Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

San Antonio, TX – Sprinkler system activated for fire at sandwich shop; No injuries reported

A Jersey Mike’s Subs sandwich shop on the West Side sustained some damage Thursday morning following a fire in the kitchen.

The San Antonio Fire Department said the call came in after 7 a.m. at the restaurant in the 8600 block of State Highway 151, not far from Ingram Road.

A fire started on the stove but the sprinkler system prevented the flames from spreading.

One employee was inside the business at the time and recorded the fire to show it to firefighters, a battalion chief at the scene said.

She was able to escape without injury.

Firefighters knocked down the flames and no neighboring businesses were affected.

The battalion chief said the damage is estimated to be a maximum of $10,000.

The damage from the flames and sprinkler system was minimal, he said.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Litchfield, IL – Sprinkler system activated for fire at Walmart

Authorities are investigating the origin of a fire Monday evening, May 3, at Walmart in Litchfield that lead to the evacuation and temporary closure of the store.

According to Litchfield Fire Department Chief Joe Holomy, the Litchfield Police Department is working with fire and arson investigators who are reviewing video footage as part of investigation.  Anyone with information about the fire should contact the Litchfield Fire Department at 217-324-8171.

According to the chief, the Litchfield Fire Department was dispatched to Walmart at 7:32 p.m. Monday after a report of flames and smoke in the store.  Evacuation was underway when firefighters arrived to find smoke throughout the store.

Two employees were attempting to extinguish a fire in the rear of the building with fire extinguishers, and the store’s sprinkler system activated to aid in control of the blaze.  Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire and shut down the sprinkler system to control water damage.

The fire department requested a mutual aid ventilation fan, and the Raymond-Harvel Fire Department and Mt. Olive Fire Department arrived to assist with ventilation.

The scene was under control at 7:45 p.m., and two Walmart employees were evaluated for smoke inhalation but refused transport to the hospital.

Damage estimates are still being calculated, and the store will be closed for several days for clean-up.

The Litchfield Police Department, Hillsboro Area Ambulance, and Gillespie Fire Department also responded to the scene.

Apartment Building, Residential

Gainesville, FL – Sprinkler system contained apartment fire until fire crews arrived

Several people are displaced after a fire in a North Central Florida apartment complex this morning.

Gainesville Fire Rescue says the fire started in an air conditioning unit in the hallway at The Atrium of Gainesville located on north west 41st Street.

Everyone evacuated quickly when the alarm went off.

Firefighters say thanks to the fire doors closing and sprinkler system the fire was contained to the hallway.

Four apartments were damaged by heavy smoke.

The management company is working with displaced residents to find accommodations.

Gainesville Fire Rescue and Alachua County Fire Rescue crews responded to a fire Wednesday morning.

In a Twitter post, GFR said the fire was reported at the Atrium of Gainesville, a senior apartment building on NW 41st St.

They said the fire is under control and all residents have been safely located.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Fresno, CA – Sprinkler system contains flames for fire outside auto repair shop

Fresno firefighters responded to a fire outside an auto repair shop Tuesday morning.

The fire was near Van Ness and Los Angeles in downtown Fresno.

The Battalion Chief said the fire caused damage mostly to the outside of the building. It also burned a transformer. He says the fire did get inside the building , but an overhead sprinkler contained the flames and damage was limited to a corner. He suspects the fire was caused by a homeless encampment.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Sergeant Bluff, IA – Sprinkler system activated for dumpster fire next to senior living center; No injuries reported

No one was injured when a dumpster caught fire at a senior living center Monday afternoon.

Fire officials said a dumpster caught fire at Floyd Place Senior Living in Sergeant Bluff, Iowa.

A neighbor made the 9-1-1 call and pulled the dumpster away from the building.

Before fire crews could arrive, officials said police put the dumpster fire out.

However, the fire damaged part of the building’s siding.

“We had the sprinkler system going off helping extinguish the fire, we did a secondary search making sure everyone was out of the building. They’ll have the fire sprinkler company coming up to reset their fire sprinklers. It was a great case they maintained their fire protection systems well. And the fire sprinkler system saved their building,” said fire chief Anthony Gaul.

