Tag Archives: Afternoon (12pm-6pm)

Athletic Club/Sports Facility, Other Business

Lake Stevens, WA – Sprinklers “do their job” in suspicious fire at Boys & Girls Club

Investigators are trying to determine the cause of a fire that damaged a portion of the Lake Stevens Boys and Girls Club on Monday afternoon. Investigators are calling the fire ‘suspicious.’  The fire started at approximately 2:30 P.M. Monday, investigators said.  When firefighters arrived on scene, they found two portable bathrooms on fire. Flames had spread to the overhang and the roof of the building nearby.

It appears the fire started inside the portable toilets, the Assistant Fire Marshal for Lake Stevens Fire told KOMO News on Monday night.  “The ones who are gonna pray the price are the kids. And that’s the sad part,” said Michael Hamel, who lives nearby and stopped by the club Monday night to look at the damage left behind. “We can clean up. Adults can pick it up. We can get on and rebuild, but it… this is against the kids. Why do something to ruin the summer for kids?”

The Lake Stevens Boys and Girls Club will be closed on Tuesday, the club’s executive director told KOMO News. He hopes to reopen the club on Wednesday. Parents should check the club’s social media pages for updates, he said.  Most of the damage from the fire is to the outside of the building, investigators said. But crews brought in vacuums Monday night to suck up water and debris that coated the gym floor after the fire was put out.

“The fire sprinklers did their job. They contained the fire to that one storage room. And that one sprinkler head did a fantastic job suppressing the fire,” said David Petersen, Assistant Fire Marshal for Lake Stevens Fire.  Half of the roof on the club’s storage unit was destroyed by the fire. Equipment had to be pulled out of the storage unit. Some of it likely can’t be saved.  No one was injured in the fire. No one was in the building when the fire started, investigators said.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Sacramento, CA – Sprinkler system contains restaurant fire; No injuries reported

Cosumnes Fire investigators determined that a discarded cigarette sparked a fire that damaged the BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse on May 11. The restaurant was evacuated that night and it was reopened the next day. No injuries were reported.

This fire first burned bark outside the restaurant on Laguna Springs Drive around 5 p.m. and then spread to the building. Cosumnes Fire Chief Mike McLaughlin said that evening’s strong winds fueled the fire and caused flames to burn a wall and spread into the attic.

“The fire sprinkler system worked as designed and contained the fire when one head activated,” he said.

Cosumnes, Sacramento City, and Sacramento County Metropolitan firefighters extinguished the fire.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Evanston, IL – Sprinkler system holds factory fire in check; All workers evacuated safely

Fire struck an optical components factory at 1916 Greenleaf St. in Evanston last Friday afternoon.  The fire was first reported about 2:15 p.m. and Evanston fire crews had managed to bring it under control in less than half an hour.  All the workers in the building managed to get out safely on their own.  The fire apparently broke out in an area close to the roof, above the location of the building’s sprinkler heads.  The 16.000 square foot building houses Sterling Precision Optics which makes optical components and precision machined glass.  Fire crews from other communities including Skokie and Morton Grove were called in as backup for the Evanston crews.

Update 9:10 p.m.: Fire Division Chief Paul Polep says first companies arriving at the scene encountered heavy smoke and moderate fire conditions on the second floor of the building.  Upon making entry into the building fire companies observed an activated sprinkler system keeping the fire in check until crews were able to quickly extinguish the fire.  The business suffered significant smoke and water damage. There were no firefighter injuries. The cause of the fire still remains under investigation.

Residential, Residential High Rise

Waterloo, ON, Canada – Unattended cooking pan causes stove fire; Sprinkler system activated

A fire in a highrise student building has caused more than $150,000 in damage and required some of the students to be evacuated from their unit.

Waterloo fire department responded to a call at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Preston House, 315 King St. N., which is between Columbia Street and University Avenue.

The fire was caused by someone cooking on the stove who had left the pan unattended, said platoon chief Earl Reitzel.

The sprinkler system went off and the flow of water created “quite a lot of damage” to that unit, several units immediately below, and to the elevator shaft. A total of seven people are affected.

The building managers will find other places in the building for the tenants to stay, if necessary, while the units are being cleaned up, Reitzel said.

Not paying attention while cooking is one of the major causes of fires, he said.

