Category Archives: School / University

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

College/University (on campus), School / University

Marquette, MI – Storage room fire in university science building extinguished with help from sprinkler system

The Marquette Fire Department was on scene at Northern Michigan University for about 3.5 hours today after being dispatched to a report of a fire on the third floor of the West Science Building. On arrival, NMU Public Safety confirmed a small fire in a third-floor storage room. The Marquette Fire Department supplemented the building standpipe system that had one sprinkler head activated. The fire suppression team made entry to office and quickly extinguished container involved. A third alarm page was called for manpower, and efforts to minimize water damage in the building started. After the scene was stabilized, NMU Public Safety and Maintenance Staff could enter the building to continue the work. The cause is under investigation.

MARQUETTE — Due to a fire that started in a chemistry storage room, the NMU New Science Building was evacuated, and has been shut down until further notice.

Around 8:30 this morning, a fire alarm located near the chemistry storage room went off. Though the Marquette Fire Department responded promptly, NMU spokesperson Derek Hall says that the fire suppression system installed in the building put out the fire very quickly.

Hall estimated between 50-60 students, staff, and faculty in the building at the time of the fire. Thankfully, everyone was evacuated safely.

Currently, fire officials are still securing the building before they can turn it back over to begin cleanup.

The fire department believes that the fire started in a garbage can in the chemical storage room.

Hall says that they have not yet been able to assess the damages, but are hoping to have the building back open by tomorrow.

College/University (on campus), School / University

Fayetteville, AR – Fire in University of Arkansas fabrication lab kept from spreading by sprinkler system

A sprinkler system and a quick-acting shop steward helped prevent a fire reported at about 5:15 p.m. Tuesday from spreading beyond a student fabrication laboratory in the architecture building at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, university and fire officials said. No injuries were reported, said Willie Watts, a battalion chief with the Fayetteville Fire Department. He said department personnel arrived to find that something had been burning but never needed to deploy fire hoses. The room’s sprinkler system helped douse the blaze, he said, which was under control by 5:22 p.m..  Peter MacKeith, dean of UA’s Fay Jones School of Architecture, said at the scene that machines used by students were being shut down for the day when the problem started in a garden-level lab at Vol Walker Hall.  A shop steward grabbed an extinguisher to try and put out the fire, MacKeith said, adding that he did not know what might have caused the blaze.  The building was evacuated, but by 6 p.m. students were allowed to re-enter the building. MacKeith said he was unsure of any damage.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Marshfield, MA – Trashcan fire in high school woodshop put out with help from sprinkler system

The building has been deemed safe after a trashcan fire at Marshfield High School activated the sprinkler system. There were no injuries.  The Marshfield fire department responded to an alarm at the school at 10 a.m. on Saturday morning. A custodian pulled the alarm after finding a fire in a trashcan in the wood shop area.  The building’s sprinkler system and the fire department put out the fire. The shop has extensive smoke and water damage, and the rest of the building was also lightly damaged by smoke, Fire Chief William Hocking said in a statement.   The trash barrel was next to a table saw in the shop. The fire has been deemed accidental. The building was occupied at the time, but no injuries were reported.

College/University (on campus), School / University

Iowa City, IA – Laboratory fire at University of Iowa contained by sprinkler system

A fire Sunday damaged a laboratory in the most heavily used research facility on the University of Iowa campus. Iowa City firefighters responded to a fire alarm at Bowen Science Building, 51 Newton Road, around 5:45 p.m. Sunday and found flames on the second floor, according to an Iowa City news release. Firefighters extinguished the fire in about 20 minutes.

Bowen’s sprinkler system contained the flames to the room where the fire started, but early estimates indicate damage to one-third of the first floor and one-third of the second floor of the 45-year-old building. An initial damage estimate indicates at least $500,000 in damage to the lab. This estimate does not include water damage.

“That water will just keep leaking down for a while,” said Iowa City Battalion Chief Eric Nurnberg.. “And as that water continues to migrate through the building, I’m sure they are going to have some other issues to deal with.”

“The research conducted in this area is predominantly medical, and non-hazardous in nature,” Hayley Bruce, a UI spokeswoman, said via email. “Some of the research has been temporarily interrupted, but at this time no data has been lost. No classes are expected to be impacted.”

University officials recently updated the Iowa Board of Regents about long-term plans for a $30 million renovation of the building. An $18.5 million project to modernize Bowen’s building systems is continuing through the 2017-18 academic year.

“Bowen Science is a building built in (1972) and funds are needed to completely modernize this building,” Rod Lehnertz said last week during a meeting of the regents’ Property and Facilities Committee. “It still remains — approaching 50 years of age — the most intensely utilized research facility on our campus. It is critical that the building be modernized and taken care of for the next generation.”

Nurnberg described the fire as “a great example of the importance of having a sprinkler system in the building.”

“Had there been no sprinkler system here, the damage would have crept into the millions easily,” he said.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Highland, UT – Sprinkler system limits fire from spreading at elementary school

A fire sparked on the roof of Ridgeline Elementary School in Highland, Utah, after midnight on June 4, causing an estimated $300,000 in damages, said Kimberly Bird with Alpine School District.  Bird said the fire began on the roof and was caused by illegally-purchased and illegally set-off fireworks. But most of the damage to the school was from the sprinkler system and not the fire.  Police are looking for the suspects who they believe accidentally set the school on fire with illegally-purchased fireworks that were possibly from out-of-state.   It is illegal to set off fireworks any day of the year other than three days before and after New Year, Chinese New Year, July 4 and July 24, said Ted Black, Chief Deputy State Fire Marshal. He said that it’s a crime to purchase fireworks in another state and to light them in Utah.

