Chilliwack, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system contains apartment fire caused by cooking illegal drugs

Cooking illegal drugs led to an explosion in a unit at a downtown Chilliwack apartment building Sunday evening.

The two occupants of the suite escaped without injury, but at least two units in the New Mark are damaged after the incident just after 7 p.m.

“We are just fortunate that nobody was injured,” RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Mike Rail said Monday.

The Chilliwack Fire Department (CFD) and Mounties were called to the scene after the report of an explosion in the Yale building of the New Mark condo complex.

Fire Chief Ian Josephson said that upon arrival they found a sprinkler head had activated extinguishing the fire.

“[The] majority of the damage in the unit was related to the vapour explosion with minor fire, smoke and water damage contained to the kitchen,” according to a CFD press release.

And while some residents on social media reported a drug lab exploded, or the incident was caused by a methamphetamine operation, Rail said it was a minor incident and not a meth lab.

Rail said an investigation is underway but no one was arrested Sunday evening.

The CFD said the fire was caused by the cooking of illegal drugs on the stove using a flammable gas.

Many of the residents of the New Mark were forced out on the street Sunday night, and some said there was a bad smell coming from the unit.

One resident who attended the unit after the explosion said the “kitchen was blown apart and there’s a huge hole in the wall.”

A photo posted on Facebook shows exposed beams of a wall inside one unit in the apartment.

A resident who said she lives below the unit in question said much of her property is seriously damaged by water after the fire was put out.

Speculation on social media quickly went towards the fire’s cause coming from illegal drug cooking of some kind in the apartment.

“[It’s] definitely really suspicious as the guy in the unit was saying something was on the stove and then the explosion happened but the female from the unit said they were just cooking spaghetti,” one neighbour said.

 

Salem, OH – Sprinkler system brings chemical fire under control at manufacturing facility

Investigators say a fire forced the evacuation of a Salem manufacturer and shut down one of the production lines.

According to the Salem Fire Department, crews were called out to American Standard on South Ellsworth Avenue shortly before 4:30 am Tuesday when a machine caught fire on the third floor.

Workers were evacuated from the building.

First firefighters on the scene saw smoke coming from the side of the building and called out Perry Township firefighters to assist.

According to investigators, the building’s sprinkler system brought the fire under control and no one was injured.

It’s believed the fire may have started from a chemical reaction.

Damage to the burned machine is estimated at $50,000.

Portland, OR – Fire at castings manufacturer suppressed by sprinkler system

A sprinkler system is credited with dousing a commercial fire in Southeast Portland on Sunday morning.  Portland Fire & Rescue crews were called out to the Precision Castparts building on SE Harney near Johnson Creek Boulevard.  Crews say a broken steam pipe leaked water which ended up creating an electrical hazard and sparking a small fire. After the fire was out crews set about fixing the leak.

Chicago, IL – Sprinkler system assists firefighters in controlling blaze at mattress warehouse

Additional crews were called to a fire Monday night at a mattress factory in the Canaryville neighborhood on the South Side.   Firefighters responded shortly after 8:30 p.m. to the fire at the mattress at 4041 Emerald Ave., according to the Chicago Fire Department. Crews were battling the fire from the outside of the building, eventually putting it out by 10:49 p.m.  The block-long building was a “large warehouse” with a heavy fire load as mattresses caught on fire, the fire department said. It had a sprinkler system which helped put out the fire as a fire engine fed it with water.  The building remained structurally sound with only damage to the mattresses on the inside, fire officials said. No injuries were reported.

Muscatine, IA – Sprinkler systems keeps banquet hall fire from spreading; No injuries reported

A Muscatine banquet hall was damaged when a fire started in the ceiling.  Firefighters responded to Rendezvous Banquet Hall and Catering on Lucas Street around 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, January 6th.  Fire crews saw smoke coming from the ceiling area, as well as fire and smoke coming from the roof. The building’s fire sprinkler system prevented the fire from spreading.  Crews were able to knock down the main fire within a few minutes of arrival, and another crew worked on the roof.  According to Fire Captain Gary Ronzheimer, the fire caused significant damage to a rooftop HVAC system and a portion of the inside of the building. Losses are estimated at $20,000.  No one was injured.

