Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Athens, OH – Fire at popular microbrewery controlled by sprinkler system; Fire started in attached carport

Jackie O’s Production Brewery and Taproom remains standing after a fire broke out adjacent to the main building Wednesday afternoon. The fire, which was contained within a carport attached to the taproom, was started by a truck, said Deputy Service Safety Director Ron Lucas, who added that the facility’s sprinkler system had the fire “pretty much under control” by the time crews arrived on scene.  Due to the potential magnitude of the fire, the Athens Fire Department called in every firefighter on its 22-member roster. Although nobody was hurt, the possibility of the blaze spreading called for an increased firefighter presence.

“Being inside the structure, we worry that it could spread to the whole structure,” AFD Chief Rob Rymer said. “So we put out an all-call, we bring everybody in off duty to make sure it’s under control.”

As crews began to exit the scene at 25 Campbell St., Rymer was unclear as to how the truck, which is used to transport grain to local farmers, had caught fire. “It’s always difficult for vehicles to determine how it started,” Rymer said. “Sometimes you’re driving and you hear a backfire, it could be electrical.”  A group of about five patrons remained on the Jackie O’s patio as fire trucks began clearing the scene.  “We didn’t really see anything,” Kayce Carrick, one of the people on the patio, said. “We were inside, and we just smelled smoke and that was it. So we just left.” The group planned to enjoy the warm weather and finish their beers on the patio.

Retail, Shopping Mall

Yakima, WA – Car fire in parking garage prevented from spreading by overhead sprinkler

A car fire in a garage above the former downtown Yakima mall was prevented from spreading by an overhead sprinkler that activated before firefighters arrived Tuesday afternoon.

Yakima firefighters responded to the fire around 2:30 p.m. on the second level of the garage. The sprinkler confined the fire to a single car before firefighters moved in with hoses, the fire department said.

Shift commander Mitch Cole said the fire was accidental. The car’s driver said she heard a pop while leaving the garage and saw smoke coming from the engine compartment, Cole said in news release.

The car and its contents were destroyed. The fire department estimates the loss to be $1,800.

The fire department said there was no damage to the parking garage.

Apartment Building, Residential

Arlington, TX – Sprinkler system extinguishes apartment kitchen fire; No injuries reported

Residents of the Centennial Court apartments complex were evacuated when a small cooking fire occurred at about 1 p.m. Tuesday at 717 W. Mitchell Circle on the second floor.

The sprinkler system extinguished the kitchen fire prior to Arlington Fire Department’s arrival, Fire Lt. David Tyler said.

Tyler said there was one person in the apartment at the time, and she escaped without injury.

The apartments experienced minimal fire damage, but also sustained water damage from the sprinkler system that extends to the first floor, Tyler said.

Residents were let back into their apartments at about 1:40 p.m. after the firefighters finished their inspection. Cost of repair for damages is currently unknown.

Centennial Court apartments staff didn’t get back to The Shorthorn before publish time.

Other Business, Recycling / Waste Facility

Fairfax, VA – Sprinkler system assist firefighters in controlling recycling center fire

Firefighters from Fire Station 30 in Fairfax County responded to the report of a fire early Sunday morning, at the Merrifield Recycling Center, according to the Fairfax County Fire & Police Department. 

Units arrived to find water and smoke coming out of the indoor recycling facility, prompting a request for a second alarm. Additional units from Fairfax and the Arlington County Fire Department arrived soon after. 

No injuries were reported from the scene. Fire damage was limited to recyclable materials. The fire sprinkler system and use of firefighting foam limited the damage to $1,000.

Investigators determined the fire started from an exothermic reaction in one of the recyclable material piles, which caused the materials to catch on fire.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Fargo, ND – Kitchen fire at senior living center extinguished by sprinkler system

 A kitchen fire in a senior living center unit caused an estimated $18,000 of damage Saturday, Feb. 25.  Fire crews responded just after 5 p.m. to a possible fire at the Touchmark by Harwood Groves complex, 1200 Harwood Drive S. They found smoke in the hallways, but an in-unit sprinkler system had already extinguished the fire.

No one was in the unit at the time of the fire, and most tenants in the three story building had already evacuated before firefighters got there, according to the Fargo Fire Department. A small dog was in the unit and uninjured. A Saturday news release said the fire was accidental and started from combustible materials that were left on the stove. There was minor fire damage.

