Apartment Building, Residential

Portland, OR – Sprinkler system activated for tent fire that was spread to nearby apartment building; No injuries reported

A tent caught fire and spread to a four-story apartment building in the 2100 block of SE Powell Boulevard early Sunday morning.

According to Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R), the fire was contained before too much damage was sustained. The building had vinyl siding, which burns quickly. The fire activated a sprinkler inside the building but there were no injuries and no one is displaced.

Officials said the fire could have been much worse. However, there was some water damage inside. The fire began due to carelessly discarded smoking material.

Houseless/tent fires increased from one in February 2021 to 64 in April 2021. The latest data, recorded in May 2021 from PF&R shows 45 fires for the month of May. In May, it accounted for the most number of calls to PF&R, followed by trash fires with 42 calls in May 2021.

“This building did have vinyl siding and our crews did do a great stop on this fire,” said Rob Garrison, public information officer with PF&R said in an email. “A few more minutes and the fire would have spread to the inside of the building.”

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Destin, FL – Sprinkler system activated for kitchen fire at restaurant; No injuries reported

According to the South Walton Fire District crews, Saturday morning responded to an alarm call for a potential structure fire in the area of Baytowne Wharf.

Officials said Firefighters arrived around 7 a.m. and reported the smell of smoke and sprinkler activation near Observation Point North.

Firefighters said after searching for the source they forced entry into the Marlin Grill where smoke and an active fire were located in the kitchen.

The fire was extinguished quickly.

Officials say the fire’s damage was contained to the commercial kitchen area but there was some water damage to the restaurant from the sprinkler system.

The SWFD Fire Marshal said after investigating the incident it was determined the fire was accidental in nature, likely related to improper storage of cooking supplies and materials.

No injuries were reported.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Columbia, MO – Sprinkler system activated and 18 dogs rescued from fire at motel

The Boone County Fire Protection District rescued 18 dogs out of a Midway motel Friday morning, after responding to a commercial structure fire.

Assistant Chief Gale Blomenkamp told KOMU 8 that crews were originally dispatched around 8 a.m. to a reported fire alarm at the Budget Inn at Midway. It “quickly” changed to a commercial structure fire.

Crews saw smoke coming from the lower level of the two-story motel. 

Firefighters made entry to the motel where they found the fire in room 209. Blomenkamp said the sprinkler system was flowing in the room, helping keep the fire in check. 

Firefighters extinguished the remaining hot spots and rescued 18 dogs located in the room.

Blomenkamp said the investigation is ongoing.

KOMU 8 has reached out to Boone County Animal Control and the Central Missouri Humane Society for comment but has not heard back by the publishing of this story.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Savannah, GA – Sprinkler system activated for overnight kitchen fire at restaurant

The Savannah Fire Department (SFD) responded to a kitchen fire at a local restaurant overnight.

SFD says the fire happened around 3:30 a.m. Thursday in the 200 block of Stephenson.

Officials say a fire in the kitchen of Ole Times Country Buffet set off the fire alarm and the building’s sprinkler system.

Crews arrived to fully extinguish the fire and ventilate the building.

SFD says the business was closed and no one was in the building at the time of the fire.

WSAV is told the Chatham County Environmental Health inspected the restaurant Thursday. Ole Times Country Buffet is now back open for business.

The cause of the fire has not been released at this time.

Apartment Building, Residential

Rochester, MN – fire at apartment building extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

The Rochester Fire Department is crediting an automatic sprinkler system for preventing a fire at a Rochester apartment building from spreading.

The fire was reported at 3731 Technology Drive Northwest. A Fire Department news release says the initial call was made by the building’s alarm system and was followed by multiple 911 calls that confirmed flames and smoke were present. When firefighters arrived at the scene just before 2 PM they found smoke, fire, and water spray from the sprinkler system coming from a window on the fourth floor of the building.

The responding firefighters rushed to the fourth floor while a firefighter on an aerial ladder inspected the roof for signs of a fire extension. They discovered the sprinkler system had done its job and extinguished the fire after confining it to a single apartment unit. Fans were then deployed to remove the smoke and other equipment was brought in to remove the water from the sprinkler system.

No injuries were reported and a dollar estimate of the damage is not yet available. The fire department also did not list a cause for the fire but it appears it started on the stovetop.

Apartment Building, Residential

Wylie, TX – Fire at apartment building contained by sprinkler system

An apartment building in Wylie is damaged after a fire on Wednesday morning.

According to the Wylie Fire Department, the incident occurred at 1315 West Brown Street at approximately 4:10 a.m.

Officials said a three story apartment building had smoke showing on the third floor.

The sprinkler system was able to suppress the blaze before firefighters could arrive on the scene, officials said.

