Category Archives: School / University

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

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Battle Ground, WA – Fire in school science lab contained to one room by sprinkler system

A small fire started tonight in a science room at Chief Umtuch Middle School in Battle Ground.   A fire sprinkler had activated in the room, suppressing the fire and keeping it contained to the room, said Clark County Fire & Rescue Battalion Chief Tim Dawdy. The sprinkler activation triggered an alarm to summon firefighters, who finished extinguishing the fire once they arrived.

At 9:20 p.m., firefighters with Clark County Fire & Rescue were dispatched to the school, at 700 N.W. Ninth St. When they arrived, they found a small fire in room 185, a science classroom, according to emergency radio traffic monitored at The Columbian.

The fire is under investigation by the Clark County Fire Marshal’s Office, Dawdy said, but it appeared that a heat lamp inside an animal terrarium sparked the fire, and that flames spread to a nearby bookshelf.

College/University (on campus), School / University

Piscataway, NJ – Arson fire at Rutgers University put out by sprinkler system

The investigation determined that a former student set fire to a 30-foot section of the hallway and the adjoining classroom on the second floor of the ARC Building at 1:03 p.m. on Dec. 20. 

The fire was extinguished by an overhead sprinkler, but damaged portions of the hallway and the classroom.  The flash fire also set off an alarm, forcing the evacuation of 210 students who were taking a final exam in a first-floor auditorium located beneath the burning hallway.  No one was injured.

 

College/University (on campus), School / University

Providence, RI – Sprinklers activated properly during Brown University locker room fire

During Thursday’s electrical fire in the men’s track and field locker room in the Olney-Margolies Athletic Center, all fire prevention measures functioned properly, said Stephen Maiorisi, vice president of facilities management. Though several of the athletes present at the time of the fire observed that the sprinkler system did not immediately activate, Stephen Morin, director of environmental health and safety, wrote in an email to The Herald that the heat-activated sprinkler heads did respond to the fire.

The fire was “10 or 15 feet away” from the heat detector, said Luke Muzikowski ’17, a member of the team who was present at the time of the fire. Both the detector and the sprinklers are activated when the room reaches a certain temperature, Devlin said, adding that the alarm and sprinkler systems were therefore not at the threshold temperature to activate the alarm by the time the runners left the locker room and the building was evacuated.

“It worked exactly the way it was supposed to,” Maiorisi said.

College/University (on campus), School / University

Albany, NY – Fire sprinkler activates to control fire at University of Albany

Husted Hall on the University at Albany’s downtown campus, was closed through Wednesday evening after a small fire at about 1:30 p.m., according to an advisory sent to students.

University police said a chair Room B-008 was found on fire but no other damage was reported. At 4:40 p.m., another chair in the same room was set on fire, causing the building’s sprinkler systems to activate, according to the advisory.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Council Bluffs, IA – Sprinkler extinguishes intentionally set fire at high school

A small fire briefly disrupted activities Tuesday afternoon at Abraham Lincoln High School.  Around 12:15 p.m., someone set fire to a football tackling dummy on a balcony in the school fieldhouse, according to Council Bluffs Fire Marshal Larry Wohlers.  The fire activated a sprinkler head about 20 feet above the fire, which distributed water to extinguish the blaze. Firefighters arrived shortly after the activation.  No one was injured.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Sprinkler contains overnight arson fire at elementary school (McAllen, TX)

Suspects broke into an elementary school, sprayed graffiti and started two classrooms on fire early Sunday morning. Firefighters responded to Dr. Pablo Perez Elementary School at 3:17 a.m. and took about 45 minutes to extinguish the fire, McAllen Fire Department Sector Capt. Javier Gutierrez said.

The fire was contained to the rooms with help from the school’s sprinkler system, he said, adding that fire investigators will be on scene at the school Monday to survey the damage. The school is still planning to be open, and the first grade students in the affected classrooms will be temporarily relocated.

 

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Fire at high school extinguished by sprinkler system (Charlotte, NC)

A small fire that caused the Phillip O. Berry Academy of Technology to be evacuated Wednesday afternoon was intentionally set, officials with the Charlotte Fire Department say.

The high school – on Alleghany Street, off Freedom Drive near Interstate 85 – was being evacuated when the department responded to fire alarms, officials said Thursday.

The sprinkler system had already extinguished the small fire, which officials said caused roughly $1,000 damage. No injuries were reported.

Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential, School / University

Sprinkler puts out residence hall fire at Texas Woman’s University (Denton, TX)

A small fire in the Stark Hall residence tower on the Denton campus of Texas Woman’s University caused an evacuation Sunday night, according to a news release issued by the university. The small fire occurred in the basement laundry room and sent smoke through several floors of the building. The sprinkler system in the laundry room extinguished the fire within minutes, according to the news release. There were no injuries reported and no damage to the structure other than the laundry room.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Fire officials credit sprinkler system with minimizing damage in school fire (Bozeman, MT)

The Rae and Sourdough Fire Departments were dispatched to the Heritage Christian School for a fire alarm at 5:09 a.m. A deputy was first on the scene and advised there was heavy smoke in the building. The fire was declared under control at 6:37 a.m. and there were no injuries reported.

The fire department reports that the fire and associated damage was minimized because of the fire sprinkler and alarm system installed during the last remodel of the building. On Aug. 25, 2012, the school sustained significant damage in arson-related fire.

College/University (on campus), School / University

Fire at University of Illinois laboratory extinguished by sprinkler system (Champaign, IL)

Nobody was hurt in a fire at a University of Illinois laboratory on Wednesday afternoon. Urbana Fire Marshal Phil Edwards said firefighters were called to Roger Adams Laboratory (600 S. Mathews Ave.) at 4:13 p.m. We got a call that somebody reported smoke and flames coming from a closet in one of the rooms,” Edwards said.  By the time firefighters arrived, the building’s sprinkler system had already put out the fire, he said. Since the fire took place in an electrical closet, firefighters believe that electrical problems may have been the cause.