Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Airdrie, AB, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for fire in commercial building; No injuries reported

On Monday afternoon, September 26, Airdrie’s fire department received a call at 4:04 p.m. for a structure fire in Highland Park Green NE.

“On arrival, fire crews found fire in a large, commercial refuse container near the loading door of a commercial building. A nearby closed overhead door was damaged due to its proximity to the fire but prevented the blaze from spreading to the inside of the building,” stated a city press release.

A single fire sprinkler head inside was activated by heat and smoke and crews were able to quickly extinguish the fire and turn off the water to the building’s sprinkler system.

No injuries were reported and the fire is being investigated by the Fire Prevention Bureau. A total of four fire apparatus and 12 firefighters were on the scene.

Hospital/Care Facility, Hospital/Medical Clinic

Salmon Arm, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire at hospital

No serious injuries resulted from a fire at Shuswap Lake General Hospital on Friday night but two patients were checked for smoke inhalation.

The Salmon Arm Fire Department was paged at 7:20 p.m. Sept. 23 for what was tagged at first as a commercial alarm. However, that was soon upgraded to a structure fire, recounts Deputy Fire Chief Gary Lebeter.

When crews arrived on the hospital’s second floor where the alarm was coming from, the sprinkler system had activated and already extinguished the fire.

“Which was great, it had done what it was supposed to do,” Lebeter said.

There were two beds in the room and the two patients required assessment for smoke inhalation.

All 19 patients on Level 2 were safely evacuated to another area of the hospital, Interior Health reported, noting minor damage was isolated to the area of the fire.

Level 2 was temporarily closed as damage was assessed and repaired. Interior Health said Monday repairs have begun to the damaged area and some beds on Level 2 are expected to open next week.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation by the Salmon Arm Fire Department.

Lebeter said crew members helped move patients from the second to the fourth floor, as well as setting up ventilation fans to remove the smoke. He said there was a fair amount of water damage on the second floor, so firefighters “got busy with mops” to limit damage or accidents.

Interior Health said it would like to thank the Salmon Arm Fire Department, the RCMP and all staff who quickly came together to assist during the incident.

Apartment Building, Residential

La Mesa, CA – Sprinkler system activated for fire at apartment complex

Thirty residents of a La Mesa apartment complex were displaced after a fire sparked in their building Monday evening, a fire official said.

Crews were dispatched just before 7:40 p.m. to the Spring Hill Apartments, on Spring Street northeast of state Route 125, Heartland Fire & Rescue spokesperson Andy McKellar said.

There was a fire in a top floor apartment. Crews had it out by shortly after 8 p.m., he said.

The sprinkler system did activate, “helping to keep the fire in check,” McKellar said.

McKellar said firefighters contained the fire to one unit, but an additional 15 apartments were affected by water from the sprinkler system.

He said the Red Cross was called in to assist residents who needed help.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Scarborough, ME – Sprinkler system activated for fire at collision center; No injuries reported

No one was hurt when a fire broke out at Moody’s Collision Center in Scarborough on Monday.

Crews were called to an all-hands fire at the business on Pleasant Hill Road around 12:40 p.m.

The building took only minor damage thanks to the sprinkler system, which put most of the fire out.

Officials said the fire started in the paint booth.

We’re expecting more details from fire officials.

Manufacturing, Other - Manufacturing

Plymouth, MI – (no media coverage) Sprinkler system activated for fire in exhaust fan motor; No injuries reported

The fire was called in at approximately 02:30 AM on 9/11/22 as a water flow alarm and NCFD responded.

NCFD was able to get the fire under control and quickly put it out due to the building’s sprinkler system keeping the fire in check until firefighters got there.

There were no injuries reported and the reason for the fire was from a restroom ceiling exhaust fan motor.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Roanoke, VA – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire at restaurant; No injuries reported

A fire at a Roanoke restaurant has been ruled by investigators to be electrical.

Roanoke Fire-EMS was called late the morning of September 17 to the fire on the 100 block of Campbell Avenue SE in downtown Roanoke. Crews found there had been a fire at the front of a restaurant, Cedars Lebanese Restaurant, activating the building’s sprinkler system, which put out the fire.

No injuries were reported.

Damages to the building and its contents are estimated to be $13,000, according to fire investigators.

Residential, Townhouse / Condominium

Madison, WI – Sprinkler system extinguishes cooking fire in condo

A cooking fire that broke out in an east side condo was quickly extinguished by an automatic fire sprinkler, minimizing damage and preventing fire-related injuries to occupants and firefighters.

