“The area of origin for the fire was the back, right rear burner on range top. Radiant heat ignited the microwave and cabinetry directly above. Responding FD found no flames or smoke, burner still glowing red as it had not been turned off. Fire was extinguished by sprinkler head on ceiling approximately 10′ away from fire. “
Category Archives: Residential
West Bend, WI (no media coverage) – Condo cooking fire put out by fire sprinklers
04/11/2020 20:28 #20-1148 The West Bend Fire Department was dispatched to a multi family condominium, 470 N Silverbrook Dr., on Saturday, April 11th, 2020, at 8:28 p.m., for a grease fire on the stove in one of the second floor units. Engine 1, Truck 2, and Battalion 1 responded. The owner of the condo met firefighters outside and stated that the fire was out. He stated that he was cooking on the stove and the oil in the pan flared up when he pulled the cover off. He attempted to use a fire extinguisher but the fire grew in size with flames from the stove reaching the bottom of the microwave. The sprinkler system activated and suppressed the fire.
Madison, WI – Fourth floor apartment cooking fire extinguished by fire sprinkler system; No injuries reported
Firefighters arrived to the 100 block of North Livingston Street at 6:15 p.m. Crews made their way to the fourth floor of an apartment building where they encountered water in the hallway.
According to an incident report, firefighters found that the building’s fire sprinkler system had activated and extinguished the fire. Officials said the water had also made its way to the apartments below.
The two occupants of the apartment told firefighters they were not injured.
According to the report, fire damage was minimal. Four apartment units sustained water damage from the sprinklers.
Stafford, VA – Single sprinkler head activates to control third-floor apartment fire; No injuries reported
Flames went up and a sprinkler system activated at a Stafford County apartment complex.
Fire crews were called Friday, April 11, 2020, at 6:22 a.m., to 855 Abberley Drive, near the Cavalier Family Skating Center, for a report of a fire in a third-floor apartment.
When they arrived, crews found smoke in the third-floor hallway, and fire in the kitchen of a third-floor apartment. The fire was extinguished before it could spread to other apartments, said county fire chief Joseph Cardello.
Several apartments sustained water damage, and a property management company was working to clean up and help the affected residents.
Smoke detectors activated the fire alarm for the entire building and a sprinkler head in the affected apartment activated. No injuries were reported.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, said Cardello.
Salisbury, MD – Sprinkler system controls apartment fire intentionally set by tenant; No injuries reported
According to the fire marshal’s office, crews with the Salisbury Fire Department responded to an automatic fire alarm call shortly before 11:30 p.m. at the Pine Bluff Village Apartments on Riverside Drive. While on their way, officials say the call was upgraded to a building fire.
Once on scene, crews says people were already evacuating. The fire was in a second floor apartment, being controlled by the building’s automatic fire sprinkler system. It took about 45 minutes to bring the fire under control.
The fire marshal’s office arrived on scene, and crews said they determined it was incendiary. Investigations determined the tenant was responsible for setting the fire in the apartment.
The Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office arrested 38-year-old Alan Jackson Banks III at a nearby convenience store. Banks was charged with first-degree arson and reckless endangerment.
There were no reported injuries.
Redding, CA – Fire sprinklers stop garage fire from spreading after batteries catch on fire; No injuries reported
On Thursday, at 7:39 p.m., the Redding Fire Department (RFD) responded to a reported structure fire on Hollow Lane.
When firefighters arrived, they found a mostly extinguished fire within the garage of the home.
RFD says the homeowner and his family saw smoke and flames coming from the garage and reacted quickly with fire extinguishers and water hoses. The home also had an automatic fire sprinkler system which fire investigators say helped in keeping the fire from spreading.
After an investigation, RFD learned the fire was caused by failed rechargeable batteries used in RC cars. They say the battery was being charged when it failed, ignited and spread fire to the surrounding, plastic items on a shelving unit.
RFD says the garage suffered moderate to major fire and smoke damage, but due to the swift actions of the homeowner and the fire sprinkler system, fire was limited to the garage.
Nobody was injured in this incident.
