Adult Care/Rehab Center, Residential

Salt Lake City, UT – Fire at halfway house contained to bedroom by sprinkler system

Twenty-six women residing at the Orange Street Community Correctional Center were relocated Wednesday evening after a fire damaged a section of the center. The fire broke out at approximately 6:30 p.m. in a bedroom at the center. A corrections officer used a handheld extinguisher to put out the fire as staff evacuated residents from the building. 

 The fire was contained to a single bedroom. The building’s automatic sprinkler system activated and flooded the housing wing.  Salt Lake City Fire Department responded. Investigators declared the fire accidental and say it was caused by a charging electronic device. The officer who extinguished the fire was taken to a local hospital to be checked out as a precautionary measure.

The residents were allowed to gather a bag of belongings and then were taken to the Atherton Community Treatment Center in West Valley City. It is unknown at this time when the center will reopen.

Apartment Building, Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Tulsa, OK – Overnight fire at senior apartment complex is limited by sprinkler system

The fire was reported around 2:30 a.m. at Inverness Village near 3800 W. 71st St. A couple woke up to their balcony on fire. The husband pulled the fire alarm and the couple ran outside to safety.

Firefighters with the Sapulpa Fire Department showed up to see several residents outside. According to firefighters, the sprinkler system helped contain the fire until crews were able to put it out completely.

Everyone who evacuated is back inside their apartments. Three people were put in module units until their apartments are repaired.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Celina, OH – Sprinkler system helps contain fire at aluminum products plant

A fire broke out at a aluminum plant in Celina Monday afternoon, sending employees home. The fire started at Celina Aluminum Precision Technology, Inc. around 1:30 p.m.

The Celina Fire chief said the fire was contained to an area inside the building, between the steel bar joist and the roof. The sprinkler head went off and when firefighters arrived, the fire was out in about 20 minutes. They took care of hot spots for a couple more hours before workers could go back in.

Plant officials tell us first shift was sent home, and second shift was cancelled due to the fire. They hoped to have the area checked out and cleared, for third shift to come in and continue operations.

The Celina fire chief said the cause of the fire is still under investigation. Plant officials said they needed to check out their equipment before determining the damage.

College/University (on campus), Residence Hall/Dormitory

Columbia, MO – Residence hall fire extinguished by sprinkler system; Potential disaster mitigated

A fire at a Stephens College residence hall on Saturday afternoon resulted in no injuries but caused severe water damage to several units. The Columbia Fire Department was dispatched to a fire alarm at Wood Hall, 5 S. College Ave. Firefighters at the scene found heavy smoke and water coming from a sprinkler on the fifth floor.

The officer in charge upgraded the incident from an alarm to a commercial structure fire. A total of six units responded to the incident. An investigation revealed a fire in an apartment on the fifth floor activated the building’s sprinkler system. The sprinkler extinguished the fire, which didn’t spread to other units. The fire department is still investigating the cause of the fire. No damage estimates were available as of 5 p.m. Saturday.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Dallas, OR – Sprinklers prevent fire at RV manufacturing plant from spreading

The investigation into the cause of today’s fire at Forest River in Dallas is ongoing, but fire officials know one thing for sure: the RV manufacturing plant’s interior sprinklers saved the day. “The sprinkler system, it worked perfectly,” said Fred Hertel, Dallas fire chief.

Firefighters were called to the plant, at 1429 SE Uglow Ave., at about 11:55 a.m. By the time fire crews arrived, Forest River’s workers had been evacuated. According to firefighters on scene, the fire appears to have started on the outside of the building – though that hasn’t been officially confirmed yet – and traveled up the wall. The blaze triggered the sprinkler system, which knocked down the fire that had spread to the inside of the building.

Hertel said given the size of the building, without the sprinkler system, the fire could have easily gotten out of control. Thankfully, the blaze was contained to one section of the wall on the backside at the plant. “It’s just a little fire,” Hertel said. “The sprinkler system prevented this from getting beyond our capabilities.”

