Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Petitcodiac, NB, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for early morning fire at school

Petitcodiac Regional School was closed Thursday due to an early morning fire that has been deemed suspicious.

Chief Craig Ramsay of the Petitcodiac Volunteer Fire Department said they were dispatched to the school around 4:20 a.m.

Light smoke was discovered in one of the rooms in the elementary wing of the K-12 school and the sprinkler system was activated.

The fire was contained to one room.

Ramsay said the fire is suspicious and is being investigated by the RCMP and the New Brunswick Office of the Fire Marshall.

School staff are evaluating the damage and the facility is closed.

“For how long, nobody knows,” said Ramsay.

A spokesperson for the Anglophone East School District said they are communicating with the police and fire officials.

More information will be provided to families when it becomes available to the district.

Petitcodiac Regional School is located in the heart of the village and is home to roughly 650 students.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Red Deer, AB, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for fire at tire store; No injuries reported

Red Deer Emergency Services (RDES) are currently investigating a fire that took place Wednesday night at the north-end Canadian Tire store.

Curtis Schaefer, Assistant Deputy Chief for the City’s RDES, says the call came in at around 8:30 p.m. on April 5.

A total of 19 firefighters were on scene with three fire engines, a ladder, a command vehicle and an ambulance.

When crews arrived, he says smoke wasn’t seen escaping the building (6380 -50 Ave) but firefighters were able to see smoke inside the store from the front doors. He says crews got in quickly and found the seat of the fire, its origin, in the seasonal section of the store.

Making their initial fire attack, Schaefer says crews went back out to bring more hose lines but the fire grew, activating the sprinkler system. While the sprinklers controlled the fire from spreading, he says crews ventilated the building to ensure there was no other damage or fire going on in the building at the same time, before knocking out the fire completely.

“With the combination of the fire and the sprinklers, the entire building became full of smoke,” he said. “Once the fire was out completely and the sprinklers were shut off, the time was spent ventilating the building. It’s a very large structure with a large amount of smoke in it.”

Crews were on scene for approximately four hours, he says.

The cause of the fire is under investigation but Schaefer says the belief is that it may be suspicious, leading RCMP to assist them Thursday morning.

As the store’s closing hour was 9 p.m., he says all employees and customers were successfully evacuated when fire crews came on scene. No injuries were reported.

No damage was caused to other properties and the fire was contained to just the store’s seasonal area, but Schaefer says water and smoke damage spread across the entirety of the Canadian Tire.

“When we have fires inside large commercial buildings like this, the challenge is just the size. It’s difficult for our crews to get access to the seat of the fire and basically the size of the building and the amount of material in the building can cause challenges for our crews to get to the seat of the fire and put it out quickly,” he said.

Investigators and a property restoration company were on scene Thursday morning.

Apartment Building, Residential

Fort Dodge, IA – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire at apartment building; No injuries reported

A sprinkler system extinguished a fire in a downtown Fort Dodge apartment building Tuesday morning. No one was injured.

A report of a fire alarm activated at Central Place Apartments, 629 Central Ave., was received at 9:17 a.m.

Police officers who were first on the scene reported smoke on the second floor of the six-story building.

Fire Department Capt. Jeff Hill said the source of the smoke was determined to be apartment 202. There, he said, three sprinkler heads activated and extinguished a fire that was burning a chair and some cushions.

Firefighters searched the apartment for people and put out a couple of hot spots. They also ventilated smoke from the apartment.

Police officers helped to evacuate residents of the other apartments. Those residents were allowed to go inside next door at Citizens Central.

Hill said the occupant of the apartment was home when the fire started, but was able to get out into the hallway.

Apartment 202 sustained smoke, fire and water damage, while the apartment below it sustained water damage.

The American Red Cross is assisting the resident of the fire-damaged apartment, Hill said.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, he said.

Emergency personnel were on the scene until 11 a.m.

Bank, Other Business

Vancouver, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for arson fire at ATM in bank; No injuries reported

The Vancouver Fire Rescue Services (VFRS) says a fire that broke out in Chinatown Friday (March 31) night was likely the result of arson.

Around 10:54 p.m., the VFRS received a call about a small fire at an ATM inside the Scotiabank Bank at 268 Keefer St. in Chinatown. When crews arrived, smoke was coming from the ATM and the sprinkler head had been activated, VFRS spokesperson Matthew Trudeau told V.I.A.

Crews ensured the fire was out and checked inside of the building for damages. There was no additional fire damage outside of the ATM but there was significant damage from smoke and water from the sprinklers.

Eleven fire trucks were dispatched to the first alarm fire, which was deemed incendiary and referred to VPD for arson investigation, Trudeau explained.

VPD Spokesperson Const. Tania Visintin says the “suspicious fire” is still under investigation.

There are no reports of injuries as the bank was unoccupied at the time.

A note that was posted by Sun Wah Centre Management to tenants and visitors notes that the bank was flooded and “no emergency restoration team can get into it or clear off the water due to hazardous smoke occupied.”

The management team added that some units continued to experience leakage Saturday.

Apartment Building, Residential

Virginia Beach, VA – Sprinkler system contains fire at apartment building; No injuries reported

A fire forced residents out of a Virginia Beach apartment building on the afternoon of Sunday, April 2.

According to a spokesperson for the Virginia Beach Fire Dept., crews responded just before 2:00 p.m. Sunday to the Crescent Square Apartments on Diamond Springs Road.

Fire officials told News 3 no injuries were reported.

Fire crews said the fire is believed to be accidental and started in a kitchen.

