Tag Archives: Afternoon (12pm-6pm)

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Spring, TX – Restaurant fire sprinkler system keeps fire from spreading

Just after 3pm Ladder, 11-4 was dispatched to an automatic fire alarm at a strip center in the 4100 block of Riley Fuzzel. While en route crews were notified that the manager from Woodson’s Local Tap called and advised there was smoke coming from Fajita Pete’s, a neighboring restaurant in the same strip center.

The response was upgraded to a commercial fire resulting in South County Stations 1,2,6 being added along with Spring and Porter Fire Department. L-114 arrived on the scene and found smoke coming from the restaurant which was not open for business at the time. Crews entered the structure and found the fire sprinklers had activated and were keeping a small fire in the kitchen area from spreading. The crews extinguished the remaining fire preventing any further damage. The scene was determined under control within 5 minutes of arrival and other responding units were placed in service.

The fire is being investigated by the Montgomery County Fire Marshal’s Office

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

North Charleston, SC – Hotel fire sprinkler extinguished cooking fire; No injuries reported

The North Charleston Fire Department (NCFD), St. Andrews Fire Department, and Charleston County EMS on Wednesday responded to a hotel on the 4800 block of Rivers Avenue for an active fire alarm.

Crews arrived shortly after 2:21 p.m. and were advised that the fire was on the second floor.

Upon locating the room, firefighters discovered that a fire sprinkler “had activated and extinguished a cooking fire.”

After ensuring that the fire was extinguished, crews “controlled the sprinkler system and started salvage operations on the first floor to reduce damage.” They also used ventilation fans to remove smoke.

No injuries were reported, and the occupants of the room were relocated.

Following the incident, NCFD is reminding the public of these facts:

  • Ninety percent of fires are contained by the operation of just one sprinkler.
  • A home with smoke alarms and fire sprinklers reduces the risk of death in a home fire by 82%, relative to having neither, according to Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition.
  • Home fire sprinklers can contain and may even extinguish a fire in less time than it would take the fire department to arrive on the scene.
  • Modern residential sprinklers are inconspicuous and can be mounted flush with walls or ceilings.
  • Fire sprinklers save lives, reduce property loss and can even help cut homeowner insurance premiums.
  • Nationally, on average, home fire sprinklers cost $1.35 per square foot of sprinklered space in new construction.
Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant, Residential, Townhouse / Condominium

Ocean City, NJ – fire sprinkler systems put out sixth floor fire at hotel and later that day extinguish fire at a condo

The Ocean City Fire Department had a busy day on Sunday with a fire at a downtown hotel in the afternoon and another at a residence later that evening.

Around 2:30 p.m. last Sunday, the Ocean City Fire Department (OCFD) responded to a fire alarm activation at the Stowaway Grand Hotel on 22nd Street. First-arriving firefighters located the hotel’s alarm panel and determined the source of the activation was on the fifth floor. Four OCFD firefighters operating in groups of two made their way to the fifth floor from inside the building and found a smoke and fire condition in an electrical closet.

OCFD spokesman Ryan Whittington said crews were able to put out that fire with dry chemical extinguishers and that firefighters wouldn’t use water in a fire of that type because it was electrical in nature. With that situation well in hand, Whittington said while on the fifth floor, firefighters were alerted to another potential fire on the sixth floor above.

The crews made their way to the sixth floor and found an active fire and smoke conditions. As firefighters were preparing to tackle that blaze, the hotel’s sprinkler system activated and put out the fire.

The entire situation was brought under control around 3:40 p.m. on Sunday, or a little over an hour after the first alarm activation. Whittington said the protocol for the fire department in that case was to send the high-rise package, which includes larger apparatus and equipment.

“Because the Stowaway Grand is considered a high-rise in terms of the number of floors, there are certain things we have to do,” he said. “We actually deployed our high-rise package, which includes the ladder trucks and larger apparatus equipped with a larger amount of hose and larger caliber hoses.”

Hundreds of hotel guests were evacuated during the incident, resulting in some quick thinking by the command staff.

“Battalion Chief David Peterson had command and he requested a city bus,” said Whittington. “There were hundreds of guests milling around and waiting to get back in, and having the bus there provided a place for them to sit down and relax in the air conditioning.”

Whittington said the fire department’s protocols and training prevented what could have been a much more serious situation.

“Everything worked like it should have,” he said. “To our guys’ credit, they really saved the building from much more damage.”

