Apartment Building, Residential

Arcata, CA – Sprinkler system activated for fire at multi-unit apartment building

On August 6, 2024 at 7:00 P.M. Arcata Fire District units along with multiple other fire, law enforcement and EMS agencies were dispatched to a reported commercial structure fire at 4975 Valley West Boulevard.

Arcata Police officers in the area had arrived first and reported smoke coming from a single apartment of a two-story multi-unit apartment building. The police officers immediately began evacuating occupants of the building. Arcata Fire District units arrived on scene and found an apartment with heavy smoke and active fire. The automatic sprinkler system had activated and was preventing the fire from spreading beyond the original apartment.

Due to the size of the structure and potential for threat to life, Arcata Fire District requested Humboldt Bay Fire, who already had an engine responding to assist, dispatch their ladder truck for additional specialized equipment and staffing. The Arcata Fire District units that were at scene attacked the fire, performed secondary searches and confirmed the building was completely clear.

The fire was controlled in about 10 minutes. Arcata Fire personnel ventilated smoke from the building.

While evacuating the structure, Arcata Police officers located an occupant who was suffering from smoke inhalation. The patient was assessed and treated by ambulance personnel at the scene.

The Arcata Fire District Volunteer Logistics responded with salvage equipment to allow fire personnel to remove water, expediting the ability of occupants to re-enter the building. Arcata Fire District personnel conducted an investigation of the cause of the fire, which is undetermined at this point and remains under investigation.

Damages to the building are approximately $10,000. Arcata Fire District would like to thank its allied partners for all of their assistance as the fire had potential to develop into a major incident. Arcata Fire was assisted by Blue Lake Fire, Fieldbrook Fire, Humboldt Bay Fire, Arcata Police Department, Arcata-Mad River Ambulance, Cal Fire Emergency Command Center in Fortuna, and Pacific Gas and Electric.

Arcata Fire would also like to recognize the importance of smoke alarms and automatic extinguishing systems. Combined, these systems allow for early notification which most certainly saves lives and reduces fire spread.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Salmon Arm, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for arson fire at Walmart

Police are investigating after a fire ignited Sunday afternoon inside the Salmon Arm Walmart.

The fire prompted the store’s evacuation around 4 p.m. on Aug. 4. Two employees outside the store said the blaze had allegedly been started by individuals who’d been using the changing rooms in the clothing area.

“The flames were shooting to the roof,” said one of the employees.

The Salmon Arm Fire Department and RCMP responded.

Salmon Arm RCMP spokesperson Const. Andrew Hodges confirmed police are investigating the suspected arson.

Salmon Arm Fire Chief Brad Shirley said the fire department received a report of a commercial structure fire just after 4 p.m. Firefighters from three fire halls were dispatched to the scene.

“Upon arrival, the fire involving hanging cloths had been mostly extinguished by staff and the sprinkler system,” said Shirley via email.

Shirley said damage from the fire was somewhat minor, though there was also smoke and water damage.

Apartment Building, Residential

Brownwood, TX – Sprinkler system contains structure fire at apartment building; No injuries reported

The Brownwood Fire Department issued the following press release Monday morning:

The Brownwood Fire Department responded to a structure fire call at 9:58 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 4 at 2131 Indian Creek Drive, Apt. 1602. Upon arrival the fire had been contained by the fire sprinkler system. Firefighters performed a primary search and removed one dog and returned it to its owner. The apartment was ventilated and the apartment was checked for fire extension. One occupant was displaced and received assistance from Red Cross. There were no reported injuries. The structure sustained smoke, water, and fire damage and the apartment manager and maintenance staff were on scene to begin clean up of units unaffected by the fire.

Chief 9, Chief 92, Chief 93, Truck 9, Rescue 9, and Engine 92 responded to the scene with assistance from the Early Fire Department, Lifeguard Ambulance, Brownwood Police Department, and the Red Cross.

It took 10 minutes to extinguish the fire and units were on scene 1 hour and 10 minutes. The fire cause an estimated $25,000 worth of damage.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Madison, WI – Sprinkler system activated for fire at senior housing facility; No injuries reported

A sprinkler system helped save lives and limit property damage after a fire broke out in a senior housing facility on Tuesday, according to the Madison Fire Department.

