Apartment Building, Residential

Madison, WI – Cooking fire in apartment building put out by sprinkler system

The Madison Fire Department credits sprinklers with putting out a cooking fire in an apartment on West Mifflin Street.  Firefighters were called to the 500 block of W. Mifflin just before 3 p.m. Friday. They say someone in a third floor apartment was cooking when oil in a pan ignited. The flames set off a sprinkler head in the kitchen. The fire department says there was minimal smoke damage from the fire, but some water did flow into lower floors.  Seventeen people in the apartment building are safe.  The fire department says there’s no word on when residents would be able to get back into their apartments, but all of them were able to arrange a place to stay overnight.

Apartment Building, Residential

Sechelt, BC, Canada – Fire sprinkler averts major downtown blaze

The Sechelt fire department is praising the use of fire sprinklers, which averted a major fire in downtown Sechelt last Thursday afternoon. Fire Chief Bill Higgs said the fire occurred just after lunch on Feb. 19 at a residential apartment building when a pot of grease was left on a stove unattended.

 “Upon arrival it was observed that a fire had occurred in the kitchen of a second-floor suite,” Higgs said. “The heat from the blaze had activated just one sprinkler head, which extinguished the fire. The fire department was automatically called by the monitored sprinkler/fire alarm system and the residents were alerted to the fire by the alarm bells. We were on scene within five minutes and quickly learned that we were only needed to ventilate the building and begin cleanup.”

Higgs said the fire had the potential for catastrophic life and property losses. “Thankfully, this fire occurred in a building protected by fire sprinklers and therefore had been completely extinguished by the automatic system that had been installed throughout the building,” he said.

In less than an hour, the 17 volunteer firefighters and four fire trucks had returned to the fire hall. No civilian or firefighter injuries occurred. “Only one tenant was displaced from the building for a couple of days, and everyone else reoccupied their suites that day,” Higgs said. “The total dollar loss to the $3-million structure was less than $5,000. Had this fire occurred in a similar unsprinklered building, at least three other fire departments from the Sunshine Coast would have been called to assist with the suppression effort, lasting at least half a day, with the follow-up investigation, demolition and rebuilding lasting months.”

The Sechelt fire department recommends the installation of fire sprinklers to all building owners ranging from single-family homes right up to multi-family or commercial buildings, new and old. “At less than $1.50 a square foot in new construction, why not?” Higgs asked. “Come and see us to learn what we have witnessed about the community cost saving benefits of automatic fire sprinklers in our town of just 12,000 people. We encourage others to learn from our experiences and to support our efforts in the promotion and continued use of commercial and residential fire sprinkler systems.”

Office Building, Other Business

Yuma, AZ – Arson fire at office building mostly extinguished by sprinkler system

A fire at a building Thursday afternoon that had been mostly extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system was determined to have been intentionally set. According to Yuma Fire Department spokesman Mike Erfert, shortly after 1:00 p.m., smoke was reported coming from an office in the Mission Valley Plaza, located at 3970 West 24th Street. Once on scene, firefighters found light smoke coming from a vacant office space inside the building.

 Erfert said the building’s fire sprinkler system, which had been exposed to the heat, had activated, containing and mostly extinguishing the fire by the time firefighters had arrived. Erfert said firefighters ensured the fire was out and had not spread to adjoining areas of the building.

Sgt. Leanne Worthen, of the Yuma Police Department, said because the fire appeared to have been in intentionally set, detectives were called to scene, and are investigating the fire as an arson. Given this was the fourth fire in as many days, Erfert wanted to stress the importance of fire sprinkler systems, saying they can keep fires from spreading and can also extinguish them.

Fire spreads quickly and can double in size every minute. Even small fires can cause significant damage to property and endanger those nearby. Contrary to many Hollywood portrayals, only sprinkler heads directly exposed to the heat activate, not those in the rest of the room, building, or complex.

Department Store, Retail

Houston, TX – Arson fire at HEB store controlled with help from sprinkler system

An HEB in southwest Houston will be closed indefinitely after a fire was started inside the grocery store Wednesday evening.  The fire erupted around 7:30pm at the store in off Beechnut and the Beltway.

