system went off and doused the fire, fire department spokesman Brian Fisk said.

The fire was out by the time firefighters arrived, but there was a lot of smoke, Fisk said. The structure was not on fire, only contents inside one unit were, but Fisk did not have details on where exactly the fire was inside the unit.

The complex, on Long Beach Boulevard and 21st Street, has 49 affordable apartments for seniors, according to its website.

Apartment Building, Residential

Conroe, TX – (no media coverage) Apartment fire extinguished by fire sprinkler prior to arrival of fire department

The City of Conroe Fire Department was notified of an apartment fire at 1840 Longmire Rd (The Landings of Conroe) at approximately 08:25 a.m. on December 3, 2019.

Conroe Firefighters arrived at approximately 08:30 a.m. and discovered an extinguished fire in an upstairs apartment. A single fire sprinkler head had activated and extinguished a stove top grease fire. There were no reported injuries to firefighters or other occupants of the building. Thanks to the activation of the fire sprinkler, there was minimal fire or smoke damage. Water damage was limited to the affected apartment and the apartment immediately below. Fire crews worked to reduce property damage by turning off the fire sprinkler and removing as much water as possible.

A fire investigation has been completed by the City of Conroe Fire Marshal’s Office and the fire has been classified as accidental in nature. The Conroe Fire Department would like to remind residents that a leading cause of home fires is unattended cooking.

This incident is an excellent example of the vital role a properly installed and maintained automatic fire sprinkler system can play in saving lives and reducing property damage. It is likely that the automatic fire sprinkler system saved hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage and property loss to the building’s owners and occupants.

Automatic fire sprinkler systems have over 100 years of proven performance protecting life and property.