Tag Archives: Afternoon (12pm-6pm)

Apartment Building, Residential

Halifax, NS, Canada – Suspicious fire in common area of 12-story apartment building extinguished by sprinkler system

Police are investigating two suspicious fires in just 10 days in a common room of a Dartmouth apartment building. The first fire was reported on March 18 at 5:37 p.m. A Halifax Regional Police news release says someone lit something on fire in the common room at Alderney Manor on Alderney Drive. The sprinkler system was activated and the fire extinguished. On Tuesday, there was a second fire in the same common room around 12:44 p.m. Police say some residents of the building tried to put it out but couldn’t and had to call the fire department.  No one was injured in either case.  Police say investigators are looking into whether the fires are related and ask anyone with information about these incidents to call police at 902-490-5020. Anonymous tips can be sent to Crime Stoppers by calling toll-free 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Bozeman, MT – Electrical equipment fire at Target store held in check by sprinkler system

Target had an unexpected mid-day closure yesterday afternoon, after a small fire started from malfunctioning electrical equipment. An electrical problem, also affecting other stores in the area, may have occurred as a result of the Baxter Lane rollover.  There were no injuries and the sprinkler system clicked on immediately. It was contained to the entrance of the store.

Apartment Building, Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Danville, VA – Sprinkler systems assists firefighters in extinguishing senior apartment blaze

The Danville Fire Department stopped an apartment fire on Monday afternoon.  Crews arrived at 2:06 p.m. to 601 Bridge Street, a five-story apartment building, after a reported fire in Apartment 306. Firefighters say they found light smoke conditions in the third-floor hallway and water coming from under the apartment’s door.

When they entered the apartment, they found moderate smoke conditions and a small fire beside the stove. They quickly extinguished the small fire with a fire extinguisher as the sprinkler system had extinguished almost all of the fire. The fire was determined to be under control at 2:25pm.

One person inside the apartment building was having difficulty breathing and had to be treated and transported by the Danville Life Saving Crew to the Danville Regional Medical Center. The sprinkler system was controlled and salvage operations were done. The fire apartment sustained minor fire, smoke and water damage. Seven other apartments sustained water damage. The American Red Cross is assisting the displaced occupants.

Seventeen fire personnel were on the scene for two hours and 29 minutes. The Danville Life Saving Crew, Danville Electric Department, Danville Water and Gas Department and the American Red Cross assisted on scene.

The cause of the fire was investigated by the Fire Marshal’s Office and determined to be unattended cooking. No other injuries were reported.

Athletic Club/Sports Facility, Other Business

Sterling, VA – Sprinkler system contains fire at Gold’s Gym following explosion; No injuries reported

Employees of Gold’s Gym in Sterling knew something was wrong when the lights inside the building started flickering on the afternoon of March 21. They evacuated everyone in the building just before there was an explosion and ensuing fire.

The fire was contained by the automatic sprinkler system and no one was injured thanks to gym employees’ quick actions. Still, the explosion and fire left an estimated $500,000 in damages, the Loudoun Fire Marshal’s Office said. The adjacent Marshalls received minor water damage.

The Gold’s facility had been placed on “fire watch” earlier in the day because the gym’s power — including power to the fire alarm system — was down. Knowing the building was having electrical problems is what led staff to recognize the dimming lights as a sign of danger, Gold’s Gym General Manager Daniel Ferrara said in a statement.

An electrical failure of a high voltage line ignited a methane gas leak in the area, which caused the explosion at the gym, said Laura Rinehart of Loudoun County Fire and Rescue.

Fire and Rescue received the call for the fire at 46262 Cranston Street around 4:30 p.m., and responded with crews from Sterling Park, Cascades, Ashburn, Lansdowne, Leesburg and Kincora, along with multiple command officers after the amount of smoke inside the building prompted first responders to request additional resources.

While inside the gym, firefighters found a small fire at the back and structural damage to the walls, so they exited the building in case it collapsed, Rinehart said. Fire Marshal’s Office and fire and rescue officials verified that the wall was not load-bearing, so firefighters re-entered the building, ensured there were no hotspots in walls and cleared out the smoke, she said.

The Fire Marshal has determined that the fire was accidental.

Retail, Shopping Mall

Mill Woods, AB, Canada – Activated sprinkler system assist firefighters in containing shopping mall store fire

The Millbourne Market Mall in Mill Woods was forced to close Sunday after a fire in the kitchen of a restaurant. Fire crews responded to Remelies Cuisine in the area of 76 Street and 38 Avenue around 12 p.m. after the sprinkler system activated during a fire.  Firefighters contained the blaze to the kitchen and put it out quickly.  Officials said no one was hurt.  The mall is closed for the rest of Sunday, and the fire is under investigation.

Retail, Shopping Mall

Duluth, GA – Fire at shoe repair shop in Gwinnett Place Mall controlled with help from sprinkler system

Shoppers fled Gwinnett Place Mall on Thursday afternoon after a fire broke out at a shoe repair shop, causing smoke to pour out into the mall’s open spaces.

Gwinnett County fire Capt. Tommy Rutledge said firefighters were called to the mall at 4:54 p.m. because of a fire at the Heel Quick shop. They arrived to find the sprinkler system had gone off, but a moderate amount of smoke was still present in the second floor atrium area between Sears and Mega Mart, where the shoe repair shop was located.

