Tag Archives: Afternoon (12pm-6pm)

Other Business, Recycling / Waste Facility

Victoria, BC, Canada – Fire at cardboard recycling plant contained by sprinkler system

Victoria Fire Department crews kept a fire at a plant filled with cardboard to be recycled from spreading Tuesday afternoon. Firefighters responded to a structure fire call at Cascades Recovery in the 2800 block of Bridge St., next to the City of Victoria public works yard, just before 1 p.m. and found the fire in a conveyor belt system. The building’s sprinkler system had deployed and was keeping the blaze from spreading, said Mark Robertson, VFD Battalion Chief. Crews made their way in, found the seat of the fire and extinguished it quickly with two-inch hoses, he added.  All occupants of the building were out and safe when fire crews arrived, Robertson said.  With the cause of the fire still under investigation, Robertson was reluctant to say whether it appeared to be mechanical failure or something else.

“You never know what you’re dealing with when you’re at a recycling plant, you don’t know what is coming and going in those cardboard boxes,” he said. In all, 18 crew on three engine trucks, a rescue truck, a ladder truck and a battalion vehicle responded to the call. Oak Bay and Saanich were on standby in case the fire grew larger. No damage estimate was immediately available.

Retail, Shopping Mall

Tysons Corner, VA – Automatic fire sprinkler system activates to help control shopping mall fire

Fairfax County fire investigators said Tuesday that an exhaust fan ignited a two-alarm fire at the Tysons Corner Center last week when the mall was open. Damages are estimated at $30,000.  Around 5:17 p.m. on May 31, Fairfax County and Arlington County firefighters responded to the reported fire. Units found smoke coming from the roof, and they were able to quickly put out the fire. No one was injured.  Fire investigators concluded that the fire was ignited by an overheated exhaust fan motor coming in contact with paper towel rolls. The fire started in the storage closet of a kiosk.  An employee reported the fire after smelling burning plastic coming from the storage room. Smoke alarms and the fire sprinkler system were turned on after the fire was reported.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Middleville, MI – Fire in dust collector at water heater manufacturer knocked down by sprinkler system

No one was hurt and there was minimal damage to a Middleville water heater manufacturer following a weekend fire. Thornapple Township Fire Chief Randy Eaton said the fire at Bradford White Corporation wound up not being as severe as initial calls suggested. His department remained on scene for about an hour last Sunday, June 4.  Fire crews were dispatched around 4:50 p.m. Sunday to the facility at 200 Lafayette St.   On scene, Thornapple Township firefighters located a fire, which was primarily confined to a dust collector. An overhead sprinkler system kept the flames from expanding to the roof and causing any structural damage.  Maintenance crews were working on the system at the time of the fire, and no production was underway. Eaton said less than a dozen maintenance workers were inside the facility but none were injured.  Crews from Caledonia Township and Wayland responded as backup, but weren’t needed to knock down the fire.

Apartment Building, Residential

Farmers Branch, TX (No Media Coverage) – Sprinkler system tackles apartment fire caused by unattended candle

***FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTED – NO MEDIA COVERAGE***  The Farmers Branch Fire Department responded to a residential apartment fire on June 3, 2017 at 4030 Valley View, Building 10, Apt #245 at 3:55 pm. The fire started in a bedroom while the occupant stepped out for a few minutes. . A candle was left unattended and ignited some tapestries hanging from the ceiling. The tapestries burned along the ceiling. The sprinkler system activated (1 head) and suppressed the fire. The other roommate was in another bedroom sleeping and was awakened by the smoke alarm and waterflow alarm. When he stepped out of his bedroom, he noticed the sprinkler system spraying water on the burning tapestries. He exited without incident. Other roommate returned 10 minutes later when fire department was already on scene and realized he left the candle burning.

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

North Catasauqua, PA – Sprinkler system assists firefighters in controlling blaze at computer refurbishing business

fire at a computer refurbishing business in North Catasauqua prompted precautionary evacuations of nearby residents, but the blaze was brought under control quickly and no one was hurt, authorities said.  The fire was reported at 3:15 p.m. at Copitron at 1151 Front St. Flames were contained to a loading dock attached to the main building that is used for storage, said Deputy Chief Paul Santee of the North Catasauqua Fire Department.  Several dozen residents were evacuated from their homes by police and firefighters. Everyone was back in their homes by Thursday evening.

