Animal Shelter / Animal Care Center

Milpitas, CA – Sprinkler system activated for fire at animal shelter; No injuries reported

One of the major animal shelters in the South Bay is working to reopen after a fire forced staff and animals to evacuate.

The fire that broke out at Humane Society Silicon Valley in Milpitas on Monday morning forced the center to close and discontinue all services while repairs are underway.

There were no injuries, but it has put pet adoptions on hold during one of the busiest times of the year.

On Tuesday afternoon, crews worked outside the complex to clean up what was primarily water damage, according to officials at the shelter.

On Monday morning, a fire inside the ceiling of the center’s laundry room triggered the fire suppression sprinkler system, which caused most of the damage.

It “caused a lot of water damage in our medical clinic as well as in our operations area which is adjacent to the laundry room and has left about half of our building unusable,’ said Nancy Willis, the vice president of strategic growth at the shelter.

Willis said there were just under 100 animals in the shelter at the time of the fire. The Humane Society called in its team of foster families to get many of them offsite and into stable environments while repairs are made to the building.

“Of course, all of the animals were evacuated out of the shelter because we did not know what was going to happen,” Willis said.

The news of the closure came as a surprise to some people who arrived hoping to adopt pets.

“I came today to get a dog for my children,” said Milpitas resident Nico Afuola.

Afuola stopped by the shelter on his lunch hour to try to adopt a dog as a Christmas gift for his family.

“I mean I was kind of bummed out, you know, I wanted to get a dog, but it is OK I will go take a look somewhere else. But this is my first choice,” Afuola said.

The fire also damaged the shelter’s computer servers, interrupting the ability to show online animals available for adoption.

The center plans to reopen its adoption services on Wednesday and believes the community will respond.

“Folks will come in, adopt the animals that we have on our adoption floor now, and we will be able to continue to bring animals in and find loving homes for them,” Willis said.

Milpitas Fire Chief Jason Schoonover said in a statement on Tuesday, “Additional investigation found that the fire appeared to have started in a portion of the building utilized for utility and laundry purposes, prior to spreading to the attic and activating the automatic fire sprinkler protection system.”

He added that while the sprinkler system minimized fire spread, the facility sustained substantial smoke and water damage.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Apartment Building, Residential

North Bethesda, MD – Sprinkler system activated for fire on fifth floor apartment unit; No injuries reported

Several families are likely to be displaced after a Tuesday morning fire at Arrowwood Apartments in North Bethesda, according to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) spokesperson Pete Piringer.

According to radio transmissions, a report of a fire on the fifth floor of an apartment building at 5410 McGrath Blvd. came in at roughly 10:02 a.m. The fire activated sprinklers and fire alarms and residents of the building were evacuated.

Responding MCFRS crews reported there was light smoke throughout the fifth floor at roughly 10:15 a.m. but the fire had been extinguished by sprinklers. According to transmissions, a small pile of combustibles caught fire.

According to Piringer, the fire was controlled and extinguished by the sprinkler system by roughly 10:40 a.m.

Piringer said there were no injuries, but there was some water damage in the building.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Henderson, KY – Sprinkler system activated for kitchen fire at crisis intervention center

An overnight fire at the Albion Fellows Bacon Center in Evansville has closed the crisis intervention center.

Officials say the fire started in the communal kitchen inside the building. A sprinkler system was deployed and stopped the fire from spreading to the rest of the building. Though stopping the fire, the sprinklers did cause excessive water damage to the building.

One staff member was injured in the fire and was treated for smoke inhalation. They have since been released.

At the time of the fire, there were 10 residents in the building, as well as a pet kitten.

The Albion Fellows Bacon Center is working with the Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Holly’s House, and the YWCA of Evansville to continue to shelter people in crisis. The crisis lines of The Albion Fellows Bacon Center are still available to call.

Officials with the crisis intervention center say they are awaiting a fire inspection to see when they will be able to open the building again.

Apartment Building, Residential

Hartford, CT – Sprinkler system contains fire at fifth floor apartment unit; No injuries reported

The Hartford Fire Department received reports of smoke in an apartment building in the Clay Arsenal neighborhood Saturday morning.  

Officials say the multiunit apartment’s fifth floor sprinkler system contained the fire before crews arrived at the scene, located at 1630 Main Street.

Crews said the fire was contained to one apartment and they made sure the fire was promptly extinguished.

The fire displaced two families who were given temporary shelter by a CT Transit bus. The American Red Cross is working to assist the displaced families.

Officials say no one was injured and the incident is under investigation.

Apartment Building, Residential

San Francisco, CA – Sprinkler system activated for battery fire at apartment building; No injuries reported

Firefighters responded to a fire in San Francisco caused by a battery that was charging Sunday, fire officials said.