NW Natural, Pacific Power, and Polk No. 1 assisted Dallas Fire and EMS on the scene. The Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Office is conducting the investigation

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

San Leandro, CA – Fire at warehouse with polystyrene foam contained with help from sprinklers

Firefighters contained a 1-alarm blaze to a warehouse in San Leandro Wednesday evening with the help of the building’s sprinkler system. Alameda County Fire Department crews were dispatched a commercial warehouse in the 2400 block of Polvorosa Avenue at 5:33 p.m.

Blocks of polystyrene foam were burning and filling the structure with a large volume of black smoke, but a sprinkler system stopped the spread of the fire until firefighters arrived. No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

 

Manufacturing, Paper Mill / Saw Mill

Springfield, OR – Sawmill fire contained with help from sprinkler system

Twenty-one firefighters responded Wednesday afternoon to a fire in the planing mill section of the Rosboro Lumber Co. mill at 2509 Main St. The fire was reported at 3:18 p.m. and declared under control by 4:30 p.m., Eugene Springfield Fire Department officials said. The planing mill section has been shut down, but the rest of the mill is operational, officials said.

No employees or firefighters were reported injured. The cause of the fire, and estimated damage loss, were not immediately known.

The mill’s fire sprinkler system helped control the fire, Meigs said, but firefighters had to use a thermal imaging system to spot isolated cases where the fire was spreading through the ceiling. Battalion Chief Ben Meigs said the amount of sawdust in the mill may have contributed to the spread of the fire, which “traveled up the walls, and up the ceilings.”

Residential, Townhouse / Condominium

Leesburg, MD – Townhouse fire held in check by sprinkler system; No injuries

A potentially devastating townhouse fire in Leesburg was held in check by automatic sprinkler system until firefighters arrived.

On March 1 at 11:18 a.m., the Loudoun County Emergency Communications Center received a call for an automatic fire alarm at 19278 Harlow Square. A fire engine from Lansdowne responded. Upon arrival the firefighters met the homeowner, who let them know there was a fire in the garage. The crew requested additional resources, bringing fire and rescue units from Ashburn, Leesburg and Kincora. Firefighters located a small fire in the garage being contained by an automatic sprinkler system. Crews rapidly extinguished the remaining fire and ventilated the residence.

 There were no injuries to public safety personnel or civilians. The Fire Marshal’s Office conducted an investigation and determined the fire to be accidental in nature, causing $25,000 in damages.

“The sprinkler activation was undoubtedly responsible for preventing the fire from spreading into the rest of the home,” said Chief Fire Marshal Linda Hale in a prepared statement. “The damages were limited to an area of the garage and the residents were not displaced because of the early warning and intervention of the fire alarm and sprinkler systems.”

According to Loudoun County Fire and Rescue, home fire sprinklers can contain and may even extinguish a fire in less time than it would take the fire department to arrive on the scene. Installing both working smoke alarms and a fire sprinkler system reduces the risk of death in a home fire by 82 percent.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Waldorf, MD – Overnight fire at Marriott Courtyard hotel put out by sprinkler system; No injuries

A small fire caused an estimated $10,000 in damages to the interior of the Courtyard by Marriott in Waldorf around 2:03 a.m. today. The 3 story hotel is located at 3145 Crain Highway, Waldorf.

A hotel employee was alerted by the fire alarm. The sprinkler system activated and extinguished the fire.  The one alarm fire involved 40 firefighters from the Waldorf VFD and took approximately 5 minutes to bring under control.

There were no injuries or deaths.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Cambridge, ON, Canada – Fire at high school extinguished by sprinkler system

Fire crews were called to Preston High School shortly after 1 p.m., after being notified of fire alarms going off inside the building. When they arrived, they found that the school had been evacuated.

According to Cambridge Fire Department platoon Chief Brad Churchill, crews entered the building to find that its sprinkler system had extinguished the fire, but heavy smoke persisted in a corridor and stairwell at the back of the building.

One staff member was taken to hospital, to be treated for symptoms of smoke inhalation. Firefighters spent much of the afternoon at the school, ventilating the building.  After being allowed back in to pick up their belongings, students were sent home for the rest of the afternoon.

Churchill said the evacuation went off “like clockwork” because the school regularly practiced fire drills. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

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