Category Archives: Warehouse

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Simi Valley, CA – Chemical fire at warehouse contained by fire sprinkler system

A large chemical fire in an industrial building in Simi Valley that sent plumes of smoke into the sky early Tuesday has been contained, fire officials said.

Ventura County fire crews received a report of a hazardous material emergency at a warehouse in the 100 block of Cochran Street near Madera Road about 6:15 a.m. Inside the building, 75-gallon drums filled with nitric acid were burning, sending up thick, dark smoke, said Capt. Anthony Romero.

People in neighboring businesses and homes were told to stay indoors as dozens of firefighters attacked the blaze from the outside of the building to keep the fire from spreading. The fire activated the sprinkler system inside the warehouse, Romero said.

At 9:45 a.m., fire officials said that the blaze had been contained and that firefighters would remain at the scene to deal with hazardous materials. Evacuation orders were lifted two hours later, and local businesses were allowed to reopen, although officials said a slight irritant smell may linger for the rest of the day.

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Naperville, IL – Vending machine fire contained by single fire sprinkler; No injuries reported

A vending machine caught fire early Saturday inside a Naperville warehouse, but was quickly extinguished, authorities said.

Some two dozen firefighters responded to the commercial building on the 400 block of Fort Hill Drive at 5:20 a.m. after receiving a 911 call, as well as automatic notification from the building’s fire alarm system, according to a news release.

Firefighters arrived within five minutes, seeing nothing on the building’s exterior, but when they went inside, they found fire coming from the vending machine. A sprinkler head directly over the machine contained the fire to that room, and with a single hose line, crews were able to extinguish it, the release stated.

All occupants of the building were outside by the time firefighters arrived, and no injuries were reported.

Fire crews spent the morning removing water, using a fan boat to evacuate smoke from the building, and conducting salvage and overhaul.

Fire officials say the fire is accidental in nature.

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Washington, DC – Sprinkler system contains fire started in basement of scooter warehouse

The warehouse fire started in a bin full of lithium batteries in the basement on Tuesday night just before midnight, says D.C. Fire spokesperson Vito Maggiolo. Smoke from the fire triggered the basement sprinkler system, which contained the fire to the immediate area and automatically triggered a call to the fire department. The department has ruled it an accidental fire, Maggiolo says.

Skip said in a statement on Twitter that the fire was not a scooter fire, and was not a charging-related fire. “The storage bin contained batteries removed as a result of the proper operation of Skip’s quality control process,” the company wrote. “Our D.C. warehouse team is working with experts to expedite the disposal of used batteries and is fully cooperating in the investigation.”

The latest fire comes after a parked Skip scooter caught fire on a sidewalk in late May. The company suspended operations for a short time after that fire, too, though it said at the time that they had “no reason to believe this affects any other vehicles in our fleet.” Skip reportedly addressed some “risk factors” that made it more likely for a fire like this to happen again, DDOT told the Post, though the agency did not specify what those risk factors were. The company put tamper-resistant battery cages on the scooters. The company found the cause of the fire was likely to be some kind of damage to the scooter, reports the Post.

There have also been additional fires at the Skip warehouse. Maggiolo tells DCist that the department responded to a very similar fire in September 2018, in the same basement storage area. That time, a scooter in charging mode went up in flames and triggered the smoke alarms and the sprinkler system. That fire was also ruled accidental, and “the result of an unspecified electrical event.”

The Washington Post reports that there was yet another warehouse fire in October. DDOT reportedly learned about those additional fires on Wednesday and issued the suspension, according to the outlet.

Read full story https://dcist.com/story/19/06/20/city-suspends-skips-scooter-license-after-warehouse-fire/

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Riverside, CA – Fighter jet crashes into warehouse causing fire, fire sprinklers control fire

An F-16 fighter jet crashed Thursday into a warehouse just outside March Air Reserve Base in California, sending a dozen people to hospitals for evaluation after they were exposed to debris, authorities said.

The pilot ejected and parachuted to safety, said Maj. Perry Covington, the base’s director of public affairs. The cause of the crash was under investigation.

Interstate 215, which runs between the base and the warehouse, was closed in both directions, backing up rush-hour traffic for miles.

Television news showed a large hole in the roof and sprinklers on inside the building about 65 miles (105 kilometers) east of Los Angeles.

Cellphone photos and video from inside showed what appeared to be the tail of the plane buried in twisted metal and piles of cardboard boxes.

Daniel Gallegos, a warehouse worker, said he’s used to hearing the sound of planes coming and going, but the noise just before the crash was deafening.

“Next thing I know I just hear this explosion and turn around to the back of the building, and I just seen a burst of flames and just the ceiling started falling through every part of the building,” he told KABC-TV . “I turned around, and my co-worker just told me to get out, so I just made a run for it.”

A dozen people were hosed down and taken to hospitals, and there were no major injuries, state fire Capt. Fernando Herrera said.

The crash also caused a small fire doused by the warehouse sprinkler system, Herrera said.

The crash happened as the pilot was landing following a routine training mission, March Air Reserve Base Deputy Fire Chief Timothy Holliday said.

“The pilot was having hydraulic problems,” Holliday said. “He started losing control of the aircraft.”

The jet’s cockpit canopy was on a runway, and a parachute had settled in a nearby field.

Damage to the warehouse was relatively minor, and there was no major fire, which Holliday called “a miracle.”

The pilot, the only person on board, was taken to a hospital for examination, officials said.

