Category Archives: School / University

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

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Portland, OR – Intentionally-set fires at high school kept in check by sprinklers

Students at Portland’s James Madison High School got quite a scare Monday morning.

“Today we had a fire alarm this morning at 10 a.m.,” said Christine Miles, Spokesperson for Portland Public Schools.

She explained that a fire had been intentionally ignited in the boys restroom.  Shortly after, another fire was set in a school storage closet that was used for donated food.

“Inside, there is a sprinkler fire system that was activated by the heat which then kept that fire in check and kept it from extending further into the building,” said Lt. Rich Tyler with Portland Fire & Rescue.

But the two fires at Madison High on Monday weren’t the first to be set at the school recently.

“So far we have four fires that were set here. The 16th, the 17th and then two today,” said Tyler.

Three of the fires started in boys restrooms and investigators said all of them were believed to be arson.

“We do know that it is a student and we are interviewing the students to determine who the individual or individuals are,” Tyler said.

At this point, school is still on for Tuesday but Portland Public School officials want everyone to be on watch.

“We’re telling our community: ‘Please step forward if you know something so we can make an arrest or put an end to this as soon as possible,’” said Miles.

The principal also posted a letter to parents on the front page of the Madison High School website.

No students have been hurt in any of the fires.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Quincy, IL – Sprinklers put out mattress fire at Chaddock School; No injuries

Emergency crews responded to a mattress fire Wednesday morning at Chaddock School, according to Asst. Fire Chief Bernie Vahlkamp.

The Quincy Fire Department says crews responded to the fire at 205 S. 24th St., in one of the cottages. Vahlkamp said the fire was out by the time firefighters arrived and that Quincy police are handling the situation.

“The sprinkler system put out the fire,” Vahlkamp said. “But, smoke did fill the room and hallway.”

Vahlkamp said there were no injuries.

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

Durham, NC – Residence hall fire at Duke University controlled with help from sprinkler system

About 175 students were evacuated from Randolph Residence Hall on Duke’s East Campus early Monday morning following a fire in a first floor laundry room.  The fire alarm sounded about 2:25 a.m., and all building occupants were safely evacuated to the common room of Blackwell Residence Hall, which is adjacent to Randolph, for about an hour before the building was cleared for reentry.

Duke University Police and the Durham Fire Department responded to the fire alarm, when a dryer caught fire. The building’s sprinkler system engaged causing some water damage, which was primarily limited to the laundry room on the west end of the building and the adjoining hallway. A locked door on the second floor was also damaged when firefighters had to forcefully enter the room to ensure no one was inside, but no rooms were damaged by the fire.

An emergency services company has already begun to address the water damage. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Cranbrook, BC, Canada – Suspicious fire at middle school limited by activated sprinkler system

The investigation into a fire at Laurie Middle School is ongoing, as school district staff have shut down the building for repairs stemming from a rooftop fire.  Cranbrook RCMP along with Fire and Emergency Services responded to the blaze early Wednesday morning, as fire fighters extinguished the blaze and police assisted with an investigation into the cause.

While authorities haven’t determined what started the fire, it is considered suspicious by the RCMP.  Anyone who has information about the fire is encouraged to call the Cranbrook RCMP at 250-489-3471 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

The Southeast Kootenay school district has closed Laurie Middle School for Thursday and Friday, however, class will be back in session on Monday, Nov. 16.

“The fire damage was limited to the exterior of the building, but it did trigger our sprinkler system, so we didn’t get any fire inside the school because our sprinkler systems worked like they’re supposed to work,” Rob Norum, treasurer with School District 5, said.

While staff and contractors are cleaning that area up to reopen on Monday, the gym was much harder hit.

“The gym is a different story. We’ve got water inside some of the walls and in some of the insulation in the ceiling and some water underneath the floor,” said Norum. “We don’t know the extent of the damage there, but we’re getting that assessed to see if we have to do any major renos.

“We’ve already had an engineer in; he’s going to continue to look at the building to make sure we don’t have any structural issues. We’ve had an air quality expert in and he’s cleared the building.”

Apartment Building, Other - School / University, Residential

Greeley, CO – Off-campus apartment fire extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries

Four students were displaced from their homes Tuesday after a fire in one apartment touched off the sprinklers at the Arlington Park Apartments. Greeley firefighters were called around 7:45 p.m. Tuesday to a fire at the Arlington Park Apartments, Building No. 3, 2315 9th Ave.

Firefighters arrived to heavy smoke showing. The fire was contained to one apartment and was put out by the building’s sprinkler system. But students living in two rooms would be displaced because of smoke and water damage, said University of Northern Colorado spokesman Nate Haas.

Students were evacuated and there were no injuries, reported Greeley Firefighter Battalion Chief Rick Hinchcliffe.  Firefighters were clearing the building as of 8:30 p.m., and the fire was out minutes later. Custodians were called in to clear the water.

The immediate damage was contained to the apartment with a fire, with water damage to the apartment immediately below, Hinchcliffe said.  Haas said university residence officials were working Tuesday to find temporary housing for the students in the college’s residence halls.

