Category Archives: School / University

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

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Fayette County, TN – Sprinkler system activated for fire at juvenile development center

Three sources in Fayette County told WREG that Somerville Volunteer firefighters were called to Wilder after a number of juveniles started a fire at Wilder Youth Development Center.

The incident happened New Year’s weekend between Saturday night and Sunday morning. WREG was told the fire turned on the building’s sprinkler system, which quickly knocked down the fire.

Velicia Brown lives near Wilder Youth Development, and she says she is concerned every time she hears about problems at the center.

“All I can say is these kids are really out of control,” she said. “This generation is really out of control.”

Wilder, which houses violent juvenile offenders, has been in the news after several reports of escapes, attempted escaped, and riots at the facility north of Somerville.

Sources say they are unaware of any injuries from the incident and did not know how much fire damage was done to the facility’s school. However, signs were displayed to alert the public of job openings at Wilder.

Brown says this is a sign that things could be improving.

“We actually need people that’s actually going to put their foot down and actually help them and motivate these kids to do better, and that way they won’t be there anymore,” she said.

We reached out to DCS but were told State offices were closed for a holiday. A spokesperson with the Tennessee Highway Patrol would only acknowledge that they received a call for assistance from Wilder.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Atlanta, GA – Sprinkler system activated for kitchen fire at school; No injuries reported

Students at Lovett school were promptly evacuated Monday morning after a fire broke out in the kitchen of the Lower School building.

No injuries were reported and sprinkler systems deployed automatically, helping to bring down the flames. 

Lower School students and teachers have since been relocated to the Hendrix-Chenault Theater as fire officials work to identify the cause of the fire.

Atlanta Fire Rescue says they have extinguished a fire in the kitchen of The Lovett School.

In a tweet, they say they are staying on scene for further investigation.

The Atlanta Fire Rescue Department tweeted Monday morning that it was responding to The Lovett School because of “heavy smoke coming from the structure.”

Details are very limited at this time, but Atlanta Fire Rescue says all children at the school have been evacuated as of 9:17 a.m.

CBS46 has a crew on the way to the scene and will provide new information as soon as we get it.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Hardeeville, SC – Sprinkler system activated for commercial dryer fire at middle school

A fire that began inside a commercial dryer Nov. 29 led to the evacuation of Hardeeville Ridgeland-Middle School and Hardeeville Elementary School as firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze, according to officials.

“A dryer in the athletic room at Hardeeville-Ridgeland Middle School caught fire,” the Jasper County School District said in a statement. “Our sprinkler system successfully extinguished the fire. Our teachers and staff followed our fire evacuation protocols and evacuated all students from Hardeeville Elementary School and Hardeeville-Ridgeland Middle School, safely and orderly, and all parents were informed immediately.”

The Hardeeville Fire Department responded around 12:52 p.m., Assistant Fire Chief Joey Rowell said. Rowell said the school had been evacuated quickly and everyone was outside and accounted for when firefighters arrived. 

“The fire was in the rear of the school in the laundry area near the gymnasium,” Rowell said. “The dryer, which is a commercial dryer, had gotten too hot with some uniform equipment on the inside of it. The sprinklers in the school held the fire in check until firefighters could arrive and put out remaining hot spots. Without sprinklers, it could have gotten a lot worse with smoke.”

Rowell said the school had drainage systems in the floor of the laundry room area, which also helped. He said most of the damage was to the dryer and no damage estimate was immediately available. 

“The fire department remained on scene until all systems could be returned to normal around 5 p.m.,” Rowell said. “This was good work by all, including the school district and the fire department.”

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Spartanburg, SC – Sprinkler system activated for fire at middle school

The Westview Fairforest Fire Department is responding to a fire at Fairforest Middle School in Spartanburg County, according to Spartanburg County dispatch.

Chief Communications Officer of Spartanburg District 6 Cynthia Robinson says the school experienced a small office fire this evening near the school’s planetarium. 

Robinson says the fire alarm and sprinkler system was activated in the area, at around 7:20 this evening with city and county fire officials quickly responding to the scene. 

The fire has been contained to one area of the building, and clean up is currently underway, says Robinson.

She also says no one was in the building at the time of the fire. 

School will be held on a regular schedule tomorrow. 

College/University (on campus), School / University

Frankfort, IL – Fire at vacant high school controlled by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Frankfort Fire Protection District responded Monday to a fire alarm at Lincoln-Way North High School, 19900 S. Harlem Ave. in Frankfort, according to a post Tuesday on the fire district’s Facebook page. No one was inside the vacant high school at the time of the fire, and no injuries were reported, according to Frankfort Fire Protection District Chief Sean Fierce.

Frankfort FPD responded to the alarm around 8:17 p.m. and were able to smell a burning odor, Fierce said. Crews located the source of the fire in the basement of the closed high school, which prompted the Fire District to raise the alarm to that of a structure fire to bring in more resources, Fierce said.

Industrial batteries had malfunctioned, and officials said they believe that was what caused the fire, though the official determination is still under investigation. The burning batteries released hydrogen sulfide, which was ventilated before crews put out the fire, Fierce said.

The fire did not spread beyond the basement area where the fire started because the building’s sprinkler system activated, Fierce said.

Frankfort FPD estimated the damage to be approximately $5,000 to $10,000, according to the post.

Fire crews from Tinley Park, Matteson, East Joliet, Elwood, Park Forest, Orland Park, New Lenox and the State Fire Marshal’s Office assisted in the effort to put out the fire, according to the post.