According to fire officials at the scene, someone set fire to toilet paper in the back of the store. Fire officials on the scene say when the fire started, employees tried to put it out with extinguishers. Firefighters then arrived to help.  The store’s sprinkler system activated to help control the fire.  

An HEB spokesperson said everyone was evacuated and no injuries were reported.  Officials said the store will be shut down until health inspectors can examine what kind of damage was made to the products inside. The HEB spokesperson didn’t know how long that process will take.  HEB says it is working with HFD on the investigation, which they’re classifying as arson.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Dayton, OH – Sprinklers keep fire from spreading at Bravo! restaurant

A fire damaged the kitchen at Bravo! by the Dayton Mall. Firefighters forced their way into the restaurant on Miamisburg Centerville Road in Miami Twp. around 1 a.m. No employees were present, but crews found smoke inside, according to Miami Valley Fire District Battalion Chief Steve Meadows.

The sprinkler system kept the flames from spreading, but the fire did moderate to severe damage in the kitchen, Meadows said. Meadows also said the restaurant could be closed for a few days

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Paramus, NJ – Overnight fire at nursing home contained by sprinkler system

The blaze at a Paramus nursing home began in a resident’s room and was contained by the sprinkler system at the Care One at Pine Rest Nursing Home on West Ridgewood Avenue shortly before 12:15 a.m. early Thursday.  A female resident was transported by ambulance to The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood with what were reported to be minor injuries.  There were also unconfirmed reports of two residents with smoke inhalation.

Manufacturing, Paper Mill / Saw Mill

Elk Grove Village, IL – (NO MEDIA COVERAGE) Fire in paper baler contained by sprinkler system

*** NO MEDIA COVERAGE – Fire Department Reported ***
REPORT OF A FIRE IN A PAPER BALER — CONTAINED BY A SPRINKLER HEAD, BUT CAN’T EXTINGUISH THE FIRE.  ABOUT 300 FEET OF HO– USE REQUIRED TO DO– USE THE FIRE IN THE PAPER BALER.   FIRE OUT IN SMOLDERING BALES AT ABOUT 1:00 PM.

THU FEB 26 2015 ~12:39 PM
ELK GROVE VILLAGE FIRE DEPARTMENT
PAPER BALER CONTENTS FIRE
2255 PRATT BLVD ELK GROVE VILLAGE, IL

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Brick, NJ – Sprinklers save restaurant after fire breaks out in bathroom

A fire broke out in one of the restrooms at a new Brick Township restaurant. The Flaming Grille, a buffet-style restaurant in the Kennedy Mall shopping center, nearly lived up to its name Tuesday afternoon when a fire broke out about 4 p.m., officials said.

The Breton Woods and Pioneer Hose fire companies responded to the scene and found the fire had already been put out by the restaurant’s sprinkler system, said Kevin Batzel, director of the Brick Township Bureau of Fire Prevention.

Batzel said investigators determined the fire was started when smoking materials had been disposed of in the bathroom trash can. The activation of the sprinkler system helped avert a much larger fire, Batzel said. One sprinkler head activated during the incident.

“It’s an old building,” Batzel explained. “[The fire] would have traveled up pretty fast into that building.” There were a small number of patrons in the restaurant at the time, Batzel said. All were evacuated. The bureau is following up today at the restaurant, which is back in operation. “If it was not for the sprinkler system, that restaurant would be shut down,” said Batzel.

Apartment Building, Residential

Bismarck, ND – Firefighters credit sprinklers for knocking down fire in 24-unit apartment building

The Bismarck Fire Department responded to the fire alarm at 5:12 am at 3945 N 19th Street.  When firefighters arrived, smoke was spreading throughout the building and coming from heat registers.
The cause of the fire was an electrical junction box in the mechanical room.  The short caused insulation to catch on fire. Firefighters say a sprinkler in the room activated, knocking the fire down. Occupants of the building were evacuated, and there were no injuries. There was no damage outside the mechanical room. The estimated fire loss was limited to approximately $5,000.

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