Category Archives: School / University

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

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Lakeville, MN – Overnight fire at middle school contained by sprinkler system

Firefighters are trying to figure out exactly where and how an early morning fire started at a Lakeville school.

A captain with the Lakeville Fire Department says the alarms at Kenwood Trail Middle School went off about 2 a.m. Wednesday.

Fire officials say it appears the fire started on the roof.

The sprinkler system put most of the fire out by the time firefighters arrived.

The sprinklers caused water damage on the first and second floors of the school.

In a letter to parents, the school district says the school custodial crew is working to repair the water damage in a couple of classrooms, the media center, AV room and a stairwell.

School officials say it won’t affect the start of classes for the upcoming school year.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

London, ON, Canada – Possible arson fire at school activates fire sprinkler system

London police and fire inspectors are investigating a case of arson at a northwest London elementary school Tuesday morning.  Firefighters were called to Wilfrid Jury Public School at 950 Lawson Road at around 5:06 a.m. after alarm bells sounded.

Upon arrival, smoke was visible inside the building and sprinklers were activated. Fire officials say there was a broken window at the back of the building, along with signs of forced entry inside. There was fire set inside a classroom, which was extinguished by the sprinkler system.

An early estimate pegs the damage at around $20,000.  There are currently no suspects in custody, or suspect descriptions at this time. The Thames Valley District School Board says all summer programs and childcare will be open, with some classroom adjustments.

College/University (on campus), School / University

Dallas, TX – Fire at university high-rise building suppressed by sprinkler system

A firefighter was overcome by heat after crews put out a possible electrical fire Friday night at a high-rise in Stemmons Corridor.

The firefighter was taken to a hospital for observation and is expected to be OK after working the fire at West Coast University, 8435 North Stemmons Freeway, about 8 p.m., Dallas Fire-Rescue spokesman Jason Evans said. The college offers degrees in the healthcare field. 

The first crews saw smoke on the sixth floor and found the fire in a break room. The cause hasn’t officially been determined, but it appears to have started near a microwave and be electrical in nature, according to fire investigators.

The fire triggered the automatic sprinkler system, which contained it to a small area, Evans said. Fire crews finished putting it out upon arrival.

There was minimal fire damage. Additional crews ventilated the building because smoke could be smelled throughout.  The fire itself didn’t cause any injuries.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Fort Worth, TX – Sprinklers activate after books set on fire during elementary school break-in

There has been a break-in and six classrooms vandalized on the campus of a Crowley Independent School District elementary school.

The vandalism happened at Meadowcreek Elementary in Fort Worth, where Monday cleanup crews were busy mopping up.

In all, six rooms received water damage after fires caused the sprinkler system to go off. In addition to damage inside the school, graffiti was also spray-painted outside the building.

On what is supposed to be summer vacation, school officials are back on the Meadowbrook campus to oversee the cleanup of charred debris from burned books and school supplies.

According to a Crowley ISD spokesperson, the school was broken into and the books set on fire around 3 a.m. Monday. Right now, investigators are also looking in to whether several computer monitors were also stolen.

School cameras captured video of the suspect. It’s since been turned over to Fort Worth police.

Crowley district spokesperson Anthony Kirchner explained that the cleanup is expected to take a couple of weeks.

“It is disheartening to see that someone would cause this kind of damage and we want to make sure that person is apprehended,” he said adding that the summer break gives the district time for cleanup, repairs and equipment replacement. “This happened at a time when no students or teachers were here and we have plenty of time to get everything back.”

This isn’t the first time vandals have struck at Meadowcreek. This past Friday a window was broken at the school. It isn’t known if the two cases are connected.

Classes resume in the Crowley ISD on August 22.

College/University (on campus), School / University

West Lafayette, IN – Fire in computer lab at Purdue University extinguished with help from sprinkler system

A fire occurred at Purdue University’s Hampton Civil Engineering building this morning. The entire building was evacuated after smoke alarms detected the fire at roughly 11:30 a.m. Aaron Bukowski is a Junior in the College of Department of Physics and Astronomy.  He was in the building when the fire began.

“We were working in our lab and we smelled something burning and the fire alarms ended up going off,” said Bukowski. “They evacuated the whole building and by the time we got out was maybe two minutes before the fire department showed up. Then we saw them go in then they came back out, put their gear on, and went back in. Now their squeegeeing water off the floor.”

By roughly 12:15 p.m. three marked police vehicles were present on the scene, as well as three possible unmarked vehicles. Other safety vehicles present included one fire engine, one ambulance, one fire command, as well as at least seven Purdue University vehicles.

Kevin M. Ply is a fire chief for the Purdue University Fire Department. He was among those that responded to the call. “The fire department was dispatched here on an active fire alarm for Hampton at 11:14 a.m,” said Ply. “One of our ambulances was out on campus. They arrived at 11:15 a.m. so a minute later. When they arrived the building was being evacuated.” Ply said, “the fire alarm panel indicated an active sprinkler head in room 1268. When they proceeded to that area they encountered smoke and water coming from out of the door.”

After informing the rest of the first responders, they forced entry to the room, put out the fire, and confirmed that it had not spread to the rest of the building. There was “minimal damage” according to Ply.  Room 1268 is a computer lab in Hampton. Ply said the fire only affected a limited portion of the room. He confirmed there were no occupants in the room at the time and the room was secured.

“The fire was extinguished pretty quickly, we got to sprinklers shut down pretty quickly,” said Ply. “We’re working with the police department to determine the cause. Right now, it doesn’t appear to be anything suspicious but we’re going to try to determine exactly what the cause was.”

