Tag Archives: Afternoon (12pm-6pm)

College/University (on campus), School / University

Gorham, ME – Sprinkler system activated for fire caused by vape pen; No injuries reported

A lithium battery from a vape pen caused a fire inside a trash can at the Gorham Campus of the University of Southern Maine Monday.

In a letter to students, USM’s President says the sprinkler system at the Upton/Hastings residence hall kept the fire from spreading. However, water damage forced 23 students living there to be relocated.

No one was injured in the fire that started on the third floor of Upton/Hastings around 2 p.m. Because the fire was a state academic building, the fire was investigated by the state fire marshal’s office.

The president’s office reminds students that USM is a smoke & vape free campus.

Lithium batteries can cause fires if the battery is damaged. The smoke and fumes from a lithium battery fire can be fatal.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Waukesha, WI – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire at senior living facility; No injuries reported

A sprinkler system reportedly extinguished a fire at Linden Grove, 425 N. University Dr., in Waukesha at 5:35 p.m. Monday afternoon.

Staff brought residents outside the building and gave them blankets to keep them warm while firefighters investigated the fire’s aftermath. The residents were reportedly brought back into their rooms within approximately one hour. Attempts to obtain further information about the fire before deadline were not successful.

Food Processing, Manufacturing

Hershey, PA – Sprinkler system activated for electrical fire at Hershey factory; No injuries reported

The Hershey Company now confirms that a small electrical fire broke out in the Reese Factory Plant production area Sunday afternoon.

Staff reports that the fire activated the sprinkler system and Hershey Fire Department, who quickly came to extinguish the flames.

Press with the company state that all employees were evacuated and no injuries were reported.

The operations team is currently working to clean-up the scene, as production “will likely resume through the week.”

Department Store, Retail

West Des Moines, IA – Sprinkler system extinguishes arson fire at Kohl’s Department Store; No injuries reported

Two teens have been charged in connection to a fire at the Kohl’s Department Store over the weekend.

At around 2:04 p.m. Saturday firefighters with the West Des Moines Fire Department responded to a report of a fire at the Kohl’s in the 6500 block of Mills Civic Parkway. When firefighters arrived on scene they found a merchandise rack had caught fire, but was extinguished by the sprinkler system. No injuries were reported.

A joint investigation between the fire department and the West Des Moines Police Department was launched after the cause of the fire was deemed suspicious. As a result of the investigation, two 15-year-old boys have been charged with first degree arson.

The fire department said the store sustained smoke and water damage.

Apartment Building, Residential

Winnipeg, MB, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for kitchen fire in apartment building; No injuries reported

Residents from two Winnipeg apartment blocks evacuated their homes after fires started in each of the buildings.

Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service arrived at 207 Edmonton St. on Sunday after a kitchen fire in one of the building’s 40 suites activated the fire alarm, district chief Terry Kelly told CBC at the scene.

Crews arrived and found light smoke and water flowing from the building. Sprinklers put out most of the fire, but crews extinguished the rest of the flames, Kelly said.

Fire damage is limited to the one suite, but units below have extensive water damage, he added.

“The sprinkler activation puts a lot of water out very fast ,and that’s what we’re dealing with is cleaning up the water on the floors below,” he said.

Residents of the building — which houses single newcomer women and their children, according to its website — evacuated before crews arrived just after 1 p.m., a news release from the city says.

Crews had the fire under control within 45 minutes, and no injuries were reported.

The city’s emergency social services responded to help residents find temporary living accommodations.

The cause of the fire appears to be an accident, the city says.

Apartment Building, Residential

Boise, ID – Sprinkler system extinguished apartment fire caused by cigarette

A man went to the hospital with minor injuries and 12 people were displaced after an apartment fire Monday afternoon, the Boise Fire Department said.

The fire began in a plastic trash can, after someone threw away a cigarette, and spread to a recliner, the department said in a Facebook post. It occurred at Capitol Plaza, a public housing building for seniors at 700 W. Cunningham Place in the North End.

Firefighters responded at 2:45 p.m. after a woman in an apartment near the unit where the fire began smelled smoke and called 911, according to the department. When crews arrived, they found the recliner on fire and a man on the floor in a fifth floor apartment. An ambulance took the man to the hospital with minor injuries, the department said, but a sprinkler extinguished the fire and stopped its spread.

