Department Store, Retail Germantown, MD – Fire at Bed, Bath and Beyond store controlled by sprinkler system May 7, 2015 viking210 Montgomery County firefighters say an electrical short in a light fixture sparked a fire on Tuesday morning at the Bed, Bath and Beyond store on Middlebrook Road in Germantown. Fire and Rescue Spokesperson Pete Piringer said workers discovered the blaze and called 9-1-1. He said the fire was controlled by the building’s sprinkler system. According to Piringer, the store’s employees evacuated the building and there were no injuries
Auto Dealership, Retail Eureka, CA – Sprinklers help limit damage in fire at auto body shop April 21, 2015 viking210 An alert passerby coupled with a sprinkler system helped quell what could have been a much worse fire at Fred’s Body Shop on Saturday night. A malfunctioning paint recycler — an apparatus which separates and reclaims solvents from waste paint for reuse — at the shop, located on Indianola Cutoff, was the cause of the fire but the business’ commercial fire sprinkler system suppressed much of the flames. A passerby reported smoke and a small amount of fire coming from the shop and, at about 6:40 p.m., units from the Humboldt Bay Fire and Arcata Fire headed to the scene. The first arriving battalion saw smoke coming from the roof vents and forced open a door and found the fire in the back of the shop. Additional crews arrived and extinguished the flames with 15 minutes. As a result, Indianola Cutoff was closed for about an hour and a half. Damages were estimated at $6,000 but fire officials note the early notification and fire suppression system greatly minimized the damage potential for the body shop.
Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail Puyallup, WA – Fire at Walmart kept in check by sprinkler system; No injuries April 15, 2015 viking210 Firefighters controlled a large, smoky fire that forced customers and employees to leave a Puyallup Walmart store on Tuesday night. KOMO-TV reports that Central Pierce Fire and Rescue spokesman Ed Hrivnak said the fire started about 9:30 p.m. The fire department received multiple reports of a fast-moving fire in the garden area. No injuries were reported. Hrivnak says the store’s sprinkler system kept the fire in check. It was under control by about 11 p.m. The cause of the fire was not immediately known.
Other - Retail, Retail Decatur, IL – Sprinkler system helps prevent spread of small business fire; Neighboring businesses spared April 6, 2015 viking210 Kemper Willcut II expected today to be a busy day filling last-minute Easter orders. Instead, it will be spent cleaning up from an overnight fire that will keep the Del’s Popcorn Shop, 142 N. Merchant St., closed for an undetermined amount of time. The fire, which was contained to the rear of the building, was reported shortly after midnight. Decatur Fire Department personnel arrived to find a dumpster behind the business on fire and the flames climbing the wall toward the second floor. Battalion Chief Todd McKenzie said it appears the fire breached the building where the electricity enters the structure. Sprinklers were able to prevent the spread of the fire to the front of the building, but the entry point provided a pathway to the second floor. The fire was contained to the one building, with neighboring businesses suffering smoke damage. Sloan’s Calzones planned to be open for lunch today after doing some minor cleanup. TapRoot Restaurant will be open tonight, with some limitations. John Redden, owner of TapRoot, said the bar section of the restaurant would be open tonight, with the regular menu available. As employees helped to clean up and rid the business of the lingering smell of smoke, Redden hoped to have the entire restaurant opened by Saturday. “Everybody got lucky with this,” he said. For Marina Loehr, the already scheduled off-day became a clean-up day. Scheduled to be closed in observance of Good Friday. Loehr spent Friday morning lighting candles in her store and opening the doors to get the smell of smoke out of the business. After a look-around the store, she was optimistic there was no damage to any of the structure or the collection of dresses hanging up throughout he store. Many store owners echoed the sentiment of McKenzie as they assessed the damage. “It definitely could have been much worse,” McKenzie said. McKenzie said 30 firefighters and eight trucks were on the scene and off-duty personnel were called in to cover the city in the event of another fire elsewhere. They cleared the scene at 4:32 a.m.