Firefighters were called around 3 p.m. to the 900 block of North High Point Road for a smoke detector going off and smoke in an apartment.

Spokesperson Cynthia Schuster said the 3-story 170-unit apartment building has a fire sprinkler system, which activated in a second floor apartment.

As firefighters arrived, residents were evacuating, Schuster reported. A sprinkler was activated in the kitchen area, which controlled the fire. Moderate smoke conditions were present.

Firefighters used their water can extinguisher to complete extinguishment and ventilated the apartment.

Schuster said fire sprinkler systems save lives, and reduce injuries and property loss.

No one was hurt as a result of the fire.

Apartment Building, Residential

Kingwood, TX – Sprinkler system activated for dryer fire at apartment building; No injuries reported

Just before Midnight Tuesday, Firefighters from the Porter and Houston Fire Departments were dispatched to reports of a fire on the first floor of a 3 story, 20 unit apartment building at the Marquis at Kingwood apartments on Kings Manor Drive in southeast Montgomery County. Porter Engine and Rescue 121 were on scene within minutes reporting smoke inside the building. The fire crews entered the building and quickly found the source of the smoke, a dryer that had caught fire in a utility room.

Fortunately, for the residents at the Marquis at Kingwood apartments, the building was equipped with both a fire alarm and a fire sprinkler system. In order to minimize the risk to residents, modern fire codes require fire sprinklers and alarms in multi-family residential buildings. While the building’s fire alarm system did its job and alerted residents to the growing fire, a single fire sprinkler located in the utility room activated from the heat escaping from the clothing burning in the dryer. The fire sprinkler contained the fire to the interior of the dryer, and upon their arrival, fire crews used a water-based fire extinguisher, further drenching the burning contents, before removing the dryer from the building. There were no injuries and fire damage was confined to the dryer itself.

Firefighters and the apartment’s maintenance crew then utilized a wet vac to remove the water and clean the utility room before turning the apartment back over to management. What started out as a potentially life-threatening fire in an apartment building full of sleeping residents, ended up as nothing more than minor smoke and water damage to a single room, thanks to the presence of the fire alarm and sprinkler systems and management’s commitment to maintaining those systems in working order.

The Montgomery County Fire Marshal’s Office reviews construction plans during the building process, insuring that all new and renovated buildings meet the life safety requirements found in the Montgomery County Fire Code. After they are built and occupied, MCFMO Fire Inspectors work closely with building occupants and management teams to protect the lives of our residents and the firefighters who would respond in the event of a fire.

Apartment Building, Residential

Mobile, AL – Sprinkler system activated for fire at apartment building; No injuries reported

7:20 p.m.

Mobile Fire-Rescue Department units were dispatched at about 7:05 p.m. for a report of an apartment fire at the Crossings apartments at 5799 Southland Drive in Mobile, Alabama, Monday evening, July 29, 2024.

Units arrived on scene to find smoke visible from a third-story apartment and immediately deployed a fire hose into the structure.

Multiple units are on scene at this time working to extinguish any fire and to make sure all people are clear of the building.

 

7:24 p.m.

In an update to Dispatch, the Incident Commander advised that the fire, which was on a third floor balcony, had been knocked down.

Personnel will remain on scene to ensure that all hotspots are extinguished. Crews will assist with salvage and overhaul until the incident is stabilized.

 

8:17 p.m.

A fire sprinkler on the balcony kept the fire at bay until the crews could extinguish it. The fire was contained completely on the balcony and it was stopped before it spread to the building, which houses two sections of 14 apartments.

Residents have been allowed back inside the building. The fire’s cause has been determined to be accidental in nature. No injuries were reported.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Lynchburg, VA – Sprinkler system activated for fire at nursing facility

Lynchburg crews responded Saturday to a fire at a nursing facility, Lynchburg Health & Rehab, located on Seminole Avenue.

According to Battalion Chief Mike Reeves, boxes located in a shower room in the facility caught fire just after noon.

