Tag Archives: Afternoon (12pm-6pm)

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

LaVerkin, UT – Sprinklers assist firefighters in weekend fire at manufacturing plant

Agencies from around Southern Utah responded to a structure fire at SKF Manufacturing on Center Street in LaVerkin Saturday.  Firefighters were paged out to the fire at about 1:30 p.m., Hurricane Valley Fire Chief Tom Kuhlmann said.  The building has a sprinkler system in place, which came on during the fire, and firefighters backed up the sprinklers with hoses to control the blaze.

Dawn McDowell, SKF Manufacturing’s operations manager, had been alerted about the fire by an alarm company and arrived at the scene about the same time the firefighters did. She was able to unlock the building, which had been closed down for the weekend, so the firefighters didn’t have to force entry.

When responders got to the building, there was smoke pouring out of the windows, and they had to send a team in to track down the location of the actual fire.  The team ended up finding the fire had originated in the area of one of the processing machines in the back corner of the building, Kuhlmann said.

The responders had the fire controlled by 2:30 p.m. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, Kuhlmann said, and the extent of the damage is not yet known as this report is published. There were no people in the building at the time the fire started, so no injuries resulted from the incident.  The fire was contained to the inside of the building.  McDowell said that in the 24 years she has worked at SKF, there have been no other fires there. SKF’s factory in LaVerkin manufactures hydraulic seals, she said.

Apartment Building, Residential

Hilton Head, SC – Port Royal apartment fire extinguished by sprinkler system

Interior sprinklers extinguished a fire in a unit at Laurel Hill Apartments in Port Royal Saturday, likely preventing the fire from spreading, Beaufort Fire Chief Sammy Negron said.

However, damage from the fire, smoke and water forced the four apartment residents out of the unit. The local Red Cross is providing assistance.

At about 2:30 Saturday afternoon, firefighters from the Beaufort-Port Royal Fire Department responded to a fire call at 1640 Ribaut Road, the Laurel Hill Apartments. Upon arrival, firefighters found the fire limited to one apartment unit.

“The building’s sprinkler system worked as it is supposed to and extinguished this fire before it had a chance go grow and spread,” Negron said. “Properly installed and maintained, these types of automated fire suppression systems save lives and property, and we saw that at this apartment fire.”  Also responding to the blaze were the Port Royal Police and Burton Fire District.

College/University (on campus), School / University

Los Angeles, CA – Fire at UCLA engineering building contained by single sprinkler

A small electrical fire broke out at the Henry Samueli School of Engineering on the UCLA campus in Westwood on Saturday, but it was held in check by a sprinkler and was out when firefighters arrived, authorities said.  No injuries were reported and no one was evacuated as a result of the fire, which was reported just after 4 p.m.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Cleburne, TX – Sprinklers help extinguish fire caused by welding in paint booth area

A Saturday fire at Greenbrier Rail Services caused minor injury to one worker. Cleburne firefighters responded at about 4 p.m. to the 100 block of Park Street on reports of a structure fire.  Firefighters used about 2,500 gallons of water extinguishing the fire, which was also in part extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system.

 Firefighters arrived to find heavy black smoke emitting from a building used to paint rail cars.  All employees exited the building before firefighters arrived. A contractor was installing “fall protection” in the paint booth area, according to reports, a process that requires welding. One of the employees was on a scissor lift welding when the fire started, a fire apparently sparked by a spark that came into contact with air filters in the paint booth.

The man on the scissor lift told firefighters the fire spread so fast that he was unable to access the scissor lift’s controls. The man climbed down the side of the scissor lift to escape suffering minor burns in the process. The man was treated on scene and not transported to the hospital.

Another employee standing watch on fire guard told firefighters that the fire spread so quickly that he was unable to extinguish it with an extinguisher.

 

Government/Military, Prison / Jail

Murfreesboro, TN – Jail fire quickly extinguished by sprinkler system

A nurse suffered smoke inhalation during a medical office fire Saturday afternoon at the Rutherford County Adult Detention Center, according to a release from the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office. Rutherford County Emergency Medical Services paramedics took the nurse to St. Thomas Rutherford Hospital for treatment, the release stated.

Sprinklers quickly extinguished the fire confined to the medical director’s office, but smoke filled the first floor of the medical wing and administrative offices, according to the release. Water from the sprinkler flooded the medical hallway, dispatch and the administrative hallways. 

Deputies used fire extinguishers to put out hot spots, official said. Murfreesboro Fire and Rescue firefighters estimated 35 gallons of water per minute dropped from the sprinklers, Sheriff Robert Arnold said in the release. Deputies, the sheriff and inmates mopped water from the hallways. 

The Murfreesboro Fire & Rescue Department and Rutherford County Fire Rescue responded to clear the area of smoke that filled the hallways, officials said. The water and smoke damage did not spread to the inmate housing areas.  

