Tag Archives: Afternoon (12pm-6pm)

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Lee’s Summit, MO – Hotel fire extinguished by sprinkler system

On Friday, January 1, 2021, at 2:46 p.m., the Lee’s Summit Fire Department responded to reported structure fire at America’s Best Value Inn, 1020 SE Blue Parkway. The caller reported smoke in the first floor hallway, possibly coming from a meeting room. The hotel was being evacuated.

When the fire department arrived, there was nothing visible from the outside of the three-story hotel. Crews entered the building and found the building’s automatic fire sprinkler system had activated in the first floor meeting room and extinguished a fire involving a wall mounted heating, ventilation and air conditioning unit (HVAC). Water flow was discontinued from the sprinkler head and the area was checked for fire spread to the wall and second floor. A search of the entire building found a few occupants still in the building that were removed. Crews assisted with smoke removal from the building. The incident was under control by 3:14 p.m.

The fire was contained to the area of the HVAC unit with significant smoke damage to the meeting room, and minor damage to the hallway. The cause of the fire was determined to be a faulty HVAC unit.

Portions of the hotel were able to be reoccupied.

Residential, Single Family Home

Castro Valley, CA – Fire that started in chimney stopped from spreading thanks to attic fire sprinklers; No injuries reported

Fire crews quickly knocked down a one-alarm blaze that started in a chimney and spread to a home’s attic Saturday afternoon in Castro Valley, fire officials said.

The fire was reported about 1:20 p.m. at a home in the 25000 block of Palomares Road, according to the Alameda County Fire Department.

Sprinklers in the home’s attic assisted fire crews, who kept the blaze from spreading to the rest of the house, a fire department spokeswoman said.

No one was injured and the residents were not displaced.

Hospital/Care Facility, Hospital/Medical Clinic

Rossville, MD – Fire sprinklers extinguish utility room fire at medical center; No injuries reported

A fire in a utility room at MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center was quickly extinguished, Baltimore County fire officials said.

Fire officials said firefighters were called around 3:09 p.m. for a fire on the third floor of the hospital in Rossville.

Fire officials said the hospital alarm system sounded and as firefighters were en route, the sprinkler system activated. Officials said firefighters found heavy smoke on the third floor and it took about 45 minutes to put out the fire.

“They were able to make quick extinguishment of the fire, the sprinklers were activated. They were able to contact that very quickly. They were working to shelter patients in place,” Baltimore County fire Capt. Len Stewart said.

Patients at the hospital were sheltered in place as fire crews worked on ventilating the facility. No injuries were reported, officials said.

“We had a fire in one of our inpatient units. It looks like it originated in one of our utility rooms, storage rooms. (I’m) delighted to say that the first responders did a magnificent job to put the fire out, patients were moved laterally as per our plans, no patients were hurt, no staff were injured, thank goodness. The fire’s out and we are cleaning up and looking to get back to full operations,” said Stuart Levine, president of MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center.

Levine told 11 News that the floor affected by the fire was where some COVID-19 patients were being treated. They have been moved to other areas at the hospital.

Firefighters said there was water damage on the second floor.

Apartment Building, Residential

Beaver Dam, WI – Sprinkler system stops spread of fire at apartment complex

A sprinkler system saved a Beaver Dam apartment building from widespread damage on Friday.

Just after 3pm, the Beaver Dam Fire Department was dispatched to Mary Ann Road for a report of a garage fire which was located directly below the apartments. Crews arrived on scene to find smoke visible from the garage. Fire Chief Alan Mannel says the new apartments were equipped with sprinklers that extinguished the fire prior to the arrival of first responders. He says without the sprinklers installed, the fire may have been (quote) “catastrophic.” Mannel adds examples like these are why fire departments around the state stress the importance of sprinklers in multi-family structures and apartment complexes.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Franklin Park, IL – Fire at senior apartments extinguished by fire sprinklers; No injuries reported

A ninth-floor apartment at Franklin Towers, an apartment building for seniors, caught fire Wednesday after grocery items ignited on a hot electric stove, according to the Franklin Park Fire Department.

The building’s fire alarm activated shortly before 3:30 p.m., and automatic sprinklers extinguished the fire before firefighters arrived on the scene in the 9500 block of Franklin Avenue, Franklin Park Fire Chief William Brehm said in an email.

