Category Archives: Residential

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.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Norwalk, CT – Fire that started in trash compactor extinguished by sprinkler system

 A trash compactor fire was extinguished in a New Canaan Avenue facility on Saturday, officials said.

Firefighters responded around 4 p.m. to Broad River Homes, an assisted living facility at 108 New Canaan Ave. for a report of a fire in the trash compactor, Assistant Fire Chief Chris King said.

The fire was contained to the trash container and chute thanks to an activated sprinkler head. Fire department personnel completed putting out the flames that remained.

Many residents self-evacuated the building after the fire alarm sounded and were later taken to the second floor community room because of the cold weather.

Residents who couldn’t self-evacuate were checked on by fire personnel to ensure their safety.

Firefighters ventilated the building, and all occupants were able to return to their apartments.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Albany, OR – Fire sprinkler system puts out fire at senior living facility

The Albany Fire Department responded — twice — to a fire in a unit at the Brookdale Senior Living facility Saturday night.

Sandy Roberts of the Fire Department said firefighters were initially called to the facility, at 2445 Geary St. SE, by an automated alarm. However, staff at the facility thought it was a false alarm and called the department and told them to disregard the call, she said.

Staff eventually realized there was a fire and called the department again. The fire crews were called out for a structure fire at 10:36 p.m. Roberts said the building was equipped with sprinklers, which activated and extinguished the fire.

“It’s an excellent case showing why sprinkler systems are incredibly useful,” she said.

Roberts said the fire appears to have been started by a nightlight that fell onto a resident’s bed. The department is treating it as an accidental fire.

Albany fire personnel evaluated the resident in the unit that caught fire, but did not transport the resident to a hospital. The resident was not displaced by the fire, she said.

Roberts added that no fire personnel were injured by the fire, but a wing of the facility suffered extensive smoke and water damage.

She added that in cases of fire alarm activation, the safest option is to let firefighters come and make sure there is no fire.

“The best rule of thumb is to let us come when you have a fire alarm,” she said.

Apartment Building, Residential

Victoria, TX – Single fire sprinkler keeps apartment fire contained to one room; No injuries reported

The Victoria Fire Department responded to the report of a fire alarm at Oak Forest Apartments early Tuesday morning.  

The alarm sounded around 5 am, waking residents out of their sleep to evacuate the building.

VFD units found a single sprinkler head had activated and controlled a fire in the bedroom of one apartment, according to a statement from the City of Victoria. 

Firefighters extinguished the fire with a minimal amount of water, which further reduced the damage in the apartment building.

VFD personnel immediately worked to ventilate the apartment and turned off the sprinkler system to minimize water damage. 

Residents were able to re-enter their apartments around 6 a.m. No deaths or injuries have been reported. 

The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.

Apartment Building, Residential

Peoria, IL – Accidental apartment cooking fire put out by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Three apartment units are heavily damaged by water due to an accidental fire on Friday.

At approximately 6 p.m. firefighters responded to a structure fire at Woodsage Apartments located at 9012 N. Scrimshaw Dr. Once crews arrived on the scene, the fire was already put out due to the sprinkler system.

The fire started in apartment 303 caused by an occupant cooking on the stove. The fire extended to the microwave and cabinets.

Two other apartments below apartment 303 were also affected because of the sprinkler suppression system.

No injuries were reported.