Category Archives: School / University

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

College/University (on campus), School / University

Greencastle, IN – Fire in new dining hall building at DePauw University suppressed by sprinkler system

A small fire early Saturday morning at Hoover Hall on the DePauw University campus occurred in a storage room on the lower level of the new dining hall in the center of campus.  The fire was extinguished very quickly, DePauw officials said.  The fire began at about 5:45 a.m. while no one was in the building but the safety system did its job, DPU spokesman Ken Owen told the Banner Graphic.

Two sprinklers put out the bulk of the fire, he said, and a fire extinguisher was used once the Greencastle Fire Department arrived on the scene to fully put it out. No fire hoses were necessary in the incident.  No damage estimate was available Saturday morning, however, damage was deemed “minimal” by DePauw officials.

The fire created smoke and there was water left by the sprinklers, necessitating clean-up and the closing of the dining hall at least for Saturday breakfast. The sprinkler system must be recharged, Owen said.  Because of that clean-up work, along with the need for the fire marshal to do his work to determine the cause of the fire, breakfast was not being served at Hoover but instead breakfast items were available at the convenience store in the Union Building.

At 10 a.m., the Health Department gave DePauw clearance to reopen Hoover Hall. The plan at that time was to open Hoover Hall with a limited menu at noon Saturday.

“All of us — the DePauw administration and our friends from the fire department and public safety — thank you and all students for their patience and understanding as we proceed today,” Owen said in a statement for the university. “I can’t say enough about the good work many people have performed in the early hours of a Saturday to make the process of recovering from this incident as quick and seamless as possible.”

Hoover Hall is the DePauw’s new 48,600 square-foot dining hall which sits in the shadow of historic East College in the center of campus. It was formally dedicated last October.  The $32 million project took 29 months to complete after ground was broken on May 17, 2014. The lead gift came from R. David and Suzanne A. Hoover, both 1967 graduates of DePauw.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Baton Rouge, LA – Sprinklers keep arson fire at high school from spreading

Two boys were arrested Tuesday on accusations of setting a fire at Glen Oaks Senior High School, which came days after a similar incident, District Six Fire Chief Joel Hancock said. The boys, a 13-year-old and 11-year-old, were arrested around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in a fire at the flooded high school determined to have been deliberately set, according to the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office.

Authorities responded to a similar incident Friday night, also determined arson, however fire investigators do not believe the juveniles in custody are also responsible for the first incident, said Baton Rouge Fire Department spokesman Curt Monte. BRFD investigators assisted District Six Fire Department Tuesday night. The two juveniles are accused of going into the shuttered school and setting about five damaged computers on fire, Hancock said Wednesday morning. Witnesses saw the boys running from the school after the fire had started, Hancock said.

The boys have been booked into juvenile detention on counts of simple arson, criminal trespassing and unauthorized entry, Monte said.  The flames caused little damage, Hancock said, but investigators determined arson was the cause. The Friday night fire at the school was also set to some old computers, Hancock said.  Adonica Duggan, a spokeswoman for the schools, said the fire on Friday triggered the school’s sprinkler system and there’s concern about water and smoke damage. She said she’s still gathering details about what additional damage might have resulted from Tuesday’s fire.

Representatives of the East Baton Rouge Parish school system and Aramark, the private company that maintains school buildings, were at Glen Oaks Senior High School at 6650 Cedar Drive Wednesday morning to assess the damage. They congregated in the school’s L building, the only building damaged by fire Tuesday night and where the fire started and was contained Friday.  The building, which has been gutted since the August flooding, had piles of electronics, computers and furniture gathered in the center hallway. Most of it looked wet and water pooled on the floor in spots. Fire damage was not readily visible.

Fifteen out of 17 buildings at the north Baton Rouge high school took in water in August. School officials are planning to reopen the school, which has been relocated across town for months, by fixing up a few of the least damaged buildings and installing several temporary buildings. A much more expensive permanent repair of the high school is slated to come after that.

The L building is one of the buildings slated to be repaired quickly. Duggan said school officials are examining the damage to see if the building can be fixed up in time for the beginning of the 2017-18 school year on Aug. 10.

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

Glassboro, NJ – Fire in university residence hall put out by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Residents of Mimosa Hall were forced to evacuate their dorms shortly before noon on Friday, after a fire started in a dorm on the first floor of the residential hall, according to a Rowan Alert sent to students across campus. Firemen from Washington, Harrison and Glassboro townships and other first responders quickly arrived at the scene to contain the fire while residents waited outside.