College/University (on campus), School / University

Madison, WI – Fire at university kept under control by sprinkler system until fire crews arrived; No injuries reported

A sprinkler kept an oven fire under control at the UW-Madison Wisconsin Energy Institute on Tuesday until fire crews arrived to put it out, authorities reported.

Fire crews were sent to the building in the 1500 block of University Avenue at 1:20 p.m. and arrived at 1:24 p.m. to find no smoke or fire showing from the five-story building, though people were evacuating, Madison Fire Department spokesperson Cynthia Schuster said in a statement.

A building manager told firefighters there was a fire in an autoclave room, prompting Engine 4 to upgrade the call to a full structure fire response, and additional fire crews were sent, Schuster said.

As the other crews responded, Engine 4 went to the autoclave room, where a fire sprinkler above an oven kept a fire at bay. The oven was open, and a small amount of fire continued to burn inside. Firefighters extinguished that fire with a water can extinguisher, Medic 4 shut down the sprinkler system, and Ladder 1 assisted with ventilation, Schuster said.

The investigation determined that some plastic items that normally are cleaned in an autoclave, but are not oven-safe, were accidentally placed in the oven. Someone working in the lab noticed smoke coming from the room, and when they opened the oven to check on it, incoming oxygen fueled the fire and caused it to flare up. Attempts to put out the fire with a dry chemical extinguisher failed, and the fire alarm was pulled to prompt a building evacuation, Schuster said.

No one was injured, but there was significant damage to the oven and autoclave room, Schuster said.

College/University (on campus), School / University

Escanaba, MI – Sprinkler system activated for fire in college welding building

This afternoon Escanaba Public Safety responded to a fire in Bay College’s welding building.

18 students and two instructors were evacuated safely.

Upon arrival, officers deployed attack lines and entered the building. The automated fire sprinkler system was already on.

It was determined a filter-system from one of the welding machines caught fire.

The building sustained smoke and water damage.

Escanaba Public Safety was assisted by DTE, Escanaba City Electric, and the Delta County Central Dispatch Center.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Portland, ME – Fire at high school contained by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

A fire that broke out early Sunday morning on the third floor of Westbrook High School was contained by an internal sprinkler system and by firefighters who scaled ladders to gain access to the classroom where it originated.

The sprinkler system at the unoccupied Stroudwater Street school activated, preventing the fire from spreading from the classroom to the rest of the wing, the Westbrook Fire Department said in a news release posted on its Facebook page.

Fire crews manning Engine 4 encountered heavy smoke and fire coming from the third floor upon their arrival. The fire was reported at 4:59 a.m. Firefighters entered the building and were able to quickly locate the source of the fire.

Engine 4 positioned the truck ladder to connect to the third floor. A hose line was stretched across the ladder and crews on the inside used the hose to bring the fire under control. Photos posted on Facebook show two exterior classroom windows that had to be broken to gain entry. The exterior walls of the classroom were charred by the heat.

An investigation revealed that the cause of the was electrical in nature, likely due to the improper use of an extension cord with a window air conditioner, according to the fire department.

The fire department received mutual aid from the South Portland Fire Department, the Portland Fire Department and the Gorham Fire Department. Falmouth and Scarborough sent units to cover the city’s fire stations.

No injuries were reported.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Benzonia, MI – Sprinkler system activated for fire at high school

The cause of a fire at Benzie Central High School that caused smoke and fire damage to several rooms has been determined.

According to Amiee Erfourth, superintendent of Benzie Central Schools, a report from the fire marshal stated spontaneous combustion of chemicals used for cleaning started a fire in a maintenance area.

“We think linseed oil was partly to blame,” Erfourth said. “It’s not a chemical we usually use, but it was used to clean some cutting boards. It has a low flashpoint.”

Erfourth said any time linseed oil is used in the future, any paper towels or rags used with it will be stored in water.

Smoke and water damaged flooring and cabinets in the maintenance room and several adjacent rooms.

“We’ll need new flooring in the band room and maintenance room, and we’ll have to repaint the maintenance room,” Erfourth said. “We’ll have to completely re-do the life skills room by replacing the flooring and cabinetry and painting the wall. We’re hoping to have it all done by the time school starts, but that will depend on supply timeline for flooring and cabinetry.”

Erfourth is still working with insurance adjustors to come up with the total cost of repairs. The school is currently working with flooring and cabinetry companies and taking bids for the work needed.

The Benzonia Fire Department responded to an alarm at around 5 p.m. on June 30 at the high school. At first they did not see a fire, but after moving to the back of the building, they saw a fire in a maintenance area. The school’s automatic sprinkler system had put most of the fire out. After the fire department finished putting out the fire, they worked to drive smoke out of the building.

The Frankfort and Homestead fire departments also responded to the call and helped vent smoke and clean up excess water as well.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Webster Springs, WV – Sprinkler system activated for fire at elementary school; No injuries reported

The Webster Springs Volunteer Fire Department responded to a fire Wednesday evening at Webster Springs Elementary School.

According to 911 officials, the call came in just before 7:45 p.m. for a structure fire at Webster Springs Elementary School. The Webster Springs Volunteer Fire Department arrived on scene and was able to quickly put out the fire.

Officials said the staff was stocking supplies to start the summer school home economic class when the stove burner was turned on accidentally. Webster County Office of Emergency Management Director, Richard Rose, also said the fire was accidental.

“A stove top burner got turned on accidentally when staff was stocking supplies to start the summer school home economics class today. There were no staff in the building at the time a passerby noticed water running out of the building and smell of smoke. Sprinkler head activated and kept the fire from spreading. Upon arrival the remaining flames were quickly extinguished with a water can. We remained on scene to clear the building of smoke,” said Rose.

No injuries have been reported.