Residential, Townhouse / Condominium

Bowie, MD – Sprinkler system activated for fire at condo building; No injuries reported

Four residents and multiple dogs had to be rescued from a burning condo building in Prince George’s County on Monday afternoon.

Prince George’s County Fire and EMS first tweeted about the fire around 1:40 p.m. The fire burned through a condo building in the 15600 block of Everglade Lane in Bowie.

The fire department responded just after 1 p.m. Heavy flames were showing through a second and third floor balcony and spread to the roof.

Percy Jacobs was working on a friends apartment across the street when it happened.

“I heard a loud sound, it sounded like a gunshot,” Jacobs said. “I looked out the window and saw a man leaving. Then I saw the flames on the first floor porch, then spread to second floor, then to the third floor.”

Jacobs said he called 911, then noticed people still inside the building.

“I asked 911, ‘Should I go over there? Should I knock on doors and get people out?’ They said, ‘No, stay where you are,'” he said.

“But that is hard. It’s hard to not help when lives are in danger.”

Fire crews got to the scene within minutes.

Four residents and multiple dogs had to be rescued from two different balconies, but no injuries have been reported.

The American Red Cross is on scene to help the affected residents. As many as 12 families were seeking assistance from the Red Cross. It’s not clear if there were more people displaced who didn’t need their help.

The building was equipped with a sprinkler system.

Eighty firefighters were involved in putting out the blaze.

No other details have been released.

Residential, Single Family Home

Hoffman Estates, IL – Sprinkler system activated for fire at two-story home; No injuries reported

No injuries were reported after fire broke out in a Hoffman Estates home Sunday morning, causing an estimated $400,000 in damage.

Hoffman Estates fire officials said firefighters called at about 10:04 a.m. to the two-story home in the 2100 block of Colchester Avenue arrived to find heavy smoke and flames coming from the garage.

All the home’s occupants had evacuated by the time firefighters arrived and the blaze was under control within about 20 minutes, officials said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. The home had operating smoke detectors and a residential sprinkler system, although the garage had no coverage.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Harlan, IA – Sprinkler system activated for fire at lodge; No injuries reported

Harlan Fire Chief Roger Bissen tells KSOM/KS95 News firefighters responded to a fire in a room at the Cyclone Lodge at 2004 23rd Street on Saturday afternoon.

The call went out at 12:50 p.m. Chief Bissen says upon arrival, smoke could be seen coming from the room door. Mutual aid was requested from the Westphalia and Avoca Fire Departments.  When firemen made entry, they found contents left near the furnace, which caught fire and ignited the curtains. The lodge was evacuated.

Chief Bissen says the room sustained smoke and water damage from the sprinkler system, and the ground floor had some smoke damage.

No one was injured in the fire.

Other - Retail, Retail

Baton Rouge, LA – Sprinkler system activated for fire at Dollar Tree store

A snack aisle at a Dollar Tree caught fire Sunday evening, destroying a shelf and damaging part of the building’s ceiling. 

The Central Fire Department posted pictures of the fire’s aftermath Sunday. Officials said the operational sprinkler system inside the store prevented the fire from spreading, and the scene was under control shortly after the firefighters’ arrival.

There was no immediate known cause of the fire, but the CFD encouraged anyone with information about the fire to contact the Baton Rouge Fire Department.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Newark, DE – Sprinkler system activated for arson fire at shopping center; No injuries reported

Fire damaged a recently renovated grocery store in Newark, filling the building with smoke and activating the sprinkler system late Sunday.

The fire was reported at approximately 10:45 p.m. at the Acme in The Grove at Newark, formerly known as College Square Shopping Center.

Firefighters arrived to find debris on fire in one of the aisles. The sprinkler system contained the fire, which was extinguished by firefighters.

The store was open at the time of the fire, but no one was injured.

Deputy Chief A.J. Schall said there was damage to one aisle and likely smoke and water damage throughout the store.

The state fire marshal is investigating the cause of the fire, though reports from scene indicated that two juveniles ignited paper towels and then ran out of the store.

The fire came just weeks after Acme completed substantial renovations to the store, including new refrigerator cases, new flooring and a new floral department.

Apartment Building, Residential

Bismarck, ND – Sprinkler system extinguishes stovetop fire at multi-story apartment building; No injuries reported

The Bismarck Fire Department (BFD) was called to the downtown side of the capital city this weekend, as a sprinkler system activated in a multi-story apartment building.

