Division Chief of Prevention and Inspection Mark Mlekush said a fire was reported at an apartment complex on Traceway Drive off Fish Hatchery Road around 1:30 p.m.
Fire crews arrived to sounding alarms, but they couldn’t find an active fire. After a search of the building, crews found a single sprinkler had triggered and put out a kitchen fire before it spread.
Because the sprinkler activated quickly, fire damage was limited to the immediate area of the kitchen.
The complex’s residents were briefly evacuated, but were able to return home within an hour.
Mlekush said without the automatic sprinkler system, it was “highly likely” the entire building would have been compromised by the fire.
