Tag Archives: Afternoon (12pm-6pm)

Shopping mall reopens quickly after fire, thanks to sprinkler system (Fort Wayne, IN)

A fire in a storage area at Glenbrook Square set off sprinklers and alarms Saturday, forcing shoppers and employees to evacuate the north-side mall, which was able to reopen several hours later.  At 3:32 p.m., Fort Wayne fire crews were dispatched to the mall at 4201 Coldwater Road, near East Coliseum Boulevard. Sprinklers contained the flames until crews arrived at 3:37 p.m., said Stacey Fleming, a fire department spokeswoman.

Sprinkler system puts out fire at hospital (San Bernadino, CA)

Fire investigators are still looking into the cause of a fire at a hospital on the afternoon of September 21. Fire sprinklers activated and completely extinguished the fire prior to the arrival of fire crews. 

“Sprinkler systems, if they don’t extinguish fires, keep them in check,” Battalion Chief Alan Duggan said. “The sprinklers worked properly and the fire was extinguished prior to our crews’ arrival.”

The facility, which was evacuated, reported no injuries from the incident.

Damage minimized at apartment complex thanks to fire sprinklers (Santa Rosa, CA)

Four engines and ladder trucks responded to a fire at a three-story apartment building on September 18. The fire, which started on the patio of a first floor apartment, was contained by the building’s fire sprinklers. 



Damage minimized at apartment thanks to fire sprinkler system (Rochester, NY)

A second story apartment unit had a kitchen fire the afternoon of September 1. Fire crews were alerted to the fire by the activation of the building’s fire sprinkler system. The sprinklers quickly suppressed the fire.

“This was a great save,” said Rochester Fire Marshal Larry Mueller. “Had the sprinkler not been installed in the structure, the fire would have rapidly grown and caused extensive damage to the structure.”

No one was reported injured, and the cause of the fire was slated as unattended cooking on the stove.

Sprinklers control fire at apartment building (Alabaster, AL)

A second floor apartment building caught fire the afternoon of August 22, and two fire crews arrived to the scene. The fire sprinkler activated and contained the fire, which is now believed to have started due to unattended cooking materials on the stove. No one was injured in the fire, and no structural damage occurred thanks to the fire sprinkler activation. 

***Blog Editor’s Note – Please let us know what you think of the coverage by AL.com and journalist Martin Reed, who focused on water damage rather than the lives and property saved by the automatic fire sprinkler system.***

Sprinklers control fire at commercial building (Falmouth, ME)

An afternoon fire began August 18 in the basement of a 30,000 square foot commercial building, and the responding fire crew is giving the building’s fire sprinklers credit for limiting the damage. According to Falmouth Fire Chief Howard Rice, Jr., one sprinkler head activated and controlled much of the fire that began in near the hot water heater in the basement; firefighters were able to extinguish the remaining fire in 15 minutes. There were no injuries reported.