Big SFD response at the Arrowhead Gardens senior-apartments complex at 9200 2nd SW. SFD says it’s a fire that was “contained by sprinkler system; one occupant found and safely evacuated.”
Category Archives: Residential
Farmers Branch, TX – (no media coverage) Assisted living kitchen fire extinguished by single fire sprinkler head; No injuries reported
On Tuesday, September 10, 2019, the Farmers Branch Fire Department was dispatched to an automatic fire alarm call to Brookdale Assisted Living Center, located at 13505 Webb Chapel, Farmers Branch, TX 75234.
Upon arrival, a maintenance employee met Truck 131 crew at the fire pump room and stated he had a sprinkler head go off due to a cooking fire. While the pot was on fire, an employee took the burning pot to the sink to pour water over the burning pot. During this action, the sprinkler head above the sink activated and extinguished the fire. No injuries occurred.
T131 crew shut down the sprinkler system by turning off the main control valve and opening main drain. Administration was advised that the sprinkler head would have to be replaced before the system could be restored.
Park Ridge, IL – Single sprinkler head limits damage to condo; No injuries reported
A fire alarm activated at 1705 Pavilion Way at 11:33 p.m. Friday (Sept. 6) and as Park Ridge firefighters responded, the RED Center was receiving calls of smoke in the ground level parking garage and on the third floor of the building.
One company, checking the garage, found a burning odor and water leaking through the ceiling.
Other companies went to the second floor and entered the residential unit above the garage ceiling leak. Inside there was a burning odor and smoky haze, Sorensen said, but there was no fire there or any active sprinkler heads releasing water.
The unit next door had water, and they found a bathroom fire there had been extinguished.
“The fire sprinkler system had activated (only one sprinkler head) and had prevented the fire from spreading throughout the structure,” Sorensen said. “Most importantly, no residents or fire personnel were injured.
“The successful activation of a fire sprinkler system limited the damage to the structure and its contents,” he added.
“While the fire sprinklers are designed with fire safety in mind, they typically use a fraction of the water that fire hoses do in order to contain a fire, thus protecting property as well. Since 2001, fire sprinklers have been a requirement in all new construction in Park Ridge, including single-family homes,” Sorensen added.
For information on residential fire sprinklers, visit the website www.firesprinklerassoc.org.
Brookfield, WI – (No media coverage) Single sprinkler head contains kitchen fire in apartment building
On Friday, August 16th, the City of Brookfield Fire Department responded to a building fire at 925 Plum Ct. City of Brookfield firefighters arrived at the 4-unit, two story apartment building to find a fire in the kitchen in apartment 202. According to Deputy Chief Matt Erdmann, the fire “was basically extinguished by activation of one sprinkler head positioned near the stovetop/range.” You can contact Deputy Chief Matt Erdmann of the City of Brookfield Fire Department for more information.
La Planta, MD – Microwave fire at apartment complex kept under control by fire sprinkler system; No injuries reported
Crews arrived on the scene to a 3-story apartment complex with nothing evident. Upon further investigation, firefighters found a microwave on fire in the kitchen with extensions to the surrounding wall.
Firefighters reported the sprinkler systems kept the fire under control with minimal damage to the residence.
All photos are courtesy of the La Plata Volunteer Fire Department, and The Charles County Volunteer Fire and Emergency Medical Services. http://www.ccvfireems.org/
No injuries were reported.
Cushing, OK – Laundry room fire kept under control by sprinkler system at nursing home; No injuries reported
The 41 patients who were calling Linwood Village home were taken by community members to the Hillcrest Hospital down the street. Residents stayed there overnight, and hospital staff said many of them have now been taken to other nursing homes around the Stillwater and Tulsa area.
The hospital says they’ve trained for mass intake situations before and they had no issue taking in all the residents.
“As the fire department and emergency squads started rolling in, I mean, they were using school buses and everything else to transport their patients,” Hillcrest Hospital C.E.O. Kevin Hawk said.
No patients were seriously hurt in the fire and firefighters were able to save most of the building, thanks to a working sprinkler system, which kept flames under control until firefighters arrived.
No word on when the nursing home will be able to reopen.
City officials say family members of patients who stayed at Linwood Village can check to see where they’ve been relocated by calling 918-225-2915.
Cape Girardeau, MO – Fire at assisted-living facility contained to resident’s room thanks to fire sprinklers; No injuries reported
Firefighters were called at about 7:20 p.m. Sunday to Maple Crest Manor, 430 N. Frederick St., in response to a small fire in a resident’s room, according to a department incident report.