Arnold asked Murfreesboro Fire & Rescue to investigate the cause of the fire with help from sheriff’s arson investigator Detective Randy Groce.  “It’s unfortunate this incident happened,” Arnold said in the release. “Thank God, no one was seriously hurt.”

Arnold thanked Murfreesboro Fire & Rescue, Rutherford Fire Rescue, Sheriff’s Office employees and inmates for their quick response.

Other - Residential, Residential

Mount Clemens, MI – Fire at shelter for women and children extinguished with help from sprinkler system

*** To help Turning Point Shelter recover quickly from this fire, please consider donating at http://www.gofundme.com/y49hv48 ***
An accidental fire at the new Turning Point shelter in Mount Clemens on Sunday afternoon sent about 40 resident women and children scurrying outside for safety.  Nobody was hurt, as fire crews were able to quickly extinguish the blaze as the sprinkler system had activated.  

Residents will not be allowed back into the 52-bed facility for a couple of days, according to fire officials. “My main concern right now is getting these women and kids out of the heat and finding them some water so they don’t become dehydrated,” said Debbie McPeek, chief programming officer for the shelter. 

Fire crews were called to the three-story, 12,000-square-foot building about 2:30 p.m. after passers-by saw smoke coming from the roof.  Mount Clemens fire Capt. Joseph Stark said responding firefighters tracked the source of the smoke to a dryer fire in the laundry room. 

The interior had “minimal” water and smoke damage, which will take a few days to clean up before residents are allowed back in.  “We’ve notified the Salvation Army and the American Red Cross to try to find these people some temporary housing before they can get back in,” Stark said. 

Mount Clemens firefighters were assisted by crews from Clinton Township, Harrison Township and Selfridge Air National Guard Base. The $3 million shelter opened in 2013 for Turning Point, a Macomb County domestic violence and sexual assault shelter and protective housing facility. The facility typically aids hundreds of local women and children every year.

 McPeek and other shelter workers were busy identifying all of the residents as they sat in a rear parking lot until housing could be found for them. She hoped the damage would be cleaned up in a timely manner.  “It’s a relatively brand new building – go figure,” she said. “We want to get in there and see what happened and how we’re going to address it.”

Turning Point officials said anyone wanting to donate toiletries or other items to assist the women in their short-term stay out of the shelter could call 586-463-4430 or visit turningpointmacomb.org.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Valdosta, GA – Sprinklers contain hotel fire caused by suspected meth lab

A man and woman have been arrested after a fire broke out in a room of a Valdosta motel Wednesday, and police are saying the pair was attempting to make methamphetamine.  At 12:02 p.m., the Valdosta Fire Department responded to the InTown Suites located at 1558 Baytree Road after receiving a fire call from Lowndes 911.

Firefighters on the scene located and extinguished a fire located in the bathroom of room 243. The fire was contained by the building’s sprinkler system, and no one was injured.  Due to the suspicious nature of the fire, investigation of the incident was turned over to the Valdosta Police Department, according to VFD Captain James Clinkscales.

Due to the suspicious nature of the fire, the motel was evacuated. The Lowndes/Valdosta Convention Center, the Wood Valley Community Center and the Courtyard by Marriott hotel provided shelter and refreshments to more than 30 evacuees. Residents were allowed to return to the motel later Wednesday afternoon, with officials saying the damage was isolated to the one room.

The Lowndes County Narcotics Unit assisted the Valdosta Police Department with the removal and disposal of chemicals found in the room.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Sunnyvale, CA – Hotel dryer fire extinguished by sprinkler system

A dryer in a hotel caught fire and spread in the laundry room. The fire was extinguished by the sprinkler system by the time Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety fire personnel responded. The smoke was cleared from the building, and it was determined that no one was injured.

Compiled from Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety reports.
Fire– June 15, 2:36 p.m. S. Sunnyvale Avenue.

Apartment Building, Residential

Purcellville, VA – Balcony fire at apartment building put out by sprinkler system

The Loudoun County Fire Marshal’s Office has determined that a fire Tuesday on Dominion Terrace in Purcellville was caused by improperly discarded smoking materials.  Firefighters were called to the scene about 12:45 p.m. to 640 Dominion Terrace to find several smoke alarms sounding and smoke showing from the front of the apartment building.

After further investigation, fire and rescue crews found remnants of a fire on a third- floor apartment balcony that had been extinguished by the apartment’s automatic sprinkler system. Fire department personnel determined there was no fire extension and remained on scene until the structure was adequately ventilated.

With the help of the apartment building’s automatic sprinkler system, the fire was contained to the balcony of a single unit, damages were limited to $1,000 and there were no injuries to civilians or firefighters.