Rochester, MN – Sprinkler system saves laundry business from further fire damage; Business remains open

Firefighters responded to flames at Mega Coin Laundry last Wednesday afternoon. Authorities say the fire began in a dryer and after the clothes were removed from the machine, the smoke set off the sprinkler system. Those with the Rochester Fire Department say they were able to shut down the sprinkler system after forcing entry on a door, but Mega Coin and two other businesses experienced an estimated $10,000 in water damage to floor and carpeting. No one was injured, and officials say Mega Coin Laundry will be able to remain open.

Jersey City, NJ – Sprinklers assist firefighters in containing early morning fire in luxury high-rise; No injuries reported

The Jersey City Fire Department responded to a small fire at the Monaco luxury high-rise early last Wednesday morning, authorities said. After arriving to the Washington Boulevard apartment complex at 1:30 a.m., firefighters located a fire in the heating component of one of the building’s units, Jersey City spokeswoman Kimberly Scalcione said. The small fire, which set off two sprinkler heads, was determined to have been caused by a faulty heating system, Scalcione added. One apartment sustained fire damage and two others had minor water damage, the spokeswoman said, adding that no injuries were reported.

Duluth, MN – Fire at convention center is put out by sprinkler system

The Duluth fire department responded to a call at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center on Tuesday night. Assistant Fire Chief Chris Martinson says crews arrived to smoke in the lower part of the DECC. It turned out to be just a small fire in a garbage can down in the wood shop. Martinson says it isn’t clear yet what started, but added that a sprinkler did get set off and that’s what extinguished the fire. There was no damage, just water on the floor to be mopped up.

Bremerton, WA – Overnight arson fire at apartment building extinguished by sprinkler system

Bremerton police have arrested a 45-year-old Gig Harbor man who they say was a person of interest in a Monday arson. Police said the man called detectives and later agreed to come to the police station for an interview. At the end of the interview, the man was arrested and booked into the Kitsap County Jail for the crimes of burglary, theft of a firearm and arson. The Bremerton Police Department said it is waiting to release the suspect’s name pending the Kitsap County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charging decision.

Our earlier report from Jan. 2, 2018:
Bremerton police are asking the public’s help in identifying a man who they say is a person of interest in an arson on Monday. The fire happened Monday at about 2:15 a.m. Bremerton firefighters responded to a report of a fire at the Spyglass Hill Apartments in the 600 block of Highland Ave. The building was evacuated, and hundreds were forced outside in the cold according to Fire Marshals who are now investigating the incident as arson. Bremerton Deputy Fire Marshal Jeff Prichard said the building’s sprinkler system managed to extinguish the fire. He also said the building is only a few blocks from the firehouse on Park Ave so the response went relatively smoothly.

“We identified a person that didn’t belong in the building didn’t know who he was so he’s a person of interest we want to find this guy and chat with him.”

Bremerton Police shared the man’s photo on social media, and even said they believed they knew who he was.

Fire investigators wouldn’t identify him by name but said the surveillance cameras at the apartment complex helped them start the arson investigation.

Resident Andrew Feliciano said that both he and his dog Roosevelt escaped when the fire broke out. They live adjacent to the unit where the fire happened. He was surprised that authorities said a man who didn’t live there managed to get in, “this place is like Fort Knox, it’s very secure. I’m not sure how that guy got in.”

Fire investigators said nobody was hurt in the fire, and it didn’t spread to any other buildings, in fact there never appeared to be a danger of that happening. They said roughly a dozen residents may have been displaced by the fire.

Anyone with information is asked to call detectives at 360-473-5228.

Winnetka, IL – Dryer fire at community fitness center controlled by sprinkler system

A fire last week at the Winnetka Community House fitness center was apparently caused when towels in a fitness center dryer caught fire, Community House and fire department officials said Tuesday. The fire shut down the fitness center for several days, Winnetka Fire Chief Alan Berkowsky said, and parts of the building at 620 Lincoln Ave. sustained water and smoke damage. However, the blaze was contained in the laundry room and fitness center area, largely thanks to the building’s sprinkler system, he said.

“The sprinklers kind of held it in check until we got there,” he said. “The system did its job, which I think was what made a difference in saving the building.” Paramedics took a maintenance worker who discovered the fire to Evanston Hospital for observation after he was briefly overcome by smoke inhalation, Berkowsky said. Bob Thomas, Community House executive director and president, said the fitness center is expected to reopen Wednesday. He also said the maintenance man, who attempted to put the fire out with an extinguisher, is doing well. Berkowsky said Wilmette, Glencoe, Northbrook, Northfield, and Highland Park personnel assisted in putting out the fire.

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