Upon arrival, firefighters observed light smoke coming from the front of the two-story frame structure, the report stated. Employees on the scene evacuated all residents and told firefighters the fire was on the first floor where they found a small fire that had already been partially contained by the building’s sprinkler system, according to the report.
The fire was extinguished within 10 minutes and did not spread beyond the resident’s room, the report stated. The cause of the fire was not immediately determined and is under investigation. Smoke and fire damage was estimated about $10,000, according to the report.
“The Maple Crest staff has monthly fire drills and it worked well for them as they had their residents out and accounted for before our arrival,” fire department Capt. Shawn Morris said in the report.
Yuma, AZ – Condominium garage fire kept from spreading by fire sprinkler head; No injuries reported
Firefighters located the area in the garage where the fire had originated and found what was left of a radio controlled car. The car was on an office type chair and had been left charging. Damage was limited to the radio controlled car and the chair. The chair had been directly under the sprinkler head and would have activated early in the fire. The homeowner had been home at the time the fire occurred and was able to reoccupy the residence. There were no injuries.
Fire sprinkler systems can keep fires from spreading and can also extinguish them. Fires spread quickly and can double in size every minute. Even small fires can cause significant damage to property and endanger those nearby. Contrary to many Hollywood portrayals, only sprinkler heads directly exposed to the heat activate, not those in the rest of the room, building, or complex. Sprinkler systems save lives and protect property.
Cincinnati, OH – University dorm fire started by battery-operated skateboard kept in check by sprinkler system; No injuries reported
“I looked down the hallway and smoke filled up the entire hall,” Barckert, 18, told WCPO. “I said, ‘Let’s get out.’ Everyone ran down the stairs. It was super crowded … Everyone got out, so it wasn’t too intense.”
A malfunction in a battery-operated skateboard caused a fire in a fifth-floor room, forcing hundreds of students to be evacuated from the 12-story University of Cincinnati dorm Tuesday night, officials said.
A student in the room that caught fire and everyone else in the building escaped without injury, according to a release from District Fire Chief Louis Arnold.
“Fortunately the sprinkler system was keeping the fire in check and most of the damage was from the water,” Arnold said.
Damage was estimated at $20,000, he said.
Barckert said the fire occurred a few doors away from her boyfriend’s room. She said a bed caught fire, though officials did not confirm that.
Forty-four firefighters responded to the dorm after the call came in around 10:15 p.m., according to Arnold.
“I think out of every dorm this would be the scariest one to have a fire,” Barckert said, commenting on the number of floors.
Two students were displaced, Arnold said. An announcement on UC’s Public Safety Notifications page said “affected residents will be given alternative housing.”
Barckert and other students waited outside while fire and UC crews cleaned up inside.
“They told us all to go inside the CCM (College-Conservatory of Music) auditorium and stay in there, but some people are finding friends to stay with,” she said.
Whitman, MA – (no media coverage) Sprinkler system extinguishes garage fire caused by cigarette
Chief Timothy J. Grenno reports that the Whitman Fire Department
extinguished a fire inside a condominium garage Monday morning.
At approximately 11:10 a.m., Whitman firefighters were dispatched to 877 Auburnville Way, inside the Village at Auburnville community for residents age 55 and older.
Upon arrival firefighters located a fire inside of the garage with the sprinkler system suppressing the flames and keeping the fire from spreading rapidly throughout the building.
Firefighters quickly used a hose line to extinguish the fire and overhauled the area to ensure that the flames had not spread elsewhere.
A female resident, who is wheelchair bound, had been evacuated by her home health aide to the first floor porch and was then moved from the porch away from the home by bystanders and responding firefighters. The woman was uninjured but was evaluated by a Halifax Fire ambulance crew on scene as a precaution.
The fire and smoke caused approximately $50,000 in damage to the garage. The home itself had minimal smoke and odor damage.
The resident will be able to return to her home once the fire alarm and sprinkler system is repaired, which is expected to be done today.
The incident was the second fire that Whitman firefighters responded to recently in which a sprinkler system helped to prevent potentially devastating damage. On July 24, the department extinguished a fire at the Bostonian Loft Apartments, 7 Marble St.
“The unit where this fire occurred was one of four attached condos in same building,” Chief Grenno said. “If it weren’t for the sprinkler system suppressing the fire until we arrived, the fire could have spread far more quickly and done a lot more damage. This is the second fire we’ve had in less than a month where a sprinkler system helped to keep a fire at bay until firefighters could arrive on scene. Having a properly functioning and regularly maintained sprinkler system can and does save lives.”
The fire was caused by careless disposal of a cigarette into a trash barrel in the garage.
View full press release here