Residential, Single Family Home

Orcutt, CA – House fire contained by residential sprinkler system; No injuries

Santa Barbara County Fire responded to a fire in a two story house fire at 896 Calle De La Rosa Sunday afternoon.

At 2:45 p.m. firefighters responded and found smoke coming from the home’s conjoined laundry room and office.

Officials say, it appears as though a computer in the office caught on fire.

The house, part of a new development in the area, had a sprinkler system installed in the room.

The sprinkler in the room was triggered by the heat and smoke, doused the fire with water, and was able to keep the flames contained to that room.

Residents were in the home at the time, but they all got out safely.

Fire investigators are currently looking into how the computer ignited.

Apartment Building, Residential

Maitland, FL – Sprinkler system helps put out apartment fire caused by charging drone battery

A drone battery charging inside a Maitland apartment caused a fire to erupt early Sunday morning, according to Maitland Fire Rescue.

The fire happened around 1 a.m. inside one of the units at the Arbors at Maitland Summit apartments.

Fire officials say the woman inside the apartment tried to put out the fire with a fire extinguisher, but the fire grew, causing the sprinkler system to go off.

According to fire officials, the drone battery was left unattended while it was charging.

“They put it on the charger, they went to sleep,” said Assistant Fire Chief Van Camp. “Someone woke up from the smell of smoke, went out, saw the batter was on fire, tried to put it out and it kept growing on them.”

Only one building at the apartment complex was evacuated. Those residents have since been allowed back into their apartments.

No injuries were reported.

The unit where the fire started sustained water damage, according to fire officials.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Sandusky, OH – Sprinkler system assists firefighters in containing fire to building’s elevator shaft

Roofers inadvertently sparked a small fire inside the Feick Contractor Building just after 9:15 a.m. last Wednesday.  Sandusky firefighters responded to Hancock and East Water streets, near Civista Bank’s downtown branch, where they saw white smoke billowing from an elevator shaft.

A ladder truck lifted several firefighters atop the structure’s roof, where they extinguished the fire. With help from an automated sprinkler system, activating before firefighters arrived, first responders quickly neutralized the situation.

“The fire started when (the roofers) were trying to attach some rubber flashing around the roof so it would adhere to glue,” Sandusky fire Chief Dave Degnan said. “We’re investigating it right now, but we’re leaning toward roofers just heating up the wood and starting the fire.”

The fire didn’t spread beyond the elevator shaft. People residing in an adjacent apartment, meanwhile, shouldn’t fret about their living situation, Degnan said.  “I don’t believe anyone is going to be displaced,” Degnan said.  Additionally, it doesn’t appear anyone sustained any injuries as a result of the fire.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Frisco, TX – Sprinkler system keeps early morning restaurant fire from spreading

A Frisco restaurant is temporarily closed, but spared thousands of dollars of damages thanks to their fire sprinkler system, according to the Frisco Fire Department. Frisco firefighters responded to a “water flow” call at 5:08 a.m. on May 21 from the alarm company that monitors the Posados on the 9500 block of S.H. 121.

When the firefighters arrived at 5:14 a.m., they discovered a kitchen full of smoke.  It took four engines and two ladder trucks to put out the fire at 5:30 a.m.

“The fire sprinkler system did what it’s supposed to do,” said Captain Kevin Haines of the Frisco Fire Department. “The restaurant was closed and no one was working at the time. That early in the morning, there are fewer people ‘out and about’, who might to notice and report a problem. In this case, the activated sprinklers slowed the fire’s ability to grow until firefighters arrived. There’s no doubt, fire sprinklers save property and lives.”

The Frisco Posados will be closed at least five days for repairs. There has been no report of any injuries.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Marshall Town, IA – Freezer fire at grocery store controlled with help from sprinkler system

Firefighters were sent to a grocery store on a report of a fire in a freezer Thursday. Crews were sent to the Aldi’s store at 2405 South Center Street at 9:20 a.m.  The store was evacuated as workers tried to track down which freezer the burning smell was coming from.  The fire was seen coming from the back side of a freezer.

By the time fire crews arrived, moderate smoke has filled the entire store, but no fire was visible from the entrance. As they started work, firefighters reported the sprinkler system activated. No injuries were reported.  The investigation found the cause of the fire to be electrical and damage is estimated at $75,000.