“Residents were evacuated and evaluated for safety, but there were no injuries or transports (to the hospital),” Brehm said.

Only the apartment that caught fire was damaged, and that was limited to water damage from the sprinkler system, Brehm said. The damage was cleaned up the same day by an outside company, according to Brehm.

Parking Garage

Fargo, ND – Parking garage fire sprinklers keep fire contained after vehicle catches on fire; No injuries reported

The Fargo Fire Department was able to contain a vehicle fire Friday at a downtown parking garage.

Around 12:45 p.m. the Fargo Fire Department responded to a report of a vehicle on fire inside the multi-level parking garage located on the 600 block of  2nd Ave. North.

The first two units arrived on the scene within 2 minutes of being dispatched and located a vehicle on fire on the fifth floor of the garage.  Crews worked to extinguish the fire with the help of the building’s sprinkler system that had two heads activate above the vehicle.

The sprinkler system helped keep the fire contained to the original vehicle, there were no injuries. The cause of the fire is still under investigation at this time.

Responders were delayed by a vehicle parked in front of a fire hydrant and one vehicle driving over a fire hose.

The Fargo Fire Department would like to remind the public that it is illegal to drive over a fire hose when it is stretched out on the street.  This causes damage to the hose and places crews relying on the hose in danger if it fails.  They also ask to refrain from parking in front of fire hydrants. It causes delays in establishing a water supply for fire suppression operations.

Apartment Building, Residential

Westbrook, MA – Fire sprinklers extinguish kitchen apartment fire; No injuries reported

The Red Cross says it is helping 11 people after a fire in Westbrook Sunday.

Firefighters were called to the Larrabee Village housing complex on Liza Harmon Drive at about 1:15 Sunday and found a kitchen fire in a fourth-floor apartment. They said flames started on a stovetop and spread upward.

Firefighters said the automatic sprinkler system in the kitchen put the fire out before they arrived. Crews worked quickly to contain water damage.

No one was hurt, but there was some cleaning work to be done.

The exact cause of the fire was under investigation Monday morning.

Larrabee Village offers one-bedroom subsidized apartments with kitchenettes, primarily for those age 62 and older.

Manufacturing, Other - Manufacturing

Chilliwack, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire inside paint spray booth; No injuries reported

A fire in an industrial building on Tuesday afternoon in Chilliwack could have been a lot worse if not for the interior sprinkler system.

Firefighters from Halls 1, 4 and 6 were called to the scene of a structure fire in the 43000-block of Progress Way on Tuesday, Sept. 22 shortly before 1 p.m.

Crews arrived to find a significant amount of smoke coming from the building. Firefighters entered the building, discovered the fire was located in the paint spray booth, and that it had been extinguished by the building’s fire sprinkler system.

There was minor fire, smoke and water damage and it is expected the business will be back in operation soon. The cause of the fire is accidental and is related to hot work processes in the paint spray booth.

All employees safely evacuated the building and there were no firefighter injuries.

Apartment Building, Residential

Auburn, WA – Fire sprinklers control apartment fire and limit damage

The streak began on Friday, Sept. 4, at 12:48 p.m., with a fire at the Gentry Walk Apartments, 12700 block of SE 312th St. in Auburn. Three adults, including one disabled female were displaced after a fire began in their apartment. The disabled female was not able to evacuate on her own and was carried out by firefighters. Fortunately, the building sprinkler system controlled this fire, limiting damage to approximately $5,000 in the affected unit.  An adjacent unit suffered a small amount of water damage. The cause is undetermined at this time.

Apartment Building, Residential

Franklin, TX – Single sprinkler head extinguishes apartment fire started by a candle; No injuries reported

Clothing placed too close to a burning candle ignited an apartment fire this evening, according to Franklin Fire Lieutenant-Paramedic and Fire Investigator Michael Henderson.

Henderson said the fire started in the bathroom of a third-floor unit of the Cadence Cool Springs Apartments, located off of Carothers Parkway on Pacific Drive. He said an occupant was in the shower when the clothing caught fire and spread to a towel. The blaze was quickly extinguished by a single fire sprinkler head.

The fire sprinkler activation triggered an automatic fire alarm. The Franklin Fire Department was dispatched to the three-story, 24-unit apartment building at 5:46 PM. The fire was out when they arrived.

No one was hurt. Henderson said the apartment complex is assisting the displaced residents.