“Working fire sprinklers saved at least one life and prevented significant structural damage,” the Facebook post said.

Boise Fire spokesperson Lynsey Amundson told the Idaho Statesman in an email that residents were displaced by water damage to the fourth and third floor apartments.

Manufacturing, Other - Manufacturing

Bettendorf, IA – Sprinkler system activated for fire at manufacturing company

The Bettendorf Fire Department responded to a fire Monday afternoon at a manufacturing company that left one person injured.

Crews say they responded to Greystone Logistics, 2600 Shoreline Drive, for a fire that was contained to a piece of manufacturing equipment and was extinguished primarily by the sprinkler system while firefighters checked for extension in and around the equipment.

Crews also said they performed search and rescue operations for the entire building because the fire and heat were significant enough to cause flow from eight sprinkler heads in the area.

All employees were evacuated to the outside where accountability was provided by management and confirmed by fire personnel through search operations, according to a media release. One employee was injured in the fire and was taken to a local hospital. No additional information on their condition is being provided at this time.

Crews say the factory is shut down from any manufacturing until the sprinkler system is restored to normal working conditions. Restoration efforts are underway.

According to the media release, Rock Island Arsenal Fire Department, Riverdale Fire Department, Local Restoration Company, and Local Sprinkler Company responded to the incident.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Bolingbrook, IL – Sprinkler system contains fire at Party City store

A fire reported at Party City on Sunday was contained by the fire sprinkler system of the building, the Bolingbrook Fire Department said.

The department responded at 3:20 p.m. to the store at 257 N. Weber Road, and found a fire in a display shelving unit inside the store.

The department said the sprinkler system had contained the fire, and firefighters were able to extinguish flames quickly. Crews began to salvage and conserve the unaffected property inside the building, and worked to clear the smoke from the building and neighboring units.

Members of the Bolingbrook Fire Department, trained in fire investigations, began to survey the scene, the department said. At this time, the incident is still under investigation.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Wauconda, IL – Sprinkler system contains fire at senior apartment building

A sprinkler system contained a blaze at a senior apartment building in Wauconda until firefighters arrived Thursday afternoon.

The Wauconda Fire District responded to Liberty Arms, 260 Larkdale Row Drive, at 3:09 p.m. and found a fire in a second-floor unit was being kept in check by a sprinkler head, according to a news release.

Crews extinguished the fire, which officials said was related to unattended cooking.

Five people were taken to the hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening, the news release said.

Damage was estimated at $300,000. The Red Cross was helping displaced residents.

Apartment Building, Residential

Brick, NJ – Sprinkler system activated for fire at apartment complex; No injuries reported

An apartment fire at the Chambers Bridge Residence was quickly contained Wednesday afternoon thanks to working fire sprinklers and the quick response of firefighters, Brick Township fire officials said Thursday.

There were no injuries in the fire at the 184-unit five-story building, a statement from Kevin C. Batzel, chief of the Brick Township Bureau of Fire Safety said.

Brick Township emergency dispatch received an alert about a waterflow activation at the apartment complex at 3:47 p.m. and first responders found an active fire in a second-floor apartment, Batzel said.

The fire happened in a hamper in a bedroom and the fire sprinkler head in the bedroom activated, dousing the flames, and firefighters confirmed the fire was under control within minutes of their arrival, then made quick work of smoke that lingered, he said.

The fire was contained to that room with some minor water and smoke damage to that apartment and apartments on either side and on the first floor, Batzel said.

Residents of all of the apartments except those that suffered damage were able to return to normal within hours, Batzel said.

“The bureau would like to thank the quick response of all the Brick Township fire departments, our mutual aid companies, Brick Township Police, Brick EMS and Townshipo Emergency Management for their quick response,” the statement said.

“It should be noted that the working fire sprinkler system and smoke alarms activation kept damage to a minimum in conjunction with the quick fire department response,” Batzel said. “Working alarms and the presence of fire sprinklers are imperative to fire and life safety and no doubt kept the fire small and controllable with minimal disruption to the building.”

Fire Chiefs Joe Licandro and Tom Bisbal of Fire District 1 were in control at the scene, and inspectors Joseph Sansone and Paul Matula from the fire bureau investigated.

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