Category Archives: Residential

Apartment Building, Residential

Chattanooga, TN – Fourth floor apartment fire kept in check by fire sprinklers

Crews with the Chattanooga Fire Department battled a fire at the Vista Cameron Harbor apartments that broke out overnight in the middle of frigid temperatures.

According to the fire department, the first fire company that arrived reported a fire on a fourth-floor balcony.

Firefighters made their way into the apartment and found the sprinkler activated in the bedroom.

Glass from the balcony doors broke due to the fire and the sprinkler activated kept the fire from spreading.

Firefighters extinguished a small fire on the balcony that remained after the sprinklers were activated.

Several apartments received water damage due to the sprinklers. Fire crews used tarp to cover the affected areas.

All occupants were evacuating the building upon the arrival of firefighters.

Due to the frigid temperatures, apartment occupants were sheltered on the first floor until they got approval to return to their apartments.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. The Red Cross was called to assist two people.

Apartment Building, Residential

Katy, TX – (no media coverage) Apartment kitchen fire extinguished by fire sprinkler

FD stated that they were dispatched to an apartment fire and upon arrival they found a sprinkler controlled kitchen fire. They said prior to their arrival a Willowfork FD chief had arrived to active fire and water flow alarms, entered the apartment and found the fire extinguished by the automatic sprinkler system. There was minor water damage throughout the apartment but minimal fire damage. The occupant who rents the apartment and lives there with her daughter said that she was home heating a pot of cooking oil in preparation to make some fried chicken. The pot was unattended at times while heating. At some point she stepped out of the apartment. When she re-entered the apartment she saw the black smoke coming from the kitchen. Upon investigation she found the pot of oil had ignited. She placed a kitchen towel over the fire, located her daughter, left the apartment and called 911.

Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

Decorah, IA – Fire sprinklers activate to control dorm room fire; No injuries reported

A fire inside a Luther College dorm in Decorah caused damages but injured no one Wednesday evening.

The Decorah fire department says they were called to Miller hall on Luther’s campus for the fire in the dorm room.

Authorities say they were directed to a room on the second floor of the building, when they got to the room in question there was no one inside, but there was a small burned area in the room.

Firefighters say the sprinkler system inside the hall had been activated and there was smoke found in the building. The sprinkler system was turned off by firefighters and the smoke was ventilated from the room and building.

What caused the fire is still under investigation by the Decorah fire department.

Apartment Building, Residential

Pearland, TX – (no media coverage) Single sprinkler head puts out apartment fire; No injuries reported

January 7, 2020 – The Pearland Fire Department responded to a reported structure fire in the 2500 block of Business Center Drive. Upon arriving department officials discovered that the kitchen fire had been extinguished by the fire sprinkler installed in the building. The fire was contained and extinguished using a single sprinkler head. The apartment suffered minimal smoke, fire, and water damage throughout. No injuries were reported.

Apartment Building, Residential

Appleton, WI – Apartment kitchen fire put out by fire sprinklers; No injuries reported

Officials credit a sprinkler system for limiting the spread of an Appleton apartment fire. Crews were called to the units along the 400-block of North Richmond Street around 6:00 this morning on the report of a water flow alarm. They found that a fire had started in the vent hood of a microwave–but was put out by the sprinklers. The apartment was vacant at the time and was being cleaned out. No one was hurt. Damage is estimated at 60-thousand dollars.

Apartment Building, Residential

Roanoke Rapids, NC – Suspicious fire at apartment complex kept in check by sprinkler system

Roanoke Rapids police are investigating a suspicious fire which caused more than an estimated $30,000 in damages to an apartment in the Jesslyn Drive area Sunday night.

Captain Charles Vaught said in a statement, Sergeant J. Spragins was working off-duty at Chapel Ridge Apartments shortly before 6:30 p.m. when he heard a fire-alarm go off in one of the buildings of the complex.

He immediately started checking the building to ensure everyone was OK. 

Upon smelling something burning in the building he began evacuation until he could determine the source of the smoke. 

The fire department arrived and located the burning apartment. 

With assistance from firefighters, detectives canvassed the apartment to determine what happened and were able to speak with the tenant who lives in the dwelling. 

Detectives are currently investigating to determine if charges will be filed.

Roanoke Rapids Fire Department Battalion Chief Tim Gray said this morning there were multiple areas of origin. In two of the areas ignited, two of the sprinkler heads activated. “There was a lot of water damage,” he said. “It was more water than fire damage.”

Gray said the sprinkler system kept the fire in check.

Firefighters from Station 2 observed smoke coming from the door of the apartment and made forced entry to check for anyone inside. There was no one in the dwelling.

Gray would only say the fire appeared to be suspicious and firefighters assisted the police department with the initial investigation before handing the matter over to investigators.

Some residents had to be relocated until the sprinkler system was restored.

Apartment Building, Residential

English Woods, OH – Trash compactor fire at apartment complex put out by fire sprinklers

Firefighters were able to quickly extinguish a fire in a high-rise apartment building on Cincinnati’s west side Wednesday morning.

Crews responded to the 1900 block of Sutter Avenue in English Woods around 7:15 a.m. following a report of flames in the basement and smoke in the atrium at Marquette Manor apartments.

Firefighters found a fire in the trash compactor with smoke spreading through the building.

The fire was upgraded due to the size of the building and the number of residents. 81 firefighters were on the scene.

District Chief Curtis Goodman says the fire was contained by the sprinkler system and quickly extinguished by fire crews.

Goodman says residents sheltered in place until smoke was cleared from the building.

One resident was treated by paramedics on the scene but did not go to the hospital. One firefighter suffered minor injuries.

Goodman says one resident tried to jump from a fourth-floor window but other residents and firefighters were able to convince that person to stay in their apartment and shelter in place.

Damage from the fire is estimated at $1,000.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Residential, Single Family Home

Austin, TX – Residential sprinkler system extinguishes fire after candle sets Christmas tree on fire; No injuries reported

A candle too close to a Christmas tree ignited a fire at an East Austin home early Sunday, Austin fire officials said.

Firefighters responded to the fire at the 4500 block of Kocurek Street, near Mueller and Airport boulevards, just before 4 a.m.

A residential sprinkler system extinguished the blaze before firefighters arrived to the home and contained it to the area where the tree stood. Firefighters helped mitigate the smoke and water.

Fire and water damage were estimated to be around $30,000, fire investigators said.

“It is past time for dry trees to be removed from your home,” officials said in a tweet Sunday.

No reports of injuries were made.