Category Archives: Residential

Other - Residential, Residential

Port Angeles, WA – Sprinkler system kept arson fire under control in multi-family home

Port Angeles police officers have arrested a woman for investigation of felony arson in the fourplex fire at Serenity House of Clallam County’s Evergreen Family Village that left three families homeless.

The blaze was reported at 9:10 a.m. Friday and was declared under control at 9:28 a.m. No one was home at the time and no one was injured, according to authorities.

Denise K. Kovacevic, 40, was in custody at the Clallam County jail with no bail set Saturday. Her first appearance in Superior Court is set for 1 p.m. Monday.

Officers were seeking Kovacevic after she was seen leaving the apartment building at 2203 W. 18th St., just prior to the blaze, said Cpl. Sky Sexton.

Also, Sexton said, the location where the fire started — in the living room of one of the units — “isn’t generally where an accidental fire would be set.”

She was found at a family member’s home at about noon Friday, according to the initial police report, Sexton said.

During an interview with a detective, “she admitted setting the fire, but gave off a lot of indications of mental health issues,” which officers hope will be explored during the process, Sexton said.

Capt. Terry Reid of the Port Angeles Fire Department said Friday that the extent of damage was unknown.

Reid said a sprinkler system activated immediately after the fire started.

“It was really under control by the time we got there,” he said.

Reid said an administrator at Serenity House was coordinating efforts to rehouse the three families who were displaced by the fire.

The administrator was not available for comment Friday.

Apartment Building, Residential

Gainesville, GA – Sprinkler system activated for stovetop fire at apartment complex; No injuries reported

A pan of grease on a stovetop was determined to be the culprit for a fire report at Lenox Park Apartments Friday, March 29.

Gainesville Fire spokesman Keith Smith said the department took the report around noon at the apartment complex off of Athens Highway.

The fire activated the sprinkler systems.

“There was minor damage to the stovetop and water damage to the fire apartment and the apartment below. Maintenance personnel were in the process of removing the water from both apartments,” Smith wrote in a news release.

No injuries were reported.

Apartment Building, Residential

Greeley, CO – Arson fire at apartment 70-unit complex extinguished by sprinkler system

A woman is in jail after police say she set fire Tuesday evening to an apartment after an argument with her husband. Mindilynn Zekan, 39, was arrested on suspicion of first-degree arson after a fire at the Meeker Commons Apartments, 505 9th Ave., according to a news release from the Greeley Police Department. An engine, ladder truck and battalion chief responded to the fire about 10:45 p.m. Tuesday.

By the time crews arrived, no one was inside the apartment and the sprinkler system had extinguished the fire, according to a Greeley Fire Department release. After shutting down the water flow to the activated sprinkler, crews ventilated the apartment to remove smoke and residents were allowed back into the building that night. The complex has more than 70 apartments and more than 100 residents.

Zekan was present at the scene and interviewed about the incident. Greeley Police say Zekan was upset about an argument with her husband and began setting his property on fire. Zekan was taken to the Weld County Jail on suspicion of first-degree arson. She remained in custody Wednesday morning pending an appearance in court. The dollar amount of fire and water damage has not been established.

Adult Care/Rehab Center, Residential

Calgary, AB, Canada – Mattress fire at homeless shelter controlled by sprinkler system

Two hundred people were cleared out of a downtown Calgary homeless shelter after a mattress caught fire on Tuesday. Crews responded to a triggered alarm system in the Salvation Army’s Centre of Hope, located in the 400 block of 9 Avenue S.E., at around 3:30 p.m., according to the Calgary Fire Department (CFD). A mattress in a third-floor room caught fire and activated the sprinklers, the CFD said.

“The sprinkler successfully contained the fire to that unit until fire crews could get on scene and finish extinguishing it,” said Carol Henke, the CFD’s public information officer. After firefighters ventilated the building and ensured the air quality was safe, staff and residents were allowed back inside just before 6 p.m., the department said. Several residents were displaced due to fire and water damage and will be allowed back in their suites after they are cleaned, officials said. It is unknown if the resident of the unit was inside at the time the fire started. The fire’s origin and cause are under investigation.

