Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Prescott, AZ – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire at senior living facility; Fire started in fan motor

… the second fire of the day (Friday) occurred shortly before 6pm when residents of the Casa De Pinos senior living facility on Cory Avenue reported activated fire alarms in the building and smoke coming from a third floor apartment. The building poses challenges to firefighters due to its limited access and the lack of a standpipe water system in the stairwell.

The first arriving engine company had to lower hose from a third story window back to the engine so it could pump the hose line. Prescott police officers engaged in trying to evacuate roughly thirty residents, some of which have physical limitations. When firefighters made entry into the apartment they found that the building’s sprinkler system had already extinguished the fire and they immediately shut down the sprinkler system so as to limit water damage to the building

Investigation determined that a portable oscillating fan’s motor had caused the fire while the tenant was out of his apartment. The City’s Building Department deemed six rooms uninhabitable, two on each floor, due to the movement of water through the building. An outside contractor was contacted to start the process of mitigating the water damage. The remaining residents were allowed to return to their apartments roughly an hour later. Arrangements were being made to house the six displaced residents.

 

Apartment Building, Residential

Fayetteville, NC – Overnight apartment fire extinguished by sprinkler system

Occupants of six units in the Carlson Bay Apartments off Cliffdale Road were displaced this morning after a small fire in one of the residences. The fire at 975 Bassman Lane was reported at 12:33 a.m., a Fayetteville Fire Department release said.

Heavy smoke was coming from one unit in the three-story building when firefighters arrived. An automatic sprinkler head in the apartment had extinguished the fire, the release said.  Heat and smoke damage were confined to the one apartment, but six were affected by water damage.

No injuries were reported.

Residents of the building were evacuated as a precaution but were allowed to return once firefighters had left. The Red Cross is assisting the displaced residents. The fire started in the living room of the apartment, the release said, but the cause has not been determined.

Residential, Townhouse / Condominium

Plymouth, MN – Garage fire is kept from spreading into townhome thanks to sprinkler system

At 11:23 p.m. on Thursday, June 2, the Plymouth Fire Department responded to 16787 39th Avenue North for a house fire. The first units arrived and found a tuck-under attached garage fully engulfed with fire spreading to the house. All occupants were evacuated with no injuries. One firefighter sustained a foot laceration and was treated and released.

There was significant damage to the garage, but thanks to a sprinkler system that activated, minor damage was caused to the living space. The adjoining townhouse units were cleared of smoke and those residents were allowed back inside their homes.

Plymouth Police, Wayzata Fire, Golden Valley Fire, Loretto Fire, Maple Plain Fire, Minnetonka Fire and North Ambulance assisted. The cause of the fire is unknown at this time and is under investigation.

Retail, Shopping Mall

Halifax, NS, Canada – Shopping center fire extinguished by sprinkler system; Fire spread limited

Firefighters responded to a store fire in the Halifax Shopping Centre last Tuesday evening. Ben Moss Jewellers suffered both smoke and fire damage, as well as problems due to the water from the sprinklers the blaze set off.

“We received a call about an alarm at the centre at 10 p.m. and upon our arrival, we realize a sprinkler was flowing,” said Halifax Fire spokesman Scott Blackburn.  “We made our way in and we observed the issues at the jewelry store. The fire had been extinguished from the sprinkler.”

There were 14 responders and they forced their entry into the store to clear the area and do ventilation work. There were no injuries. Firefighters believe they may have a cause for the fire.

“There are renovations going on. There was welding work going on above and we believe sparks may have hit and ignited combustible material on the customer counter.”

The Halifax Shopping Centre was open Wednesday, except for Ben Moss, which was slated to be shut down in the next few weeks due to poor financial performance.

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Elk Grove Village, IL – Warehouse fire limited by sprinkler system; Fire started in truck trailer

Fire engulfed a truck trailer filled with cleaning and restaurant supplies parked at the loading dock of a warehouse in Elk Grove Village last night (Wednesday). Firefighters spent about two hours battling the blaze and clearing the area of smoke after the flames were extinguished.

Elk Grove Village Fire Chief Richard Mikel said flames became so intense inside the trailer, it burned through the roof of the trailer sending large amounts of smoke billowing into the air and throughout the entire warehouse at 2301 Lunt Ave.

Mikel estimated the warehouse to be several hundred thousand square feet in size. Heat from the trailer fire activated sprinklers above the loading dock and saving the building from fire damage. Mikel said he is scheduled to meet with building owners to assess the extent of significant smoke damage. Mikel said water damage to the building was minimal.

