Apartment Building, Residential

Apartment fire extinguished by sprinkler system (Charleston, MD)

A fire broke out at an apartment in the Alta Chesapeake Ridge community Saturday night.

The Maryland State Fire Marshal Office is investigating the blaze, which occurred in a ground floor unit in building 206 and was reported around 7:50 p.m. on Saturday. Witnesses at the scene reported seeing flames shooting from an exterior wall.

The residential sprinkler system extinguished the blaze by the time firefighters arrived, according to officials.

Retail, Shopping Mall

Sprinkler system contains blaze in early morning mall fire (North Riverside, IL)

A fire ignited inside the loading dock area of the Carson Pirie Scott department store at the North Riverside Park Mall early Wednesday, sending smoke throughout the store and into the main area of the mall.

Fire damage was contained to the loading dock area, which is located on the south side of the store, but Fire Chief Bran Basek said that the ground floor area of Carson’s was “fully charged” with smoke when firefighter arrived shortly after the alarm call came in at about 3:50 a.m. Once the fire was located, it took about 15 to 20 minutes to extinguish the fire, Basek said. The store’s fire sprinkler system was able to keep the fire, which was centered on merchandise stored on racks inside the loading dock, from spreading.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Sprinklers contain fire in historic building, two workers rescued (Minneapolis, MN)

Authorities say welding is to blame for a fire at a downtown Minneapolis building Thursday morning.

Fire crews were called to the Ceresota Building on the 500 block of 2nd Street at about 7:30 a.m. When firefighters arrived, heavy black smoke was showing on the eighth floor of a 10-story structure. Crews went into battle the fire from the interior.

Crews were able to put the fire out quickly, and nobody was inside the building at the time of the fire. Authorities say two workers who were not injured in the fire escaped to the roof. They were rescued by emergency personnel.

Fire officials said Friday that the cause of the fire was accidental due to welding. The fire started on the eighth floor and three sprinkler heads went off, holding off the fire until crews arrived.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Restaurant fire contained by sprinklers, no injuries reported (Oklahoma City, OK)

Nearly 200 people rushed to safety after a fire at Remington Park Friday, officials said. Some thought it was a drill, but they quickly found out it wasn’t.

“We thought it was still a drill until we got outside and all the fire trucks were here,” said one evacuated employee. Officials say Bricktown Brewery at Remington Park employees found a fire in the smoker around 8:30 Friday morning.

“Tried to fight it with a couple of their fire extinguishers, the smoke got a little bit overwhelming for them, so they backed out and called 911,” said Maj. Tammy McKinney, with the Oklahoma City Fire Department. Officials say the employees had practiced fire drills so they knew exactly where they were supposed to go and security made sure everyone was accounted for.

Crews quickly knocked the fire out. The sprinkler system kept it from spreading. “The fire suppression system did its job and so now we just have to do a little bit of cleanup in that area,” said Kym Coch, Remington Park spokeswoman.

Department Store, Retail

Sprinkler system limits spread of fire at drug store (Bellingham, WA)

A fire burned 24 feet of display shelving in the Sehome Village Rite Aid on 36th Street, and damages could exceed $200,000, firefighters said.

The fire started shortly after 3 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 12, and the store’s alarm system notified firefighters while its sprinkler system limited the fire from spreading, according to the fire department. Firefighters located and quickly extinguished the flames burning against an interior wall. Nobody was found inside the store.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Fire at high school extinguished by sprinkler system (Charlotte, NC)

A small fire that caused the Phillip O. Berry Academy of Technology to be evacuated Wednesday afternoon was intentionally set, officials with the Charlotte Fire Department say.

The high school – on Alleghany Street, off Freedom Drive near Interstate 85 – was being evacuated when the department responded to fire alarms, officials said Thursday.

The sprinkler system had already extinguished the small fire, which officials said caused roughly $1,000 damage. No injuries were reported.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Fire at community center kept under control by sprinkler system (Conroe, TX)

Conroe firefighters responded Thursday to flames coming from a mechanical unit at the East Texas Dream Center, which serves hungry children, women and the homeless. There were no injuries reported from the scene and officials said they do not expect to determine the cause of the fire before Friday morning.

Conroe Fire Marshal Mike Legoudes Jr. said the fire did not spread into the living space of the facility. Firefighters found smoke coming from the building, an audible alarm sounding off and a fire in the southeast portion of the property. Legoudes said an activated sprinkler system kept the fire under control until emergency responders arrived at the scene.

Hospital/Care Facility, Hospital/Medical Clinic

Sprinkler system prevents major damage at vision center (Washington, MO)

A sprinkler system prevented extensive damage following a Sunday evening fire. Washington Fire Crews responded to a fire alarm at Advanced Sight Center in the office building at 1351 Jefferson just after 7 p.m. Sunday evening. Assistant Fire Chief Mark Skornia said the fire could have been a lot worse had the sprinkler system not worked to perfection. Skornia said when crews arrived on the scene they noticed heavy smoke inside the building. Crews made entry and saw fire in the ceiling.

Fortunately for the fire crews, the sprinkler system had knocked down much of the fire. Skornia said the fire was smoldering and Washington crews were able to quickly extinguish the problem. Crews then shut down the sprinkler system to prevent further water damage. Once everything was under control, Franklin County Arson Investigator Jim Schuhmacher investigated the situation. Skornia said Schuhmacher found nothing suspicious about the fire. Skornia said it’s believed the fire started in the wiring of a fan. The fan was in an equipment closest, malfunctioned, and caught fire. There were no injuries reported.

Simple Share Buttons