Hours later, the OCFD responded to another residential fire at a condominium on Trimper Avenue, according to Whittington.

“We arrived and found a heavy smoke condition on the first floor,” he said. “Crews made their way to the third floor and found a basket of blankets and other materials in a storage closet too close to a heat source and it combusted. We believe a light bulb might have started the fire, but it is still under investigation. In that incident, the condo’s sprinkler system activated and extinguished the fire.”

Other Business, Place of Worship

Fitchburg, MA – Fire sprinklers stop fire from spreading after pipe organ catches fire in church; No injuries reported

A sprinkler system and the hard work of firefighters and a very large fan spared much of a Fitchburg church Monday afternoon when an electrical issue in a pipe organ sparked a fire, according to firefighters.

Deputy Chief Chad Courtemanche said crews were called to the Emanuel Lutheran Church a little after 3 p.m., on an alarm call after the alarm system detected sprinkler flow.

Crews arrived to find heavy smoke in the building and soon learned the fire in the pipe organ was being held in check by sprinklers, Courtemanche said.

As a result of the sprinklers, “the fire was burning slow and creating a lot of smoke, so we vented the smoke and put out the fire,” Courtemanche said.

There were no reported injuries.

Crews used a large, truck-mounted ventilation fan designed for large buildings to vent a large amount of smoke from the church. Courtemanche said damage appeared to be light, under the circumstances, with fire damage confined mostly to the organ, and mostly just smoke and water damage elsewhere.

He said much of the wooden church, and even some books not far from the blaze, appeared to have suffered minimal damage.

Pastor Daniel W. Spigelmyer Jr., said the pipe organ is about 150 years old, and is a major sentimental and historical loss for the church.

Crews remained at the scene for about two hours.

Apartment Building, Residential

Burlington, WI – Sprinkler system extinguishes third-floor apartment fire

An early Thursday afternoon apartment fire displaced residents at the Fox Crossing Apartments on Bridge Street along the city’s riverfront.

All occupants were safely evacuated from the multi-unit apartment complex at 180 Bridge St., with one resident sustaining burns and being transported to Aurora Burlington Medical Center, the City of Burlington Fire Department confirmed Friday. 

City Fire Chief Alan Babe reported that the fire was contained to one third-floor apartment, where sprinklers extinguished the blaze.

“We got a general (automatic) fire alarm at 12:33 hours,” Babe said. “Prior to us going en route, we got a call back from Racine County Communications Center that a proper pass code was given to clear the alarm, so I had the cancel tones set off. What ended up eventually happening is we were re-toned for smoke in the building.

“We were on scene at 12:40 and first crews in realized we did have an active fire at one point in Unit Number 306. Sprinklers were activated, with some water damage. Evacuation was already in progress upon our arrival,” Babe said.

A press release from Babe on Friday morning said the activation of the fire sprinkler system stopped the fire from engulfing the third-floor unit within minutes and expanding quickly to the other apartments.

“Without the fire sprinkler system in place, the aftermath would have been devastating, resulting in serious risk to life or even total property damage,” Babe said.

Burlington Police Department Lt. Brian Zmudzinski reported that 180 Bridge St. has 32 apartments with approximately 65 to 70 occupants.

Babe reported that displaced residents from the four-story complex were initially gathered together in the community room at the neighboring Fox Crossing Apartments building at 120 Bridge St.

“We do have EMS personnel with all the residents at this time,” Babe said at the scene, adding that COVID precautions were being taken and that pharmaceutical medication, food and hydration needs of residents were “being taken care of.”

Red Cross called

Babe said that some residents would be allowed to return to the apartment building in certain areas deemed safe to do so. But he added there “are going to be some permanent displacements” in an unknown number of units due to water damage.

The chief said he had been in contact with the American Red Cross regarding “proper accommodations” for any possible permanent displacements in connection with the incident, noting it was likely that some displaced residents might find accommodations with friends or family.

“We’re looking long-term if we have to put people up for a period of time … to make sure that they’re taken care of. We have those plans in place,” Babe said.

Firefighters continued helping displaced residents collect belongings and pets well into Thursday evening. Damage estimates were not available and the incident remained under investigation as of Friday.

As part of the incident response, Babe said the City of Burlington Fire Department set up a unified command system with the Burlington Police Department and responding fire departments. Multiple emergency units were on scene, including units from the Town of Burlington, Rochester, Lake Geneva, Salem Lakes and the Racine Fire Bells Emergency Services Support and Rehab unit. Babe said city staff, including the mayor, city administrator and public works crews were also on scene.