Firefighters were alerted by witnesses from across the street who saw smoke rising at about 10 p.m., Mikel said. Firefighters had the fire out and smoke vented by about midnight. Mikel said there were no injuries and he did not believe anyone was in the building when the fire began.

Firefighters arriving on scene saw the entire building engulfed in smoke and called for an upgraded Code 4 alarm. That alarm brought nearly 30 firefighters from Des Plaines, Elk Grove Township, Itasca, Wood Dale and Bensenville to assist Elk Grove Village. Crews used a special Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) truck equipped with a giant fan to clear the building of smoke after the trailer was extinguished and towed away from the loading dock.

Mikel said had the building not been equipped with a sprinkler system, the building itself would have likely caught fire causing a vastly larger blaze. He also said the trailer did not have a semi tractor attached to it when it caught fire. He said that would have also made the fire worse.

Apartment Building, Residential

Crossfield, AB, Canada – Possible arson fire at apartment complex put out with help from sprinkler system

Airdrie RCMP believe a blaze at an apartment complex in southern Alberta on Tuesday may have been intentionally set. The fire broke out in the 1000 block of Railway Street in Crossfield, Alta. 

RCMP said the blaze was extinguished quickly, thanks to the building’s sprinkler system, Good Samaritans and members of the fire department.  A third-floor apartment sustained minor damage, but RCMP said all residents in the building were able to get out safely and no one was injured.

Anyone with information on this case is asked to call Airdrie RCMP at 403-945-7200 or contact Crime Stoppers. Crossfield is located at about 50 kilometres north of Calgary.

Apartment Building, Residential

Rochester, MN – Early morning apartment fire suppressed by sprinkler system

Around 7 a.m. Wednesday morning the Rochester Fire Department responded to a fire alarm at the Boulder Apartments in southeast Rochester. When crews arrived they found water running from under the doorway and could smell smoke.  No one answered the door so firefighters broke through the locked door and discovered a small fire in the corner of the living room that had started moving up the wall and ceiling.  The sprinkler system had activated, suppressing the fire.

Firefighters were able to shut off the sprinkler system however there is extensive water damage to the third floor apartments as well as the apartments directly below on the 1st and 2nd floors. Damage is estimated at $20,000.  The City of Rochester’s Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the fire, so far it appears to be unintentional.  No one was in the apartment at the time of the fire but fire crews did rescue a young cat which they turned over to Animal Control until the occupant could be located and notified.

Apartment Building, Residential High Rise

Houston, TX – High-rise apartment fire quickly extinguished by sprinkler system

A high-rise apartment building in southwest Houston was evacuated Tuesday night after a fire erupted in one of the units. The blaze broke out about 7:45 p. m. at the Conquistador apartments at 7575 Bellaire near Fondren, according to the Houston Fire Department.

Officials said the small fire was in an eighth-floor kitchen of the seventeen-story building. The sprinkler system operated well and the fire was quickly extinguished. Firefighters evacuated the building, cleared smoke from the high-rise and inspected electrical equipment to make sure water had not created hazards. Later, residents were allowed back inside their apartments. No injuries were reported.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Newark, NY – Nursing home fire doused by sprinkler system

A sprinkler system is being credited with preventing a potentially large fire last Thursday evening at the Newark Manor Nursing Home on West Pearl Street.

Dick Colacino, the Newark Volunteer Fire Department’s public information officer, said firefighters responded to the site following an automatic box alarm and calls to 911. Assistant Chief Kevin Velte, who was first on the scene, reported smoke in the building and Chief Gerald VanDewalle called for mutual aid from Fairville and Lyons to assist with possible evacuation.

The cause was determined to be a portable air conditioner that caught fire. The blaze was doused by a sprinkler in a data closet housing the nursing home computers, preventing more extensive damage.

VanDewalle said a combination of the automatic smoke and fire alarm system, and a working sprinkler, prevented a much more serious incident. There was fire and smoke damage in the data room, as well as damage to computers and other equipment.

VanDewalle commended nursing home staff, firefighters, Newark police and EMS personnel for evacuating and isolating residents. Thirty-five firefighters were at the scene for more than two hours, clearing smoke from the building with fans.

Colacino said the working sprinkler system is a testament of their value, and firefighters are disappointed that the state Legislature has not passed a fire sprinkler law for all new one- and two-family homes.

 

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