Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Yuma, AZ – Restaurant kitchen fire extinguished by sprinkler system

The Yuma Fire Department said Saturday at about 7:30 am an audible fire alarm was reported going off at the Yuma Palace restaurant, 350 East 32nd Street, by a Yuma Police officer patrolling in the area. Yuma Fire Department personnel arrived and confirmed the alarm was signaling water flow to the fire suppression sprinkler system, they also found the smell of smoke coming from the building. The business had not opened for the day and there were no employees on the property.

Firefighters forced entry into the kitchen area finding a sprinkler head was flowing water over the stove area. The water flow was shut down and a fire investigator was called to the scene. It was found that a pot of water had been accidently left heating on the stove top when the business had closed. The water boiled away and the heat ignited material around the cooking surface. The heat from this fire triggered the sprinkler head over that cooking area, stopping the fire spread and extinguishing it.

Fire sprinkler systems can keep fires from spreading and can also extinguish them. Fire spreads quickly and can double in size every minute. Even small fires can cause significant damage to property and endanger those nearby. Contrary to many Hollywood portrayals, only sprinkler heads directly exposed to the heat activate, not those in the rest of the room, building, or complex. Sprinkler systems save lives and protect property.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Hammond, LA – Arson fire at Walmart store contained by sprinkler system

A man is in custody and charged with arson in connection with two fires Saturday afternoon at Northshore Walmart stores. Louisiana State Fire Marshal Chief Butch Browning says 45-year-old Larry Paul Schouest Jr. started the fires at the Hammond and Amite Walmart stores as a distraction after stealing laptop computers from the stores.

Officials say the fires were set in the store’s pool chemical areas, but the sprinkler systems kept the fires from getting out of control. Fire crews evacuated the stores. No one was hurt. Fire marshal deputies say they also obtained a confession from Schouest that he set a fire on June 27 at the Ponchatoula Walmart, where he also stole laptops.  Browning says Schouest was charged with two counts of aggravated arson and six counts of felony theft. He was booked into the Tangipahoa Parish prison.

Other Business

New Bedford, MA – Fire officials credit sprinkler system in controlling fire at uniform and linen company

New Bedford Fire Department was called to a two-alarm commercial fire at 335 Church Street. The building, which houses “Clean Uniforms and More” went up in flames just after 5pm on Saturday. Officials say no one was in the building at the time of the fire. When crews arrived, there was heavy smoke and active sprinklers inside the facility.  The New Bedford Fire Chief on scene says the sprinklers made the difference.

New Bedford Engines 9 and 8 are both stationed about a mile away from the scene, but engine 9 didn’t respond. It wasn’t in service Saturday because of budget restrictions.  The city saves money with a rotating schedule for closing a station daily for a 24-hour period.

“I would have been happy to have four additional bodies on scene in order to deal with coverage and whatnot, but again I have to deal with the fiscal responsibilities that I’m given. The resources that I’m given I have to work with,” said New Bedford Fire Chief, Michael Gomes. Officials told NBC 10 because of the working sprinkler system Engine 9 not being in service wasn’t really a factor.  Investigators believe the fire started in the area of a sorting table and was mostly contained.  The cause of the fire remains under investigation but officials are not calling this fire suspicious.

Apartment Building, Residential

Reading, PA – Fire in apartment kitchen put out by sprinkler system

A kitchen fire Saturday in a third-floor unit forced the evacuation of Penns Crossing Apartments in Spring Township, officials reported. Fire crews responded at 12:35 p.m. to a report of smoke in an apartment at 1400 W. Wyomissing Court.  Troy Hatt, township deputy fire marshal, said a small kitchen fire was extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system.

“The important thing,” Hatt said, “is that the sprinkler system worked.” Occupants of the complex, which has one- and two-bedroom units occupied by tenants 62 years or older, were allowed back into their apartments in late afternoon, Hatt said.  The sprinkler and alarm systems had to be reset before occupants could return to the building off Route 724 between Sinking Spring and Lincoln Park.  There was no significant fire damage, Hatt said, but some apartments sustained water damage. Construction crews were on site Saturday evening.  Township authorities were assisted by fire and rescue units from surrounding municipalities.

Apartment Building, Residential

Mercer Island, WA – Apartment kitchen fire extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Shortly after noon on July 6, Mercer Island and Bellevue Fire Department units responded to the Mercer Apartments in downtown Mercer Island for a fire that started in one of the unit’s kitchens, and was ultimately extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system.

A fire started on a stove, activating the building’s fire alarm system and initiating the response. The fire extended into the cabinetry above, and produced a large amount of smoke that filled the unit and the adjacent hallway, on the fifth floor of the building. The activated sprinklers caused a heavy water flow into the hallway, adjacent units and through the ceiling of multiple units on the floor below.

