Tag Archives: Afternoon (12pm-6pm)

Casino, Other Business

Las Vegas, NV – Casino sprinkler systems helps keep fire in check; No injuries reported

After a woman crashed an R.V. through its front doors, a small fire was reported at the Cannery Casino in North Las Vegas Friday afternoon.

The fire was reported around 2 p.m. on Oct. 25. The Cannery Casino is located at 2121 East Craig Road, near Lossee Road.

North Las Vegas fire officials said about 50 firefighters responded from North Las Vegas, Las Vegas and Clark County responded to the scene. When crews arrived, they noticed a burning odor inside the property, along with some smoke. There was also a strong electrical burning smell.

The Cannery was evacuated and crews started looking for the cause of the fire. According to fire officials, several hundred people were evacuated. Crews narrowed down the location of the fire to an air handler near the restaurants.

An air handler is used to move heat or air conditioning throughout a building. As air handlers get older, they can collect dust and other build-up, becoming possible fire hazards. 

As of 4:30 p.m., North Las Vegas fire officials said investigators were still determining if the air handler was the exact cause of the fire, though “the chances seemed pretty good” that it was a motor in the air handler.

After a woman crashed an R.V. through its front doors, a small fire was reported at the Cannery Casino in North Las Vegas Friday afternoon.

The fire was reported around 2 p.m. on Oct. 25. The Cannery Casino is located at 2121 East Craig Road, near Lossee Road.

North Las Vegas fire officials said about 50 firefighters responded from North Las Vegas, Las Vegas and Clark County responded to the scene. When crews arrived, they noticed a burning odor inside the property, along with some smoke. There was also a strong electrical burning smell.

The Cannery was evacuated and crews started looking for the cause of the fire. According to fire officials, several hundred people were evacuated. Crews narrowed down the location of the fire to an air handler near the restaurants.

An air handler is used to move heat or air conditioning throughout a building. As air handlers get older, they can collect dust and other build-up, becoming possible fire hazards. 

As of 4:30 p.m., North Las Vegas fire officials said investigators were still determining if the air handler was the exact cause of the fire, though “the chances seemed pretty good” that it was a motor in the air handler.

College/University (on campus), School / University

Anchorage, AK – Fire caused by a malfunctioning switchboard at university stopped by sprinkler system

After a two-week closure of the Administration/Humanities Building due to a fire, the building is now reopened as of Oct. 14.

The Sept. 29 fire started due to electrical malfunctions in the building’s main distribution switchboard. The sprinkler system was triggered by the fire, but there was little water damage to the building and its equipment, according to Deputy Director of Facilities and Campus Services, Ryan Buchholdt.

The cause behind the switchboard malfunction is under investigation. Buchholdt speculated that the age of the equipment may have contributed to the cause of the fire.

“The fire was contained within the main distribution switchboard, resulting in a total power outage until repairs could be completed,” Buchholdt said.

The utility service is connected to the building by the switchboard, which is designed specifically for the Administration/Humanities Building. Replacement parts for the switchboard are not readily available, Buchholdt said, so new parts had to be engineered and others ordered, which took several weeks.

The fire started on a Sunday afternoon, so there was little time to reschedule classes in the building, Buchholdt said. All classes the following Monday, Sept. 30, were canceled by University Leadership. They were relocated to various buildings around campus throughout the rest of the week.

“Fifty-six class sections and approximately 70 faculty and staff had to be temporarily relocated to other places on campus until the building could be reopened,” Buchholdt said.

The relocation was organized by the Office of the Registrar. The Alaska Middle College classes also held in the building were relocated to the UAA/APU Consortium Library.

Lindsey Chadwell, the University Registrar of Student Affairs and Enrollment Services, communicated the incident to as many people as possible through social media.

“We worked jointly on messaging with the Office of University Advancement, which sent out broad communications via email, social media and the UAA website alerting the campus community to the building’s closure,” Chadwell said.