According to a press release from the BFD, at approximately 5:28 p.m. on Saturday, March 23, the group received a call after a report of sprinkler activation at the Heritage Apartments on the 100 block of North 6th Street. Upon arriving on the scene, fire crews noted that the smoke alarm and sprinkler activation came from the fourth floor — and would later detect light smoke in the hallway and water flowing under the door of an apartment.

As they entered, firefighters found that a stovetop fire had been extinguished by the building’s fire sprinkler system, and that the unit’s occupant evacuated to the ground floor. Following this realization, the water flow from the sprinkler was shut down, and the four floor was ventilated to clear smoke.

No injuries were reported to occupants or firefighters, but three occupants were temporarily displaced due to water damage.

The cause of the fire was determined to be unattended cooking.

Manufacturing, Other - Manufacturing

Wenatchee, WA – Sprinkler system activated for fire in machinery room; No injuries reported

A fire this morning in the packing line facility at Stemilt Growers halted production temporarily, but left no one injured.

Wenatchee Valley Fire Chief Brian Brett says the fire in a machinery room at the Euclid Avenue complex was reported about 7:53 a.m. But fire suppression systems at the warehouse helped calm the flames, while Stemilt’s emergency protocols got more than 100 people safely out of the building before firefighters arrived.

“Fortunately, the maintenance personnel working there, they shut the breaker off to the machine room where the fire originated,” Brett told NCWLIFE. “A sprinkler head activated, which contained the fire just as they’re supposed to do.”

Brett says the attention to fire protocols in the facility “alleviates a lot of stress for us, because then we know we’re not going in not only to suppress the fire, but to have to look for occupants as well. We can focus exclusively on suppressing the fire.”

Residential, Townhouse / Condominium

Winnipeg, MB, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for fire at condo building; No injuries reported

No one was injured following a fire Monday evening in a Leila North condo building. 

The fire broke out just after 8 p.m. in a four-storey condo building in the 1200 block of Leila Avenue.

The condo’s sprinkler system knocked out most of the fire before crews arrived. Firefighters finished putting out the fire and it was declared under control about an hour later.

Residents took shelter in the lobby while crews put the fire out. No one was injured.

It’s believed the fire was accidental, related to lithium-ion batteries.

Apartment Building, Residential

Spring Hill, TN – Sprinkler system activated for fire at apartment complex

The Spring Hill Fire Department responded swiftly and effectively to a morning fire at a third-floor apartment at Worthington Glen Apartments, where they rescued a dog and two cats. Thanks to the rapid response and the assistance of the sprinkler system, the fire was contained, preventing any casualties.

The fire was dispatched at 11:21am Monday morning, fortunately, broke out while no residents were present in the apartment. However, the presence of beloved pets left behind prompted firefighters to take immediate action to ensure their safety. Firefighters managed to locate and safely evacuate the pets, much to the relief of the owners.

The sprinkler system played a crucial role in containing the fire, minimizing its spread to neighboring units. While the third-floor apartment sustained fire damage, the lower apartments experienced water damage as a result of the sprinkler system’s activation. Damage to the building is estimated to be around $150,000. The Fire Marshal determined one of the cats possibly turned the stove on and started the fire.

Worthington Glen is taking proactive measures to assist affected residents. Management is relocating residents to other available apartments within the complex to ensure their comfort and safety while repairs are underway.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Bend, OR – Sprinkler system activated for fire at clubhouse; No injuries reported

Firefighters battle a fire at Juniper Preserve Friday evening.

Redmond Fire & Rescue responded to a structure fire around 5:30 p.m.

Juniper Preserve staff quickly evacuated the building of guests.

As fire crews arrived there was visible smoke coming from the roof of the building and made a quick attack on the fire, but had to quickly evacuate the building due to the collapse of a chimney onto the roof.

The buildings fire sprinkler system was able to help keep the fire in check and crews were able to access the void areas in the roof.

We learned no one was hurt during the fire.

Officials think it possibly started when fireplace fire burned into the walls and then up into the roof.

Redmond Fire says the vaulted ceilings made it more challenging to figure out exactly the best attack.

Redmond Fire & Rescue was assisted by Bend Fire & Rescue, Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office and Sunriver Fire & Rescue.

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