Tag Archives: Afternoon (12pm-6pm)

Apartment Building, Residential, Residential High Rise

North Adams, MA – Cooking fire in 7th floor apartment quickly put out by sprinkler system

Firefighters evacuated some residents from the high rise on Friday afternoon after a small cooking fire broke out on the 7th floor. Fire Director Stephen Meranti said the fire was quickly put out by the sprinkler system.

“Right now we are evacuating because of smoke and water. We do have water all the way from the seventh floor all the way down,” Meranti said. “We are checking apartments as we go down through, but the sprinkler system did its job.”  Meranti said no one was injured.

The Fire Department was alerted to the situation at about 12:30 p.m., when an alarm was activated in a unit at the Ashland Park Apartments. Scanner reports indicated water was “pouring down the hallways” in the Housing Authority building.

Residents clustered in the community room on the ground floor until being allowed back into their homes. Executive Director Jennifer Hohn said a few units below the seventh-floor apartment were affected.

“A significant amount of water from the sprinklers has entered the units directly below on all floors,” she said. “As a result of water seeping into electrical panels, power to these affected units has been shut off.”

Hohn said the Holiday Inn was gracious to offer accommodations and a meal for those residents affected by the fire and its containment.

 

“There is a chance the power will not be restored by the evening so I have reserved a block of rooms at the Holiday Inn for anybody needing accommodations,” she said. “I will update the board when a further assessment of the damage is concluded.

 

“The important thing is nobody was injured.”

 

Police and North Adams Ambulance Service also responded; Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts Police assisted with traffic control as Ashland Street was restricted to one lane.

 

The incident is under investigation.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Red Oak, TX – No injuries at Comfort Inn as sprinkler system contains fire to room of origin

No injuries are reported after a small fire Monday left behind smoke and water damage at a Red Oak hotel. Guests and employees evacuated the Comfort Inn, located in the 400 block of North Interstate 35 East Service Road, after the fire alarm sounded at about 1:21 p.m., according to Red Oak fire officials.

The source of the fire was located in a housekeeping room, officials said, and the internal fire sprinkler system contained the fire to that room. Red Oak police rerouted traffic from the service road onto I-35E while fire crews worked at the scene.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Thunder Bay, ON, Canada – Fire at Bombardier plant controlled by sprinkler system; No injuries

Thunder Bay’s Bombardier plant was forced to evacuate its employees Wednesday afternoon, after a fire broke out inside the facility. The call came in at around 3 p.m.. Thunder Bay fire crews rushed to the plant on Montreal Street, after reports of a structural fire. As it turns out the fire was contained to a piece of equipment. The plant’s sprinkler system was activated and Bombardier staff apparently had the fire out before fire crews arrived.

Hundreds of employees were evacuated as a precautionary measure. There’s no word on how much damage was done to the equipment in the area where the fire started.

Retail, Shopping Mall

Duluth, GA – Sprinkler system saves strip mall from damage in fire; No injuries

A small fire at a strip shopping center undergoing construction in Duluth caused minimal damage Wednesday afternoon, thanks to an automatic sprinkler system.

Firefighters responded around 4:48 p.m. to a report of a fire at the shopping center in the 3940 block of Buford Highway, according to Capt. Tommy Rutledge, public information officer for the Gwinnett County fire department.

Crews arrived to find light smoke and the sprinkler system activated. They discovered a small fire in an unoccupied store suite that was had already been extinguished by the sprinklers.

The fire caused minimal damage, as the suite was vacant at the time and no contents were involved. The fire appears accidental and was sparked by a floor compound during construction work. There were no injuries reported and no damage to the structure, Rutledge said.

Apartment Building, Residential

Poughkeepsie, NY – Sprinkler system controls accidental kitchen fire at Hillcrest House

Approximately 120 people were displaced after a kitchen fire in the Town of Poughkeepsie Saturday. At 3:38 p.m., the Fairview Fire District responded to a fire at the Hillcrest House, 28 Snow Terrace.