The F-16, assigned to the Air National Guard, was carrying standard armaments, Holliday said. It will be recovered once authorities make sure the weapons don’t pose a risk, he said.

The base is home to the Air Force Reserve Command’s Fourth Air Force Headquarters and various units of the Army Reserve, Navy Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve, California Air National Guard and California Army National Guard.

The pilot is from the 144th Fighter Wing, an Air National Guard unit based in Fresno, and the F-16 belongs to the South Dakota Air National Guard in Sioux Falls.

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

New Albany, IN – Well-maintained fire sprinkler system keeps warehouse fire in check; No injuries reported

NEW ALBANY,IN (WAVE) – New Albany firefighters responded when a fire broke out at the Sazerac facility on Friday.

A Facebook post from the department confirms the fire started at the facility, located on Pillsbury Lane.

Officials say the fire was extinguished in part thanks to a well-maintained sprinkler system.

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Tualatin, OR – Sprinkler system contained fire from battery test at warehouse

A fire broke out Thursday during a new product test of six large lithium-ion batteries at a Tualatin warehouse.

Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue said crews responded to the 20000 block of Southwest 115th Avenue about 5:05 p.m. Someone from the business that was performing the testing reported the batteries were on fire.

Firefighters quickly contained the blaze, but it took a while to completely extinguish the flames. The building’s automatic sprinkler system helped contain the fire and minimize damage to the building and its contents.

A hazmat team responded, and authorities carried out a water containment plan to minimize any environmental effects, according to Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue. The hazmat team also monitored air quality and set up a decontamination process for crews that had been directly exposed to smoke and flames, the agency said.

Surrounding businesses were evacuated as a precaution, according to the agency, and no one was hurt.

A fire investigator responded to determine the cause of the one-alarm blaze.

The fire and rescue agency didn’t publicly identify the business where the blaze occurred in a news release late Thursday.

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Kansas City, MO – Chemical storage fire in warehouse is contained by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

The Kansas City Fire Department worked to clear the scene of a warehouse fire Tuesday afternoon. Authorities said the incident happened around 1:43 p.m. in the 1200 block of East 13th Street inside what is believed to be the Graybar Electric Supply warehouse. The fire happened in a room containing several unknown chemicals, fire officials said. The building’s sprinkler system was able to keep the fire contained, and firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the blaze on site. Fire officials said smoke filled the warehouse, and crews were working to determine the type of chemicals that were inside the room at the time of the fire. No injuries were reported.

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Corona, CA – Warehouse fire contained with help from sprinkler system

A fire Friday in a Corona warehouse containing aircraft parts damaged the upper half of the structure, but was prevented from spreading thanks to the work of firefighters and the building’s automatic sprinkler system.

The non-injury blaze erupted about 12:30 a.m. in the 1100 block of Olympic Drive, near Rimpau Avenue, according to the Corona Fire Department.

Deputy Chief Chris Cox said that malfunctioning electrical gear sparked the fire in the attic of the warehouse, which was discovered by night shift workers, who attempted to stop the flames with an extinguisher.

According to Cox, Corona and Riverside fire personnel arrived within a few minutes and found the building’s emergency sprinkler system already in operation, suppressing the flames.

The blaze was knocked down in a half-hour, Cox said, estimating the value of contents saved at $3 million.

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Phoenix, AZ – Sprinkler system activated at warehouse fire; No injuries reported

Crews from the Phoenix Fire Department were called out Saturday afternoon to fight a working first-alarm warehouse fire.

The fire broke out around 3 p.m. at a warehouse in an industrial area near 22nd Avenue and Thomas Road.

When fire crews arrived at the warehouse, they encountered heavy smoke conditions.

“Firefighters quickly extended hose lines and gained access to the interior,” a Phoenix Fire spokesman told us.

Firefighters were quickly able to bring the fire under control. Crews then began overhaul and salvage operations.

Phoenix fire officials say a fire sprinkler over the roll-up door greatly reduced the spread of the fire.

There’s no word yet on what caused the blaze.

No injuries were reported.

Other Business, Warehouse

Charlotte, NC – Sprinkler system assists firefighters in controlling business fire in large warehouse

Around 5:30 p.m. firefighters responded to a fire alarm at a warehouse in the 1000 block of Louise Avenue. When they arrived smoke was pouring from one side of the building but the size of the building meant more firefighters were needed. “The sprinkler system activated inside the building and actually held the fire in check until firefighters could stretch lines in which was approximately 300 feet into the structure,” Charlotte Fire Battalion Chief Joshua Johnson said.

Firefighters say employees had already evacuated before they arrived, but checking the businesses was still a priority. The scene along Louise Avenue has been covered in flashing lights all night. There are 3 businesses inside the massive 75,000 square foot building where the fire broke out.  Firefighters say the alarms went off, and the employees followed their evacuation plan and got out unharmed. 

“On a structure this size the first and most important thing is making sure everyone’s out in case there was anyone working here and the second is we call in additional resources quickly,” said Johnson. Neighbors trying to get home were rerouted and were concerned the fire could spread.

“It’s kind of scary that it sits this close to the house,” Miller said. Firefighters say the sheer size of the building presented challenges but no one was injured. Inside they say there’s substantial smoke damage but only moderate fire damage.

“There was zero visibility, you got to worry being about finding the seat of the fire to start with without firefighters getting lost or trapped, that’s the most difficult part of it,” said Johnson. So far, firefighters haven’t said which business the fire started in. Right now the cause remains under investigation.