Office Building, Other Business

Dallas, TX – Sprinkler system activated for fire at office building

Dallas Fire Officials say someone set an uptown Dallas office building on fire early Tuesday morning.

The building located just off the Central Expressway access road between Blackburn and Fitzhugh Ave was surrounded by emergency vehicles around 4:00 a.m.

Officials say the building’s automatic sprinkler system was activated after an unknown suspect threw an explosive device, a so-called molotov cocktail, through an exterior window.

Jason Evans with Dallas Fire says crews were able to have the flames completely extinguished in 20 minutes.

They’re still trying to figure out who the arsonist is, and what their motive was.

Fortunately, nobody was hurt in the fire as the building was empty due to the time of day it happened.

One firefighter was actually injured, but not by flames. Evans says the individual was hurt while mopping up afterwards and had to be taken to the hospital.

Apartment Building, Residential

Oklahoma City, OK – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire at apartment complex; No injuries reported

Crews responded to a commercial fire at the Oklahoma City Housing Authority complex Tuesday morning in southwest Oklahoma City.

Around 8 a.m. Tuesday, firefighters responded to a smoke investigation at the Andrews Square Apartments near Southwest 22nd Street and Robinson Avenue. Crews arrived and found smoke on the fourth floor.

Authorities said firefighters went to the fourth floor and learned the flames were contained in one room. The room’s sprinkler head activated and put out the fire, officials said.

No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business, Uncategorized

West Palm Beach, FL – Sprinkler system extinguishes dryer fire at hair salon; No injuries reported

These firefighters saved the day in more ways than one.

Palm Beach County Fire Rescue responded to a report of a fire at a hair salon in South Florida on Friday.

The building had to be evacuated after a dryer caught fire, setting off the fire alarm and sprinkler system.

But for one client in the hair salon, time was of the essence, firefighters said.

“She had chemicals in her hair that had to be washed out on time,” the fire department wrote.

Once firefighters determined that the situation was under control, they ran a hose from the water in their fire engine to make sure the hairstylist could properly rinse her client’s hair.

“This is a first! What you have to do when the building catches on fire and clients have color in their hair,” one woman from the salon can be heard saying in the video on the agency’s Facebook page. “Thank you, Palm Beach County Fire Department!”

Firefighters said the building’s sprinkler system put out the dryer fire, and no one was injured.

Residential, Townhouse / Condominium

Bullhead City, AZ – Sprinkler system activated for fire at condominium; No injuries reported

On Tuesday evening, April 19, 2022, at approximately 6:07 PM, several BCFD units were dispatched to a report of a possible structure fire on the 200 block of Moser Ave. The first arriving crew reported a multi-story condominium with smoke showing out of a single unit. Crews quickly confirmed that the unit was unoccupied and were able to gain access through the front door. Fortunately, the building is equipped with an automatic sprinkler system, which properly activated, contained, and extinguished the fire before it was able to spread. No injuries were reported during this incident, and the cause of the fire remains under investigation at this time.

Firefighters attribute the working automatic sprinkler system to saving lives and property. Due to the location of this fire, it could have extended into the living spaces of the surrounding units, causing extensive damage.

Other Business, Place of Worship

Rochester, MN – Sprinkler system activated for fire at church; No injuries reported

An early Monday fire in the basement of a Rochester church caused considerable damage, but an alarm system and sprinklers kept things from becoming worse.

Alerted to a blaze at Peace United Church of Christ just after 2 a.m., firefighters arrived to find thick black smoke filling the building at 1503 2nd Av. NE., Fire Department spokesman K.C. Clark said.

The fire broke out in the church’s lower level between the sanctuary and an attached preschool. A portable water extinguisher was used to put out the main fire. An overhead sprinkler that had activated before firefighters arrived helped keep the fire from spreading, Clark said.

Damage was mainly confined to the area of the blaze, but there was a significant smoke on the main and lower levels, Clark said.

“Nearly all parts of the church will need remediation due to the smoke,” Clark said. “Things might have been much worse had the church not had an automatic smoke and fire alarm. Had the building not been protected by an alarm system, it is likely the building would have sustained significant fire damage.”

No one was in the building at the time, and no firefighters were hurt, Clark said.

A damage estimate was not immediately available. Officials have not determined a cause.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

San Jose, CA – Sprinkler system activated for fire at Trader Joe’s; No injuries reported

Firefighters on Monday night quickly extinguished a fire at the Trader Joe’s south of the San Jose International Airport.

The fire was reported just before 6:15 p.m. at the store at 635 Coleman Ave., said San Jose fire Capt. Mitch Matlow.

