Apartment Building, Residential

Montgomery, AL – Fire in newly renovated apartment building contained by sprinkler system

An early morning fire at the newly renovated Kress Building began in a freestanding fireplace on a fourth floor apartment balcony. The apartment’s owner told the Montgomery Advertiser the chimenea fire caused minor structural damage on the balcony. An activated sprinkler system kept the fire contained, Montgomery Fire/Rescue PIO O.J. Whiting said. The third floor suffered some water damage. Montgomery Fire/Rescue responded to the Dexter Avenue building around 7:40 a.m. and evacuated the building. No injuries were reported.

Office Building, Other Business

Knoxville, TN – Fire in downtown office building held at bay by sprinkler system

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A downtown Knoxville building caught fire Tuesday morning off Market Street.Fire crews said people reported smoke coming from the building at 713 Market Street around 6:30 a.m. The building houses a few law offices and no one was inside the building at the time of the fire. According to the Knoxville Fire Department, first responders found the fire in a second story wall. The fire was quickly put out and crews are unsure how it started as of right now. Firefighters said the sprinkler system held the fire at bay until they could arrive. The building suffered significant water damage.

Department Store, Retail

Fargo, ND – Overnight fire at Macy’s department store extinguished by sprinkler system

A sprinkler system is credited with minimizing what most likely would have been significant fire damage at Macy’s in West Acres. Fargo firefighters responded to an alarm at 2:42 a.m. Sunday and discovered a sprinkler head had activated and put out a fire in an office at the department store. The fire was determined to have started due to an overheated electrical device. The fire spread to office furniture before being extinguished by the sprinkler system. A damage assessment was not available

Apartment Building, Residential

Iowa City, IA – Fire at off campus apartment contained to room of origin by sprinkler system

The Iowa City Fire Department is investigating a Saturday morning fire that caused an estimated $20,000 in damage to an Iowa City apartment. According to a press release, firefighters responded to a report of an oven fire at 427 North Dubuque Street at 7:35 a.m., Saturday. The arriving crew found a working fire in an apartment on the 4th floor. The building sprinkler system contained the fire to the room of origin and firefighters were able to extinguish the fire in approximately 20 minutes, the release stated.

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Winston-Salem, NC – Fire crews credit sprinkler system with containing warehouse fire

A warehouse in Winston-Salem caught fire on Tuesday, but nobody was hurt.  Crews were called to a Waste Management facility at 280 Business Park Drive shortly after 6 p.m., according to the Winston-Salem Fire Department.  Thirty-one firefighters had the fire under control in about 35 minutes. Smoke was showing as crews arrived. Firefighters credit the building sprinkler system for helping keep the fire from spreading. A cause has not been released.

Apartment Building, Residential

Madison, WI – Apartment fire held in check by automatic sprinkler system

A fire in an apartment on Madison’s North Side resulted in no injuries but some water damage.  The fire was reported at about 8:20 a.m. Tuesday in the 3500 block of Straubel Street, the Madison Fire Department said.  Engine Company 8 was initially dispatched to check on an alarm at the building, but arriving firefighters were informed there was smoke in the building.

Firefighters went into the basement of the building and found water dripping from the ceiling, indicating a problem in the unit above.  “Firefighters entered the apartment with help from maintenance, and found activated sprinkler heads keeping a fire in check,” said spokeswoman Cynthia Schuster.  The fire was extinguished and the walls were checked for any extension of fire.  Nobody was home at the time of the fire.  No cause of the fire or damage estimate was given.  The fire remains under investigation.

Department Store, Retail

Billings, MT – Fire in Home Depot confined to garden center with help from sprinkler system

A small fire broke out at Home Depot Sunday night, causing an estimated $50,000 to the store’s outdoor garden center, according to Billings fire officials.  The fire was reported at 11:36 p.m., according to a Monday press release from Deputy Fire Marshal Jeff McCullough.  It was confined to a three-level rack containing some outdoor products, according to Billings Fire Department Battalion Chief Dave Gilbert.

No one was injured in the fire, which apparently started after the store closed Sunday.  The store’s sprinkler system activated and helped confine the fire, which took firefighters about 15 minutes to fully extinguish, Gilbert said.  The cause of the fire remains under investigation.  No one was injured in the fire, which apparently started after the store closed Sunday.  The store’s sprinkler system activated and helped confine the fire, which took firefighters about 15 minutes to fully extinguish, Gilbert said.  The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Primary / Secondary School

Grayson, KY – Bathroom fire at high school contained by sprinkler system; Student return to classes same day

A small fire briefly disrupted classes Friday at East Carter High School, according to Carter County Schools.  It happened in a restroom, and the smoke activated the sprinkler system. (note from blog editor: smoke does not activate this type of fire sprinkler system.  Only the substantial heat from a potentially dangerous fire will activate an automatic fire sprinkler)

All students and staff were evacuated as a precaution. No one was hurt.  They were allowed back in the building around 11:20 a.m. Students and staff were using an adjusted lunch/class schedule for the remainder of the day.

Athletic Club/Sports Facility, Other Business

Temecula, CA – Electrical fire at dance studio controlled by sprinkler system

A Temecula dance studio was damaged today when an electrical fire triggered an automated sprinkler system that poured water onto the blaze and everywhere else.  The fire was reported at 4:30 a.m. in the 28000 block of Felix Valdez Avenue, just off of Rancho California Road, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.

An agency spokeswoman said six engine crews and a truck company, numbering 25 personnel, arrived within minutes and encountered smoke on the second floor of the two-story structure and went into attack mode.  On entering the 10,000-square-foot building, crews realized the fire-extinguishing sprinkler system was engaged, causing water to flow from the upper floor to the ground floor, according to the fire department.

The system was eventually shut off but caused an estimated $20,000 in damage, departmental officials said.  The sprinklers were credited with dousing the flames, which broke out as a result of faulty wiring in a bathroom fan, according to the agency.

Apartment Building, Residential

Lubbock, TX – Early morning apartment fire extinguished by sprinkler system

Lubbock Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating two separate apartment fires that occurred on Thursday. The first occurred at about 5 a.m. at The Ranch Apartments, 1002 Frankford Ave, according to a Lubbock Fire Rescue social media post. The fire was reportedly extinguished with minimal fire damage to the apartment prior to the crew’s arrival. According to the post, the smoke detectors awoke the resident and the sprinkler system assisted in extinguishing the fire. LFR FMO were called to investigate, and the fire has been ruled as undetermined.

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