Cindy Berger said she was in her Front Street home when she smelled smoke and was concerned it was coming from her house. She said a police officer at her front door told her and her family they had to evacuate due to chemicals being stored at the warehouse.

Santee said the evacuations occurred because authorities initially were unsure of the situation. He said Copitron remanufactures printers and computers and sells them along with new merchandise. He said no hazardous materials were involved.  The cause of the fire remains under investigation. The fire was partially extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system, Santee said, and firefighters extinguished flames that were above the sprinkler system and checked the building to make sure the fire hadn’t spread.  Fire departments from North Catasauqua, Catasauqua, Northampton, Hokendauqua, Coplay, Allen Township, Whitehall Township and East Allen Township responded, Santee said.

Apartment Building, Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Hinton, WV – No injuries in senior apartment fire controlled with help from sprinkler system

Fire departments in Summers County responded to a fire Monday afternoon at Hinton House Apartments on Stokes Drive.  Steve Pack, Assistant Fire Chief of Hinton Fire Department, said the fire erupted in a kitchen on the fifth floor of the building, and is believed to have started because of an issue with an electric stove. The state Fire Marshal’s Office is still investigating. 

When the sprinkler system kicked on and put out the fire, it caused flooding to the lower floors along with residents’ carpet, ceilings and several other areas throughout the building.  Many residents were able to be housed with friends and family, but the local senior citizen center has been housing residents as well.

Red Cross has been providing those affected by the fire with blankets, food and cots.  Stephanie Elkins, property manager for the Hinton House, said they are hoping to open up the half of the building that was not damaged, but inspections are still being completed.   “I wish I could bring all of these people home tomorrow, but sadly I am still unsure of when I will be able to do that,” said Elkins.   Officials are working on reopening Hinton House, but it may be a substantial amount of time before the whole residence opens up its doors again.  A time frame is still unknown. 

Hospital/Care Facility, Hospital/Medical Clinic

Park Ridge, IL – Fire in hospital mechanical room extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries

*** NO MEDIA COVERAGE – Fire Department Reported ***
On May 15, 2017 at 12:31 p.m., the Park Ridge Fire Department was dispatched to 1775 W. Dempster Street, Advocate Lutheran General Hospital (ALGH), for an activated fire alarm. Upon arrival, the Incident Commander was notified by ALGH staff of a reported fire in the basement of the Surgery Building. The Incident Commander upgraded the fire response to a Code 4, which calls for additional resources to be dispatched to the scene. PRFD crews arrived on the scene within four (4) minutes and determined there was a possible fire in the mechanical room located in the lower level. Maintenance staff had gone to investigate the alarm and saw that the room was full of smoke. At that point, they correctly closed the door to limit the spread of smoke and fire and awaited arrival of the Fire Department.  When PRFD crews entered the mechanical room, they saw water flowing from the sprinkler system and the room was charged with smoke. The sprinkler system had extinguished the fire and kept it limited to the room of origin. Crews checked for fire extension in the area and ventilated the smoke out of the building.  No injuries were reported to any ALGH staff, hospital patients, visitors, or fire personnel and all affected areas of the hospital were evacuated safely. Preliminary investigation indicates that the fire was electrical in origin. There is no estimate of damage at this point.

Mutual aid to Park Ridge was received from the following fire departments: Morton Grove, Glenview, Des Plaines, Skokie, and North Maine. Engine and ambulance companies from the Norwood Park, Elk Grove, Rosemont and Wheeling Fire Departments responded to staff the Park Ridge fire stations during this incident to ensure quick response to any other emergency calls while PRFD crews were committed. They responded to one emergency medical call while PRFD crews remained at the ALGH fire. Most of the out of town mutual aid companies were returned by Park Ridge within 45 minutes of the initial alarm to ALGH.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Shelbyville, IN – Paint booth fire at 118 year old furniture factory contained with help from sprinkler system

A fire at a 118-year old factory in Shelbyville is being investigated. The Shelbyville Fire Department responded to a call at 12:16 p.m. of the fire at Old Hickory Furniture, 403 S. Noble St. The fire was under control at 1:06 p.m., Fire Chief Tony Logan said.  There were no injuries reported and the company’s employees were evacuated safely.  The fire started around a paint booth. No additional details were available as the investigation had just begun.  Logan said the sprinkler system was working properly, which helped control the fire.