Even though the fire was completely extinguished by the automatic sprinklers, a coordinated ventilation and salvage effort was still needed by the multiple fire units that responded. Occupants were displaced for more than two hours while the smoke and water was cleared. Nobody was allowed back into the affected areas of the building until the atmosphere was determined safe through the fire department’s air monitoring equipment. No injuries were reported, and investigations are ongoing.

 

Apartment Building, Residential

Richmond, TX (No Media Coverage) – Sprinkler system extinguishes apartment cooking fire

***FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTED – NO MEDIA COVERAGE*** On 06/27/2017 Fort Bend County Fire Marshal’s Office was requested to respond to an apartment fire. The Richmond Fire Department was on scene.

Upon arrival we contacted the Incident Commander with Richmond Fire Department. He advised they respond for an fire alarm. Upon arrival they found one sprinkler head had activated in an apartment and had extinguished a kitchen fire on the stove. He also said there was no damage to the kitchen except for water damage. This fire occurred on the second floor.

The resident stated that he was cooking chicken with some cooking oil in a pan. He stated that he went to the bathroom while the chicken was cooking. He stated that while he was in the bathroom, he saw and smelled smoke. The sprinkler system went off and extinguished the fire.

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Farmers Branch, TX (No Media Coverage) – Warehouse fire kept in check by sprinkler system

***FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTED – NO MEDIA COVERAGE888 On June 25, 2017 at 12:08 pm, a fire occurred at 4263 Simonton Rd., Farmers Branch, TX 75244. The business occupying the warehouse is Friesing Investments. Fire originated at an overheated motor for an exhaust fan in the shop off the warehouse. Occupants sprayed with extinguisher and a sprinkler head activated and kept the fire from extending into the walls.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Maryville, TN – Sprinkler system helps firefighters put out possible arson fire at BBQ restaurant

A fire that disrupted dinner Buddy’s Bar-B-Q in Maryville Saturday evening may have been deliberately set, according to Maryville Police Department. Maryville Fire Department received reports of a small fire at Buddy’s Bar-B-Q, 2020 Bridgeway Drive, at 7:58 p.m. Saturday. The first Maryville units arrived on the scene within three minutes, and firefighters quickly had the situation in hand.  According to Maryville police and fire chief Tony Crisp, the fire started in a toilet paper dispenser in the women’s bathroom. The fire appeared to have been deliberately set, Crisp said, and police are investigating it as an arson.  The restaurant’s sprinkler system did its job, Crisp added, kicking in and extinguishing much of the blaze by the time firefighters arrived on the scene.  Although the restaurant was evacuated during the crisis, the fire was ultimately contained within the bathroom. Crisp said the damage was relegated to a section of bathroom wall.  No one was hurt in the incident. The arson investigation is ongoing, as Crisp said there are currently no suspects

Other - Retail, Retail

Marysville, WA – Sprinkler systems helps control fire at retail store; Fire started in semi-truck attached outside

Firefighters were called to the Value Village store on State Avenue just after midnight Sunday. A fire was burning in a semi-truck attached to the store and had spread into the building, said Christie Veley, spokeswoman for the Marysville Fire District. Crews went through the store’s roof. It took about three hours to bring the blaze under control. A sprinkler system in the store helped limit the spread of the fire. The store was not open Sunday morning, but employees were working on clean-up and hoped to open in the afternoon. Value Village sells second-hand clothes, furniture and other household items. The Snohomish County fire marshal is investigating the cause of the fire, and plans to review surveillance video from the store.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Nashua, NH – Middle of night nursing home fire contained by sprinkler system

A fire at the Courville Nursing Home early Sunday sent one person to the hospital and forced more than 50 patients to be relocated to another facility, authorities said. One person was taken to Southern New Hampshire Medical Center for evaluation and possible smoke inhalation, according to the fire department. Fire crews responded to 22 Hunt St. just before 2 a.m. and found a fire in one of the patient rooms on the second floor. Staff already had removed two patients from that room. The fire was contained by the activated sprinkler heads. Fire crews put out the remaining fire.

Second-floor patients were removed from the fire area and sheltered in a safe location until areas could be ventilated and water removal efforts completed, according to the fire department.  “Due to smoke and water damage to several wings of the facility, a coordinated effort of Nashua Fire Rescue, Courville Nursing Home and various ambulance providers, 50-plus patients were relocated to Greenbrier Nursing Home until repairs and cleanup in areas of the facility can be completed,” the fire department said.

The cause remains under investigation. “Sprinklers in this case quickly contained the fire until the arrival of the fire department,” authorities said.

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