Students were notified at the time by a mass text sent out by the university. No one was harmed during the initial fire.  Rowan spokesman Joe Cardona said that when he left the scene, firefighters still hadn’t determined the cause of the blaze.

“When you look at the room, it’s like whatever the fire was down on the ground in the corner,” Cardona said. Cardona also said the sprinkler system activated and put out the fire, which caused water damage to the first floor of Mimosa hall and the six students in the dorm where the fire started will be temporarily relocated until rooms are cleaned.

Freshman history major and resident of Mimosa, Julianne Tarrant, said while she was not in the building at the time of the fire, she had heard that the fire may have been caused by a box fan in the window of the dorm. Madison Klunk, an undeclared freshman living in the building, said the evacuation order was a major hassle for her.

“My aunt’s here to pick me up, and I can’t get in the building to get any of my clothes,” Klunk said. “So I’m going to have to leave and come back later and get it, and that’s an issue.”

College/University (on campus), School / University

Hibbing, MN – Sprinkler system praised for containing fire at community college

An early morning fire left a 2014 Freightliner semi-truck totally damaged.

The fire broke out shortly before 5 a.m. Saturday at the Hibbing Community College. According to the Hibbing Fire Department, crews responded to a fire alarm at the College around 4:40 a.m.

Upon arrival, crews reported there was nothing visible from the exterior of the building but the fire alarm system was still activated.

A Hibbing police squad later radioed that there was smoke coming from a garage door on the North East corner of the building, just four minutes after the initial response.

The Hibbing Fire Department responded along with the Keewatin and Chisholm Fire Departments. Fire crews discovered a semi-truck on fire. The fire was contained to the truck and extinguished by the sprinkler system.

Damages are estimated at $48,000 for the truck and $5,000 for clean-up costs to the building. Authorities say if the building had not contained a properly serviced and maintained sprinkler system, the damages could have exceeded $1 million.

The building was unoccupied at the time of the fire. Maintenance staff say the fire is not expected to affect classes at the College on Monday.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Mt. Juliet, TN – Single sprinkler contains fire at elementary school

Mt. Juliet firefighters extinguished a fire last Sunday morning at Mt. Juliet Elementary School that damaged at least one classroom. Firefighters responded to the school at 2521 W. Division St. at about 8 a.m. According to Mt. Juliet fire officials, the fire started in “hotel-style” heater” that activated one sprinkler head in a classroom, and the school’s sprinkler system contained the fire. Fire damaged the classroom, and four adjoining classrooms suffered water and some smoke damage.

“Something did malfunction, and it did ignite,” said Mt. Juliet fire Chief Jamie Luffman. “There was a significant fire as you can see by that wall over there and it came through the wall.” Luffman said the sprinkler kept the fire contained until firefighters arrived and extinguished the remainder of the fire. The single sprinkler head released a significant amount of water that then leaked into adjoining classrooms, Luffman said. “Obviously this fire was intense for a short period of time,” Luffman said. 

Wilson County Schools spokesperson Jennifer Johnson said in an email clean-up crews responded to the school after firefighters extinguished the fire. Firefighters remained on the scene for several hours. Johnson initially said classes would resume as normal with students returning from spring break Monday, but she later said Monday would be considered a “student holiday” for students. All teachers and staff are expected to report for work as a teacher in-service day to help get the school ready for classes Tuesday.  “We are so grateful to the Mt Juliet Fire Department for their quick response and ability to contain the fire to such a small portion of the school,” Johnson said.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Glenwood, MN – Fire at high school limited to one room by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Fire sprinklers did their job at the Minnewaska High School Thursday night and helped contain a fire to a science room.

“Damage is fairly minor,” said Superintendent Greg Schmidt. “We’re thankful it was limited to one room and no one was hurt.”

Most of the damage was caused by smoke and water in the east academic wing of the one-story building, which houses the district’s 4-12 graders.

As a precaution to prevent students and staff from experiencing physical problems from the lingering smoke, all the classes were cancelled Friday in the district.

“It made a lot of sense to keep kids out of the building,” Schmidt said.

According to Starbuck Fire Chief Todd Johnshoy, a call at around 8:20 p.m. from a custodian at the school, as well as an automatic fire alarm, brought the Pope County Sheriff’s Department and fire departments from Starbuck and Glenwood to the scene.

When crews arrived flames were visible in the science lab but were quickly extinguished, Johnshoy said.

“The fire sprinkler system suppressed it and we went in and mopped up,” Johnshoy said. “Without the sprinklers there would’ve been a lot more damage.”

