Tag Archives: Afternoon (12pm-6pm)

Office Building, Other Business

Healdsburg, CA – Sprinkler system limits damage in commercial building fire

Firefighters responded to a three-story commercial building fire near the Healdsburg downtown plaza Thursday afternoon, shutting down a portion of the city’s main thoroughfare for two hours. The Thanksgiving Day fire started just before 4:30 p.m. in the Brandt Insurance building in the 200 block of Healdsburg Avenue. A malfunctioning heater in the third-floor ceiling caused the smoke and flames, which set off the building’s internal sprinkler system, Healdsburg Fire Marshal Linda Collister said. Crews with Cal Fire, Cloverdale, Dry Creek Rancheria, Geyserville, Rincon Valley, Santa Rosa and Windsor assisted the Healdsburg Fire Department in extinguishing the blaze within 40 minutes. The southbound lanes of Healdsburg Avenue were reopened just after 6 p.m. Thursday. The building, which houses the insurance company, as well as retail stores on the first and second floors, was saved by its sprinkler system and had no structural, Collister said. She estimated the damage at $20,000-$30,000. 

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Milford, CT – Fire in Wal-Mart garden center is kept from spreading by sprinkler system

A fire at the Wal-Mart store on Boston Post Road on Tuesday forced the store to shut down temporarily while fire crews extinguished the blaze.  Shortly after 5 p.m., fire units raced to the store at 1365 Boston Post Road after an employee reported a fire, according to Battalion Chief Anthony Fabrizi.

“Firefighting units arrived on scene to find a large volume of smoke visible from the fenced area of the garden center where pallets of store stock are kept,” he said. “The building’s fire sprinkler system had activated, which prevented the blaze from spreading.”  Firefighters quickly extinguished the remainder of the fire and safely got the burned items out of the area.  The store was evacuated and closed while crews worked to put out the fire.

“When a structure fire occurs, it is imperative to evacuate the building and call 911 from a safe area outside of the structure,” Fabrizi said. “As a reminder, proper functioning smoke and carbon monoxide detectors save lives. Please check yours today.”  Fabrizi said the cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Milford Fire Marshal.

Apartment Building, Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential, Residential High Rise

Pittsburgh, PA – Fire chief credits sprinkler system in preventing worse situation in high rise senior apartment building fire

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The Pittsburgh fire chief credited a sprinkler system with likely preventing a worse situation for seniors evacuated by a fire Saturday at their high-rise apartment building in Hill District.

“Thankfully, this 10-story building had a working sprinkler system,” Chief Darryl Jones said in a news release.  The residents of Ebenezer Towers on Dinwiddie Street were evacuated from the 99-unit apartment building after the two-alarm blaze broke out shortly after 5 p.m. The fire was quickly contained to two units.  Two people were transported to the hospital — an 85-year-old woman who was burned on her foot and a man who needed evaluation for a pre-existing condition. The man since has been released; the woman was in stable condition.

One resident was rescued from a second-floor balcony, according to the release. During the fire, police took several elderly people and families to the Zone 2 station for shelter. The city said residents on the upper floors were allowed to return to their apartments. The 24 residents of the first two floors were displaced due to smoke and water damage.

Residential, Single Family Home

Ventura, CA – No injuries in house fire extinguished by sprinkler system

The <VC fire> department on Sunday responded to a house fire reported around 4:20 p.m. in the 500 block of Chesapeake Place, on the south side of Highway 126 east of south Petit Avenue. A two-story home was smoky inside, but crews found an upstairs fire sprinkler system had extinguished the flames, the department said. No one was injured.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Innisfil, ON, Canada – Sprinkler system suppressed fire at secondary school until fire crews arrived; No injuries reported

Innisfil Fire crews were called to Nantyr Shores Seconday School in Alcona on Tuesday afternoon after receiving a report of a fire.

According to Innisfil Fire, a small fire was detected in one of the school’s washrooms.

Officials say the sprinkler went off and it suppressed the fire until crews arrived on scene.

According to a tweet from the Simcoe County District School Board, students from Nantyr Shores Secondary School were evacuated to St. Frances of Assisi Catholic School.

Innisfil Fire says the fire was put out and there were no injuries as a result of the incident.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Chelmsford, MA – Oven fire at grocery store contained by sprinkler system until fire crews arrive

The Drum Hill Hannaford grocery store shut down for several hours Monday, following an oven fire in the store’s deli area, Fire Chief Gary Ryan said.