 

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Barrie, ON, Canada – Sprinkler system assists firefighters in controlling nursing home fire

Barrie Fire says Barrie Police and the Ontario Fire Marshal are investigating a fire at Woods Park Care Centre. Firefighters, police and paramedics were called to the retirement and long-term care facility on Lillian Cres. around 7 p.m. Wednesday evening.  The fire started in a resident’s room on the third floor.

“The resident got out of the room. The sprinkler activated. The affected area was evacuated to a safe zone,” said Barrie Fire’s Samantha Hoffmann. Hoffmann reports that 35 out of the 180 residents were removed from the third floor to a smoke free zone.  Firefighters vented the building and Hoffmann says there’s smoke and water damage.  About 20 residents were unable to return to their rooms and were being housed in another part of the building.

“Because it is a care facility with vulnerable people it’s automatically going to get more response,” Hoffmann said. The building was inspected in October and they did their fire drill in November and they passed, she added.  Sprinklers and staff training were instrumental in the success of the call, according to Barrie Fire.  The cause of the blaze and damage estimate are not yet known.

Apartment Building, Residential

Portland, OR – 6th floor apartment fire extinguished by sprinkler system

A man was taken to a hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation Wednesday after a fire broke out in a Northwest Portland apartment.  The man, who wasn’t publicly identified, was the only person injured in the blaze that closed Northwest Everett Street between 20th and 21st avenues, said Lt. Rich Chatman, a Portland Fire & Rescue spokesman.  Chatman said a couch in a sixth-floor unit caught fire and that the building’s sprinkler system extinguished the flames.  The building was evacuated as a precaution, Chatman said. Firefighters efforts were hampered briefly by one resident who did not want to leave the building, Chatman said. The man had a weapon but the confrontation ended peacefully, he said.  Firefighters responded to the fire around 3:50 p.m. Some began leaving the area within an hour.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Elkridge, MD – Arson fire at motel snuffed out by sprinkler system

An Ellicott City man is facing charges in connection with a fire at the Hillside Motel in Elkridge on Wednesday. Dennis Charles Turnbaugh, 26, of the 8300 block of Sunrise Court in Ellicott City, was identified as the suspect in the blaze that broke out around 6:21 p.m., according to police.  Authorities said they were called to the 6300 block of Washington Boulevard for a fire that was snuffed out by the sprinkler system. According to police, the damage was minimal, contained to one room.

When officials investigated the blaze, they determined it had been intentionally set. Turnbaugh was found soon after and charged with first-degree arson, five counts of reckless endangerment and malicious destruction of property, officials reported. He was being held Thursday without bail at the Howard County Detention Center.  Arrests do not indicate convictions.

Residential, Townhouse / Condominium

Myrtle Beach, SC – Townhouse fire put out by residential sprinkler system; Neighboring homes spared

Myrtle Beach Fire Rescue credits a home’s sprinkler system for saving the house and the family. Lt. Jonathan Evans says a cooking fire was put out at a home in Market Common before firefighters could even arrive.

“First off, the sprinkler system is already in your home, so it goes off, it’s going to be a lot easier for it to put out the fire than us. Sometimes it takes us a little bit longer to get to you, get the hoses off and all that stuff. Plus, the amount of water it puts out – it puts out about 20 gallons per minute compared to the 250 or 300 gallons per minute that we put out, so on top of the fire damage you already have, by the time we get there, that water damage is going to be that much more because we want to make sure that fire is out,” Evans said. Evans says if you can’t afford to have a sprinkler system installed in your home, having a fire extinguisher or installing the Stovetop Firestop can help prevent extensive damage from small fires.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Boise, ID – Late night laundry fire at hotel contained with help from sprinkler system

The fire, apparently sparked in oil-soaked towels, was extinguished in about five minutes, the Boise Fire Department reported on Twitter. One employee was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation, KBOI-TV, Channel 2 reports.  The fire was called in 8:50 p.m. at the hotel, 2900 Chinden Blvd., and was confined to a laundry area that is separate from the hotel building, the fire department reports. A fire sprinkler helped control the spread of the fire, according the BFD.

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