“We had good representation,” he said. “Everybody’s working together.”

The Racine County Sheriff’s Office and We Energies crews also assisted at the scene.

Babe said the cause of the fire is under investigation. There was no estimate on the dollar amount of damage to the apartment building as of Wednesday afternoon.

Parking Garage

Visalia, CA – Parking garage dumpster fire controlled thanks to fire sprinklers, ruled arson

A Visalia man with a history of lighting fire was arrested in connection with a downtown Visalia Dumpster fire. 

Around 12:55 p.m. Thursday, Visalia firefighters responded to a fire behind 227 E. Main St, near the Main Street Theatre. The Dumpster was in an enclosure that is part of the east Acequia parking structure, which is equipped with a sprinkler system.

Smoke activated the sprinklers which kept the fire from spreading. The fire caused only minor damage, according to Sgt. Russ Gauger.

On Friday, officers were called to the corner of Main and Court streets by a downtown security guard. The security guard told police he saw a man he’d seen near the Dumpster just moments before Thursday’s fire.  

Officers found and spoke with Charles Spurlock, 40. After some follow up investigation, Spurlock was identified as the suspected arsonist, Gauger said.

Spurlock was arrested in August 2016 in connection to a string of Visalia fires set just hours apart. During the incident, Spurlock tried to outrun officers but was eventually arrested after a perimeter was set up in the backyard of house near Savannah Street and Judy Street.

In 2017, he was held to answer on numerous felony charges related to the case. 

Spurlock was arrested on suspicion of arson, possession of a controlled substance and a parole violation. He was booked into Tulare County Pretrial Facility. His bail is set at $50,000. 

Apartment Building, Residential

Chapel Hill, NC – Sprinkler system contains apartment grease fire

The Chapel Hill Fire Department responded at 5:22 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 4, to an automatic fire alarm at 201 S. Elliott Road, the Berkshire Chapel Hill Apartments.

A resident was cooking when grease in a pot on the stove ignited. The fire triggered the sprinkler system and automatic fire alarm. The resident was treated at the scene by Orange County EMS.

The response consisted of 11 fire personnel from Chapel Hill on two Engines, one Ladder, and two Battalion Chiefs. Chapel Hill Police assisted with scene safety and security.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Dayton, OH – Sprinkler system at senior apartment contains fire on 14th floor

One person was injured in a fire that broke out Monday afternoon in a unit on the 14th floor of the historic Biltmore Towers senior apartment building.

The sprinkler system in the building at 210 N. Main St. in Dayton helped contain the fire reported at 3:50 p.m. Monday, which shut down a portion of North Main Street.

One person was taken to a local hospital for possible smoke inhalation injuries and one floor sustained smoke damage.

Apartment Building, Residential

Rock Springs, WY – Apartment fire stopped by fire sprinkler system

The Rock Springs Fire Department responded to two apartment fires in the Village at Silver Ridge on Saturday, according to Fire Chief Jim Wamsley.

Wamsley said crews responded to the first fire just after 3 pm when initial reports indicated that a sprinkler system had been activated from a report by the alarm monitoring company.

Upon arrival, responding crews gained access to apartment 205, noting that the fire had been extinguished by the sprinkler activation system. Crews stopped the water flow at the head and checked for any remaining hot spots and possible extension to adjacent apartment units and the apartment immediately above the fire floor.

No damage or fire extension was found. The cause of the fire was determined to be an unattended grill on the balcony. The fire suppression system was tagged out of service and the management of the apartment facility was given instructions to maintain a fire watch until such time as the fire suppression system could be repaired and brought back into normal operation.

Retail, Shopping Mall

Hackensack, NJ – Garbage fire put out by fire sprinkler system at mall; No injuries reported

A garbage fire cleared The Shops at Riverside mall in Hackensack on Tuesday afternoon, though the flames were quickly extinguished by the mall’s sprinkler system, said Capt. Justin Derevyanik of the Hackensack Fire Department.

Heavy smoke still lingered an hour and a half after the fire was put out, and shoppers remained outside the mall waiting to go back in.

The flames broke out just before 1:45 p.m. when cardboard and other trash ignited inside the compactor, which is under the parking garage in the rear of the building.

Derevyanik said the fire was contained to the compactor but some smoke seeped into the shopping mall.

There were no injuries, and Derevyanik expected crews to finish resetting the alarm system in time to allow customers back inside by about 4 p.m.

The fire remained under investigation.