Category Archives: Warehouse

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Chester, VA – Suspected arson fire at Amazon facility put out by sprinkler system

Chesterfield Fire crews responded to a fire at the Amazon facility in Chester early Saturday.

The call came in at 3:55 a.m. for a fire in the restroom. 

However, within an hour after officers arrived on the scene, they found fires in two separate restrooms. Both of the fires started in the trash can.

Lt. Jason Elmore with Chesterfield Fire says an employee extinguished one of the fires, and it did not spread outside the trash can.

The other fire activated the sprinkler system and was extinguished by the sprinkler. Flames spread to the counter and to the walls.

The business was shut down for two to three hours.

The Fire Marshal is investigating, and it is believed the fires were set with arson in mind.

Lt. Elmore says no one was injured, but Chesterfield Fire and Amazon officials are still trying to determine any suspects involved with these fires.

Charges could be pending.

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Genoa Twp, MI – Lithium-ion battery fire at UPS distribution center controlled with help from sprinklers; Firefighters extinguish

Spontaneous combustion of lithium-ion batteries is the cause of fire damage at the Genoa Township UPS Distribution Center, a fire official said Monday. Deputy Chief Mike Evans of the Brighton Area Fire Department said firefighters responded around 5:50 a.m. Friday to the UPS center at 1212 Fendt Drive, off Grand Oaks Drive, to find “heavy smoke” billowing from the building.

“It was a sprinkled building, and the sprinkler activated before we arrived,” Evans explained. “It wasn’t getting to the fire due to an obstruction in the conveyor system. We had to stretch hose line and put the fire out.”

Firefighters extinguished the flames in about 20 minutes without injury to UPS employees or firefighters, he noted. Evans said the lithium-ion batteries had been set aside in a box for recycling. The fire damaged several containers and the conveyor belt system. Evans said damage figures are not completed, but preliminary estimates place it at $200,000 for product and the conveyor system as well as a couple of trucks. Howell Area firefighters and Livingston County EMS also were on scene.

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Salina, KS – Sprinkler system helps put out fire at Advance Auto Parts distribution center

Advance Auto Parts Distribution Center, 3633 S. Ninth, was temporarily shut down Tuesday afternoon after a fire that started when a 5-pound bucket of solvent on a pallet dropped from a forklift.

The fire was reported shortly before 4 p.m. Tuesday.

Saline County Undersheriff Roger Soldan said there was no damage estimate, but the north side of the building sustained fire, smoke and water damage.

Firefighters from Saline County Rural Fire District No. 2 responded to the fire. Soldan said the building’s fire suppression sprinkler system also activated.

The distribution center was in operation Wednesday.

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Boca Raton, FL – Single sprinkler puts out garbage bin fire at warehouse; No injuries

A fire melted two garbage cans and caused some damage to a Boca Raton warehouse Thursday morning, a city fire official said.

Firefighters responded shortly before 11 a.m. to a fire alarm at 1181 South Rogers Circle, south of Clint Moore Road and east of Congress Avenue. Upon arrival, the firefighters found heavy black smoke in the warehouse area of a suite, Boca Raton Fire Rescue spokesman Bob Lemons said.

The firefighters entered and found two large plastic garbage cans that had melted. A single fire sprinkler had activated and extinguished the fire, Lemons said.

The fire damage was limited to the area where the garbage cans were located. Firefighters shut down the water to sprinkler system, opened the rear garage door and used several large fans to remove smoke from the business.

There were no injuries, Lemons said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Redlands, CA – Sprinklers keep large warehouse fire from spreading

Redlands Fire crews responded to a commercial structure fire in the 9400 block of California Street at about 10:40 a.m. Sunday. Upon arrival crews discovered the large Lamps Plus warehouse to be filled with smoke. Reports from workers indicated that a propane powered floor sweeper was involved with fire.

Crews initiated an aggressive fire attack and found the sweeper and adjacent storage racks to be well involved with fire. The building’s sprinkler system assisted in preventing the fire from spreading throughout the warehouse.

The fire was extinguished within 15 minutes after the Fire Department’s arrival. There were no injuries reported.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Damage to property and contents exceeded $250,000. The property manager reported that more than $40,000,000 worth of product was saved.

Redlands Firefighters were assisted by the Loma Linda Fire Department.

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Buffalo Grove, IL – Warehouse fire controlled by sprinkler system

NO MEDIA COVERAGE – FD REPORTED:  At 01:41 the FD responded to an activated fire alarm at 1602 N. Barclay Blvd. Upon arrival, fire companies found an activated fire alarm with water flowing from the sprinkler system. After further investigation they discovered a fire in unit 1602. The fire was held in check by the sprinkler system followed by complete extinguishment with FD hose lines.

