Category Archives: Residential

Apartment Building, Residential

Hillsboro, OR – Sprinkler system activated for cooking fire at apartment building; No injuries reported

A cooking fire sent smoke seeping through a Hillsboro apartment building and displaced four residents from two units Monday, Sept. 15, according to local fire officials.

At 1:51 p.m., multiple people called 911 after spotting smoke coming from a second-story unit in the 2000 block of Northeast John Olsen Avenue. Smoke alarms inside the unit and throughout the building rang out as residents funneled into the parking lot.

Hillsboro Fire & Rescue personnel said they received reports that the building’s fire sprinkler system had activated, prompting them to upgrade the incident to a first-alarm response to bring in additional resources.

When crews arrived, they discovered an extinguished blaze in a kitchen but heavy smoke filling the apartment and shared hallway. The sprinklers had also triggered water damage, flooding the unit directly below.

Firefighters searched all three floors of the building to ensure everyone was evacuated before working to clear smoke and remove excess water.

A Hillsboro fire investigator responded to the scene and determined the fire was unintentionally started while cooking.

No injuries were reported, though two residents were evaluated at the scene.

Two adults were displaced from the unit where the fire began, and two others were impacted from the apartment below due to water damage. A dog was also temporarily displaced.

Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue, AMR Ambulance, Hillsboro’s public works department and the Hillsboro Public Safety Chaplains assisted at the scene.

Apartment Building, Residential

Kansas City, MO – Sprinkler system activated for overnight fire at apartment complex

One woman was taken to the hospital for moderate smoke inhalation after an overnight fire, according to the Overland Park Fire Department.

Firefighters were called just after 1 a.m. Tuesday to the Corbin Greens Apartments at 140th and Russell Street.

Crews said a kitchen fire on the second floor of the three-story apartment building had been held in check by a working sprinkler system.

The blaze was quickly extinguished in about 10 minutes.

Firefighters carried an adult female from the second-floor landing.

She was taken to the hospital with moderate smoke inhalation as a precaution.

The fire was contained to one apartment, and residents were allowed to reoccupy the remaining units.

While the fire is believed to have been a cooking fire, the exact cause is under investigation.

Apartment Building, Residential

St. Cloud, MN – Sprinkler system controls kitchen fire at apartment building

Unattended cooking appears to be the cause of a fire Sunday morning in St. Cloud.

According to a critical incident report from the fire department, they responded to an alarm at 9:20 at an apartment on the 4000 block of 12th Street North. They arrived to find a sprinkler controlled fire in a kitchen. Firefighters put out the rest of the flames and helped the person evacuate.

The Red Cross also responded to assist the resident.

Apartment Building, Residential

Nashua, NH – Sprinkler system contains blaze at apartment building; No injuries reported

A fire sprinkler system helped contain a fire at an apartment building Sunday afternoon in Nashua, limiting damage and preventing injuries, city fire officials said.

Nashua Fire Rescue responded to Arel Manor at 165 Pine St. just after 2 p.m. after receiving an automatic alarm from the building’s fire detection system, according to Deputy Chief Kevin Kerrigan, who was incident commander.

Engine 2 crews arriving from the Lake Street station found signs of sprinkler activation on the third floor. Engine 4 crews from Crown Hill station located the fire in a third-floor apartment. The fire was being suppressed by the building’s sprinkler system, officials said.

Firefighters quickly extinguished the remaining flames using hose lines. Fire crews remained on scene for more than an hour conducting salvage operations and clearing smoke from the building, according to a news release.

Two residents were displaced by the fire. The affected section sustained smoke and water damage, while apartments on lower floors received water damage from the sprinkler system, officials said.

The American Red Cross responded to assist displaced residents. No injuries were reported.

The Nashua Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause of the fire. In all, 30 Nashua Fire Rescue personnel responded with four engines, two ladder trucks and support vehicles. Merrimack Fire provided station coverage during the response.

Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

Claremont, CA – Sprinkler system activated for fire at college residence hall; No injuries reported

A small fire broke out in a second floor residence hall room in Marks Hall at Claremont McKenna College this morning. No one was injured. 

The sprinkler system was activated in response to the fire, which began just before 8:00 a.m., and the Los Angeles Fire Department quickly made it to the scene. The fire department is still determining the fire’s cause, according to an email from Associate Vice President Alex Boekelheide to the CMC community.

There was some water and smoke damage to five residence hall rooms.

“The Dean of Students Office has set up a staging area in McKenna Auditorium for the residents until the building is cleared later this morning,” the email read. “We will work with the impacted residents to relocate them, inventory and replace any damaged belongings, and to support students emotionally throughout the situation and beyond.”

CMC has not provided TSL with any further information on the fire, or whether the building is now clear.

Residential, Residential High Rise

Louisville, KY – Sprinkler system activated for fire in high-rise; No injuries reported

A high-rise apartment building caught on fire in downtown Louisville, leading to about 100 temporary evacuations.

Around 12:30 a.m., Louisville Fire Department said they responded to a fire at a building in the 400 block of South Eighth Street.

