Apartment Building, Residential Rochester, MN – Sprinkler system prevents apartment fire from spreading; No injuries reported August 27, 2015 viking210 An apartment sprinkler system is being credited for preventing a more serious fire — and possibly injuries, officials said today. A sprinkler activation alarm at 8:40 p.m. Tuesday sent Rochester fire crews to 2350 Valleyhigh Drive NW. The family, including children ages 4, 2 and 1, was outside when trucks arrived, said Larry Mueller, assistant fire marshal. A woman in the home had been making pastries in an oil-filled pot on the stove, Mueller said. She left the kitchen for a moment, and when she returned found three- to four-foot flames coming from the pan. The sprinkler system above the stove extinguished the fire, Mueller said, leaving only slight water damage to cabinets and nearby carpet. “The sprinkler saved thousands of dollars in damage, and possibly the family,” he said. Though the home was habitable, the Red Cross put the family up for the night because of the age of the children and the clean-up necessary, the report says.
