Tag Archives: Afternoon (12pm-6pm)

Overland Park, KS – Sprinkler system contains apartment fire; No injuries reported

Eleven apartment buildings were damaged Saturday after a fire broke out.

Firefighters were called about 3:15 p.m. Saturday to Promontory Apartments at 8905 Metcalf Ave. When crews arrived on scene smoke and fire could be seen in a fourth-floor apartment. 

Firefighters from Overland Park, Consolidated Fire District No.2, Leawood, and Lenexa responded to extinguish the fire, search for trapped occupants and evacuate the remainder of the building.

A second alarm was requested to provide relief to fire crews and also assist salvage efforts of the adjoining apartment units.

Fire damage was contained to the apartment of origin by the building’s fire sprinkler system and was fully extinguished by fire crews. An additional 10 apartments were damaged by water or smoke as a result of the fire.

No injuries were reported.

The Red Cross was on scene to provide temporary lodging for residents affected. The exact cause of the fire is under investigation.

Lexington, KY – Fire extinguished with help from sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Fire crews and an industry’s sprinkler system combined to quickly put out a fire today at the J.M. Smucker facility on Winchester Road.

According to Lexington Fire Battalion Chief Jordan Saas, firefighters responded to the report of a fire at about noon at the facility. Crews found smoke coming from the roof on the backside of the building and once on top, fire was discovered in one of the hoppers.

The fire was extinguished using a hose line and the building’s sprinkler system, Saas said.

No injuries were reported.

As of 1 p.m., crews remained on the scene checking for hotspots but the scene was turned back over the company at about 1:15 p.m.

Clearfield, UT – Sprinkler system activated for fire at wood molding company; No injuries reported

Fire crews from multiple agencies responded to a commercial fire Thursday afternoon in Clearfield.

North Davis Fire District Chief Mark Becraft said the single-alarm fire, at 560 S. Main St., was inside the large structure owned by Interior Works, a company that produces wood molding.

“When crews arrived, there was smoke showing, and the building was evacuated,” Becraft told Gephardt Daily. “A sprinkler head popped and kept the fire in check.”

He said the fire was caused by a planer that malfunctioned, and it was a good thing “the sprinkling system did its job,” because firefighters’ visibility was hampered by all the smoke and sawdust.

“It wasn’t really a big fire, but it was a little bit of a task getting the building ventilated afterward because of (the building’s) size,” Becraft said, adding that crews were on scene for about an hour and 15 minutes.

He estimated damages at $100,000, with roughly $80,000 of that being the cost of the large commercial planer that caused the fire.

There were no injuries, Becraft said.

All North Davis Fire District crews responded, as well as firefighters from Syracuse, Hill Air Force Base, and Layton. The Davis County Sheriff’s Office also was on scene.

West Kelowna, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for couch fire at apartment complex

West Kelowna firefighters spent some of Sunday afternoon dousing a couch fire potentially sparked by an electrical charging device.

Reports of a fire alarm going off at the Harbor Ridge Apartments on Old Ferry Wharf Road prompted a crew to head to the building, where they found the sprinkler system activated and was holding a small fire in a couch on the first floor.

“Residents had evacuated the building and fire crews finished extinguishing the fire and stopping the flow of water from the sprinkler system,” fire chief Jason Brolund said in a press release.

“In this case, all systems and the residents of the building performed well. The fire alarm and suppression systems in the building functioned exactly as designed, alerting residents and holding the fire to a small size. The residents and building management did exactly as they should, evacuating the building and showing patience and understanding as firefighters took care of the emergency.”

Fire damage was contained to one unit and there was a small amount of smoke and water damage from the sprinkler system to five other nearby units.

“Most residents of the building were able to return home within two hours,” Brolund said. “The residents of six units have been offered Emergency Support Services while the status and damage of their units is further evaluated. Any residents with questions or requiring further assistance are directed to contact the building manager.”

The fire investigation has been completed. The cause of the fire has been deemed accidental, possibly related to an electrical charging device in the unit.

“This event is a great reminder of the importance of having an emergency plan including a grab-and-go kit for your self, your family and your pets. You never know when or why you may have to leave your home without notice and a few minutes of preparation can make this process much smoother,” he said.