The old section of Hampton has been reopened, as well as parts of the new section where the fire occurred. The room is expected to reopen after the police department concludes its investigation.

“The key thing is we had a quick response, the sprinkler system did its job and contained the fire from spreading,” said Ply. “So everything worked the way it should.”

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

South Berwick, ME – Fire in middle school utility room held in check by sprinkler system

Students and staff at Marshwood High School in South Berwick are being taken to Marshwood Middle School after a fire broke out Tuesday morning. The fire was reported in a utility room at 10:30 a.m., according to Regional School Unit 35 business manager Randy Stewart.

Officials said the fire started in a dryer in the room. The utility room is located behind the school gym on the first floor of the building.  The fire caused part of the building to fill with smoke, and it triggered the building’s sprinkler system.

The sprinklers knocked down the flames until firefighters could put out the blaze. Students and staff will remain at the middle school until fire officials give them the OK to return. Officials said it could take several hours to clear smoke from the building.

Students could be allowed to retrieve belongings Tuesday afternoon. No one was hurt. The Maine Fire Marshal’s Office will investigate the cause, which is standard protocol for a fire in a school.  School officials said all high school athletic games, practices, meets and activities have been postponed due to the fire.

College/University (on campus), School / University

Billings, MT – Fire in storage room of university gymnasium extinguished by sprinkler system

Billing firefighters responded to a fire in a storage room at Montana State University Billings’ Alterowitz Gym, 1500 University Drive, on Thursday evening.  The fire was contained to physical education equipment and the storage room sustained smoke damage, said Deputy Fire Marshal Trever Schilling. The fire was reported at about 6:13 p.m. Electrical wiring failed, igniting nearby combustibles.

A sprinkler system extinguished the fire and minimized damages to the building and contents. The fire was accidental and damages are estimated at $1,000. The property is insured.

 

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Hamden, CT – Sprinkler system keeps fire at high school from spreading

Hamden High School students were briefly evacuated Friday after fire broke out in the nursery/daycare room, fire officials said. No one was injured as a result of the fire, but one teacher did suffer a minor injury attempting to open a window to help clear smoke from the building, a fire official said.

The fire was reported at 7:41 a.m. in the south end of the building. The Hamden High School administration and staff had already started with an orderly evacuation of all students, assisted by both HHS security and Hamden Police Officers, fire officials said in a news release.

The evacuation was taking place as the first HFD apparatus arrived on scene. The entire student body was relocated to the football stadium away from fire department activity. Fire officials said an activated sprinkler head in the nursery helped contain the fire, which was extinguished at 7:53 a.m.

Water damage from the activated sprinkler and fire department suppression was limited to the room or origin and adjacent hallway. The structure was ventilated to remove smoke and the products of combustion.

The entire school was metered by HFD personnel to ensure the safety of the atmosphere, according to the news release. At 8:55 a.m. students were allowed back to class. Hamden Fire Marshal Brian Dolan concluded that the area of fire origin was the stove in the nursery/day care room.

During this event, a second but unrelated fire was reported in an electrical shed adjacent to the Louis Astorino Skating Rink located at 595 Mix Avenue (in the rear of Hamden High School).  This secondary alarm was reported at 8:04 a.m. by the Hamden Public Works Electrician working on scene, and was brought quickly under control by the responding units.

Deputy Fire Marshal Tim Lunn is investigating the fire, which appears to have originated in the electrical panel that controls the outdoor lighting at the facility. There were no injuries at this event.

College/University (on campus), School / University

New Paltz, NY – Firefighters credit sprinkler system for containing fire in university’s fine arts building

A fire Thursday night damaged a studio in the Fine Arts Building at SUNY New Paltz, and the building will be closed until Monday, according to the college. The Graphic Design Thesis Show, from 4-7 p.m. Friday in the building’s rotunda, was scheduled to go on as planned, however, according to a message sent to students, staff and faculty.

The fire began in the building’s wood and sculpture studio, on the first floor, according to a statement from the college. There were no injuries. Firefighters responding to an automatic alarm and reports of smoke in the building discovered “heavy smoke and heat” in the first-floor hallway, the New Paltz Fire Department said Friday on its Facebook page.

They then found the blaze and extinguished it, the department said. The fire department credited “a well maintained sprinkler system” with containing the blaze to the room in which it began. The building’s fire alarm system was back in service Friday, according to the college.

 An email sent to the college community Friday afternoon said the Fine Arts Building’s studios were closed to students but were expected to reopen Monday morning. No one will be allowed to work in the building until Monday as personnel repair water damage, the email stated.  Information about how the fire might have started and what time it was reported was not immediately available

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Port Alberni, BC, Canada – Sprinklers limit spread of fire that started outside elementary school

A fire that broke out in a motor home parked at E.J. Dunn Elementary School just before 7 p.m. today (May 5) caused only minor smoke and water damage to the school building itself. E.J. Dunn will be open tomorrow (May 5).

“It started at the motor home and spread to another car,” said Port Alberni Fire Department Deputy Chief Wes Patterson. Three Port Alberni trucks and one Beaver Creek Volunteer Fire Department truck responded to the blaze, along with one RCMP car and an ambulance.

“There’s water damage from the sprinkler that’s gone off and a little smoke damage inside and then the front entrance doors [are damaged] but all in all it was very lucky. The building and the controls and the sprinkler system did what it was supposed to do which limited the spread of the fire. Structurally the school is fine.”

Patterson said that the motor home belonged to one of the workers at the school but that the cause of the fire is yet to be determined. One person was taken to West Coast General Hospital as a result of the blaze, he added.

“One person was taken to the hospital but not necessarily by B.C. Ambulance. I don’t know the extent of his injuries at this point.”