No injuries were reported. The store reopened just after 2:30 p.m., Ryan said.

Ryan said the Chelmsford Fire Department responded with an engine company at 7:04 a.m. Nov. 12 for a fire alarm activation.

When they arrived, the engine company encountered smoke by the deli. They also found an oven fire being contained by an activated sprinkler head, Ryan said.

The damage was limited to the deli area and the store was shut down for cleaning and sprinkler restoration, Ryan said.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Knoxville, TN – Sprinkler system extinguished fire at plastics manufacturing plant

Rural Metro Fire responded to a fire at Republic Plastics on South National Drive around 5:30 Sunday evening.

When crews arrived on scene, they found a large smoke charged building and no evacuation in progress.

Rural Fire Metro said after their initial investigation, they found a roll of product that had been on fire but extinguished by the sprinkler system.

Officials said large fans in the building along with fans from the fire department were used to ventilate the building back to safe levels so employees could re-enter the building.

The exact cause of the fire is under investigation by Knox County Fire Investigators.

Apartment Building, Residential

Holyoke, MA – Apartment bedroom fire contained by sprinkler system allowing occupants to escape uninjured

A fire in a four-story apartment building in the flats section of the city damaged a bedroom Thursday evening.

The fire was the second that happened in the city around 5 p.m. The other fire in a single-family home at 4 Loomis Ave. displaced two residents, Fire Capt. Kevin Cavagnac said.  When firefighters arrived, they found flames in the first floor and basement.

The fire at 222 East Dwight St. originated in the bedroom of a third-floor apartment. When firefighters arrived the residents of the apartment had escaped safely, he said.

“Two sprinkler heads activated in the bedroom, containing the fire to the room or origin and allowing all occupants to escape uninjured,” Cavagnac said.  The building is fully sprinklered, he said.

Cavagnac did not say if anyone was displaced in the fire at 222 East Dwight St.

Residential, Townhouse / Condominium

Aberdeen, MD – Arson fire at town home contained to basement area by sprinkler system

Investigators are looking for information from the community about fires that were set at two adjoining townhouses early Friday afternoon.  Firefighters from the Abingdon Volunteer Fire Company and surrounding companies were dispatched at 12:16 p.m. for a dwelling fire after a passerby observed smoke coming from 503 Cool Breeze Circle in the Holly Woods development off of Philadelphia Road, according to a news release from the Office of the State Fire Marshal.  When they arrived, firefighters encountered a fire that had been contained to the basement because the fire sprinklers activated, according to the release.  They also found that one or more people had forced their way into the home.

While investigating the fire at 503 Cool Breeze Circle, firefighters noticed that one or more people had also forced their way into 501 Cool Breeze Circle, where they found multiple points of origin of a fire within the home.  With these observations, the Office of the State Fire Marshal was requested to the scene.  Investigators determined the fire within 503 Cool Breeze Circle, which was occupied at the time of the fire by owners Richard and Elizabeth Dubose, was intentionally set and was contained to the basement after fire sprinklers activated.

They also concluded the multiple fires at 501 Cool Breeze Circle, owned by Nicole Tavenier, which was vacant and for sale, were also incendiary. Those fires had self-extinguished and did not produce the required heat to activate the fire sprinkler system.  Twenty-five firefighters assisted in the one-alarm fire in 503 Cool Breeze Circle. No injuries were reported and investigators estimate total damage to both homes at about $25,000.  Anyone living in the community, or who may have been passing by at the time of the fires, is asked to contact the fire marshal’s office with any information about these incidents.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Lynchburg, VA – After dust explosion, sprinkler system activates to aid firefighters in extinguishing blaze at business

The Lynchburg Fire Department responded to a fire at a business in Lynchburg after the welding arc set off a dust explosion.  The fire department said workers were doing maintenance on top of an oven at Hanwha Azdel, welding a new rod, when the welding arc set off a dust explosion fire in the roof system in the insulation, activating the sprinkler system.  Lynchburg Department of Emergency Services said the 2000 block of Enterprise Drive was shut down as a response.  Fire crews say Unit 8 arrived and extinguished the flames.  Lingering smoke on the roof was also extinguished.  No one was injured.