Residents used an extinguisher on the fire, and the sprinkler system kicked in and helped finish the job by the time firefighters arrived.

Reeves said since the fire originated in a shower room, it’s unlikely it would have spread, although there was some lingering smoke in the area.

The initial call indicated there may have been oxygen present in the room, but Reeves said they only observed two small bottles that may have been empty.

The Fire Marshal will investigate to determine a cause.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Vancouver, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system contains arson fire at Walmart; No injuries reported

The Walmart near the Vancouver-Burnaby border is closed until further notice after a suspicious fire.

Brad Hesse, assistant chief of operations for Vancouver Fire Rescue Services, said an emergency call came in around 10 a.m. Saturday.

He said it’s too early to confirm the fire was arson, but it was “strange” that videos from customers’ phones showed it appeared to spark on a sofa in the store’s furniture department.

Hesse said the store was quickly evacuated and there are no reports anyone was injured.

Firefighters had trouble pinpointing the source of the blaze because of the thick black smoke emanating from the furniture department.

He said the sprinkler system helped keep the fire contained to that section and that crews were able to fully douse it after about 45 minutes.

However, the store in the 3500-block of Grandview Highway has extensive smoke and water damage. Hesse said it’s likely a lot of the product in the store is compromised by the thick smoke that circulated during the fire.

Hesse said about 40 firefighters and nine fire trucks were called in to the second-alarm blaze.

Vancouver police are also investigating to determine the cause of the blaze.

“We urge anyone who witnessed anything unusual in the store around the time of the fire to contact investigators immediately,” said Const. Tania Visintin, in a news release on Sunday afternoon.

The company released a statement to media that said the fire was set deliberately.

“This appears to be a criminal act of arson that will unfortunately and unfairly impact our customers, associates and the local community who rely on the store,” Walmart said.

“Setting a fire in a public setting is shocking, dangerous, and shameful.”

The store will re-open as soon as the necessary clean-up and repairs are complete.

“We will do everything we can to ensure the arsonist is identified and held accountable, including assessing our legal options to seek compensation from the arsonist for the damages caused by this act,” reads the statement.

Damages are estimated to be in the millions.

Though Walmart has over a dozen outlets around Metro Vancouver, the Grandview location is the only one in the city proper.

Apartment Building, Residential

St. Paul, MN – Sprinkler system extinguishes overnight apartment fire

Fire crews in St. Paul say a small fire inside an apartment early Thursday was put out by a sprinkler system in the building.

The St. Paul Fire Department was called to the apartment on the 2200 block of Hillcrest Avenue around 3:00 a.m.

When crews arrived, they found smoke in a first-floor apartment and evidence of a fire in a closet.

The fire department said the fire was already extinguished by a sprinkler system before they arrived.

As a precaution, the fire department searched the building to make sure all occupants had been able to evacuate safely and ventilated it.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, but the fire department said a working sprinkler system and smoke detectors prevented a much larger incident.

Self-Storage Facility, Storage / Warehouse

Fresno, CA – Sprinkler system activated for lithium-ion battery fire at storage facility

Firefighters were able to contain a fire at a storage facility in Fresno Monday morning.

Firefighters were called to the Dakota Park RV Storage on Dakota Avenue near Highway 99 for a fire alarm at the facility.

When firefighters arrived they found smoke coming from a commercial-sized storage unit and requested additional resources.

The storage unit contained a large amount of property including lithium-ion batteries, which are believed to have caused the fire.

With help from the fire sprinkler system, crews were able to keep the fire contained to the single storage unit.

About 20 other units were impacted by smoke.

Lithium-ion batteries provide power for devices like our smart phones and laptops, e-scooters, and e-bikes. The batteries store a lot of energy in a small amount of space. Fresno Fire public information officer

Josh Sellers says always keep safety in mind. “Always use the appropriate charging device tat came with the instrument. If you need a replacement get a replacement from the manufacturer,” Sellers said.

As a reminder, the National Fire Protection Association recommends removing lithium-ion batteries from their chargers once charging is complete and storing these batteries at room temperature whenever possible.

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