“The management in the store heard the fire alarms go off, and then they started seeing water coming down from the ceiling in the area over their fresh meat section,” said Matlow, adding that the water was from the store’s fire sprinkler system.

Firefighters arrived to see flames on the roof of the store, which was also being evacuated. About 19 employees and 60 customers were in the store at the time of the fire.

“Everybody is accounted for,” Matlow said. “There are no injuries.”

Employees described the evacuation as “pretty orderly” and said customers were still trying to check out while being asked to evacuate.

Firefighters quickly extinguished the fire, Matlow said.

Matlow said the fire started on the roof. The cause, however, remains under investigation.

As of 8 p.m., employees were still waiting to be let back into the store to collect their belongings. They said work had taken place Monday on the roof where the fire ignited.

The fire left a hole in the roof, Matlow said. An estimate of the damage was not immediately available, but Matlow said he expected the store to remain closed for at least a couple of days.

Firefighters were working with the management to preserve perishable goods in the store, Matlow said.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Kingston, NY – Sprinkler system activated for kitchen fire; No injuries reported

Around 10:45 p.m. Friday night, the Kingston Fire Department was called to 30 Broadway for an alarm sounding. Crews arriving on the scene forced their way into both 24 and 30 Broadway and found a kitchen fire at 24 Broadway.

The sprinkler system inside the building contained the fire. Firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the blaze and searched for trapped occupants while putting it out. Luckily, all occupants were able to safely evacuate the building without any injuries.

The cause of this fire remains under investigation by the Kingston Fire Department Fire Investigation team. 24 Broadway sustained minor smoke and fire damage but had significant water damage after the incident.

Apartment Building, Residential

Bedford, NH – Sprinkler system activated for fire at apartment building; No injuries reported

Bedford fire, and police responded to a call for fire alarms that were activated at 15 Iron Horse Drive, Unit B, on Sunday.

While en route, at about 4 p.m. responding units were advised callers could see smoke from outside the building, and smoke was filling the hallways.

Firefighters arrived and had smoke showing from some of the second-floor windows, and the sprinkler system activated in part of the building. Merrimack firefighters were also requested to respond with additional apparatus and other towns responded for station coverage.

Several people were evacuating the building on their own, and firefighters and police officers went from apartment to apartment, evacuating those occupants that had remained inside the building.

Firefighters made entry into a second-floor apartment that appeared to be the source of the smoke. They located a burning couch that the sprinkler system had mostly extinguished and a heavy smoke condition in the apartment and in the hallway.

Crews removed the couch and pushed it off the second-floor balcony, and opened windows to allow smoke to clear. Fans were used to eject smoke from the apartment and hallways.

A large group of residents watched from the parking lot as firefighters fought the fire, and water poured out of the building from the sprinkler system.

The fire appears to have been limited to a single apartment, but several apartments had water damage from the activated sprinkler system. Bedford fire said many people would be displaced from the large multi-unit apartment building.

The fire was brought under control within about 30 minutes, and it did not appear any occupants or firefighters were injured.

The fire will be investigated by the Bedford Fire Department.

Other Business, Recycling / Waste Facility

Addison, IL – Sprinkler system activated for fire at recycling facility; No injuries reported

No injuries were reported after fire broke out Saturday evening at a paper recycling facility in Addison.

The Addison Fire Protection District said crews responding to an activated fire alarm at the facility, which reports place in the 1700 block of West Fullerton Avenue, arrived to find heavy smoke pouring from the building.

While the facility’s sprinkler system helped to contain the blaze, firefighters pulled several large hose lines into the building to extinguish the flames, fire officials said.

Once skylights and overhead doors were opened, fire crews used front end loaders to remove tons of burning paper from the building. A 30-foot by 30-foot area of burning shredded paper was found in the building, firefighters said.

Manufacturing, Other - Manufacturing

Eau Claire, WI – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire inside building; No injuries reported

No one is hurt after a fire Thursday morning at Banbury Place in Eau Claire.

The fire, which happened at 6:55 a.m. in Building 13, was put out by the building’s sprinkler system before crews arrived, according to Eau Claire Fire & Rescue.

Battalion Chief Brian Toonen said the sprinkler system worked as intended, and there were no injuries to report. The cause of the fire is still being investigated, Toonen said. In a release from the department, damages to the building and its contents are estimated at $12,000.

The fire happened on the second floor of Building 13, which is home to several different businesses. “Sometimes all the work we do for fire prevention really pays off!” the department wrote in a Facebook post.

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