Cincinnati, OH – Sprinkler system activated for grill fire at restaurant; No injuries reported

Red Squirrel Restaurant is closing indefinitely after a structure fire, according to the Colerain Police Department.

Firefighters were dispatched at approximately 5 p.m. to 8227 Colerain Ave. over the weekend. Agencies arrived approximately two minutes later and found heavy smoke coming from the front door of the restaurant and flames were on the roof, according to a press release.

The restaurant had been evacuated of all employees and customers.

The fire began on the restaurant grill, officials said. The Colerain Fire Department was assisted by crews from North College Hill and Mount Healthy. 

The building had extensive smoke damage and water damage from the activated sprinkler heads, according to the Colerain Fire Department.

No injuries were reported.

The entire hood system and suppression system will need to be replaced, the fire department said.

Damages are estimated at approximately $20,000, according to the Colerain Fire Department.

Minot, ND – Sprinkler system extinguishes apartment fire; No injuries reported

Crews responded to a small fire in a fourth floor unit of the Artspace Lofts apartment complex in downtown Minot Wednesday afternoon, and a person was detained in the investigation, according to the Minot Fire Department.

Capt. Aaron Peterson said the call came in at 1:15 p.m. of the fire, and the apartment’s sprinkler system put the fire out.

Crews ventilated the building for smoke. Peterson said one tenant on the third floor was temporarily displaced due to water damage and is being set up in a hotel.

Peterson said no one was hurt.

Your News Leader has reached out to Minot Police for more information on the person detained and the circumstances surrounding the fire.

Las Vegas, NV – Sprinkler system activated for fire at luxor hotel; No injuries reported

Fire crews are investigating a fire that started inside a hotel room at the Luxor on Wednesday afternoon.

According to the Clark County Fire Department, the Combined Communications Center was notified of the fire around 3 PM.

Crews headed to the hotel’s fire control room upon arrival, where control panels indicated sprinkler activity coming from the 12th floor.

Fire personal headed up to the 10th floor by elevator then proceeded to walk up the stairs to the 12th floor.

Crews headed inside the room where the fire was reported and found an extinguished mattress fire that was put out by the sprinklers.

The room occupant was taken downstairs where she refused medical treatment. No injuries were reported.

The cause of the fire, as well as the estimated damage, is still under investigation.

Benzonia, MI – Sprinkler system activated for fire at high school

The cause of a fire at Benzie Central High School that caused smoke and fire damage to several rooms has been determined.

According to Amiee Erfourth, superintendent of Benzie Central Schools, a report from the fire marshal stated spontaneous combustion of chemicals used for cleaning started a fire in a maintenance area.

“We think linseed oil was partly to blame,” Erfourth said. “It’s not a chemical we usually use, but it was used to clean some cutting boards. It has a low flashpoint.”

Erfourth said any time linseed oil is used in the future, any paper towels or rags used with it will be stored in water.

Smoke and water damaged flooring and cabinets in the maintenance room and several adjacent rooms.

“We’ll need new flooring in the band room and maintenance room, and we’ll have to repaint the maintenance room,” Erfourth said. “We’ll have to completely re-do the life skills room by replacing the flooring and cabinetry and painting the wall. We’re hoping to have it all done by the time school starts, but that will depend on supply timeline for flooring and cabinetry.”

Erfourth is still working with insurance adjustors to come up with the total cost of repairs. The school is currently working with flooring and cabinetry companies and taking bids for the work needed.

The Benzonia Fire Department responded to an alarm at around 5 p.m. on June 30 at the high school. At first they did not see a fire, but after moving to the back of the building, they saw a fire in a maintenance area. The school’s automatic sprinkler system had put most of the fire out. After the fire department finished putting out the fire, they worked to drive smoke out of the building.

The Frankfort and Homestead fire departments also responded to the call and helped vent smoke and clean up excess water as well.

New Haven, CT – Sprinkler system activated for fire at senior apartment building; No injuries reported

Two fires in four days broke out on the 10th floor of the McQueeney Towers public housing complex—the first in an empty office space, the second outdoors on a residential balcony.

No tenants were hurt or displaced as city firefighters quickly put out both blazes.

