Category Archives: Primary / Secondary School

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Doylestown, PA – Fire sprinklers extinguish early morning fire at high school; No injuries reported

A defective air purifier was likely responsible for an early-morning fire in a first-floor classroom at Central Bucks High School West Sunday, police said.

The school will be closed for the week as damage is assessed, district officials said. All lessons will be conducted virtually.

No injuries were reported from the fire that happened at around 3:30 a.m. at the school located at 375 W. Court St. in Doylestown Borough. Central Bucks Regional Police Chief Karl Knott said the fire resulted from a defective air purifier. He said there was minor damage to one classroom.

“Because of the hour, there were no students or faculty in the building, hence no injuries,” said Knott. 

Central Bucks School District officials expressed gratitude for first responders.

“We are deeply grateful that no one was hurt and for the quick response of the Doylestown Fire Company,” Superintendent of Schools John J. Kopicki said in an email to Central Bucks families. “We ask that our students and families allow officials time to do their work and avoid the campus as we work alongside them to secure and inspect the damage at CB West.”

Kopicki notified families across the district in a morning email. He said the fire was extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system. He said the Doylestown Fire Company was dispatched and arrived on campus. They are now “assessing and monitoring the scene of the incident.” 

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Mt. Juliet, TN – Classroom fire at elementary school put out by fire sprinklers;no injuries reported

Emergency crews are on scene of a fire that broke out at Mt. Juliet Elementary school Monday.

Police said the fire is isolated to one classroom. It’s since been extinguished by the sprinkler system and firefighters.

There have been no reported injuries and Monday is a remote day for students.

Crews remain on the scene investigating.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Kearney, NE – Sprinkler system contains possible arson fire in elementary school bathroom

Police and firefighters are investigating a possible arson that occurred Tuesday at Bryant Elementary School in Kearney.

Around 6 p.m. emergency crews were called to an alarm at the school at 1611 Ave. C. When they arrived there was smoke inside the building.

The investigation revealed a paper towel dispenser had been set on fire in a boys’ bathroom inside the school, said a Kearney Police Department news release.

A sprinkler head in the bathroom contained the fire, said fire Capt. John Sydow. Firefighters extinguished the remaining fire.

Sydow estimated the bathroom sustained an estimated $5,000 damage. The fire is under investigation by the State Fire Marshal’s Office.

The fire didn’t interrupt any classes Wednesday at Bryant.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Crawfordsville, IN – Sprinkler System put out fire at old high school entrance

A small fire at the southeast entrance to the former Crawfordsville High School on Jefferson Street was quickly extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system Thursday morning.

Damage to the former school, now a residential apartment building called Laurel Flats, was limited to the door itself and did not spread, Fire Chief Scott Busenbark said.

“It just damaged the door that was leaning on it,” Busenbark said. “We had Station 1 and Station 2 on the scene … an alarm like that always gets a full response.”

The fire threatened the gymnasium section of the 110-year-old building, which was added as an expansion to the original building in 1941.

No injuries were reported and the entryway suffered only minor damage due to the sprinkler system.

“It put it out on its own,” Busenbark said.

The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.

Officers from the Crawfordsville Police Department assisted at the scene.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Fallston, MD – Single sprinkler head knocks down fire in staff lounge at middle school; No injuries reported

Crews responded to a fire alarm that activated overnight at Fallston Middle School.

At just after 4:15 a.m. on Thursday, crews from the Fallston Volunteer Fire and Ambulance Company were dispatched to the school, which is located at 2303 Carrs Mill Road, for an automatic fire alarm activation.

Upon entering the area indicated on the alarm panel, firefighters found a single automatic sprinkler had activated and there was light smoke in the room, which was a staff lounge area that also contained IT servers.

An electric floor fan had been placed in the room to maintain air flow to assist in cooling the room. The fan malfunctioned and ignited directly below a sprinkler head, which activated extinguishing the fire and activating the fire alarm, thereby limiting the damage to the school building.

The fire was extinguished and the scene was cleared by 5:30 a.m.

No injuries were reported.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Seattle, WA – Sprinkler system contains DUMPSTER fire next to middle school building; No injuries reported

12:02 AM: What started as a fire-alarm call at Madison Middle School has been upgraded to a “full response.” Updates to come.

12:06 AM: Firefighters are describing this as a “dumpster fire” and dismissing some of the units.

12:11 AM: Fire is reported “tapped” (out); next job, to turn off the automatic sprinklers.

12:40 AM: The cause is under investigation. We’ll follow up with SFD and the district later today.

3:09 PM: From SFD spokesperson David Cuerpo: “Crews confirmed it was a dumpster fire next to the school building. The building’s sprinklers were able to contain the fire while our firefighters fully extinguished it. No injuries reported. Our fire investigators were not dispatched to this scene as they responded to another fire that occurred at the same time” (in North Seattle).