Crews were sent to the 5300 block of Congress Avenue for reports of fire in a condo unit. Engine Co. 11 entered and found there had been a small cooking contained to a pan on the stovetop. An occupant was heating vegetable oil in the pan when it ignited. The occupant reflexively put water on the fire, which caused the fire to flare up rather than extinguish. The flare-up created more smoke and heat, triggering an automatic fire sprinkler to activate from above. The fire was extinguished by the fire sprinkler before firefighters arrived.

There was minimal smoke damage in the kitchen and no damage to nearby countertops or cabinets. The exhaust vent above the stove did suffer some fire-related damage.

Firefighters cleared remaining smoke from the unit and cleaned up some of the water. Property managers were notified of the incident and given guidance on what steps to take to restore alarm and sprinkler systems following the fire.

Apartment Building, Residential

Bend, OR – Sprinkler system stops kitchen fire at apartment complex

A sprinkler system stopped a kitchen fire in its tracks at a northeast Bend apartment Saturday evening, but the resulting water and smoke damage displaced six residents of five nearby apartments until cleanup is completed, officials said.

Bend Fire & Rescue responded around 5:35 p.m. to a fire in a third-floor unit at the Legacy Landing Apartments on NE Tucson Way, Deputy Fire Marshal Dan Derlacki said.

Most of the residents already had evacuated the building before fire crews arrived, and the fire had been controlled by the building’s sprinkler system, Derlacki said.

Crews worked to stop the water and clear smoke from the building, which has 60 apartments on the upper three floors and a Mosaic Medical clinic on the ground floor. Derlacki said water damage also was found in the clinic, “but shouldn’t keep the business from opening for regular business on Monday.” Damages are estimated at $50,000.

An American Red Cross disaster team was called in to help the six affected occupants find hotel rooms for the night, while the rest were able to safely return to their apartments, after the sprinkler and alarm systems were restored, Derlacki said.  A restoration company was on scene to begin the cleanup process.

Derlacki said the fire sprinkler system stopped the fire quickly and helped keep the damage to a minimum. With the fire stopped before it could spread out of the kitchen, the amount of smoke in the building was kept to a minimum and allowed the occupants to evacuated safely. 

“Bend Fire Department reminds everyone to keep a watchful eye on anything you’re cooking,” the fire official said in a news release. “Cooking fires are the leading cause of home fires in the country.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Juneau, AK – Sprinkler system activated for fire in 130-year-old building; No injuries reported

An approximately 130-year-old building suffered water damage, but no one was injured following a Tuesday night fire on South Franklin Street, according to firefighters.

Capital City Fire/Rescue responded to a water-flow alarm at about 10 p.m. in the 300 block of South Franklin Street, according to a CCFR social media post. Upon arrival, responders encountered smoke on the third floor of the building. A sprinkler system had been activated and occupants were evacuated, according to CCFR. Occupants reported hearing popping sounds, which led them to the fire, calling 911 and evacuating.

The amount of damage caused by the fire is undetermined, but an investigation identified a cause, according to CCFR.

It was determined a wood screw penetrating wiring on the third floor exterior deck made contact with copper wiring, which caused electrical resistance and enough heat to cause the wood to catch fire, according to CCFR. The fire was contained to inside the wall and ceiling spaces of the business.

When the fire traveled to the ceiling, near the point of ignition, a sprinkler head was activated and put out most of the fire, according to CCFR. Firefighters were then able to extinguish the remaining flames using little water.

Office Building, Other Business

San Diego, CA – Sprinkler system extinguished early morning laboratory fire; No injuries reported

A fire early Wednesday in a second-floor laboratory in a Qualcomm building in Sorrento Valley was put out by sprinklers before firefighters arrived, San Diego Fire-Rescue officials said.

The fire was reported around 6:40 a.m. in a four-story building on McKellar Court off Pacific Center Boulevard called the Qualcomm Pacific Center Campus. When crews arrived, they didn’t see any smoke or fire showing from the outside the building but when they got inside, they found a fire that had been extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system.

After searching the building to check for any spread of the fire, crews worked to ensure the fire didn’t reignite. Just under 50 firefighters from San Diego and Chula Vista had responded to the fire.

No injuries were reported. No damage estimate was immediately available. A cause of the fire also wasn’t reported.

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