The battery caught fire while charging in a unit in an apartment building on Minna near Sixth Street around 3:15 p.m., according to the fire department.

A fire sprinkler slowed the progress of the fire and firefighters rescued two dogs from the unit.

No injuries were reported, according to the fire department.

Other - Retail, Retail

Fenton, MO – Sprinkler system activated for fire at Lowe’s; No injuries reported

A fire broke out late last night in the lawn and garden section of the Lowe’s store in Fenton.

Firefighters responded around 11:30 p.m. to find heavy smoke inside the building. The store’s sprinkler system kept the fire from spreading further.

Crews ventilated the building and monitored air quality to ensure it was safe. No injuries were reported.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Apartment Building, Residential

Dalton, GA – Sprinkler system activated for fire at apartment complex

A Tuesday afternoon fire at the Crown Mill Lofts apartments could have been much worse but it was stopped by the building’s sprinkler system.

The fire started in an electrical outlet when a resident was not home. Thanks to the sprinkler system, the damage was limited to some scorched drywall, a burned dresser and water damage. There were no injuries.

“It’s a textbook example of why sprinkler systems are important,” said Dalton Fire Marshal Donnie Blankenship. He’s using the incident as a reminder of the importance of making sure sprinkler systems are in good working order. “Those are concrete floors (in the apartment) but if I’m not mistaken there’s a lot of heavy timber in there … they may have put concrete over the timber … but you had the potential of another Thread Mill-style fire with that building. Other than some water damage to some apartments below it, there was minimal damage.”

“There was a dog and two cats in the apartment,” Blankenship added. “And all those survived.”

Blankenship is in charge of the Dalton Fire Department’s Prevention Division. The firefighters in that division are tasked with inspecting the fire prevention systems in new buildings and making sure they are up to code as well as inspecting the fire safety systems in existing businesses and apartment buildings on an annual basis.

“We go out to these buildings and make sure they’re maintained annually and that way, when (a fire) does happen, the sprinklers and alarms work properly,” Blankenship said. “We don’t see many (systems) that are totally inoperable, but we see the majority of them have some type of issue that we usually address with (the owners) to get them to fix it.”

The fire department also receives reports from sprinkler and fire alarm contractors who do any work in the city, and the department reviews those reports to make sure the systems are working properly. If any deficiencies are noted, the department contacts the companies to make sure they’re fixed.

Blankenship said if any building managers or property owners are concerned about the condition of their sprinkler systems or other fire safety equipment, they can contact the Dalton Fire Department to request an evaluation.

“We’ll come out and inspect it, and their sprinkler contractors usually are set up to come out at a certain time, usually once a year, to inspect them, too,” Blankenship said.

Other - Residential, Residential

Perris, LA – Sprinkler system extinguishes stovetop fire

One person was taken to a hospital for evaluation following a stovetop fire at a three-story, multifamily building in Perris Tuesday.

The fire in the 20 block of South D Street was reported at 8:05 a.m. Tuesday and extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system before firefighters arrived, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.

The Red Cross was requested to provide assistance for eight adults displaced in the fire, the fire department reported.

No firefighter injuries were reported.

Apartment Building, Residential

Austin, TX – Sprinkler system controlled arson fire at apartment complex

The Austin Fire Department (AFD) responded to the apartment complex located at 10010 N Capital of Texas Highway SB at approximately 8:33 p.m. on Sunday, December 8 for a report of a fire in a bedroom.

Austin Police Department (APD) personnel were on scene for a check welfare call at the residence and directed fire crews to the scene. The fire had been brought under control by the building’s fire sprinkler system. Crews finished extinguishing the flames and reset the sprinkler system before the scene was turned over to AFD Investigations.

Fire investigators processed the scene and spoke with Steve Manor, the apartment’s resident, who had been detained by APD. Mr. Manor confessed to intentionally starting the fire to elicit a response from APD or AFD. The physical evidence at the scene validated Manor’s admission.

Steve Manor was transported to the Travis County Jail. He has been charged with arson, a state jail felony. His bond has been set at $15,000.

The damaged to the residence and contents are estimated to be approximately $12,000.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Ottumwa, IA – Sprinkler system activated for fire at hotel

Monday morning, crews in Ottumwa responded to a report of a fire alarm with sprinkler activation.

The call came in just before 11:30 a.m. at the AmericInn hotel.

When firefighters arrived, no smoke or fire was seen on the outside of the building, but smoke was observed upon entry.

One person was found in a hotel room bathroom on the second floor.

The person was conscious, combative and refused to leave.

Officers were called to the scene to assist with removing the person.

A chair was found in the same room that had been on fire and it was removed from the building.

Fans were used to remove smoke from the building.

The fire is currently under investigation and the Health Department.

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