Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Prescott, AZ – Sprinkler system activated for fire at senior living facility

Ninety people are without a home after a fire broke out at a Prescott senior living community on Friday evening.

Around 6 p.m., crews were called about fire and smoke that was reported from a third-story apartment at the Prescott Lakes Senior Living Apartments near Prescott Lakes Parkway and Highway 89. The fire was upgraded to a second alarm due to the building’s size and number of residents inside.

The Prescott Police Department was the first on the scene and saved the resident in the apartment and those in nearby units. Fire crews soon arrived and quickly accessed the apartment on fire. With help from the fire sprinkler system, firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the flames and prevent the fire from spreading to the rest of the complex.

Some residents evacuated; however, others could not leave their apartments and were told to shelter in place by the fire personnel after it was determined they were not in danger. A Prescott police officer was treated on the scene for smoke inhalation. One resident fainted after being evacuated and was taken to the hospital for further evaluation. No other injuries were reported.

Prescott Fire says there was extensive water damage from the sprinklers and fire personnel on all three floors, including an electrical room that powers half of the complex. Therefore, fire officials, the City of Prescott Building Department and utility companies determined it was unsafe for residents to return to their apartments, leaving 90 people and several pets displaced.

The Yavapai County Office of Emergency Management and the Red Cross has arranged a temporary shelter at the Humboldt Unified School District Offices in Prescott Valley. Around 11 residents have chosen to stay at the shelter, while many others are staying with family, friends, and at hotels. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.

Prescott Fire says the outcome would’ve been different if the sprinkler system were not in place. According to a report from the National Fire Protection Agency, buildings with fire sprinkler systems successfully confine fire spread to the room of origin 95% of the time, compared to 71% of properties without.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Owatonna, MN – Sprinkler system controls fire at business; No injuries reported

Authorities are investigating a fire at a business in Owatonna.

It happened just before 11:30 p.m. Tuesday at Nelson Decorating Center, located at 121 Oakdale Street SW.

According to the Owatonna Fire Department (OFD), the sprinkler system at the business controlled the blaze until crews arrived to put out the remaining flames.

Firefighters stayed on scene for roughly two hours to help ventilate the building.

The cause of the fire is unknown. Damages are estimated at $350,000.

The neighboring business, Sherwin Williams, had minor smoke and water damage.

OFD said no one was hurt.

“Having a working sprinkler system helped prevent more extensive damage to the business,” said Ed Hoffman, the Owatonna Fire Chief. “This is a great reminder for other businesses that have sprinkler and fire alarm systems to have them inspected regularly to ensure they are working properly.”

The Owatonna Police Department and the Minnesota State Fire Marshal’s Office assisted OFD at the scene.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Palm Desert, CA – Sprinkler system activated for fire in commercial building; No injuries reported

A fire in a one-story commercial building in Palm Desert Tuesday evening was extinguished with no reports of injuries.

Firefighters responded to the 77700 block of Flora Road, near Las Montanas Road, around 8:10 p.m. to a report regarding light smoke coming from a one-story commercial building, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.

Firefighters discovered two golf carts fully engulfed in flames as they approached the inside of the building.

The building’s sprinkler system assisted in holding back the fire.

The fire was contained around 8:54 p.m. Firefighters remained on the scene for clean-up and to ensure all hot spots were extinguished.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Wauconda, IL – Sprinkler system contains fire at senior apartment building

A sprinkler system contained a blaze at a senior apartment building in Wauconda until firefighters arrived Thursday afternoon.

The Wauconda Fire District responded to Liberty Arms, 260 Larkdale Row Drive, at 3:09 p.m. and found a fire in a second-floor unit was being kept in check by a sprinkler head, according to a news release.

Crews extinguished the fire, which officials said was related to unattended cooking.

Five people were taken to the hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening, the news release said.

Damage was estimated at $300,000. The Red Cross was helping displaced residents.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Great Falls, MT – Sprinkler system held fire at laundry mat in check

UPDATE 5 PM: Great Falls Fire Rescue (GFFR) released more information in relation to the National Laundry Fire on Monday night. 

After GFFR arrived on scene, firefighters noticed smoke coming from the roof of the building.

Firefighters entered the building through a door on the East side of the building and were met with heavy smoke and no visibility.

When entry was made into the building, firefighters encountered two males in the building who were National Laundry employees attempting to put the fire out.

The employees had been notified of the alarm activation by the fire alarm monitoring company.

Both employees were escorted out of the building and assessed by GFES, but both employees refused any further medical care on completion of the medical assessment.

After firefighters reentered the building, they discovered the fire was being held in check by the building’s sprinkler system.

Even with the sprinkler system keeping the fire in check, firefighters did have a tough time getting the fire knocked down, but they were able to get it fully under control.

The cause of the fire has been determined to be the spontaneous combustion of mop heads. There are numerous fires that have been documented as being caused by the spontaneous combustion of mop heads at laundry facilities, as noted in Spontaneous Ignition Fires in Laundries by Jim Everitt.

Fire damage in National Laundry was limited by the presence of the fire sprinkler system. Without this system in place, the entire complex could have been lost.

As of now, total damages to National Laundry have not been determined, and they are working to get the business reopened.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Ocala, FL – Sprinkler system activated for arson fire at hotel

A 16-year-old girl has been arrested after setting a couch on fire at a hotel and causing guests to be evacuated early in the morning following a fight with her mother, police say.

Ocala Fire Rescue in Ocala, Florida — located some 80 miles northwest of Orlando — received a call Tuesday at approximately 3:24 a.m. to reports of a structure fire at the Hilton Ocala hotel located on 3600 SW 36th Ave.