Key Fob business. Electrical in nature, three heads went off in small warehouse. Racks with neatly stacked product cardboard and lower level small plastic totes.

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Oak Ridge, TN – Warehouse fire caused by spontaneous combustion controlled by sprinkler system

On Thursday, at about 6:50 am, the Oak Ridge Fire Department was dispatched to a report of a sprinkler system activation alarm. Upon arrival at 342 Warehouse Road, the Fire Department found heavy smoke coming from the windows and doors of the building. The Fire crew entered through the front door and quickly extinguished a fire in a waste container.

The structure was unoccupied at the time of the fire and damage was minimal. The fire was initially controlled by the building sprinkler system; with a single sprinkler head activating. The fire was contained to a waste container and the remainder of the business suffered minimal heat and smoke damage. Without the sprinkler system, several businesses within the building could have been destroyed, an ORFD press release said.

The cause of the fire appears to have been spontaneous combustion from oily rags discarded in the waste container. This fire points out two critical safety items worth discussing:

The final solution requires either destruction by something like burning, or a safe way to let the material cure without cumulating heat. For home and small commercial shops, the easiest way is to spread the rags in a single layer so heat dissipates while the material cures. Then, depending on local regulations, the materials can be safely disposed of, either in hazardous waste collection sites, or in the general landfill, the press release said.

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Las Vegas, NV – Sprinkler system helps extinguish fire caused by exploding fuel tank

An automatic sprinkler system extinguished a “flash fire” before it could spread last Friday morning at a warehouse near Valley View Boulevard and Desert Inn Road, according to Las Vegas Fire & Rescue. Two workers were wielding a 250-gallon diesel fuel tank when vapors ignited to cause the explosion at the shop in the 3000 block of Sirius Avenue.

The sprinkler system kicked in and the employees used fire extinguishers to quickly put out the blaze before firefighters arrived. There were no injuries. The building remained intact and damage was estimated at $1,500. The fire was deemed accidental.

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Elk Grove Village, IL – Warehouse fire limited by sprinkler system; Fire started in truck trailer

Fire engulfed a truck trailer filled with cleaning and restaurant supplies parked at the loading dock of a warehouse in Elk Grove Village last night (Wednesday). Firefighters spent about two hours battling the blaze and clearing the area of smoke after the flames were extinguished.

Elk Grove Village Fire Chief Richard Mikel said flames became so intense inside the trailer, it burned through the roof of the trailer sending large amounts of smoke billowing into the air and throughout the entire warehouse at 2301 Lunt Ave.

Mikel estimated the warehouse to be several hundred thousand square feet in size. Heat from the trailer fire activated sprinklers above the loading dock and saving the building from fire damage. Mikel said he is scheduled to meet with building owners to assess the extent of significant smoke damage. Mikel said water damage to the building was minimal.

Firefighters were alerted by witnesses from across the street who saw smoke rising at about 10 p.m., Mikel said. Firefighters had the fire out and smoke vented by about midnight. Mikel said there were no injuries and he did not believe anyone was in the building when the fire began.

Firefighters arriving on scene saw the entire building engulfed in smoke and called for an upgraded Code 4 alarm. That alarm brought nearly 30 firefighters from Des Plaines, Elk Grove Township, Itasca, Wood Dale and Bensenville to assist Elk Grove Village. Crews used a special Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) truck equipped with a giant fan to clear the building of smoke after the trailer was extinguished and towed away from the loading dock.

Mikel said had the building not been equipped with a sprinkler system, the building itself would have likely caught fire causing a vastly larger blaze. He also said the trailer did not have a semi tractor attached to it when it caught fire. He said that would have also made the fire worse.

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Brampton, ON, Canada – Fire in 800,000 ft² Unilever warehouse extinguished by sprinkler system

Sprinklers are being credited with averting a potentially major fire at a massive warehouse in Brampton Wednesday night.  Flames broke out under some racking in the 800,000-square-foot Unilever building on Airport Road south of Steeles Avenue East around 10:30 p.m.

Firefighters were called to the warehouse, where they had to force open a rear door closest to the fire. But the building’s sprinkler system had been trigged, and extinguished the blaze. Damage was limited to 40 skids out of potentially millions of dollars worth of product, which includes soap and mayonnaise, according to Platoon Chief Gord Fowler.

“That type of fire is very difficult to fight,” Fowler noted, saying getting hose lines into a large, enclosed area like that is one of the many issues firefighters face in such a situation. Employees inside the building were evacuated and no injuries were reported.   It’s a good news stories that highlights the effectiveness of sprinklers, Fowler said.