Crews added a sprinkler system activation kept the fire contained, but power was turned off for the building as the electrical system has to be inspected by electricians.

The fire department says 72 people were temporarily displaced due to no power in the building. Residents will be able to return to the building once electrical is approved.

Additionally, the department says 20 of the units were impacted by water damage. Those who reside in the 20 water damaged units will be unable to return immediately.

Apartment Building, Residential

Murray, UT – Sprinkler system activated for apartment fire above theater

A local playhouse, the Desert Star Playhouse, will be closed for at least two weeks following a fire in an apartment above the theater.

“The show will go on,” they said in a Facebook post.

Over the weekend, a fire occurred in an apartment directly above the theater, and due to Desert Star owner, Mike Todd, and his vigilance in keeping the fire alarms and sprinkler systems maintained, a victim of the fire was saved. Authorities also say the majority of the damage was from the sprinkler system.

The fire on March 31 was put out by crews with the Murray Fire Department. According to the Murray City Fire Chief, Joseph Mittelman, the crews could walk directly to the unit where the fire was reported.

Mittelman said when they entered the unit, the sprinkler was going off, and a person was in there. The crew began treatment of the victim as they awaited paramedics. When the paramedics arrived, they transported the victim to the hospital to treat him for smoke inhalation and minor injuries.

“The one thing we’re so appreciative of is a business owner, such as the Desert Star [owner], that is safety oriented. They had an alarm system, that was […] maintained, and also this fire sprinkler system has been maintained as well,” Mittelman said. “In this case, [the system] protected, and also saved this individual’s life.”

The apartment received both fire and water damage, and The Desert Star received flooding and water damage. According to Mittelman, fire sprinklers put out 7 gallons per minute.

The Desert Star said that due to the water damage, they are planning to re-open in two weeks, if not sooner. They said they’re currently in the process of cleaning up and readying the theater for future laughs.

“We didn’t start the fire,” Desert Star quipped. “But we’ll keep the place lit with our laughs.”

The Desert Star said that you can plan ahead for the re-opening, and purchase tickets for upcoming events on their website.

Residential, Residential High Rise

Fresno, CA – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire at eight-story building

A water sprinkler doused a fire Friday afternoon at an eight-story building in downtown Fresno.

The Fresno Fire Department responded to the fire at 4:45 p.m. at Fulton and Amador streets with reports of a fire that started on the balcony, spokesman Jonathan Lopez said.

The sprinkler system had already extinguished the fire when crews arrived.

No one was displaced.

Lopez credited the Silvercrest Retirement Residence management for helping fire crews get to where the fire started and stressed the importance of having a working sprinkling system.

”This incident really highlights the importance of not having working smoke detectors, but especially in buildings like this working fire suppression,” he said. ”Sprinklers and self-closing doors really minimize the potential disaster that could happen in a high-rise building without these fire protection features.”

Five engines and two ladder trucks responded to the commercial fire.

Apartment Building, Residential

Madison, WI – Sprinkler system extinguishes apartment fire caused by unattended cooking

Firefighters responded to an apartment on Tree Lane to investigate a fire alarm in the building. There were also multiple reports of smoke coming from an apartment unit inside.

Ladder Co. 2 checked the building’s alarm panel, which indicated a problem on the fourth floor. The crew proceeded to the fourth floor and identified that an automatic fire sprinkler had caught and extinguished a fire caused by unattended cooking.

Firefighters checked the unit for occupants and did find someone sleeping in another room with the door closed. That occupant was uninjured and able to evacuate the unit while firefighters turned off the stove and shut down the fire sprinkler system.

The incident caused fire damage to the stovetop and microwave, as well as some charring of drywall. Two other residential units were also affected. The American Red Cross is assisting those who were displaced.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Green Township, OH – Sprinkler system activated for refrigerator fire at school

Margaret B. Rost School will not be open Wednesday after a refrigerator fire resulted in extensive damage.

Fire crews were dispatched to the school on Bridgetown Road Wednesday afternoon for a fire alarm activation. When they arrived, Green Township Fire Chief Scott Souders said they found a fridge inside that had caught fire.

The fire had already been put out thanks to the school’s sprinkler system, but Souders said the system caused water damage throughout the building. The fire also resulted in a large amount of smoke, which crews were trying to clear from the school.

A spokesperson for the school said classes are canceled Wednesday — noting they hope to be back Thursday but do not yet know the extent of the damage.

“I would assume at this point it’s not going to be able to be occupied anytime in the next day or two,” Souders said at the scene.

A remediation crew has been called to the school.

Officials said the school was unoccupied when the fire occurred. It doesn’t appear suspicious at this time, but an investigation is underway.

Margaret B. Rost is a school operated by Hamilton County Developmental Disabilities Services. It focuses on individualized instruction for students with significant disabilities.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Grand Chute, WI – Sprinkler system activated for laundry room fire at hotel; No injuries reported

The Hampton Inn in Grand Chute was evacuated Saturday after a first-floor laundry room caught fire.

According to a release from the Grand Chute Fire Department, crews were dispatched to the scene after an employee found a fire located in the hotel’s main laundry room.

The fire was being controlled by the building’s automatic sprinkler system. Fire crews from GCFD and the City of Appleton and Village of Fox Crossing Fire units worked to locate and extinguish the remaining pocked of fire.

Despite being contained to a small area of the hotel, smoke extended to all floors and the building was evacuated as a precaution. Personnel remained on scene for several hours ventilating the building to remove the smoke and overhauling the fire area to ensure the safety of the hotel’s guests and staff.

There were no injuries reported and fire investigators are continuing to determine the cause of the fire.

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