“Buy locally, light responsibly,” he said. “And just in case, keep a hose close by.”  School let out for the summer a week ago, so nobody was in Ridgeline Elementary when the fire occurred.  Lone Peak Fire Department responded to the call and extinguished the flames 15 minutes after they arrived on the scene, said fire officials.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Delta, BC, Canada – Fire in gymnasium storage area at elementary school contained with help from sprinklers

An investigation is ongoing into what could have sparked an early Saturday morning fire at Delta Manor Education Centre in Ladner. Delta fire responded to the scene just before 3 a.m. Deputy chief Guy McKintuck said the fire was contained to a storage area behind the gymnasium. He said firefighters had the small blaze knocked down pretty quickly, which was also aided by an overhead sprinkler. There is water, smoke and fire damage, but no estimate on the costs for the restoration, he said. The former elementary school serves as a church and also offers adult basic education and ESL classes.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Charleston, SC – Arson fire at charter school suppressed by sprinkler system

Authorities are investigating after someone intentionally started a fire at a Charleston school.   The fire happened just before 10 a.m. at the Charleston Charter School of Math and Science on King Street.  When firefighters arrived they found the school evacuation under way and were told of a fire in a bathroom on the second floor.

“Crews entered to find a single fire sprinkler head that was activated and contained the fire to the bathroom area,” CFD officials said.”Firefighters completed extinguishment and proceeded to control the water flow to the sprinkler system and evacuate smoke from the building.”

A report states members of the Fire Marshal Division responded to investigate the incident and determined the fire was intentionally set in the bathroom. Fire investigators along with the Charleston Police Department and the school administration are reviewing the incident.  “Once the smoke was removed from the building the majority of the school reoccupied, one area of the school remained closed as staff worked to clean smoke and water damage,” CFD officials said. 

No injuries were reported.  The Charleston Fire Department, North Charleston and Saint Andrews fire departments, Charleston County EMS, and the Charleston Police Department responded to the scene. 

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Burley, ID – Arson fire at elementary school extinguished by sprinkler system

A student is suspected of lighting a roll of toilet paper and some paper towels on fire Friday damaging a bathroom and temporarily evacuating White Pine Intermediate School. “The fire was extinguished by the sprinkler system,” Debbie Critchfield, spokeswoman for the district said.  An investigation into the incident is being conducted by the Burley Fire Department and the Cassia County Sheriff’s Office.  The fire was started around 9 a.m. in the fourth-grade wing in the boys’ bathroom.  “They have a suspect,” Critchfield said.  The fire department was called to the school and the firefighters made sure the blaze was extinguished.

The firefighters then reset the sprinkler system, which meant the fire system was down for about an hour at the school. Students were returned to their classrooms, except for the two classes that were affected by the cleanup, Principal Matt Seely said in a text message to parents Friday. Those students were supervised by their teachers in the gym.  There is fire damage in the restroom and water damage in the hallway and in a classroom directly across the hall from the bathroom.  When the water is dried, maintenance will determine what repairs need to be made, Critchfield said.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Chantilly, VA – Early morning fire in middle school classroom extinguished by sprinkler system

At 2:00 a.m., Monday, May 17th, Fire and Rescue crews from Dulles South were dispatched for a fire alarm at J. Michael Lunsford Middle School, located at 26020 Ticonderoga Road. Firefighters arrived to find an active fire alarm and the presence of smoke inside the building. A full structure fire assignment, to include units from Brambleton, Fairfax County, and Dulles Airport, were dispatched to assist.

Firefighters located a small fire in a classroom which had been extinguished by an automatic fire sprinkler system. Fire department personnel remained on scene to ensure the extinguished material was removed, the utilities were secured and that the building was adequately ventilated. Once deemed safe, the building was turned over to Loudoun County Public Schools representatives. The Loudoun County Fire Marshal’s Office conducted an investigation and determined the fire was accidental and estimated damages at $5,000.  There were no injuries to firefighters or civilians. One pet reptile was removed from the room of origin and turned over to school staff for care.

This incident is a prime example of the positive impact of a fire protection alarm and automatic sprinkler system. A small fire in a classroom triggered the school’s monitored fire alarm system, which alerted firefighters, while the fire was quickly contained and extinguished by an automatic sprinkler system.  The damages to the building were minimized by the sprinkler system, allowing the school to remain open with little impact to the community and its students.

Loudoun County Fire and Rescue Officials continue to tout the importance of automatic fire sprinkler systems and their safety benefits. For more information on fire prevention activities and education in Loudoun County, visit www.loudoun.gov/firemarshal or call 703-737-8600.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Philadelphia, PA – Bathroom fire at charter high school contained with help from sprinkler system

 A staff member was taken to the hospital after a fire broke out in Olney Charter High School in Philadelphia on Monday morning.  Officials say the fire occurred at 10:10 a.m. in a bathroom, and the sprinkler system helped douse the flames.  The building was evacuated, and students were dismissed for the day at 11 a.m.

Fire officials say the staffer who was taken to the hospital had to be checked out for smoke inhalation. That person, a Safety Team member, was one of the first people on the scene of the fire, officials said.  That person has since been released from the hospital.