Other - Residential, Residential

Minot, ND – Fire at homeless shelter extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

An emergency homeless shelter was evacuated Sunday because of a fire. The Minot Fire Department and Police Department say that fire is suspicious. The fire happened shortly after 4 pm on Sunday at the shelter located at 205 3rd Ave SE in Minot. Smoke was coming from the buildings basement laundry room. Water damage is estimated at $5,000. No one was injured. Captain Aaron Peterson with the Minot Fire Department said the buildings sprinkler system extinguished the flames. The shelter was reopened, and evacuated residents were allowed to return. The incident is under investigation.

Apartment Building, Residential

Yuma, AZ – Apartment fire extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries reported and fire damage limited

The Yuma Fire Department responded to an apartment fire Tuesday morning that was extinguished by a fire sprinkler. YFD said just before 10 a.m. firefighters arrived to find an extinguished fire that started on the stove top due to an unattended pan of oil. YFD said the sprinkler head was shut down by YFD personnel who also confirmed the fire was extinguished and had not spread. Firefighters worked quickly to vent the heat/smoke from the apartment and remove the water that had been released during the activation. Most house fires start in the kitchen and the stove top is the most common place for these fires to start. Due to the sprinkler system quickly extinguishing this fire, the fire damage was limited to soot stains on the wall behind the stove and heat damage to hood above the stove, according to YFD.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Ellicott City, MD – Fire at assisted living facility quickly controlled with help from sprinkler system

There was an apartment fire in Ellicott City Monday at an assisted living facility, according to officials. It was quickly controlled with help from sprinklers, authorities said. Fire broke out in a second-floor apartment at Selborne House in the 5300 block of Dorsey Hall Drive, the Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services reported on Monday, March 25. A sprinkler controlled the flames, and firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze, officials reported; it was out by 6 p.m.

College/University (on campus), Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

New Haven, CT – Overnight fire in university residence hall contained with help from sprinkler system

Two people suffered smoke inhalation after crews responded to a fire at a Southern Connecticut State University residence hall in New Haven early Tuesday morning. The New Haven Fire Department tweeted that at around 2 a.m., fire crews responded to the West Campus Residence Complex at 160 Wintergreen Avenue after a sprinkler head was activated.

Fire officials say that the fire broke out on the second floor and they believe that it started in a trash can. Two people were treated for smoke inhalation but both refused to go to the hospital.

Firefighters were able to contain the fire to one room but students were evacuated from the building. Most of the students have since been allowed back into the dorm. Officials say that the sprinklers going off helped to put out the flames so smoke was more of an issue as it filled up the second floor. The incident remains under investigation.

Hotel / Motel, Residential

Binghamton, NY – Early morning arson fire at boarding house extinguished by sprinkler system

The Binghamton Police Department says a man has been charged with intentionally setting a fire on Henry Street. Police say the fire at 106 Henry Street, the “DIXIE 2000” rooming house, was reported at 6:16 a.m. Monday. According to detectives, an investigation found that the first-floor office was broken into before being doused with a liquid accelerant and ignited, which caused an explosion and significant damage. Officials say the fire was extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system and all residents got out safely. Police say the suspect, who had left before officers arrived, was later identified as 59-year-old Jerry Hopkins of neighboring 104 Henry Street.

He was charged with second-degree arson, a class B felony. The incident was investigated by the Binghamton Police Patrol and Detective Divisions as well as the Fire Marshal’s Office. State Fire K-9 also assisted at the scene. Anyone with additional information is asked to call detectives at (607) 772-7080.

ORIGINAL STORY:

BINGHAMTON (WBNG) — Police and fire officials were called to a fire on Henry Street in Binghamton Monday morning.

According to Binghamton Fire Marshal Alan Gardiner, the sprinkler system inside 106 Henry Street put out the fire.

Gardiner said investigators haven’t determined a cause for the fire, but he called it suspicious.

Members of the Binghamton Fire Department, Binghamton Police Department and New York State fire officials responded to the scene.