Apartment Building, Residential

Fire sprinklers prove effectiveness in apartment complex fire (Vancouver, WA)

August 21, 2012 viking210

Firefighters say a sprinkler system saved an apartment complex from what could have been an overnight fire.
They arrived and found a plastic box and a cardboard box were left on a stove with a lit burner, said Kevin Stromberg, spokesman for the Vancouver Fire Department. The boxes caught fire and activated the sprinkler system. The residents were not home at the time.  The fire could have easily affected multiple families, especially early in the morning, he said.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Sprinklers control fire at bowling alley (Tallahassee, FL)

August 21, 2012 viking210

Firefighters forced entry into the rear of the building and found a small fire burning inside a clothes dryer, as well as a sprinkler head flowing water above the dryer.  Firefighters quickly extinguished what remained of the fire burning inside the dryer. Automatic sprinkler systems like the one in use at Capital Lanes are designed to control or suppress a fire during its early stages, greatly reducing the loss of property and possibly life.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Sprinkler system contains fire at senior apartment complex (Las Vegas, NV)

August 21, 2012 viking210

Firefighters rescued a woman early Tuesday morning after her eastern valley apartment unit caught fire.  Officials said a sprinkler in her kitchen helped contain the fire and may have saved the woman’s life.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Elementary school kitchen fire contained by sprinkler system (Walla Walla, WA)

August 20, 2012 viking210

City of Walla Walla fire fighters, with the assistance of Fire District 4 and College Place Fire Department, responded to a fire in the kitchen and cafeteria area at Blue Ridge Elementary School in Walla Walla.  The school’s fire sprinkler system activated to help contain the fire.  There were no injuries as a result of the fire.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Sprinkler system extinguishes hotel fire (Tampa, FL)

August 20, 2012 viking210

A three-alarm fire at a downtown hotel was extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system.  The hotel was successfully evacuated after the fire was reported in a sixth-floor room and no injuries were reported.  The fire was caused by an accidental electrical failure, Tampa Fire Rescue said.

Manufacturing, Paper Mill / Saw Mill

Fire controlled by sprinkler system at cedar remanufacture (Langley, BC)

August 16, 2012 viking210

Ember smoldered and ignited some sawdust near a woodworking machine, which lit some nearby wood scraps, and finally set fire to a lift of lumber.  That caused a sprinkler head directly above the blaze to activate.  “The sprinkler system controlled the fire,” assistant fire chief Bruce Ferguson.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Sprinkler system controls fire at elementary school (Westwood, NJ)

August 16, 2012 viking210

Authorities are investigating an Aug. 9 fire at Brookside Elementary that they believe was caused by a hot water heater in the school’s boiler room, Westwood Fire Chief Jaymee Hodges said.  “The room’s fire sprinkler kept the fire under control until firefighters could secure the gas,” he said.

Residential, Single Family Home

Sprinkler system suppresses fire at single-family home (Fremont, CA)

August 15, 2012 viking210

As firefighters arrived, they found a fire in the family room that had already been suppressed by a home sprinkler system.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Hotel utility room fire contained by sprinkler system (West Yellowstone, MT)

August 9, 2012 viking210

“A water heater was the cause of the fire,” HBFD Assistant Fire Chief Shane Grube said. The pan on the bottom of a water heater in the hotel’s utility room got too close to the floor, which caused the fire. “The sprinklers began to discharge in the utility room and after some investigating, we found the burn pattern was underneath the water heater,” Waldron said. “The floor was burned completely down through. And it was the sprinkler system that really had done its job,” Grube said.

Residential, Townhouse / Condominium

Sprinklers control air conditioning unit fire at townhouse (Maple Ridge, BC)

August 8, 2012 viking210

A fire caused by an exploding air conditioning unit was quickly doused by sprinklers after its spread to a townhouse. Fire chief Dane Spence said a fireball came through a window. “The sprinkler system went off inside and kept the fire to the outside of the residence,” said Spence. No one was injured in the fire.