Office Building, Other Business

Rocky Mount, NC – Sprinklers limit damage to room of origin in office building blaze

No one was injured when a fire broke out Tuesday night at a local office building on the 1400 block of Atlantic Avenue.

Rocky Mount firefighters responded around 5:15 p.m. to an alarm call at the Jay Group building where employees had already evacuated. An automatic sprinkler system had activated in the office where the fire started and kept it in check until crews got to scene and extinguished the blaze within 15 minutes of being dispatched.

“Kudos to the automatic sprinkler system” said Jamie Vaughn, division chief of operations for Rocky Mount Fire Department. “It really saved this property and the lives of those people.”

It is unclear how many employees were in the building when the fire started, but the damage was limited to the room of origin. Fire investigators are working with Rocky Mount police to determine the cause of the fire, which is still under investigation.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 977-1111 or crimestoppers@rockymountnc.gov. Text a tip to police at 274637 by beginning messages with RMPOL to direct the tip to the Rocky Mount Police Department and type up to 155 characters about the information.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Lafayette, IN – Fire at assisted living facility extinguished by sprinkler system

Inspectors say a fire at an assisted living facility last week could have been deadly if not for the building’s sprinkler system. The fire started Friday inside a room at Digby Place, a Lafayette senior living community.  When crews got there, the sprinklers had already extinguished the fire. It made it easier to get to the person inside and out of the room.

Lafayette Fire Inspector Brian Alkire says sprinkler systems are mandatory in these types of facilities, but not in single family homes. He says the Digby Place fire is a perfect example of why homeowners should install sprinklers. “It’s a very cost-effective, life-saving measure that we’d like to get out that’s relatively cheap for newly constructed homes,” Alkire said.

The National Fire Protection Association said sprinklers reduce home fire deaths by 80 percent and reduce property loss by 70 percent. Inspectors say they are 1 percent of the total cost to build a house.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

South Berwick, ME – Fire in middle school utility room held in check by sprinkler system

Students and staff at Marshwood High School in South Berwick are being taken to Marshwood Middle School after a fire broke out Tuesday morning. The fire was reported in a utility room at 10:30 a.m., according to Regional School Unit 35 business manager Randy Stewart.

Officials said the fire started in a dryer in the room. The utility room is located behind the school gym on the first floor of the building.  The fire caused part of the building to fill with smoke, and it triggered the building’s sprinkler system.

The sprinklers knocked down the flames until firefighters could put out the blaze. Students and staff will remain at the middle school until fire officials give them the OK to return. Officials said it could take several hours to clear smoke from the building.

Students could be allowed to retrieve belongings Tuesday afternoon. No one was hurt. The Maine Fire Marshal’s Office will investigate the cause, which is standard protocol for a fire in a school.  School officials said all high school athletic games, practices, meets and activities have been postponed due to the fire.

Food Processing, Manufacturing

Fairfield, OH – Potentially catastrophic fire at food processing facility averted with help from sprinkler system

A small fire broke out in a room used for Koch Foods’ deep frying process, and while the Fairfield fire chief said minimal damage was caused, it could have been worse. Emergency crews were dispatched around 4 p.m. Monday for a reported fire at the food manufacturer at 4100 Port Union Road.

Fairfield Fire Chief Don Bennett said “we lucked out” when the fire started and was contained to the room with two giant vessels of hot oil. The chief said the mechanics in one of the vessels overheated and said “there was a sufficient amount of fire,” which did catch some of the other oils in the room on fire.  The building’s sprinkler system helped to suppress the fire.

Each of the giant vessels had about 1,000 gallons of oil each, according to Bennett. “The potential was there for something catastrophic,” he said.

The plant was evacuated and business is resuming. The room where the fire broke out happened to be finished with production for the day, and Bennett said that portion of Koch Foods operation is expected to be fully functional tomorrow. “There was no loss of business,” he said.

Apartment Building, Residential

San Rafael, CA – Sprinkler system limits spread of apartment fire

Three apartments sustained water damage in a one-alarm fire Sunday in San Rafael, a San Rafael battalion chief said.  The fire was first reported at 9:24 p.m. at 960 Lincoln Ave.

When firefighters arrived, they found a sprinkler had extinguished the fire in one apartment and firefighters went to work to limit water damage, Battalion Chief Kyle Hamilton said.

The apartment where the fire started is probably uninhabitable, which would displace one person, Hamilton said. The other two units are probably habitable, he said.

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