Schmidt said it appears the fire was contained to a work station cabinet in the science room and the ceiling tiles above it.

Johnshoy said the water damage was contained to a couple classrooms.

“The biggest problem is the smoke,” Johnshoy said. “Once you open up a building like that, it went through the hallways.Johnshoy said the cause of the fire was “undetermined” at this time and that a Fire Marshall was on the scene until about midnight investigating the blaze.

Schmidt said possible causes of the fire are suspected but he didn’t not want to comment until the Fire Marshall’s report was completed.

Schmidt praised the firefighters and law enforcement for their quick response and for getting the smoke out of the building.

The district’s insurance agent was expected to be on the scene Friday. Schmidt said he didn’t think the financial cost for the cleanup and repairs would be significant. “But certainly it’s a little disconcerting it happened.”

He said it’s expected that classes will resume Monday.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Orting, WA – Sprinkler system help limit damage in early morning fire at high school

All four schools in the Orting School District are on a two-hour delay after fire crews in Pierce County responded to a roof fire at Orting High School Thursday morning. The first call came in shortly after 4:30 a.m. By 5:30 a.m. crews had the fire out. According to the school district’s website, the fire started in a maintenance area above the boys locker room at the gymnasium. Sprinklers went off and contained the fire. It involved the HVAC system. No one was hurt.

“Right now we’re just having crews do an overhaul and waiting for the Fire Marshall to do their investigation,” Orting Valley Fire and Rescue Fire Chief Zane Gibson said. “Both Graham, Central Pierce, and East Pierce Fire and Rescue responded.”  Only the locker room has some water damage. “Sprinkler systems work, they did their job, and kept the fire very small,” Gibson said.  There is no financial estimate on the damage caused by the fire. The gymnasium is in a separate building on the same property as the high school. No classrooms were affected by the fire.

College/University (on campus), School / University

West Lafayette, IN – Fire in Purdue University laboratory extinguished with help from sprinkler system

Purdue firefighters rushed to Wetherill Hall on Oval Drive about 1:30 p.m. Wednesday after receiving a report of a fire, which was extinguished within minutes after the fire department arrived.

Purdue fire Capt. Shane Jones said the fire caused moderate damage, which was contained to the fire hood area in the second-floor laboratory. The fire activated the sprinkler system, so there also was some water damage in the area.

The facility was evacuated when the alarm went off, and people were directed to the nearby Stewart Center and Purdue Memorial Union, Jones said.  Building services staff assisted in the clean up, and people were allowed back into the building about 2:15 p.m. However, the room where the fire  happened and the room directly below it remained closed, Jones said.

 

College/University (on campus), Other - Hospital/Medical, School / University

Palo Alto, CA – Lab fire at Stanford University Medical School held in check by sprinkler system

Palo Alto Fire crews knocked down a 3-alarm fire at Stanford University in Palo Alto after evacuating the surrounding area Saturday morning.  Crews first reported the fire on Twitter around 7:45 a.m. in the Edwards Building at 300 Pasteur Dr., which is connected to the hospital.

A hazmat team is still on site because the fire started in and burned a laboratory containing bio-hazardous waste, Palo Alto Fire said.  Also on site are 60 firefighters from Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties, 9 fire engines, five trucks, two medic ambulances, and five Command Chiefs. The main entrance to Stanford’s hospital is closed. Officials are redirecting those trying to enter the facility through other doors

A sprinkler system contained flames to a room on the third floor, according to Palo Alto Fire.  Around 8:00 a.m., the fire was upgraded from a 2-alarm to a 3-alarm.  Around 8:25 a.m., crews reported the fire was out. Since the fire was in the Medical School Building, officials say there was no threat to hospital patients. No injuries have been reported at this time.

 

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Derry, NH – Fire in storage closet at elementary school suppressed by sprinkler system

A malfunctioning heat pump caused a small fire in a storage closet at the Derry Village Elementary School Friday afternoon. The Derry Fire Department first responded to an activated fire alarm at 2:59 p.m. and found that there was smoke in the third-grade wing of the school.  The building was unoccupied at the time except for janitorial staff.  The school’s sprinkler system had contained the fire to the storage closet and it did not extend to the ceiling.  The contents of the storage closet were significantly damaged with an estimated loss worth $3,000.  The fire was brought under control at 3:25 p.m.  The properly functioning alarm and sprinkler limited damage to the building and quickly alerted first responders to the threat, fire officials said.  The heat pump had ignited combustible materials that were just below it, leading to the fire, officials added.