Other Business, Recycling / Waste Facility

Holyoke, MA – Fire at wire recycling center kept in check by sprinkler system

An early morning fire at Valley Mill Wire caused minor damages, and a fire spokesman said the combination of an overhead sprinkler system and a functioning alarm system helped to limit the size and spread of the blaze.

Fire Department spokesman Capt. Anthony Cerruti said the fire at 650 Beaulieu St. was reported at 4:12 a.m. The fire department dispatch center was alerted by the business’s alarm system that had a direct tie-in to the dispatch center, he said.

When firefighters arrived and forced their way into the building, they found the sprinkler system had activated, he said.

There was what he called “a small amount of fire which was being kept in check.” Firefighters extinguished the fire with a single fire hose line, he said.

The fire caused no damage to the building, but there was some water damage, he said.

Investigators determined the fire was started by some combustable materials left too close to a heater.

No Injuries were reported.

Government/Military, Other-Government/Military

Richmond, KY – Sprinkler system stop fire at arts council building, saving artwork from damage

The Richmond Area Arts Council building on West Water Street sustained slight smoke, fire and water damage Tuesday afternoon after a small fire broke out in the building’s basement.

Late Tuesday afternoon as she carefully sloshed through water pooled in the art council’s basement, RAAC Executive Director Deborah Kidd recounted the moment staff knew something had gone wrong.

“We were upstairs and started smelling smoke,” Kidd said. “We came down immediately and the sprinklers came on.”

Kidd said employees evacuated the building and firefighters began showing up a short time later.

“The firefighters have been fantastic and very thorough,” Kidd said. “While the sprinklers managed to put out the fire, they have made sure the smoke was aired out and no additional fires have cropped up.”

Mark Murphy, assistant fire chief for the Richmond Fire Department, praised the RAAC’s sprinkler system Tuesday afternoon.”

The sprinkler system did its job,” he explained. “When we got here, the fire was already contained and out. The sprinkler system stopped the fire from spreading.”

Murphy said, according to preliminary investigations, the fire began around 2:30 p.m. in the RAAC’s mechanical room in the building’s basement. The origin was determined to be a heating and cooling unit housed in the room.

The fire consumed the majority of the building’s heating unit, but the structure of the building sustained zero damage.

An adjacent office sustained only slight smoke and water damage, Kidd said.

Luckily, art currently on display at the RAAC from local artist Pat Banks was spared from the water, fire and smoke.”

The art is just fine. None of Pat’s work was affected,” Kidd confirmed Tuesday. “We were lucky none of the artwork in the building was damaged.”

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Sun Prairie, WI – Sprinkler system keeps fire from spreading at manufacturing plant

A fire early Sunday Jan. 29 damaged a property known as the former Goodyear plant, also known as Continental and Veyance Technologies, 143 Goodyear St.

Sun Prairie Fire Chief Chris Garrison said at 12:15 a.m., the SPFD responded to a report of a fire and water-flow alarm at the Veyance facility.

Garrison said a Sun Prairie Police officer arrived on the scene first and reported active fire in in a ventilation unit on the east side of the building.

Sun Prairie Fire Department personnel arrived and upgraded to a structure fire response. Garrison said the first-in unit swiftly assured there were no employees in the building. Firefighters immediately shut down utilities to the unit, then deployed a hand-line to the involved unit.

Firefighters were able to knock down the fire rapidly, Garrison said, keeping it from spreading throughout the structure. In addition, an activated sprinkler head also cut off fire spread in the ventilation system.

Units remained on the scene ventilating the large structure.Garrison said fire officials worked with property management in assisting to restore fire protection to the building.

No civilian or fire department injuries were reported, according to Garrison, who said fire damage was contained to the ventilation unit.Sun Prairie Police and EMS provided additional assistance.
No estimate on damage at this time, the cause of the fire is under investigation.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Jordan, MN – Welding fire knocked down by sprinkler system at transformer plant

Firefighters and Jordan Police Department officers were dispatched for a call of a commercial fire inside Jordan Transformer on the afternoon of Thursday, Jan. 26.

A tarp caught on fire as an employee was welding inside a plant welding shop.

The call came in at 11:37 a.m. and the Jordan Fire Department responded with 17 firefighters, according to Gregg Pekarna, fire chief for Jordan Fire Department.

Jordan Police provided backup, and when the officers arrived on scene, heavy smoke was billowing out from the plant building. Officers provided traffic control and assisted the Jordan Fire Department, Jordan Police Chief Brett Empey said.

By the time firefighters arrived on scene, the fire was mostly extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system, Pekarna said.

“There was nothing suspicious about it — the tarp caught on fire — the sprinkler did the job and knocked out the fire, and we mopped up after that,” Pekarna said.

At the fire location was a nearby adjoining wall that had a rack of welding gas that the fire fortunately did not touch, Pekarna said.

The Jordan Fire Department remained on scene for two hours during cleanup and to make sure the fire remained completely extinguished.“

The team (Jordan Fire) did a great job responding and containing it after the sprinklers,” Pekarna said.

