Category Archives: School / University

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

College/University (on campus), School / University

Salt Lake City, UT – Sprinklers douse fire in University of Utah chemistry lab

Authorities say a small explosion at a University of Utah chemistry building was caused by a chemical reaction inside a storage cabinet.

Salt Lake City firefighters say the Thursday morning explosion was contained inside a sheet metal cabinet but emitted hazardous chemicals into the air.

Salt Lake City fire department spokesman Jasen Asay says firefighters evacuated the building to clear chemical residue from the air and vent smoke.

Asay says the explosion caused a small fire, but sprinklers doused it before crews arrived.

Classes were canceled and the building is expected to remain closed for hours.

Firefighters are investigating what chemicals were stored in the room.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Midlothian, VA – Fire in storage closet at high school extinguished by sprinkler

Fire broke out Wednesday night at Clover Hill High School in Midlothian, but Chesterfield authorities said the school’s sprinkler system was able to put it out. According to authorities at the scene, a pallet inside a storage closet caught fire, but a sprinkler in the closet was able to put out the fire.

Chesterfield Fire crews reported to the scene at the new high school at 1300 Kelly Green Lane due to a report of a small fire. The cause is under investigation, but the school day will go on as planned on Thursday.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Elmhurst, IL – Fire in middle school science lab doused by sprinkler system

A “chemical reaction” caused a small fire in a science classroom at a west suburban middle school Wednesday morning, causing a lot of smoke, but no injuries.

The Elmhurst Fire Department was called about 9:45 a.m. to an activated fire alarm at Sandburg Middle School at 345 E. St. Charles Rd., a statement from the department said.

Firefighters found “heavy smoke coming from a science classroom located on the lower level,” though the fire had already been doused by the school’s sprinkler system, the statement said.

All students and staff were evacuated from the building as firefighters ventilated the area, replaced a sprinkler head and cleaned up.

A fire department investigation showed a chemical reaction had triggered the fire, though no students were present in the classroom at the time.  No injuries were reported.

College/University (on campus), School / University

Durham, NH – Fire at University of New Hampshire contained with help from sprinklers

A small oven fire broke out in Rudman Hall at the University of New Hampshire on Sunday evening.  Durham Fire Chief Corey Landry said the department received a call about a fire in an oven on the third floor of Rudman Hall around 7:25 p.m. Located on College Road, Rudman Hall is home to the College of Life Sciences and Agriculture.

Landry said the caller was using a commercial-sized oven and had placed plastic tubes inside. Landry could not comment what the caller was doing specifically with the tubes.   The tubes had melted and started a small fire, but it was contained to the oven, Landry said. The fire set off the sprinkler system, but the water was drained through drains in the floor.

Landry said the building was evacuated, but there was no one inside. The only damage sustained was to the plastic tubes.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Minneapolis, MN – Overnight fire in high school chemistry lab contained by sprinkler system

Patrick Henry High School in Minneapolis is expected to open again Friday after a fire early Thursday morning caused damage to parts of the building. The fire broke out just after 2 a.m. in a chemistry lab. School district officials say no injuries were reported.

With help from the sprinkler system, the fire was contained to one classroom. The closure affects all Patrick Henry events, including community education classes, athletic events and extracurricular activities. All other district schools will remain open. Officials also asked Patrick Henry staff members not to report to work Thursday. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

North East, MD – Overnight fire at high school contained to mechanical room by sprinkler system

**NO MEDIA COVERAGE – State Fire Marshal Report** — On March 18, 2015 around 2:48 am, the Maryland State Fire Marshal’s Office was requested for a fire at Rising Sun High School. Rising Sun High is a two story, brick educational facility located at 100 Tiger Drive in Rising Sun of Cecil County.  Approximately 30 firefighters from Rising Sun, Northeast and Oxford (PA) responded and extinguished the fire within 20 minutes. Investigators from the State Fire Marshal’s Office determined the fire to have originated in the mechanical room of the school due to an electrical malfunction. The high school was protected by a working fire alarm which alerted the local fire departments quickly. The sprinkler system was also activated, which contained the fire to the mechanical room. There was no structure damage due to the fire.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Lebanon, OH – Sprinkler activates, extinguishes fire at high school

At 6:51 a.m., Lebanon firefighters were called to the high school, 1916 Drake Road, on reports of a fire in the kitchen, said Capt. Steve Oughterson. A 17-year-old girl was taken to Bethesda Medical Center at Arrow Springs in Lebanon and was released within an hour, said Lebanon Fire Chief Perry Gerome.

The fire happened inside a small appliance in the kitchen as a result of a cooking accident. A sprinkler was activated and the fire was extinguished before crews arrived, the chief said. Gerome said the fire was ruled accidental and caused about $200 in damages.

School officials and the Warren County Health Department were notified and responded to assess the situation, according to Gerome. The small fire caused one event to be canceled and another postponed at the high school until all systems could be reset and placed back in service.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Chesterfield, VA – Sprinklers keep fire in check after stolen van crashes into High School

1 Comment

Fire alarms went off around 1:30 AM, when firefighters arrived at L.C. Bird High School in Chesterfield they found a van on fire that had crashed through the front doors.  Officials say the tires were still running and that’s what caused the fire. Chesterfield Police say the van that crashed into the school was stolen.

The fire caused smoke to spread throughout the school and the sprinkler system to go off.  There were no reported injuries and the fire was contained to the area where the van crashed into the building.

“It appears the fire was more than likely caused by the tires continuing to spin as it was inside, and the tires caught fire and spread to the rest of the vehicle,” Lt. Jason Elmore with Chesterfield said. There was no one inside the building at the time of the crash.

The school will be closed through Sunday night. The principal sent a note home to parents saying they hope to reopen on Monday. Police are asking anyone with any information on the driver to contact them immediately. 

College/University (on campus), School / University

Miami, FL – Sprinkler system extinguishes overnight fire at art school

An overnight electrical fire at the New World School of the Arts in downtown Miami sent firefighters to the campus and parts of a class project to the trash. Firefighters responded to the small fire in a gallery at the school around 1 a.m. Tuesday, said Miami Fire Rescue Capt. Ignatius Carroll. “The sprinkler system actually put the fire out,” Carroll said. 

He added that “crews were out there for a little bit” to try to remove all the water from the sprinklers from the building and to get the smoke to clear out. “The water doesn’t stop once the fire is out,” Carroll said.  Firefighters also changed the sprinklers and reset the alarm system, he added.  No one was injured in the fire. Classes were not affected by the fire. “We’re fully operational,” Hodgson said. “There are no classes in that room.”

 

College/University (on campus), School / University

North Vancouver, BC, Canada – Suspected arson fire at Capilano University contained by sprinkler system

North Vancouver RCMP are searching for suspects in a break-in and possible arson at Capilano University this morning.  Emergency crews were called to the university library shortly after midnight.

“On arrival, we noticed smoke in the library,” says Ast. Fire Chief Dave Burgess. “There was a small fire and the sprinkler had it deactivated.  The sprinkler controlled the fire and kept it to the area of origin.”

Investigators aren’t sure what may have been stolen from the library yet. They will examine video surveillance in an effort to identify any potential suspects. The University says they will be assessing the damage, but do not anticipate any class disruptions today.