According to officials, cats were evacuated from the third floor unit, and the second floor unit sustained water damage.

Officials said the attic and roof were unharmed.

College/University (on campus), School / University

Frankfort, IL – Fire at vacant high school controlled by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Frankfort Fire Protection District responded Monday to a fire alarm at Lincoln-Way North High School, 19900 S. Harlem Ave. in Frankfort, according to a post Tuesday on the fire district’s Facebook page. No one was inside the vacant high school at the time of the fire, and no injuries were reported, according to Frankfort Fire Protection District Chief Sean Fierce.

Frankfort FPD responded to the alarm around 8:17 p.m. and were able to smell a burning odor, Fierce said. Crews located the source of the fire in the basement of the closed high school, which prompted the Fire District to raise the alarm to that of a structure fire to bring in more resources, Fierce said.

Industrial batteries had malfunctioned, and officials said they believe that was what caused the fire, though the official determination is still under investigation. The burning batteries released hydrogen sulfide, which was ventilated before crews put out the fire, Fierce said.

The fire did not spread beyond the basement area where the fire started because the building’s sprinkler system activated, Fierce said.

Frankfort FPD estimated the damage to be approximately $5,000 to $10,000, according to the post.

Fire crews from Tinley Park, Matteson, East Joliet, Elwood, Park Forest, Orland Park, New Lenox and the State Fire Marshal’s Office assisted in the effort to put out the fire, according to the post.

Athletic Club/Sports Facility, Other Business

The Woodlands, TX – Commercial dryer fire at fitness center controlled by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

At approximately 8:30pm on September 10th, 2021, South Montgomery County Firefighters (Montgomery County ESD #8), were dispatched to reports of a fire alarm at the L.A. Fitness Signature Club located at 3570 Harmony Commons Drive. The first Fire Engine arrived in just minutes, reporting smoke in the building and a water flow alarm. The crew entered the building and determined that a fire had broken out in a commercial dryer in the club’s laundry room, but that a single fire sprinkler head had activated and controlled the fire before it could spread.

At the time of the fire, approximately 50 customers and employees were in the building when the fire started. Although the fire started in the un-occupied laundry room, they were able to escape unharmed when the alarm sounded.

The building’s fire sprinkler system was installed in 2018 by Interactive Fire Control Inc and inspected by MCESD 8 Fire Inspectors working hand in hand with the Montgomery County Fire Marshal’s Office. The MCFMO and MCESD #8 work together under an inter-local agreement to enforce the County Fire Code and insure the safety of residents and visitors.

The Montgomery County Commissioner’s Court first adopted a County-wide Fire Code in 2008 after a series of commercial fires damaged or destroyed several businesses in our community. Since that time, MCFMO personnel have reviewed building plans on over 100 million square feet of new construction projects and along with our partners, conduct thousands of inspections annually.

Apartment Building, Residential

Winnipeg, MB, Canada – Kitchen fire at apartment building quickly extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Fire crews had a busy Sunday, as they battled three different blazes in 10 hours across Winnipeg.

Just after midnight, a vacant home on Arlington Avenue caught fire. The same house was also the scene of a fire about a year ago.

Then at about 2:30 yesterday morning, a three storey apartment building on De La Seigneurie Boulevard was evacuated when the building’s sprinkler system extinguished a kitchen fire.

The third fire happened around 10 a.m. at a commercial building on Gateway Road. It was limited to a small room and only took a few minutes to put out.

No one was hurt in any of the incidents and all of them are under investigation.

Apartment Building, Residential

Medicine Hat, AB, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for fire at apartment complex; No injuries reported

Update: The Medicine Hat Fire Service says residents residing at the Toronto Street Apartments have been taken to a local hotel, after their building sustained extensive water damage following a structure fire Saturday afternoon.

Crews were called to the area just after 4p.m. Saturday.

“On arrival there was smoke coming from a set of patio doors on the fourth floor. The first arriving crew, gained access quickly, and with the assistance of the sprinkler system in the building, the fire was extinguished quickly,” said Kevin Heinrich with the Medicine Hat Fire Service.

No one was hurt in the blaze.

Members of the Medicine Hat Fire Service were called out to the Toronto street apartments Saturday afternoon to battle a structure fire.

Photos submitted to CHAT News, and videos on social media appear to show smoke coming out of a top-floor apartment unit.

The cause of the fire is unknown at this point. A fire investigator remains on scene.

Portions of 3rd street were blocked off from traffic as fire crews worked to put out the blaze.

EMS and the Medicine Hat Police Service were also on scene.

CHAT News has reached out to the Medicine Hat Fire Service for more details.

As of 5p.m. the Medicine Hat Fire Service remains on scene.

More to come.

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