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Kitsap, Wa – Arson fire contained to room of origin by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

A 15-year-old Port Orchard male teen was arrested on suspicion of arson on Wednesday, hours after a fire at Marcus Marcus Whitman Middle School caused significant damage.

The Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office is investigating whether others were involved, Lt. Earl Smith said.

The call began as a burglar alarm early Wednesday. Smith said officers found evidence of forced entry and fire inside the building. Since they didn’t know if suspects were inside, law enforcement provided cover to fire crews as they battled the blaze.

South Kitsap Fire and Rescue was aided by fire crews from Bremerton, Central Kitsap and Navy Region Northwest and officers from the Port Orchard Police Department, SKFR said in a post on social media. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms also has taken part in the investigation.

“Thankfully, there were no injuries,” said Amy Miller, spokeswoman for South Kitsap School District.

Smith said damage to the building was “significant.” A photo posted on social media by the sheriff’s office shows scores of ceiling tiles on the floor near the school’s entryway. South Kitsap Fire & Rescue reported that the fire was contained to the room of origin by the sprinkler system.

The school has been closed since March 16 along with all other schools in Washington state to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Detectives arrested the suspect with the help of a K-9 tracking team shortly before noon on suspicion of first degree arson and second degree burglary. He was interviewed Wednesday afternoon at the Kitsap County Juvenile Detention Center regarding whether he had accomplices, Smith said.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Rapid City, SD – Kitchen fire at elementary school extinguished by fire sprinkler system; No injuries reported

The Rapid City Fire Department was called to General Beadle Elementary located at 10 Van Buren Street for an automatic fire alarm around noon today.

As the crew from Truck 1 was arriving on scene, Pennington County 9-1-1 dispatch advised that a caller was reporting an active fire in the kitchen. A full first alarm was called that included additional units from Station 1 as well as Stations 3 and 7.

When Truck 1 was inside, they found that there had been a fire on the stove in the kitchen. The fire had been extinguished by the commercial hood system as well as a single sprinkler head from the fire sprinkler system.

The full first alarm system was canceled while Truck 1 remained on-scene.

The building was occupied at the time of the fire by Rapid City Area Schools personnel that were making and distributing lunches. The Rapid City Community Health Office was also open and operating during the time of the fire. No injuries were reported and occupants safely and quickly evacuated.

The fire was contained to the stove area while smoke was quickly cleared by firefighters who also assisted with the clean-up of water from the sprinkler system, and was determined to be an accident by an investigator from the Rapid City Fire Department.

Boxes being used for lunch distribution by the stove caught fire and were quickly extinguished by the sprinkler and hood systems. The fire shouldn’t negatively impact ongoing lunch distribution.

“The sprinkler system did exactly what it was designed to do”, said Lt. Brian Staton with the Rapid City Fire Department’s Fire and Life Safety Division. “Only the number of heads needed to put the fire out were activated. Instead of dealing with a big fire, we’re squeegeeing up water”.

The Rapid City Fire Department wants to remind everyone that it advocates for fire sprinkler protection, especially with large, public buildings.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Yorktown, VA – Sprinkler system controls fire at school after electrical fire in equipment room

Grafton High School and Grafton Middle School in York County were evacuated Monday afternoon after an electrical fire set off the sprinkler system. The two schools will now be closed for the next two days for cleanup.

York Fire and Life Safety crews were called to the school complex around 3:45 p.m. Arriving units found heavy smoke and fire in an equipment room. The initial fire was controlled by the sprinkler system.

Regular classes had dismissed for the day at that point, and all students and other personnel who were there for after-school activities got out safely.

If your kids were there for after-school activities, you can pick them up at the nearby Amory Funeral Home, located at 410 Grafton Drive. All remaining activities at the schools for the day are canceled.

As a result of the fire, Grafton Middle and High Schools will be closed Tuesday, February 4, and Wednesday, February 5.  All after-school activities on those days are also canceled.

School employees will receive a communication from their building principals regarding staff schedules.

A plan is being worked on for students and staff to reclaim any personal possessions left on campus.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Fort Wayne, IN – Fire sprinklers keep fire at elementary school from spreading on Christmas day

Firefighters are looking into the cause of a fire that broke out in a classroom Christmas Day.

Firefighters respond to a classroom fire at Horace Mann Elementary School in Huntington.

The flames sparked Wednesday morning at Horace Mann Elementary School on Waterworks Road.

Huntington Fire Chief Tony Johnson told our journalist on the scene that the flames were contained to one classroom. The sprinkler system activated and kept the fire from spreading. However, there is significant water and smoke damage to the classroom.

Due to the holiday break, there were no students or teachers in the building at the time.