Hagerstown, MD – Trash chute fire in high-rise complex for elderly and disabled residents extinguished by fire sprinklers; No injuries reported
The cause of the fire at the complex on West Baltimore Street in Hagerstown is under investigation, city Fire Marshal Doug DeHaven said.
Several residents who were exposed to smoke were evaluated at the scene by Community Rescue Service, but none required treatment, according to DeHaven and Hagerstown Fire Department Battalion Chief Adam Hopkins.
The complex consists of two connected, high-rise buildings that provide housing for elderly and disabled residents. The 14-story Potomac Towers North has 200 apartments and the eight-story Potomac Towers South has 126 units, according to the Hagerstown Housing Authority website.
Smoke was reported in the upper floors of the larger building around 8:20 p.m. and an alarm monitoring company reported smoke detectors activating on the seventh and 12th floors. Firefighters arrived to find smoke throughout the building, DeHaven said.
Trash stuck in the chute around the fifth floor was burning, but the sprinkler system in the chute activated and the debris slid down into the bin and compactor in the basement, he said.
“The sprinkler did its job and kept it as a contained fire that we were able to deal with quickly,” Hopkins said. “We would have had a much larger fire in the basement and a more significant smoke condition throughout the building.”
Firefighters extinguished the burning debris in the basement in about 10 to 15 minutes, he said, but were on the scene for a total of about two hours cleaning up water on the third and fifth floors and venting smoke from the building.
Some residents evacuated and others were permitted to go out onto their balconies to get away from the smoke, Hopkins said.
He estimated one group of about 25 people evacuated on one side of the building, and a group of about 40 people exited to the other side.
“We had a significant number of occupants who were affected by this fire,” DeHaven said.
Fire doors between the two buildings were closed, and the smaller building was not affected, Hopkins said.
DeHaven said damage was contained to the trash chute, compactor and bin, and water in the basement flowed into floor drains.
Responding with the Hagerstown Fire Department and Community Rescue Service were units from Funkstown Volunteer Fire Co., Halfway Volunteer Fire Co., Longmeadow Volunteer Fire Co., Maugansville Goodwill Volunteer Fire Co., Leitersburg Volunteer Fire Co. and the Washington County Special Operations and Emergency Air units, Hopkins said.
Abilene, TX – Eighth-floor apartment cooking fire controlled by sprinkler system
At about 9:20 p.m., fire crews were called to The Windsor Apartment Homes in the 400 block of Pine Street. A small cooking fire in an eighth-floor apartment had triggered the apartment’s sprinkler system, the release said.
“Once the fire extinguishment was confirmed, the fire department was able to shut off the sprinkler system to reduce the water damage,” the release said.
Water flowed down the hallway and also damaged nearby apartments, including at least one on the floor below, AFD spokeswoman Elise Roberts said.
Damages are estimated to be $5,000 due to the sprinkler activation, the release said.
Mt. Pleasant, WI – Fire sprinklers stop stove top fire from spreading in apartment; No injuries reported
At 2:45 p.m. Sunday, the Racine Fire Department was dispatched to a report of a fire in an upper apartment at 2328 Loni Lane, west of Highway 31, according to a Fire Department news release. Occupants were standing safely outside when firefighters arrived.
After arriving on scene, firefighters found an automatic fire sprinkler system spraying water from a single sprinkler head into the kitchen at the apartment, where a fire started on the stove top and had spread to the cabinets before the sprinkler system activated. A smoke alarm was sounding in the apartment.
Instead of battling what would most likely have been a fully involved apartment fire, firefighters had to merely turn off the main water control to the fire sprinkler system to stop further damage, Fire Department officials said.
The Red Cross was contacted to assist the four people in two apartments who were displaced due to the fire.
The tenants are expected to be able to return to their apartments within a few days.
The Fire Department said that lessons learned from the incident were:
- Fire sprinklers likely saved tenants and an apartment building from a catastrophic fire loss.
- Tenants involved in this fire did not have renter’s insurance, which would have helped protect them from the thousands of dollars of financial loss. Renter’s insurance also helps protect tenants from actions of neighbors, fire officials advised.
Charleston, SC – (no media coverage) Sprinkler system controls unattended cooking fire in condo