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Everett, WA – Plastic fire in warehouse knocked down by sprinkler system

Saturday afternoon Everett Firefighters were called to a warehouse in the 7200 Block of Hardeson Road in southwest Everett to a report of a fire alarm.

The first engine in found smoke coming from a large industrial building. Firefighters entered and found the sprinkler system had knocked down a fire in some plastic material.

The building was filled with smoke and it took crews some time to get the building aired out but damage was minimal.

An investigator was working to determine the cause of the fire. No damage estimate was available.

Retail, Shopping Mall

Charlottetown, PE, Canada – Sprinkler system activated after sauna prompts evacuation in shopping mall; No injuries reported

The Charlottetown Mall will be re-opening Tuesday following a fire that triggered an evacuation of the entire complex Sunday afternoon.

However, the Spa Total Fitness Centre, where the fire originated, will remain closed.

No one was injured during the fire, which prompted a response from the Charlottetown Fire Department shortly after 3 p.m.

Fire Chief Randy MacDonald said firefighters were able to quickly locate the blaze in a sauna.

“We were able to tear the wall apart and put the fire out,” said MacDonald, who described the sauna as “gutted” and noted a sprinkler system was also activated by the fire.

The Guardian was unsuccessful in reaching the owner of Spa Total Fitness Centre.

However, the centre’s Twitter account provided an update stating it would remain closed on Tuesday.

“We are working very hard to have the facility open to you all again very soon. Thank you very much for your patience during this time,” it stated.

Firefighters were still investigating the cause of the blaze Sunday evening. The Guardian was unable to reach the city’s fire inspector Monday.

Charlottetown police and Island EMS also responded to the scene.

Police and mall management conducted the evacuation.

Sgt. Dave Pound of Charlottetown Police Services said all available officers responded to the call and the evacuation went “very smoothly.”

“I’ve got to give credit to mall staff and security for their efforts in getting everyone out safely,” said Pound, who estimated there were a few hundred people in the mall at the time of the evacuation. “There would easily have been as many or more in the cinemas, they were full at the time (of the fire).”

The Cineplex Cinemas located in the mall was evacuated during the fire but was later given the OK to re-open Sunday evening. The theatre resumed normal operations on Monday, although the rest of the mall was closed.

The incident also attracted a number of onlookers as smoke billowed out of the building.

Pound said police made an effort to block off entrances to the mall property in order to reduce congestion while others were leaving the parking lots.

Once firefighters had extinguished the blaze, they remained on scene in order to clear out the smoke.

“The smoke was hard to get out of the building,” said MacDonald.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Evanston, IL – Sprinklers keeps fire at Subway restaurant from spreading; Firefighters extinguish blaze

Firefighters quickly extinguished a fire inside a restaurant at an Evanston strip mall Saturday afternoon, preventing injuries and preserving the building with the help of a functioning sprinkler system, according to the Evanston Fire Department. Fire crews were called shortly after 1 p.m. to the 1900 Dempster St. for a report of a fire inside the Subway restaurant during a busy lunch hour. The alarm was soon upgraded to call in firefighters from nearby communities for cover.

Firefighters found heavy smoke billowing from the front of the building and were told of the active fire inside. After entering the building they noticed an active sprinkler system keeping the fire in check and allowing crews to quickly extinguish the blaze, according to Division Chief Paul Polep. All patrons and employees were able to exit the building before the arrival of firefighters, and there were no injuries reported.

The department credited the working sprinkler system and the rapid response of firefighters for saving the Subway and other attached business in the Evanston Plaza shopping center, although the restaurant suffered a significant level of smoke and water damage. There were no signs of foul play and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Palm Coast, FL – Student arson fire in elementary school bathroom extinguished by sprinkler system

Due to a small fire in a bathroom in Building No. 2, students at Rymfire were evacuated, but they returned to classrooms on the other side of the campus.  At approximately 12:30 p.m. on Friday, May 18, the fire alarm at Rymfire Elementary School was activated and all students were evacuated. It was determined a student had set fire to a paper towel dispenser located in Building No. 2. The sprinkler system kept flames to the single bathroom.

With the threat of severe weather in the area, the buildings on the other side of campus were determined safe and all students were then moved into those rooms, as well as the gymnasiums. There were no injuries during this incident.

