Category Archives: Primary / Secondary School

Primary / Secondary School

Orlando, FL – Arson fire in high school bathroom suppressed by sprinkler system; No injuries

A 14-year-old was charged with arson, Saturday, after an explosion that caused a fire inside a bathroom at Timber Creek High School, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. Orange County Fire Rescue officials say the fire activated the sprinkler system inside the bathroom, putting the fire out. Officials say a secondary sweep of the campus showed another restroom was also set on fire. Firefighters say no one was hurt. Deputies say the teen is a student at Timber Creek High School.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Lake Country, BC, Canada – Overnight fire at high school contained by sprinkler system

Fire broke out at a Lake Country high school overnight.  Lake Country Fire Chief Steve Windsor says firefighters were called to George Elliot Secondary just after 10 p.m. Friday.  A fire caused considerable water and smoke damage to a classroom.  The fire started in a waste paper basket and was contained by the school’s sprinkler system.  The school district had a restoration company en route as of late Friday, to mitigate the damage.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Rochester, MN – High school fire held in check by sprinkler system, helping to limit damage; No injuries reported

Rochester Fire responded to a fire at Lourdes High School around 1:41 p.m. Sunday.  According to fire officials, the fire involved cardboard boxes underneath stairs near the auditorium in the high school. A student, David Poirier, used a portable fire extinguisher to try to extinguish the flames. Heat from the fire activated a sprinkler head, which officials say kept the fire in check.

Authorities say Engine Company 4 used extinguishers to completely extinguish the blaze. Crews had to evacuate the building to prevent smoke inhalation and ventilate smoke from the building. They say the sprinkler system limited damage and prevented injuries.

Fire officials say Lourdes High School is facing $5,000 in clean-up fees due to some water damage from the sprinkler system and limited smoke damage.  The cause of the fire is still under investigation. No one was injured in the incident.

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ROCHESTER, Minn. – Rochester Fire Deptartment is on the scene of Lourdes High School, located at 2800 19th St NW.

Our reporter on scene said parents came up to her saying it’s really smoky inside, so officials cancellled today’s events.

Stay with KIMT as we learn more about this developing story.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Puyallup, WA – Sprinkler system protects high school after banner set on fire

Two Emerald Ridge High School sophomores are in the custody of Pierce County sheriff’s deputies after lighting a banner on fire in the school’s common area, officials say.

The fire forced the evacuation of a wrestling match and caused sprinklers to douse the school’s common area with water.

A large banner was lit on fire and the smoke triggered the sprinkler system, Central Pierce Fire & Rescue spokesman Brian Levings said. A wrestling match was evacuated, Puyallup School District spokesman Brian Fox said.

Water from the sprinkler system was the primary concern, Levings said.

School will go on as scheduled, Fox said.

The extent of the damage from the fire and the water used to extinguish it is unknown.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Vineland, NJ – Sprinkler system limits spread of school arson fire; No injuries reported

Police arrested two students on Friday and charged them with arson after an investigation into a fire earlier this month at Veterans Memorial Intermediate School.  Two 14-year-olds were allegedly involved in an incident where a fire started in a boys’ bathroom, police said.  On Jan. 2, school officials evacuated the South Main Road school, sending the student body out into frigid conditions, when an alarm sounded.  A small fire in the boys’ bathroom activated the sprinkler system.  Once fire officials were on the scene, students returned to the building and were held in the auditorium and cafeteria while firefighters ventilated the ground-floor corridor and cleaned up the standing water.   Damage at the school was deemed minimal and confined to the bathroom, school officials said.  Both teens were processed and released to their parents pending further court action. They were also suspended from school, district officials said.

 

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Anchorage, AK – Suspicious fire at elementary school contained with help from sprinkler system

A “suspicious” fire early Sunday morning caused more than $100,000 in damage at College Gate Elementary School, according to the Anchorage Fire Department.

A witness called to report the fire in the East Anchorage school at about 12:30 a.m, AFD said in a release. When firefighters arrived, they found heavy smoke coming from a classroom at the corner of the building. The fire triggered a sprinkler system in the classroom. Thirteen fire vehicles responded and brought it under control by 12:52 a.m., AFD said.

Several classrooms were damaged by water, flames and smoke, according to school officials. The classroom where the fire began belonged to Heather Helgeson, who has 28 fourth-grade students returning to school in a week. She went to see her room on Sunday morning and made a video.

Her classroom window had been broken. “A flare got put in my room and it caught fire,” she said.

“The District will continue the clean up until school resumes,” Esary said.

Insurance will likely cover the cost of replacing the damaged electronics, she said.

A neighbor witnessed the vandalism and it was caught on camera, said Rob Holland, the District’s director of operations.

“At least one person is visible on the video. We can’t determine who that is. The police may or may not be able to,” he said.

A cleaning crew, four of them custodians, were summoned from their beds early Sunday and showed up within an hour of the fire, he said. Everyone is focused on minimizing the disruption for the children.

“The staff that deployed at 1 and 2 in the morning were heroic people,” he said. “We aren’t going to be held down by acts of violence. We’re going to turn this around and make it seamless.”

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Sterling, VA – Sprinkler system keeps overnight classroom fire at high school from spreading

A fire occurred overnight Sunday at Dominion High School and automatic sprinklers helped prevent it from escalating, according to Loudoun County Fire and Rescue.  Officials said the fire started at approximately 11:15 p.m. in a science classroom on the main floor of the school, with three activated automatic sprinklers keeping it in check before fire crews arrived to put out the remaining blaze with a portable extinguisher.  According to authorities, the fire caused minimal damage.  Despite the fire, Dominion remained open Monday for the start of the school week.  The Loudoun County Fire Marshal’s Office has ruled that the fire, which originated in the science classroom, was accidental.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

West Fargo, ND (No Media Coverage) – Early morning fire at kindergarten center extinguished by sprinkler system

*** NO MEDIA COVERAGE — READER REPORTED ***

A blog reader reported this sprinkler save from the Lodoen Kindergarten Center. The following message was sent from the school:

“At approximately 6:00 AM this morning, the West Fargo Fire Department responded to a fire alarm at our school. The alarm went off due to a small fire on the stove in the staff lounge. The fire was extinguished by the sprinkler system by the time the Fire Department arrived, but they did check our facility to ensure there were no further issues and that we could have school as normal. None of our classrooms were impacted, and students had a normal day today.”

Primary / Secondary School

Grayson, KY – Bathroom fire at high school contained by sprinkler system; Student return to classes same day

A small fire briefly disrupted classes Friday at East Carter High School, according to Carter County Schools.  It happened in a restroom, and the smoke activated the sprinkler system. (note from blog editor: smoke does not activate this type of fire sprinkler system.  Only the substantial heat from a potentially dangerous fire will activate an automatic fire sprinkler)

All students and staff were evacuated as a precaution. No one was hurt.  They were allowed back in the building around 11:20 a.m. Students and staff were using an adjusted lunch/class schedule for the remainder of the day.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Smiths Station, AL – Daytime fire at high school minimized with help from sprinkler system

Smiths Station Fire & Recuse confirms first responders were called to a fire at Smith’s Station High School on Thursday morning.The fire department says units responded to the school around 11 a.m. CT where there had been a fire in a trash can inside the boy’s locker room.  Fire was brought under control and extinguished by the Lee County Sheriffs Office School Resource officer using a fire extinguisher prior to the fire departments arrival. The fire department also says the school’s fire suppression sprinkler system also activated.  Fire units used equipment to help remove the smoke and the school brought in a private company for water removal.  The department says there was only minor damage and no injuries were reported.