The blaze was kept under control by the sprinkler system in the building until firefighters arrived, Chief Christopher Maeder said.

The cause of the fire was ruled “accidental,” and the result of unattended cooking, Maeder said.

Temporary housing needs for displaced residents was provided by the New York State Office of Mental Health and the American Red Cross. The residents are expected to return to the home Sunday afternoon, Maeder said.

Mutual aid from the City of Poughkeepsie Fire Department, Roosevelt Fire District and Mobile Life Support Services. The Hillcrest House is managed by Hudson River Housing.

Apartment Building, Residential

Houston, TX – Sprinklers help control high rise apartment fire; no injuries

A fire broke out at a high rise in Midtown Saturday afternoon. It happened just before 4:30pm in the 5000 block of Fannin.

HFD arrived to find heavy smoke on the seventh floor of the high rise and a fire in the kitchen of an apartment. The sprinkler system was activated throughout the building. A second alarm was requested at 4:44pm. The fire was declared under control just before 5:30pm.

There was heavy smoke, water damage and fire damage to kitchen in the apartment.

The woman whose apartment the fire started in, tells Eyewitness News she was using her microwave when it shorted. She said she was able to get her kids and parents out of the apartment.

There were no injuries.

Office Building, Other Business

Richmond, VA – High-rise office fire put out by sprinkler system; No injuries

A fire inside the James Madison Building in downtown Richmond caused smoke but no reported injuries Thursday. Firefighters were called at 1:28 p.m. to the building at 109 Governor St., which houses the Virginia Department of Health, said Richmond fire Lt. Chris Armstrong. Hundreds of employees gathered outside after the building was evacuated.

Investigators determined the fire was accidental and the result of a malfunctioning microwave, Virginia State Police said in a news release. The fire started on the third floor, Armstrong said. The sprinkler system put out the fire, and crews were working to clean up the water, he said.

The building was closed Thursday and will remain closed today. The state hopes to reopen the building Tuesday, after Monday’s Columbus Day holiday.

Manufacturing, Paper Mill / Saw Mill

Chillicothe, OH – Sprinklers help contain fire at Glatfelter building

A fire broke out inside a Glatfelter building Tuesday afternoon that had crews dousing hot spots for over an hour and a half.

Chillicothe Fire Department Assistant Chief Steve Gallagher said the department got the call at approximately 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Despite having the flames contained shortly before 1:00 p.m., crews stayed on the scene to continue to douse any areas that could be considered hot spots, due to the amount of wood by-products in the area.

According to Gallagher, the fire was in the building where the company processes wood chips, but was a “basic building fire.”

The biggest struggle for crews, Gallagher said, was the height of the building and getting up high enough to douse the flames from above. Gallagher said the sprinkler system helped in the quick containment of the fire.

At this time, Gallagher said they do not have an estimate on the damage.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

San Antonio, TX – Sprinkler system extinguishes intentionally-set restaurant fire

Police are searching for two men who skipped out on their dinner tab only to return to a restaurant and set the bathroom on fire. The incident happened on Saturday, September 19 at the Golden Wok located in the 1400 block of SW Loop 410.

Police say the men had lunch at the restaurant then left without paying the bill.

About ten minutes later, the man with a T on his hat walked back inside, headed for the restroom and set a fire, according to investigators.

The automatic sprinkler system put out the fire.

Crime Stoppers has released images of the suspects and is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads to the arrests of the suspects.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Petaluma, CA – Fire at animal shelter controlled with help from sprinkler system

Fire calls, week of Sept. 21 through Sept 27 — SATURDAY, SEPT. 26 – 2:19 p.m. — Light smoke was coming from the rear of the Petaluma Animal Shelter at 840 Hopper Street when Petaluma firefighters arrived at the scene. A fire was found burning inside of a commercial-style dryer inside of the shelter, where a fire sprinkler was functining. Firefighters finished extinguishing the fire and stayed on scene to help remove water and smoke from the premises.