Category Archives: School / University

NOTE – Residence Hall, Dormitory, and Fraternity-Sorority is included under Residential Category

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

Palo Alto, CA – Sprinkler system activated in fire at Stanford residential building

Note: On January 19, 2000, a fire in a dormitory at Seton Hall University tragically took the lives of three students and injured many more. The residence hall did not have a sprinkler system.

At around 7:00 p.m. on Sunday night, some residents of Studio 1 at the Escondido Village residential complex were evacuated after a cooking fire contained to one apartment set off a sprinkler. A Studio 1 resident said that she and a group of other residents were not permitted to re-enter their complex for one hour and 20 minutes, and stayed at the nearby Community Graduate Center instead. At approximately 8:20 p.m., the alarms stopped ringing and students and visitors began to re-enter the complex, the resident said. The Palo Alto Fire Department had no additional information to offer as of Monday evening.

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

Normal, AL – Sprinkler system activates in overnight fire at university housing complex; No injuries reported

Note: On January 19, 2000, a fire in a dormitory at Seton Hall University tragically took the lives of three students and injured many more.  The residence hall did not have a sprinkler system.

The Foster Complex at Alabama A&M University has been reopened after a fire that started in a single room at 11:50 p.m. Monday. According to the university’s director of housing, Karla Miller, the fire activated sprinklers.

Jerome Saintjones with the university says the fire was caused by an electrical outlet, and the major factor impacting the need to temporarily reassign rooms was the triggering of the sprinkler system. He says the first and second floors of the women’s side of the structure were especially affected by this. University officials say they are using an incremental move-in approach, and the students who were reassigned after the fire have been notified of the move-in schedule. Students have been scheduled to return to the building by Friday, February 22, or have been reassigned to other residence halls. Male students have been allowed to return to the Foster Complex, and times were scheduled for all female students to pick up personal items. Female students who live on the first and second floors have been advised by the university to pack enough items for the rest of the week, during which they will remain displaced. Female students on the third, fourth and fifth floors will be able to return to the building on Wednesday. Officials say the university has and will continue to provide toiletries, blankets and hygiene items to the students that were displaced, and these are available at the 500-bed, five-story Foster Complex.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Buckingham, PA – Fire at elementary school confined to one classroom by sprinkler system

A fire at Cold Spring Elementary School in Buckingham started in an unoccupied classroom on the second floor, township police said Thursday. Fire Marshal Jim Kettler is investigating the cause, they added. All Central Bucks schools are closed for students Thursday and Friday for staff development days, and for everyone on Monday for the President’s Day holiday. There was no immediate word from school district officials on whether Cold Spring students would return to school Tuesday.

Buckingham police said the school’s sprinkler system activated and the fire was confined to the one classroom. Fire companies from Midway, New Hope, Lingohocken, Plumstead, Doylestown, Point Pleasant and Warwick responded to the scene. All students and staff were evacuated to the neighboring Our Lady of Guadalupe Church and were on their way home by 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, the school district website said.

An announcement will be made on the website around noon Friday about arrangements for parents and students to pick up personal belongings left at the school because of having to evacuate.

College/University (on campus), School / University

Knoxville, TN – Fire in on campus lab and classroom building is limited by sprinkler system

A small fire in Strong Hall last Saturday morning has resulted in some water damage on the second through fifth floors. The building and all of its labs are open today. The fire was sparked by electronic equipment on a workbench in Room 525G. Fire damage was minimal and limited to that room. Most of the water damage is limited to the north end of the fifth floor and the areas below. The damage from the fire itself was minimal due to the proper operation of the fire sprinkler system.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Harrisburg, PA – Sprinkler system contained fire to school bathroom; No injuries reported

The Harrisburg Bureau of Fire responded to a small, contained fire Tuesday morning, in a second floor boys bathroom at Rowland Academy.

According to school district officials, students and staff were quickly evacuated to Scott Elementary School.

The Bureau of Fire said the school’s sprinkler system helped contain the fire.

All staff and students were kept safe, and there is no further damage to the school.

Classes have resumed for the day.

Other - School / University, Other Business

Rockton, IL – Fire at performing arts center extinguished by sprinkler system

No one was injured after a small fire erupted about 9:30 p.m. Sunday in back of the stage inside the Hononegah Community High School Performing Arts Center. The sprinkler system extinguished the fire before the firefighters arrived, a news release said. An investigation has been started as to the cause and the damage is being assessed. No one was in the performing arts center when the fire began. Crews are attempting to mitigate the smoke and water damage.

College/University (on campus), School / University

Cambridge, MA – Sprinkler system activates in laboratory fire at MIT; No injuries reported

A small explosion in a basement lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology prompted a large emergency response last Thursday morning, officials said. The explosion went off at 25 Ames St. around 10:30 a.m., prompting the sprinklers to turn on, according to the Cambridge Fire Department. No injuries have been reported. Officials say the situation is stable. No additional information was immediately available.

Other - School / University, School / University

Westmont, IL – Sprinkler system activated for fire at school bus depot

A bus depot caught fire in Westmont after a worker used a torch that accidentally ignited a seat on a school bus Wednesday. Firefighters rushed to First Student Bus Company at 250 W. 63rd St. after a resident reported seeing heavy smoke coming from the building just before 3 p.m.

When fire crews arrived, the building’s alarm and sprinkler systems had been activated. Officials say everyone had been evacuated safely, but one person suffered smoke inhalation and was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

More than two dozen firefighters battled the blaze, with crews coming in from Downers Grove, Tri-State, and Clarendon Hills to assist the Westmont Fire Department.

The building and bus sustained a total of $150,000 in damage and the building was declared uninhabitable because of extensive smoke and water damage.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Hurley, VA – Laundry fire at elementary school contained with help from sprinkler systems

Students were evacuated out of Hurley Elementary School on Thursday afternoon following a fire that investigators said started in the school’s gym area. Knox Creek Volunteer Fire Department spokesperson Wayne Horne told News 5 that a Buchanan County deputy was able to extinguish a blaze that came from a clothes dryer and where flames were visible. The fire activated the facility’s sprinkler system in the boys’ locker room and gym area, Horne said. Those areas also sustained smoke damage while a collection of toys intended for children were damaged during the incident, the spokesperson said. The students were taken to the nearby high school after being allowed to collect personal items. The fire remains under investigation.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Wheeling, IL – Fire at high school quickly extinguished by sprinkler system

No cause has been identified in a small fire that led to the evacuation of Wheeling High School, 900 S. Elmhurst Rd., at approximately 1:45 p.m. Friday (Dec. 7).

According to Wheeling Deputy Fire Chief Michael McGreal, the fire was contained to a storage closet near the rear of the school’s woodshop and was related to filters on a spray booth for paint and lacquer. There were no injuries and only minimal damage, with the closet cleaned and ready for use the same day.

McGreal said the school’s sprinkler system activated quickly, dousing the fire before it could become a serious danger. However, as a precaution, students stayed outside for around 20 minutes while fire crews cleared the scene.

“We tried to get the kids in as soon as possible, because it was very cold,” McGreal told the Journal & Topics.