When firefighters got there, they found that a fourth floor apartment was on fire.

They did a complete search of the building, and no injuries or victims were reported.

The building’s sprinkler system had already turned on, but it still took around 50 firefighters almost half an hour to bring the fire under control.

The fire was contained to the apartment, but smoke and water damage required an evacuation of the building’s fourth floor and the floors below it.

Upper floor residents were allowed to shelter in place.

Two TARC buses were brought in to provide shelter for the evacuated residents. Those residents were allowed back to their homes within hours.

Louisville Fire said its preliminary findings suggest the fire started in an air conditioning unit.

Maintenance was able to relocate the resident of the fire unit to a new apartment.

Louisville Fire’s Arson Unit is investigating the cause of the fire.

Louisville Metro Housing Authority released a statement on the fire:

“The Louisville Metro Housing Authority thanks the Louisville Fire Department for its swift and professional response to the fire at Avenue Plaza, a property owned and managed by LMHA. Thanks to their efforts and the building’s sprinkler system, the fire was quickly contained to a single unit. The resident has been safely relocated, and LMHA is providing social services support. We are grateful that no injuries were reported.”

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Angels Camp, CA – Sprinkler system activated for fire at senior living facility

A senior living facility in Angels Camp was evacuated due to a fire in one of the units this morning.

It happened at around 7:20 am at the Foothill Village Senior Living Center, located on Foothill Village Drive.

City of Angels Camp Assistant Chief Nathan Pry reports that an electrical issue sparked the fire. It damaged a small room and its contents. All of the residents were evacuated, impacting between 100-150 people. The fire sprinkler system also went off in the building.

Chief Pry estimates that the fire caused somewhere around $20,000 in damage to the building and contents. One person who was in the room was taken away by ambulance to treat minor to moderate injuries. She is the lone person displaced by the fire.

Other agencies that responded, in addition to the Angels Camp Fire Department, include Murphys Fire, CAL Fire, Altaville Melones Fire, and the Copperopolis CERT team.

The fire is fully extinguished, but cleanup efforts are ongoing at the facility.

Apartment Building, Residential

Virginia Beach, VA – Sprinkler system activated for fire at apartment complex; No injuries reported

Power was cut to 101 apartments Saturday evening after a fire and subsequent electrical failure triggered the sprinkler system at a Virginia Beach apartment complex.

The Virginia Beach Fire Department said crews were dispatched around 6:16 p.m. to the 5600 block of Infinity Lane. When firefighters arrived, they found light smoke coming from an electrical box outside the four-story building.

While crews worked to mitigate the issue, officials said a catastrophic failure occurred inside the electrical room, activating the sprinkler system. Dominion Energy immediately secured power to the affected units due to the dangerous combination of water and electricity.

The number of residents displaced remains unclear. Property management is working to help tenants find temporary housing if needed.

No injuries to residents, firefighters, or pets were reported, and there was no fire damage to the building.

The incident is under investigation.

Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

Cincinnati, OH – Sprinkler system activated for fire on university campus; No injuries reported

Two buildings on the University of Cincinnati’s campus will be closed for at least another day after a fire that caused a power outage.

According to a UC spokesperson, a fire broke out in Rhodes Hall and was quickly under control as a result of the building’s fire suppression system.

No one was injured but the sprinkler system damaged the electric systems in Rhodes and Baldwin Halls.

The buildings will be closed for the next 24 to 48 hours as officials investigate the cause of the fire, conduct clean up and temporarily relocate research projects as necessary.

Officials said the electrical systems the Mantei Center, Rieveshl and Zimmer Halls were temporarily turned off for about an hour as a precaution, but those building are now fully operational.

The cause of the fire is still being determined.

Officials say they do not anticipate any impact on the start of classes next Monday.

Apartment Building, Residential

Steelton, PA – Sprinkler system activated for early morning apartment fire; No injuries reported

An apartment fire broke out in Dauphin County early this morning.

Fire crews say the fire broke out at Steel Works Apartments on August 9 at around 4:30 a.m. in Steelton, Dauphin County.

“When we arrived on the scene, the smoke was coming from the third-floor apartment,” said Kyle Sultzaberger, Steelton’s battalion fire chief.

Crews investigating overnight fire in Adams County

George Drees, part of the Dauphin County fire investigation team, classified the fire as accidental.

“The origin of the fire was stove top unattended cooking,” Drees said.

While no one was hurt, there is some damage to the building which holds 42 apartments.

“There was seven people displaced, one child and six apartments affected,” Sultzaberger added.

Officials on scene say the situation could have been much worse if it wasn’t for the new construction, specifically the new sprinkler system.

“They’re quick acting sprinkler heads. So, when that sprinkler gets that right temperature and lets loose, it puts the water exactly across the room to put the fire out,” Drees said. “The heat sets off the sprinkler system fast. Works great.”

Other Dauphin County fire and emergency crews assisted in their response.

While some displaced residents are staying with family – the American Red Cross has assisted others with hotels while the scene gets cleaned up.