Crews with the Palm Coast Fire Department, as well as Flagler Schools Custodial, are in the process of clearing the area of water and getting classrooms cleaned, and students are returning to their classes. Students in the kindergarten and first-grade classrooms are being moved to alternate rooms at this time so that instruction can continue.  Flagler Schools does not anticipate this having a major impact on dismissal at 3:20 p.m. All after-school activities are still taking place.  School cleanup crews will work throughout the weekend to ensure the affected classrooms will be ready for students Monday.

In an email, Palm Coast Communications and Marketing Manager Cindi Lane said Fire Chief Mike Beadle said: “Fire is out by sprinklers, and we are on scene assisting with water damage. Situation under control.”

Other - School / University, School / University

Lewisville, TX – Fire in sawdust collector at career center is suppressed by sprinkler system

The Dale Jackson Career Center in Lewisville on Edmonds Lane was evacuated Wednesday after a fire broke out in a sawdust collection system on the south side of the building.  Students and staff were all evacuated safely, according to a parent email sent out by Randall Holder, the principal of the campus.  Assistant fire chief Mark McNeal said the fire triggered a sprinkler system that muted its effect.  Units from Lewisville and Flower Mound fire departments fought the blaze.

Update -12:10 p.m.: Principal Randall Holder sent the following parent notice:

Dear Dale Jackson Parents,

We wanted to follow up with you about the situation at Dale Jackson Career Center.

Please know all of our students and staff safely evacuated the building this morning due to a fire at the back of the campus. All students are back at their home campuses and Dale Jackson classes have been canceled for the remainder of the day

Currently, we are waiting on the fire department to deem the building safe for students and staff to retrieve their vehicles and belongings. We will notify you as soon as this happens.

We appreciate your patience and understanding.

Thank you,
Randall Holder
Principal

Update 2 p.m.: Holder sent another update:

We wanted to share the following update with you.

At this time, students will not be allowed back in the building for the remainder of the day, but they may pick up their vehicles if they are able to.

All classes will resume a normal schedule tomorrow, however, the Mill and Cabinetmaking class will be moved to a different classroom in the building.

If it is an absolute emergency and a student must retrieve their belongings from inside DJCC today, the building will remain open until 6 p.m. However, students are encouraged to email their DJCC teacher to make these arrangements. Law enforcement will be present on campus throughout the night to ensure the security of the building.

We are proud of the way our students and staff handled this disruption to their school day, and we are extremely grateful our first responders arrived so quickly.

Please know the safety and security of our students and staff are my top priority here at Dale Jackson.

Thank you for your patience and continued support of our campus.

Randall Holder
Principal​​​​​​​

Update 4:34 p.m.:  The fire started when the woodworking class’ tablesaw kicked up embers, which fell into the sawdust collection tanks and turned into a full-on blaze. The class used their fire extinguisher on the tablesaw, but could not reach into the tanks.

McNeal said firefighting crews were nervous that opening the tanks would cause a dust explosion, so they opened vents into the sawdust system to allow smoke to dissipate. This is what lead to such a drawn-out, visible fight. McNeal said nobody was hurt.

Adult Care/Rehab Center, Residential

Madisonville, KY – Arson fire at personal care home doused by sprinkler system

A Homestead Personal Care home resident was arrested after apparently setting fire to his mattress at 2:05 p.m. last Monday. There were no reported injuries.  Madisonville Police Department reported Bradley D. Eaves, 40 of Madisonville, was charged with first-degree arson following an investigation.  Police said Eaves ignited his mattress “in an attempt to burn the structure down.”  Eaves was arrested without incident and taken to Hopkins County Jail, where he was being held this evening, pending bond.

PREVIOUS: Several Madisonville Fire Department crews responded to Homestead Personal Care home off Thompson Avenue, where all the residents were evacuated due to a fire that broke out in a room around 2 this afternoon.  MFD Fire Chief Ray Wyatt confirmed a bed had caught fire in one building at the facility.

“Right now, we’re trying to determine whether the fire was accidental or set on purpose,” he said.  Wyatt noted the sprinkler system activated and extinguished most of the flames. Debris was still smoldering in the room when engines arrived. Fire Department members could be seen with fire hoses inside one of the structures.

Residents along one hall of the building where the fire occurred may have to be relocated, Wyatt said.

Madisonville Police Department also responded.