“Units arrived at the nine-story hotel to find audible and visual alarms, an active sprinkler system, and Ocala Police Department members assisting guests in evacuating the premises,” Ocala Fire Rescue said in a statement on social media.

Firefighters encountered “moderate smoke” as they entered the lobby of the hotel and began to make their way down a first-floor hallway near the banquet rooms to try and find the source of the fire which was worsening as they approached, authorities said.

“Using a thermal imaging camera, crews located the seat of the fire,” Ocala Fire Rescue said. “In conjunction with the sprinkler system, crews used a water can to smother the flames, which consumed a couch and scorched an adjacent wall.”

The fire was extinguished entirely within seven minutes of arrival, officials said, but given the deliberate nature of the blaze, the Ocala Police Department treated the fire as arson.

Following a brief investigation, Ocala Police ended up arresting a 16-year-old girl who was visiting from Peoria, Illinois. Police said she allegedly started the fire after fighting with her mother, though authorities did not say what caused the fight and what could have led her to allegedly set a sofa on fire in the building because of it.

“The damage to the hotel is estimated to be a couple hundred thousand dollars,” Ocala Police said. “Thankfully, no one was injured … and hotel guests were able to return to their rooms the same morning.”

Authorities credited an effective evacuation plan carried out by hotel staff in the early hours of the morning for helping to keep the situation under control and the estimated 320 guests safe.

The teenage girl has been charged with arson and the investigation into the incident is ongoing.

Apartment Building, Residential

Seattle, WA – Sprinkler system activated for apartment fire; No injuries reported

Puget Sound firefighters put out a fire on Saturday that destroyed the entire front entrance of an apartment.

The fire happened in SeaTac in the 3700 block of 209th Place, according to Puget Sound Fire.

Neighbors used fire extinguishers to put out the fire. The sprinkler system also went off which helped diminish the flames.

No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Grand Forks, ND – Sprinkler system activated for fire at restaurant and bar; No injuries reported

A restaurant and bar in the northern valley is damaged after a fire started in the building.

The Grand Forks Fire Department was called to the Crooked Pint Ale House on S. Columbia Rd. around 10:42 p.m. on Sunday, July 23.

Authorities say they saw smoke coming from the back of the building and could hear the sprinkler system going off. Firefighters eventually found the fire started on top of the coolers and spread to parts of the ceiling.

Officials say they put out the fire quickly, but some fire damage was already done to parts of the restaurant and most of the building had some smoke damage.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation and the business will remain closed until repairs can be made.

No one was injured in the fire.

Apartment Building, Residential

Brick, NJ – Sprinkler system activated for fire at apartment complex; No injuries reported

An apartment fire at the Chambers Bridge Residence was quickly contained Wednesday afternoon thanks to working fire sprinklers and the quick response of firefighters, Brick Township fire officials said Thursday.

There were no injuries in the fire at the 184-unit five-story building, a statement from Kevin C. Batzel, chief of the Brick Township Bureau of Fire Safety said.

Brick Township emergency dispatch received an alert about a waterflow activation at the apartment complex at 3:47 p.m. and first responders found an active fire in a second-floor apartment, Batzel said.

The fire happened in a hamper in a bedroom and the fire sprinkler head in the bedroom activated, dousing the flames, and firefighters confirmed the fire was under control within minutes of their arrival, then made quick work of smoke that lingered, he said.

The fire was contained to that room with some minor water and smoke damage to that apartment and apartments on either side and on the first floor, Batzel said.

Residents of all of the apartments except those that suffered damage were able to return to normal within hours, Batzel said.

“The bureau would like to thank the quick response of all the Brick Township fire departments, our mutual aid companies, Brick Township Police, Brick EMS and Townshipo Emergency Management for their quick response,” the statement said.

“It should be noted that the working fire sprinkler system and smoke alarms activation kept damage to a minimum in conjunction with the quick fire department response,” Batzel said. “Working alarms and the presence of fire sprinklers are imperative to fire and life safety and no doubt kept the fire small and controllable with minimal disruption to the building.”

Fire Chiefs Joe Licandro and Tom Bisbal of Fire District 1 were in control at the scene, and inspectors Joseph Sansone and Paul Matula from the fire bureau investigated.

Department Store, Retail

Johnstown, CO – Sprinkler system activated for fire in cardboard compactor at department store; No injuries reported

The Loveland Fire Rescue Authority put out a fire in a cardboard compactor at Scheels in Johnstown Tuesday.

No one was hurt, but the fire resulted in evacuation of the store, which was closed for the rest of the evening.

At 4:48 p.m. Tuesday, LFRA was dispatched to a fire sprinkler water flow alarm at Scheels and, when crews arrived two minutes later, they saw smoke showing from the loading dock area, according to a post on the LFRA Facebook page.

The incident was upgraded to a commercial fire and additional LFRA units were called along with Berthoud Fire Protection, Front Range Fire Rescue, Thompson Valley EMS, Poudre Fire Authority and Johnstown Police Department crews.

Crews from Engine 50, which work out of Station 10 in Johnstown nearby, found a working fire in the cardboard compactor with a fire sprinkler in the compactor loading room “holding the fire from extending into the interior of the structure,” according to the post.

Once the fire was under control, crews used a wildland fire engine to pull the compactor away from the building

Crews also used electric ventilation fans to clear the smoke from the interior of the store, though the majority of the smoke was contained to the interior areas near the loading dock, the post said. Scheels staff assisted the incident commander with technical knowledge of the building’s ventilation system to help with this process.

The post added the store closed for the rest of the evening.

Battalion Chief Kevin Hessler said no injuries were reported in the incident. He added that the cause of the fire is unknown.

He also added that the Scheels team did a great job getting evacuating everyone once the fire alarm sounded.

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