Rutledge said the fire started in an area of the shop where a shoe repair machine was located. “The fire was pretty much being controlled by the sprinkler system,” Rutledge said. “The sprinkler fire suppression system pretty much did its job and kept the fire from spreading. There is extensive water damage in that immediate area and seeping down to the first floor.”

The major fire damage was confined to the area where the machine was located in the Heel Quick shop, and fire investigators were looking into what the exact cause of the fire was. Rutledge said a store employee was using the machine when the fire began, but the employee was able to get away without being injured.

“It appears to have originated in that piece of machinery,” Rutledge said.

He also said no shoppers or employees of other stores in the mall reported any injuries to fire or police officials.

The fire department spokesman added that the sprinkler system’s containment of the fire made it easier for firefighters to get into the store and put the flames out.

“They were able to put the fire completely out with only two water cans off the (fire truck) apparatus,” Rutledge said. “In other words, they didn’t have to pull hose lines into the building.”

The mall was initially evacuated only between Sears and the Mega Mart, but Rutledge said the amount of smoke coming from the store caused them to quickly evacuate the rest of the mall as well.

College/University (on campus), School / University

West Lafayette, IN – Fire in Purdue University laboratory extinguished with help from sprinkler system

Purdue firefighters rushed to Wetherill Hall on Oval Drive about 1:30 p.m. Wednesday after receiving a report of a fire, which was extinguished within minutes after the fire department arrived.

Purdue fire Capt. Shane Jones said the fire caused moderate damage, which was contained to the fire hood area in the second-floor laboratory. The fire activated the sprinkler system, so there also was some water damage in the area.

The facility was evacuated when the alarm went off, and people were directed to the nearby Stewart Center and Purdue Memorial Union, Jones said.  Building services staff assisted in the clean up, and people were allowed back into the building about 2:15 p.m. However, the room where the fire  happened and the room directly below it remained closed, Jones said.

 

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Orlando, FL – Fire at CVS warehouse contained with help from sprinkler system

A fire at the CVS Pharmacy warehouse in south Orange County caused evacuation of the building. But the company said the incident won’t have much impact on supplying the many drug stores in the region.

Orange County Fire Rescue responded to the large warehouse at 8201 Chancellor Drive, around 4:15 p.m. Sunday. Arriving units found smoke and a small fire in the building, in the industrial park about a mile west of the Florida Mall. It was difficult for firefighters to access the fire, and it required sawing a hole in the roof to reach the fire and extinguish it. The warehouse’s sprinkler system was activated by the fire. CVS said that likely contained the fire to that area. Fire units remained on scene into Sunday night to remove smoke from the building and check the 720,000 square foot facility to ensure that the fire is completely extinguished, and that there are no other hazards.

CVS spokesman Mike DeAngelis sent a statement to WESH 2 News, advising that the fire started in the rear corner of the building in a break room area. The warehouse will be closed Monday to examine the building’s inventory to see if any of it was damaged. He noted that all of Monday’s shipments to stores had already been loaded in the fleet of trucks, and were not affected by the fire. CVS plans to use its distribution centers in Vero Beach and Knoxville, and the company’s pharmaceutical suppliers to replenish stores in our area if needed.

No one was injured in the incident.

 

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Endicott, NY – Sprinkler system puts out fire at Weis Market; Suspect arrested and charged with arson

A Johnson City man has been charged with arson after officials say he intentionally set a fire in the Weis Market in West Corners.

The West Corners Fire Department responded to the Weis, located at 412 Day Hollow Road in the Town of Union, around 3 p.m. on Thursday, February 16th for a report of a small fire inside the store.

Officials say the store was occupied by both employees and shoppers at the time, and that the fire was extinguished by the automatic fire sprinkler system.

They say the fire caused almost $10,000 in damages and lost income.An investigation by the Broome County Bureau of Fire Investigation found that the fire was intentionally set in a coat room at the rear of the store.

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As a result of the investigation, Zachary Constable, 22, of Johnson City, was arrested and charged with arson in the 2nd degree and criminal mischief in the 2nd degree, both felonies.

He was arraigned in the Town of Union Court and was taken to the Broome County Jail.

Department Store, Retail

Idaho Falls, ID – Arson fire at retail center extinguished with help from sprinkler system

A suspect has been arrested on suspicion of arson in connection to a fire that occurred behind Brady’s at 1445 E. Lincoln Road around 3:45 p.m. on Monday in Idaho Falls.  Jason Schlegel was arrested Monday evening in the 400 block of Lomax Street. The Idaho Falls Police Department had earlier sought the public’s assistance in locating Schlegel.

The Idaho Falls Police Department and the Idaho Falls Fire Department believe the fire that destroyed two trucks near Brady’s was due to arson.  The interior of Brady’s on Lincoln Road did not sustain any damage during the large fire near the building, according to Idaho Falls Fire Department Chief Dave Hanneman.

Two trucks were reported on fire around 3:45 p.m. and firefighters cut into the roof of an exterior carport adjacent to the building. The fire appeared to be under control around 4:20 p.m.  The sprinkler system in the carport helped extinguish the blaze, authorities said. Damage was estimated at $120,000.