As a precuation, resident were evacuated. They were allowed back inside after fire crews checked out the damage.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Apartment Building, Residential

Roanoke County, VA – Sprinkler system controlled apartment fire until fire crews arrived

Crews from the Roanoke County Fire and Rescue Department battled an apartment fire Saturday evening.

According to fire officials, crews responded to a report of a commercial fire alarm in the northern part of the county at approximately 5:50 p.m. on Saturday, May 1 in the 5300 block of Hawthorne Road.

When crews arrived on scene, they found smoke showing from a third story window of a large multi-story apartment building.

The apartment was occupied at the time of the fire by a single adult.

Everyone in the building was able safely evacuate the building without injury. In addition, the fire was knocked down within about 10 minutes.

The department says the building’s sprinkler system was able to keep the fire controlled until firefighters arrived.

According to fire officials, damage is minimal but some water damage did occur in the apartment the fire originated as well as some of the units below.

The occupant of the apartment will be displaced and is being helped by the American Red Cross.

The Roanoke County Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause of the fire.

Apartment Building, Residential

McKinney, TX – Kitchen fire extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

The McKinney Fire Department (MFD) responded to water flow alarm on Saturday, April 24 at the Times Square at Craig Ranch apartments located at 7551 Collin McKinney Pkwy. Neighbors reported heavy smoke coming from a single apartment. 

Firefighters arrived to find a fire in the kitchen that was extinguished by a single fire sprinkler head which kept damage from spreading into the rest of the apartment. No one was injured.

Fire investigators called to the scene determined the fire was started when a stovetop burner was turned on while a box was sitting on top of it.

According to the NFPA, cooking fires are the number one cause of home fires and home injuries. The leading cause of fires in the kitchen is unattended cooking.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

St. Johnsbury, VT – Sprinkler system activated for dryer fire at senior care facility; No injuries reported

Senior residents of the Canterbury Inn Residential Care facility in St. Johnsbury are being housed in a hotel after a fire this weekend.

Fire officials say the fire started Sunday night in the laundry room and was contained to only that room.

After interviews with the building owner, officials say he started a gas fired clothes dryer and 15 minutes later, the fire alarm went off.

Crews are now working on removing residual smoke from the building.

No one was injured during the fire.

Officials say if the building didn’t have functioning fire sprinkler and fire alarms systems, it could have been a different outcome.

According to the facility, residents are staying at the Comfort Inn and will be back as soon as it is deemed safe.

Apartment Building, Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant, Residential

Madison, WI – Sprinkler systems kept weekend fires in check

Firefighters are crediting automatic sprinklers with keeping weekend fires under control over the weekend.

Officials with the Madison Fire Department said crews were first dispatched to a building on Research Park Boulevard Friday evening for a report of a machine on fire. When they made it to the fire, firefighters found it had been contained to the machine it started in thanks to an activated sprinkler just above it. Crews fully extinguished the fire with a dry chemical extinguisher.

All of the employees at the facility safely evacuated when the fire alarm first sounded. No one was injured.

On Sunday morning, firefighters responded to the 5600 block of Black Onyx Drive after a caller reported seeing flames coming from a balcony.

When firefighters arrived, they found the fire had been extinguished by a sprinkler on the second-floor balcony. Crews made their way to the balcony and confirmed there was no active fire, but they did find evidence there was one.

The fire didn’t extend past the siding into the building. Officials determined it was caused by a candle that had been burning on the balcony above.

No one was displaced by the fire.

Apartment Building, Residential

Fort Bend County, TX – (no media coverage) Sprinkler system activated for fire at apartment complex

On 4/21/2021 at approximately 3:49am,
Investigators from the Fort Bend County Fire Marshal’s Office were dispatched to the scene of
an apartment fire with Community Fire Department. Upon arrival, investigators discovered that a
fire had occurred on the patio of a residential living unit. It was determined that the resident
smokes cigarettes in this area, and had done so before going to bed a few hours earlier. The fire
was controlled with one single head activation. There was minor heat damage to the adjacent
area. No other units were affected by this fire.

Reporting on lives and property saved by fire sprinklers