Category Archives: Primary / Secondary School

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Nashville, TN – Sprinklers activate to help control arson fire at high school

Stratford High School suffered damage after a propane torch was used to set fire to an administrative office.  Officials with Metro Police said the incident happened Sunday at the school located on Stratford Avenue in Nashville.

Investigators said Trevarious Carney used a portable fire extinguisher and broke into the school during the evening hours.   The 20-year-old was allegedly seen on security video inside the building.

According to police, he first set a fire to the carpet inside an administrative office.  He fled the scene after the fire alarm began sounding.  The building’s sprinkler system went off, keeping the fire contained to the office area. 

Carney was identified as a suspect and charged with attempted arson.  No additional details were known. 

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Tewksbury, MA – Sprinklers control overnight fire at pre-school building

A two-alarm fire broke out at a local pre-school late Friday night, leaving the building closed Monday. The fire happened at Knowledge Beginnings at 200 Old Main St., according to Fire Chief Michael Hazel. The building was not occupied at the time.

The blaze, which started in a second floor bathroom, was likely caused by an electrical problem, Hazel said. The fire then spread into the attic above that bathroom, and was contained by the activated sprinkler system. Fire crews then arrived on scene and extinguished the blaze.

The Billerica Fire Department assisted at the scene, and the Wilmington and Andover departments helped to provide station coverage. Power was shut down to the whole building over the weekend as a precaution and the school was closed Monday.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Tempe, AZ – Sprinklers extinguish arson fire in high school bathroom

A juvenile was arrested after an arson investigation at Marcos de Niza High School revealed that he started a fire in the men’s restroom of the 400 building, police reported. The building houses the school’s driver education department and residence of an on-site officer, police reported.

Tempe Police and the fire department responded to the fire alarm that went off at the school and when they arrived the saw that the fire sprinklers and suppression system in the bathroom extinguished the fire, police reported.

The video surveillance of that area was reviewed and a camera outside the bathroom recorded the boy walking out of the restroom prior to smoke being seen, police reported. When he was read his Miranda rights and question he admitted to starting the fire with a lighter he found, saying he didn’t believe it would cause much damage and it would burn itself out, police reported.

Because of the fire classrooms were evacuated and the school was reportedly disrupted, according to the report. Additionally, the security officer was in his residence when the fire started, causing him to be endangered as well, police reported. He was transported to Tempe City Jail, where he was booked and held to see a judge, according to the report.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Beaumont, TX – Fire at elementary school put out by single sprinkler

A small fire was put out by the sprinkler system at the Fletcher Elementary campus Friday morning. The fire was reported around 6 a.m. at the campus located at 1055 Ave. F after a custodian found smoke in the building and water from a sprinkler.

Beaumont Fire Rescue Captain Brad Penisson told 12News the fire was out before firefighters arrived. It appears an extension cord overheated and caught a cardboard box on fire in one of the offices. The fire activated a sprinkler head which put out the fire.

The fire was contained to the office, but there is smoke throughout the building and water in a large area. Teachers are telling parents who arrive with students that there will be no classes today at Fletcher.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Des Moines, IA – Single sprinkler extinguishes overnight fire at East High School

Firefighters responding to East High School in Des Moines found a single fire sprinkler had extinguished a fire inside the school. Crews were called to 815 East 13th Street just before midnight on Monday. They found a pressure washer consumed by fire, but the fire did not spread. Crews said the fire sprinkler was set off when temperatures of about 155 degrees were reached. No injuries were reported. Damage is believed to be limited to around $1,000.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Colleyville, TX – Fire at elementary school extinguished by sprinkler system

The Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School district has determined that classes will be canceled at a Colleyville school Friday after a small fire. District officials tell NBC 5 the fire was contained to a classroom in the second grade wing of Bransford Elementary School in the 600 Block of Glade Road in Colleyville.

The school will be closed Friday so crews can continue to clean and assess the damage. The sprinkler system prevented the fire from spreading and extinguished it, according to Heather Willden with the Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Oswego, IL – Sprinkler system controls fire caused by high school science experiment

The Oswego Fire Protection District was called to Oswego East High School on a waterflow alarm this morning after a science experiment involving a bunsen burner and alcohol caused a small fire.  The fire caused the system sprinkler to activate and the school was evacuated.

Crews found no fire upon arrival and the water sprinkler system was shut down. The building alarm was going off and several attempts to reset the alarm were unsuccessful. The students were out of the building for approximately 50 minutes while attempts to reset the alarm were unsuccessful. The OFPD found the alarm system to have a mechanical issue. This was the cause for the extended time for the staff and students being out of the building for such a long period of time.   After the alarm problem was identified and corrected the students and staff were allowed to resume the normal school day.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

North East, MD – High school has second sprinkler save in six weeks; Dryer fire extinguished

A commercial dryer caught fire in a Rising Sun High School laundry room on Wednesday night, sending dozens of firefighters and several pieces of equipment to the scene, according to school officials.  The small fire in the malfunctioning dryer was quickly extinguished by a sprinkler head above the appliance, school officials said, adding that it also activated a smoke alarm. The fire call occurred about 9 p.m.

The school was open on Thursday for a regular schedule, thanks to cleanup and ventilation efforts.  There was no fire or water damage to the school at 100 Tiger Drive, off Route 272, in Calvert, school officials said. The sprinkler, however, did leave water on the hallway floor near the laundry room, which is located at the north end of the building.

Firefighters were sweeping that standing water out a back door on Wednesday night. They also were running industrial fans to ventilate the smoke inside the building.  A Maryland State Fire Marshal’s Office investigator arrived late Wednesday night and started an investigation to determine how the dryer fire started.

The dryer fire on Wednesday night has no connection to an electrical system fire in March, which was also contained by the school’s automatic sprinkler system.

(BLOG NOTE: Media report incorrectly stated that smoke caused the sprinkler to activate. Sprinklers are heat activated. Only the intense heat from a potentially damaging and deadly fire can cause this type of sprinkler system to operate)

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.