In addition to the 56 classes, the offices of the Chancellor, Provost, Vice Chancellor for Administrative Services and some members of University Advancement are also located in the Administration/Humanities Building. These offices were relocated to the University Lake Building by Facilities and Campus Services. Smaller units were relocated to the UAA/APU Consortium Library and Professional Studies Building. Staff in the building were also given the opportunity to work from home via computer if they were able to do so.

All main electrical equipment that is similar in age to the switchboard will be inspected by Facilities and Campus Services. Regular inspections will also continue, Buchholdt said.

“In addition to steps that can prevent this sort of incident in the future, our Incident Management Team, which includes representatives from University Police, Facilities and Campus Services, Dean of Students Office and University Advancement, will evaluate the overall response to find ways to improve our emergency practices,” Buchholdt said.

For more information on the Administration/Humanities Building fire and equipment inspections, contact Facilities and Campus Services through its page on the UAA website.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Watertown, NY – Sprinkler system at manufacturing facility extinguishes fire

A sprinkler system inside a Watertown manufacturing facility did its job late Wednesday afternoon and put out a small fire.

Firefighters were called to the Jefferson County Industrial Park off outer Coffeen Street to Allied Motion a little before 3 p.m.

Fire officials told 7 News a spark from equipment in a testing and quality control room set off a small fire above a drop-down ceiling.

The sprinkler system put out the fire, but firefighters had to do smoke removal.

Fire officials say damage was moderate. The building was evacuated.

Retail, Shopping Mall

Faribault, MN – Fire at Petsmart in local mall extinguished by fire sprinklers

Faribault Fire Chief Dustin Dienst meets this morning with a investigator from the State Fire Marshal’s Office to go over the results of a fire that started in the bathroom at PetsMart in the Faribo West Mall.  The call was received 4:59 p.m. Tuesday with the Faribault Fire Department, Faribault Police Department, Rice County Sheriff’s Office and North Ambulance all responding to the scene.

People were evacuated from the building. Chief Dienst says, “Light smoke could be seen in the back of the business.  Police officers made entry to locate the fire, evacuate animals and give the fire department a size up.”

When the fire department got there it was determined the fire was located in a bathroom and the sprinkler system had extinguished the fire.  The sprinkler system was shut down.  Firefighters used squeegees to clean up the water on the floor by pushing it down a drain.

Faribault Police also did on scene investigation and it was decided to call in the State Fire Marshal’s Office because the fire was determined to be suspicious.

Chief Dienst noted the Discover School had a fire late Sunday night where the sprinkler system also did it’s job.  That fire was reported 11:17 p.m. Sunday.  When the fire department arrived alarms were sounding.

Fire crews located the fire on the 3rd floor and made a quick knock down of the fire with the help from the sprinkler system in the building.  The majority of the fire was contained to the 3rd floor ceiling.  A small fire started on the wood floor below the ceiling fire from burning materials falling from the ceiling.  That fire was extinguished by the sprinkler system.

Cause of the fire was determined to be an electrical short in a wire that was covered with cellulose insulation in the 3rd floor ceiling.

Chief Dienst commented, “The building’s sprinkler system and alarm system operated correctly and alerted the fire department while the fire was still small.  Firefighters made entry, located and extinguished the fire quickly.  Without those systems this fire had the potential to destroy the building.”

Chief Dienst also commended the employees of PetsMart for, “Doing a good job of evacuating the customers so that no one was in danger.”

Hospital/Care Facility, Other - Hospital/Medical

Madison, WI – Fire sprinkler activation contains fire to dehumidifier; No injuries reported

A recalled appliance at a Madison assisted care home malfunctioned Monday afternoon, causing a fire, officials said. 

The Madison Fire Department said crews were notified of a problem at 7710 S. Brookline Drive at 3:07 p.m. after an automatic fire sprinkler activated, sending an alarm to Dane County 911 Public Safety Communications Center.

The sprinkler kept the fire contained, which allowed on-site staff to deploy a fire extinguisher and put it out, the fire department said. Firefighters were directed to the location of the fire and found a heavily damaged dehumidifier.

The dehumidifier in use was an older model that had several recalls, fire officials said. A drainage tube attached to the collection tank allowed the dehumidifier to run without interruption.