Jordan Transformer staff were all evacuated from the building as a precautionary measure, the fire chief reported. No one was seriously injured, although one individual was treated at the scene for possible burns and smoke inhalation, Pekarna reported.

The estimated loss is not known at this time.

Jordan Transformer declined to comment on the fire.

Athletic Club/Sports Facility, Other Business

Brownsburg, IN – Sprinkler system activates to protect bowling alley from fire on smoker’s patio

Fire caused minor damage to a Brownsburg bowling alley and sports bar early Monday morning.

Firefighters found a small fire in a smoker’s patio at the front of the building around 12:30 a.m.

The fire activated a sprinkler in the external room, but the rest of the building was not damaged by water or flames, according to the fire department.

The business was closed at the time, and no one was hurt.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Tucson, AZ – No injuries as sprinkler system contains hotel fire started by prayer candle

Fire officials say a prayer candle caused a fire in a Tucson hotel room on Monday, Jan. 30.

According to a news release from the Tucson Fire Department, fire crews were dispatched to the hotel in the 700 block of W. Starr Pass Boulevard, near I-10 shortly after 8:30 a.m. and the fire was under control by 8:44 a.m.

The surrounding area was evacuated as firefighters extinguished the fire in a ground-floor room.

The fire department credits the hotel’s sprinkler system with keeping the fire from spreading before the firefighters arrived.

There was no one in the room, which is used by hotel staff, when the fire started.

No injuries were reported.

Fire damage was contained to the one room and Code Enforcement is working with the hotel to determine whether other rooms were affected. Damage estimates have not yet been determined.

Apartment Building, Residential

Las Vegas, NV – Sprinkler system puts out mattress fire at downtown apartment building

An automatic sprinkler put out a mattress fire at a downtown apartment building early today, preventing the blaze from spreading, according to Las Vegas Fire & Rescue officials.

Nobody was injured, official said.

Firefighters responded about 12:35 a.m. to the Avenue 8 Studio Apartments, 211 N. Eighth St., after several reports of smoke on the fourth floor, officials said. They found the sprinkler had already put out the fire in one of the apartments, officials said.

The occupants were not home, and the cause of the fire has not been determined, officials said.

Damage, estimated at $500, was confined to the mattress, officials said.

Other - Storage / Warehouse, Storage / Warehouse

Jupiter, FL – Sprinkler system keeps fire under control after boat catches fire in dry storage facility

A vessel in dry storage caught fire Friday afternoon at the Loggerhead Marina. The first arriving crews found that a boat on the top rack was on fire, said Capt. Albert Borroto, spokesman for Fire Rescue. The sprinklers of the facility activated and helped to keep the fire under control.

The firefighters quickly extinguished the fire and protected two nearby boats for fire exposure. The three affected vessels were brought down from the storage area and investigator was called to the scene.

There were no injuries reported.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

St. Cloud, MN – Sprinkler system halts fire at body shop; fire started in painting booth

A fire caused around $100,000 worth of damage to a St. Cloud body shop.

The fire department says an alarm alerted them to St. Cloud Collision Center, 1801 8th Street South, near the Coborn’s on Cooper Aveune South, on Thursday at 7:49 p.m.

When firefighters got on the scene they found the sprinkler system had almost extinguished the fire and saved the building.

Officials say the fire started in the drying unit of a painting booth. The booth, a car, and a portion of the roof were damaged.

No one was in the building at the time of the fire.The fire remains under investigation. It took firefighters about two hours to clear the scene.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Sterling, VA – Sprinkler system limits spread of fire that started in paint booth

The Loudoun County Fire Marshal’s Office has determined that the Jan. 26 fire at a Sterling commercial facility was accidental.

Just before 7:30 p.m., the Loudoun County Emergency Communications Center received a call reporting a structure fire in a commercial building in the 45000 block of Elmwood Court in Sterling.

The initial caller reported a fire in an interior paint booth which was followed by a call from the fire alarm company reporting a water flow alarm inside the structure. Fire and rescue crews from Kincora, Sterling, Cascades, Ashburn, Lansdowne, Moorefield, and Fairfax County responded to the incident, Fire and Rescue Public Information Officer Laura Rinehart said.

Upon arrival, firefighters found active fire and smoke conditions coming from the two-story commercial occupancy. Fire crews deployed hoselines to initiate an attack on the fire. The building’s sprinkler system had activated, limiting the fire spread to other portions of the building. One occupant, the initial caller, was located safely outside of the structure upon arrival of fire and rescue units, Rinehart said.

Firefighters extinguished the fire with assistance from the sprinkler system, containing the fire to the area or origin, preventing extension into adjoining areas of the structure.

The Fire Marshal’s investigation determined the fire to be accidental in nature with $25,000 damage to the structure and $75,000 to the contents. There were no injuries to civilians, though one firefighter on the scene was transported to a local area hospital for evaluation after a medical emergency, Rinehart said.

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