Hinchcliffe said three fire trucks, one ladder truck and one heavy rescue truck responded, with a total of 15 firefighters on scene. There is no word yet on a cause or a damage estimate.

College/University (on campus), School / University

Richland, WA – Fire in university laboratory is put out by sprinkler system; No injuries

Several students and staff had to be evacuated Monday at WSU Tri-Cities after a small explosion and fire. It happened just before two in the afternoon inside the Bioproducts, Sciences and Engineering Laboratory.

The school says there was a minor fire after a cylinder of compressed gas exploded unexpectedly. The Director of Marketing and Communications at the school says the building’s sprinkler system put the fire out and no one got hurt.

Students were evacuated from the east and west buildings but were allowed back in shortly after. Firefighters say they’re now looking into what happened.

Richland Fire Department Chief Tom Huntington said, “the sprinkler system activated, alarm system activated everybody was able to get out safe. Our initial response and activity were here was to make sure the buildings were clear and everybody was out. Right now what they’re working on then is to make sure there is no secondary spills chemical spills things like that associated with the explosion make sure the building is secure then we will start the investigation and figure out what happened.”

Staff at the school says the BSEL labs are now canceled until further notice, and students should log on to Blackboard to check if lectures have been moved to a new location.

Primary / Secondary School

Asheville, NC – Sprinkler quells fire that started in art kiln at charter school

An indoor kiln’s exhaust fan at Evergreen Community Charter School failed Thursday night, causing heat to build up and the sprinkler to activate. The Asheville Fire Department responded to the school shortly after 8 p.m., said spokeswoman Kelley Klope.

The sprinkler system cooled the kiln and prevented a fire, she said. Had there not been a sprinkler system, the heat buildup could have ignited nearby combustibles and the overhead ceiling, which could have caused a structure fire, Klope said.

The school’s art room sustained minor heat damage to some overhead lighting and minor water damage. Sprinkler systems use less water to suppress early onset fires than fire crews do, Klope said.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, if a home fire occurs, the risk of dying decreases by about 80 percent when the home is equipped with a fire sprinkler system.

Primary / Secondary School, Residential

East Hampton, NY – Fire at boarding school extinguished by sprinkler system

The fire that broke out at the Ross Upper School on Wednesday night appears to have been caused by a dryer that caught on fire in the laundry room at the Center for Well Being, according to a report in 27east. The fire, which caused minor damage to the laundry room, was extinguished by automatic sprinkler system in the building, according to the report.  Members of both the East Hampton Fire Department and the Bridgehampton Fire Department blew the fire smoke out of the building’s basement and outside using large fans, 27east.

A fire broke out at the Ross Upper School campus in East Hampton on Wednesday night, according to a report in The East Hampton Star. Police responded to the school on 20 Goodfriend Drive at about 10:15 p.m. and put out a fire in the basement laundry room at the Center for Well Being, according to the report.  The fire was put out by about 10:40 p.m., The East Hampton Star reports.

 

 

 

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Summerside, PE, Canada – Fire at elementary school extinguished by sprinkler system; Classes resume next day

Most classes at Elm Street Elementary School in Summerside, P.E.I., will resume on Tuesday after a small fire forced the cancellation of all classes on Monday. The fire started near a ventilation fan in the computer server room at about 4:30 p.m. local time Sunday.

Summerside fire Chief Jim Peters said the sprinkler system had put out the fire by the time firefighters arrived. “It was just a matter of us, the firefighters, shutting down the sprinkler system and clearing some smoke,” said Peters.

Shutting down the sprinklers, however, took about 30 minutes, said English Language School Board superintendent Cynthia Fleet. The water soaked through the floor and ran into classrooms below, including the kindergarten.

Because of the water damage, kindergarten will be cancelled again Tuesday. All other classes will go ahead Tuesday as usual. Kindergarten classes will resume Wednesday, with changes for one classroom.

“Tomorrow, we will have teachers with workers from the school board move furniture and materials back into two classrooms, and a third classroom will be relocated into the breakfast area,” Fleet said.

“So that is why the breakfast program will not be in operation for the remainder of the week.”

Communications at the school will be by telephone only until the computer system is restored.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Troy, MI – Sprinkler system extinguishes kitchen fire at preschool; no injuries

The Troy Fire Department was dispatched to the School Bell Early Childhood Education Center on Troy’s northeast side Saturday evening in response to a fire alarm that was activated at the school.

Upon arrival around 6:15 p.m., firefighters observed water from the sprinkler system coming out from around a closed window, the report said. After entering the building, which was unoccupied at the time, firefighters could see smoke coming from the school’s kitchen. The fire had already been extinguished by the sprinkler system, so firefighters shut the water off to the sprinklers and ventilated the smoke from the building, the report said.

Preliminary investigation showed that the fire occurred after the stove was accidentally turned on when produce items were delivered and placed on top of it several hours earlier.

Fire damage was limited to the stove top and cabinets above, and the preschool was able to open for classes on Monday. Fire personnel were on the scene for about 45 minutes.