Both of those fires took place at the 83-unit Charles T. McQueeney Towers Apartments at 358 Orange St. downtown. The public housing authority property is home to low-income seniors and people with disabilities. It also hosts on its groundfloor the headquarters of the Housing Authority of New Haven.

The first fire took place at around 12:20 p.m. on Saturday. The second took place at around 7:58 p.m. on Tuesday. Both occurred on the high-rise’s 10th floor.

Here’s what happened, according to city Fire Chief John Alston.

On Saturday, he said, the fire took place in a non-residential office space on the 10th floor.

The fire was consistent with an overloaded electrical outlet and extension cord, he said. The extension cord was not Underwriters Laboratories (UL) certified.

“It overheated and caused a fire in that area,” Alston said.

Because that 10th-floor office space was empty at the time, Alston said, “the fire burned undetected until it activated the sprinkler system and the alarm system.”

Firefighters contained the blaze, he said, but there was “a lot of water damage” due to the activation of the sprinklers. A lot of the water got into the building’s elevator shaft, he said, leading to the elevator being taken out of service for a few hours.

Thanks to the hard work of an elevator tech and firefighters who “dewatered” and dried the elevator shaft and checked all of the apartments below the fire, the elevator was brought back online within a few hours and no tenants were displaced. (McQueeney Towers has two elevators but, at the time of the fire on Saturday, one elevator was already out of service and awaiting repairs.)

The Tuesday evening fire at McQueeney also took place on the building’s 10th floor, Alston said.

This time, the blaze occurred on a residential apartment’s outdoor balcony.

“A large amount of materials were burned,” he said. “Fortunately, because it was outside, the fire was contained to the outside.”

There was “minor water intrusion” into the unit, he said. Again, no injuries, and no displacements.

This second fire is still under investigation, Alston said. It appears to have taken place in a large, plastic storage container on the outdoor balcony. Firefighters did not find any grill on the balcony, he said.

While the department is not yet sure whether the fire was intentional or accidental, Alston said, the cause appears to be “by human hand.”

Does the fire department think these two 10th-floor fires were related?

“At this time, it’s inconclusive” whether or not they are related, he said.

While the department is confident that the “ignition source” of Saturday’s fire was electrical, he said, the department is still investigating what exactly was the ignition source of Tuesday’s balcony blaze.

How would he describe city firefighter responses to both fires?

“In both instances, tremendous responses,” he said. “Quick response. Quick knock down [of both fires]. I’m very proud.”

Asked for comment on both McQueeney fires, Housing Authority of New Haven Interim Director Shenae Draughn told the Independent: “The fire yesterday was contained to a balcony and was extinguished quickly.  The fire on Saturday activated our sprinkler system that extinguished the fire. Both are under investigation.

“Once the investigation is completed, we’ll implement mitigating procedures. Our team, police and fire did an exceptional job with ensuring resident’s safety and that their subsequent needs were taken care of.”

Napa, CA – Sprinkler system activated for clothing fire at Kohl’s; No injuries reported

Firefighters were called to the Kohl’s in downtown Napa after a fire briefly flared inside the store late Wednesday afternoon, according to Napa Fire.

At 4:38 p.m., the city fire department was notified of a fire that broke out in a rack of clothes inside the men’s section of the store at 1116 First St., according to Capt. Erik Mortimore. Napa Fire units began arriving at Kohl’s within two minutes, and about 30 customers, alerted by smoke alarms, evacuated the building along with employees, he said.

Firefighters entering the store found a light haze of smoke inside, and learned that two sprinkler heads had activated above the clothing rack, which was extinguished within 10 minutes, according to Mortimore. Although fire hose lines were pulled into the building, no outside water was used on the fire, he said.

Fire crews entered to shut off the sprinklers and prevent further flooding, and the last remaining crews left the scene at 7:26 p.m., according to Mortimore.

“We got off pretty easy given what it could have been,” he said Wednesday night.

No injuries were reported to customers, staff or firefighters.

Napa Police officers went to the scene along with Napa Fire units, said Mortimore. The cause of the fire remained under investigation Wednesday night.

Kohl’s was expected to remain closed Thursday as work continues to clear water out of the building, according to Mortimore.