“Sprinkler systems are designed to keep the fire in check,” he said. “Our responsibility is to maintain or support that.” He said it is “imperative” for places of business to have a functioning sprinkler system. “Like I said, sprinkler systems are designed to keep the fire in check,” he said. “It’s not necessarily designed to put it out, but if you keep it in a small, incipient stage where it produces damage, in this case, this facility will be back up and running a lot quicker, employees will be back to work, they’ll be producing their product, with no loss of revenue to them or to the city tax-wise.”

More than 20 firefighters responded to the scene. “If this had happened at 3 in the morning, it could have been a different outcome,” Logan said. “We’re fortunate it happened during the day.”  Most of the damage was inside the building, but there was some roof damage as well.  As the fire department finished putting out the fire, Logan said the investigation was just starting and the Indiana State Fire Marshal’s office may be called to the scene.   “Hopefully we’ll get some answers soon,” he said. “It’s hard to tell with some of these older structures.”  Old Hickory has been in business since 1899. It handcrafts a variety of furniture pieces, including tables, rockers, mirrors and frames, bathroom wall cabinets and bookcases.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Helena, MT – Afternoon fire at middle school extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries

There will be no classes at C.R. Anderson Middle School on Tuesday due to a fire that caused damage on Monday. According to a press release from Helena Public Schools, the fire was reported at 2:59 p.m.  There were no students in the building at the time, and there were no reported injuries.  Currently there is no power and no phone service at the school.

Just before 3 p.m. on Monday, the Helena Fire Department was dispatched to C.R.A. for a general fire alarm. When firefighters arrived they saw smoke coming from the west end door, so they evacuated the building. No students were in the building because it was an early release day.  Fire officials said the building sprinkler system kept the fire contained and quickly extinguished. 

On Tuesday, the building will be closed to students, staff, and the public. All after-school activities for May 9th have been cancelled.   The HPS says: “Due to water damage the status of the building will be assessed mid-day on Tuesday and a determination will be made regarding whether or not school will resume on Wednesday, May 10.”

Late Monday afternoon, a professional crew was at the school to begin work on cleaning up the water damage. The cause of the fire is being investigated. The dollar amount of damage is not yet known. We will update you when we get more information.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Baton Rouge, LA – Sprinklers keep arson fire at high school from spreading

Two boys were arrested Tuesday on accusations of setting a fire at Glen Oaks Senior High School, which came days after a similar incident, District Six Fire Chief Joel Hancock said. The boys, a 13-year-old and 11-year-old, were arrested around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in a fire at the flooded high school determined to have been deliberately set, according to the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office.

Authorities responded to a similar incident Friday night, also determined arson, however fire investigators do not believe the juveniles in custody are also responsible for the first incident, said Baton Rouge Fire Department spokesman Curt Monte. BRFD investigators assisted District Six Fire Department Tuesday night. The two juveniles are accused of going into the shuttered school and setting about five damaged computers on fire, Hancock said Wednesday morning. Witnesses saw the boys running from the school after the fire had started, Hancock said.

The boys have been booked into juvenile detention on counts of simple arson, criminal trespassing and unauthorized entry, Monte said.  The flames caused little damage, Hancock said, but investigators determined arson was the cause. The Friday night fire at the school was also set to some old computers, Hancock said.  Adonica Duggan, a spokeswoman for the schools, said the fire on Friday triggered the school’s sprinkler system and there’s concern about water and smoke damage. She said she’s still gathering details about what additional damage might have resulted from Tuesday’s fire.

Representatives of the East Baton Rouge Parish school system and Aramark, the private company that maintains school buildings, were at Glen Oaks Senior High School at 6650 Cedar Drive Wednesday morning to assess the damage. They congregated in the school’s L building, the only building damaged by fire Tuesday night and where the fire started and was contained Friday.  The building, which has been gutted since the August flooding, had piles of electronics, computers and furniture gathered in the center hallway. Most of it looked wet and water pooled on the floor in spots. Fire damage was not readily visible.

Fifteen out of 17 buildings at the north Baton Rouge high school took in water in August. School officials are planning to reopen the school, which has been relocated across town for months, by fixing up a few of the least damaged buildings and installing several temporary buildings. A much more expensive permanent repair of the high school is slated to come after that.

The L building is one of the buildings slated to be repaired quickly. Duggan said school officials are examining the damage to see if the building can be fixed up in time for the beginning of the 2017-18 school year on Aug. 10.