The fire department said that although the fire produced a lot of smoke, damage was confined to the dehumidifier, and there were no injuries or displaced occupants because the automatic sprinkler caught the fire right away. 

The fire department said crews have responded to a number of fires involving dehumidifiers that were recalled, were older models or were simply left to run constantly for indefinite periods of time.

“It is unsafe to allow your dehumidifier to run uninterrupted,” fire officials said. “Homeowners and occupants should use the proper collection tank which, when full, will prompt the dehumidifier to stop running until the tank can be emptied.”

Other - Retail, Retail

Duluth, MN – Sprinkler system helps contain pallet fire at Goodwill store; No injuries reported

In Duluth, firefighters responded to an automatic alarm at the Goodwill Store at 700 Garfield Avenue on Friday afternoon. They found smoke coming from the rear of the building where pallets of assorted goods were on fire. Fire containment was assisted by an activated sprinkler head. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

San Pablo, CA – Sprinkler system puts out fire at nursing home; No injuries reported

A fire at a San Pablo nursing home spurred the evacuation of three dozen patients Friday afternoon, authorities said.

Firefighters were called to Vale Healthcare Center at 13484 San Pablo Ave. about 2:10 p.m. for a report of a fire, according to Contra Costa County Fire Protection District spokesman Steve Hill.

Hill said the fire ignited inside a room on one of the facility’s four wings, and while the flames were quickly snuffed out by a sprinkler system, 36 patients still had to be evacuated. The evacuated patients were ultimately re-accommodated elsewhere in the facility.

No injuries were reported, but there was smoke and water damage to a handful of rooms, according to Hill.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

The fire snarled traffic in the surrounding area, but authorities said things were starting to return to normal by about 4 p.m.

Hotel / Restaurant, Office Building, Other Business, Restaurant

Chicago, IL – Fire at high-rise contained by fire sprinklers; no injuries reported

No one was injured Thursday when a fire broke out at a Starbucks along the Chicago River in the West Loop.

Firefighters were called about 12:20 p.m. for a fire in the coffee shop in the lobby of the high-rise at 150 N. Riverside Plaza, according to Chicago Fire Dept. spokesman Larry Langford.

“The fire was contained to the Starbucks, and it looks like everything is under control,” Langford said. He said the sprinkler system was engaged and the fire was put out within the hour.

A preliminary investigation indicates the fire may have started in the brewing machine or dishwasher, Langford said.

Several ambulances and fire engines were called to the site as a precaution, and crews remained on scene after the fire was extinguished to douse the burned area, Langford said.

Employees in the building were ordered to shelter in their offices, since evacuating a building so large would be unnecessary in this case, Langford said. Some people, however, evacuated on their own.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, Langford said.

Apartment Building, Residential

Arlington, VA – Apartment fire contained by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Firefighters are on scene of an apartment fire at the Quincy Plaza apartments in Virginia Square.

The fire was first reported just after 2 p.m., on the 12th floor of the apartment tower at 3900 Fairfax Drive. The fire is reported to now be out, controlled at least in part via a sprinkler system.

Firefighters are now checking for additional fire, smoke and water damage in adjacent apartments. Water can be seen streaming down the side of the building near where the fire was reported, and “extensive” water damage is being reported in parts of the building, according to scanner traffic.

No word yet on what caused the fire.

Police are also on the scene, helping to provide traffic control with the eastbound lanes of Fairfax Drive closed by the emergency response.

Apartment Building, Residential

Worcester, MA – Fire sprinkler activation contains fire to single apartment

A fire in a unit at the Pleasant Tower Apartments Friday damaged a unit on the eighth floor.

According to Deputy Fire Chief Martin Dyer, the fire was contained to the eighth floor apartment. One resident was being evaluated Friday afternoon, the deputy chief said.

A second alarm was struck to bring more personnel to the building; the deputy chief said two activated sprinkler heads led to a significant water cleanup operation.

The cause of the fire was under investigation. Firefighters arrived at the building before 6 p.m., and stayed for more than an hour.