Other - Retail, Retail Galloway Twp, NJ – Sprinkler system activates to help limit damage in fire at nail salon April 1, 2015 viking210 At 12:21 p.m., police received a 911 call reporting a structure fire at Lucky Nails located on New York Road. Emergency personnel found determined a camp stove was being used inside the building and set the contents of a room on fire, police said. The sprinkler system was activated inside the building and the building sustained smoke and water damage, police said. An investigation by Galloway Township Fire Marshal Ron Garbutt and Officer Bill Schroer determined the fire to be accidental in nature.
Department Store, Retail San Leandro, CA – Walmart fire contained with help from sprinkler system; No injuries March 30, 2015 viking210 A two-alarm fire required the evacuation of the Walmart store on Davis Street on Saturday night, fire officials said. Alameda County Fire Department spokeswoman Aisha Knowles said the store’s sprinkler system activated, and the entire store was evacuated. The fire broke out about 7:30 p.m. in the kitchen of the McDonald’s restaurant inside the store at 1919 Davis St. Firefighters had knocked down the blaze by 8 p.m., but the store remained empty half an hour later. Nobody was hurt.
Other - Retail, Retail Tampa, FL – Fire at pawn shop controlled with help from sprinkler systems March 17, 2015 viking210 Tampa fire rescue responded to an automatic fire alarm at 4910 East Busch Blvd, Value Pawn and Jewelry. Upon arrival firefighter saw heavy smoke coming from the roof of the single story commercial building. Firefighters entered the building with a hose line and found the automatic sprinkler system working. The fire was under control at 4:25. The fire initially appears to have originated in the attic area of the building. Fire Marshal’s Investigators are on scene to determine the cause and source of the fire. There were no injuries.
Other - Retail, Retail Atwater, CA – Sprinklers protect neighboring businesses, help limit damage in fire at candle store March 16, 2015 viking210 Flames were reported around 7:15 a.m. last Sunday at the business in the 1100 block of Bellevue Road, Battalion Chief Jeremy Rahn said. Rahn said the fire apparently ignited when at least one candle was left burning overnight at the store. Fire-suppression sprinklers managed to keep the fire at bay, Rahn said, allowing firefighters to prevent it from spreading to neighboring businesses in the strip mall. Rahn said the suppression system helped save about $750,000 in property threatened by the fire in the complex. “It’s a good example of how those sprinklers can help,” Rahn said. Fourteen firefighters responded to the scene and were at the store for several hours. No injuries were reported.
Department Store, Retail Houston, TX – Arson fire at HEB store controlled with help from sprinkler system February 27, 2015 viking210 An HEB in southwest Houston will be closed indefinitely after a fire was started inside the grocery store Wednesday evening. The fire erupted around 7:30pm at the store in off Beechnut and the Beltway. According to fire officials at the scene, someone set fire to toilet paper in the back of the store. Fire officials on the scene say when the fire started, employees tried to put it out with extinguishers. Firefighters then arrived to help. The store’s sprinkler system activated to help control the fire. An HEB spokesperson said everyone was evacuated and no injuries were reported. Officials said the store will be shut down until health inspectors can examine what kind of damage was made to the products inside. The HEB spokesperson didn’t know how long that process will take. HEB says it is working with HFD on the investigation, which they’re classifying as arson.
Department Store, Retail Tucson, AZ – Fire at Big Lots store kept in check by sprinkler system February 23, 2015 viking210 The Tucson Fire Department credits a store’s sprinkler system with keeping a fire in check until crews arrived to put it out. The department says firefighters responding to a water flow alarm at a BigLots store on South Harrison Road early Thursday morning found smoke coming from the rear of the building. Firefighters found heavy smoke inside the store and a fire in the rear of the building, which was full of merchandise. Cause of the fire is under investigation and there’s no estimate on cost of fire damage.
