Tag Archives: Afternoon (12pm-6pm)

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Cambridge, ON, Canada – Fire at high school extinguished by sprinkler system

Fire crews were called to Preston High School shortly after 1 p.m., after being notified of fire alarms going off inside the building. When they arrived, they found that the school had been evacuated.

According to Cambridge Fire Department platoon Chief Brad Churchill, crews entered the building to find that its sprinkler system had extinguished the fire, but heavy smoke persisted in a corridor and stairwell at the back of the building.

One staff member was taken to hospital, to be treated for symptoms of smoke inhalation. Firefighters spent much of the afternoon at the school, ventilating the building.  After being allowed back in to pick up their belongings, students were sent home for the rest of the afternoon.

Churchill said the evacuation went off “like clockwork” because the school regularly practiced fire drills. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Apartment Building, Residential

Portland, ME – Apartment kitchen fire suppressed by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

A section of Congress Street in Portland was shut down for several hours last Tuesday after a kitchen fire set off a sprinkler system in a downtown apartment building. Deputy Fire Chief John Everett said a flash fire broke out on a stove in a fourth-floor kitchen at 439 Congress St. around 2 p.m.

Though the fire caused minor damage, it set off the sprinkler system in the Metropolitan Apartments. Everett said water from the fire suppression system caused damage to the kitchen and two apartments below it as well as to businesses located on the first floor.

Firefighters spent more than three hours in the building vacuuming up water and covering items that were damaged by the water.  Congress Street between Elm and Temple streets remained closed for more than three hours.

Residential High Rise, Townhouse / Condominium

Highland Beach, FL – Fire at oceanfront high-rise condominium building controlled with help from sprinkler system

Delray Beach Fire Rescue was called to an oceanfront Highland Beach high-rise condominium last Sunday afternoon when a fire started in a fourth-floor unit. No one was injured in the fire, according to Delray Beach Fire Rescue spokesman Capt. Kevin Saxton.

“The fire is out, but there is significant water damage to the building because of the sprinkler activation and our suppression effort,” Saxton said. Saxton said he did not yet know what started the fire in the unit at the Wiltshire House Condominiums, 2909 South Ocean Blvd. The call alerting the fire was made at about 3:45 p.m.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Myrtle Beach, SC – Cooking fire at extended stay hotel extinguished by sprinkler system

A small fire sparked by french fries cooking on a stove in a first-floor hotel room at the Suburban Extended Stay Hotel in Myrtle Beach led to smoke inhalation and an evacuation Monday afternoon.

The Myrtle Beach Fire Department was dispatched to the hotel at 730 Frontage Road E. at 1:18 p.m. for a fire alarm. “The first unit on scene found smoke in room 145 and then they requested structure (fire) response,” said Battalion Chief Ian Maxwell with the Myrtle Beach Fire Department.

A sprinkler system in the hotel extinguished the fire, he said. Several units were on scene Monday afternoon dealing with the water mitigation issues that remained after the emergency that evacuated residents and left one guest with minor smoke inhalation. The guest was treated on scene.  No other injuries were reported.

Apartment Building, Residential

Fayetteville, NC – Apartment balcony fire contained with help from sprinkler system; No injuries

Fayetteville firefighters are investigating a fire that broke out in an apartment building Monday afternoon, a Fayetteville Fire Department news release said. Firefighters responded to an apartment fire at 12:38 p.m. in the 2800 block of Amelia Drive, off of Levy Drive, off of Robeson Street, the release said.

The apartment complex is near Ashley Elementary School. Firefighters arrived and found a fire on the second floor balcony of the three-story apartment building, the release said.

Firefighters contained the fire to the exterior of the building with assistance from the fire sprinkler system, the release said. There were no injuries and no families were displaced by the fire, the release said. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.

Manufacturing, Paper Mill / Saw Mill

Merritt, BC, Canada – Sprinklers help contain sawmill fire; Operations resume same day

Merritt Fire Rescue responded to a fire at the Tolko sawmill around 1:30 Saturday afternoon.  Fire Chief Dave Tompkinson says a hydraulic oil tank was on fire.

“Prior to firefighters arriving, the sprinkler system had activated. The sawmill employees had actioned the fire with extinguishers and a hose line,” says Tompkinson. The fire was inside the the plant, and spread to some machinery above.

Tomkinson says, as the fire department was leaving, the sawmill was already getting back up and running. The cause of the fire is unknown.

Apartment Building, Residential

Vicksburg, MS – Sprinkler system keeps apartment kitchen fire from spreading; No injuries

Food burning on a stove was the cause of a fire early Friday afternoon that heavily damaged the kitchen of a third floor apartment at Carmel Manor, 910 Bowman St., Vicksburg Fire Chief Charles Atkins said. He said firefighters were called about 1:09 p.m. He said a sprinkler system in the apartment managed to keep the fire from spreading and contained it to the kitchen area. He said the apartment, an adjacent apartment and a second floor apartment had water damage. No one was injured.

Other Business, Residential

Oakland, CA – Sprinkler activates to help control fire in mixed use building

Firefighters quickly extinguished a small structure fire Tuesday afternoon in Oakland near the Fruitvale BART station, according to authorities.   Crews were dispatched to a building in the 1200 block of 37th Avenue at 4:04 p.m. on report of a fire.  A single room was burning on the second floor of a three-story structure with residential units above commercial space on the ground floor.

The fire was put out by the first arriving crews and a lone sprinkler head that activated, according to firefighters. Further details were not immediately available.

Other - Retail, Retail

Anchorage, AK – Sprinkler system helps firefighters contain fire at auto repair shop

A sprinkler system helped firefighters quickly control a fire at Alaska Transmission and Gear near Arctic Boulevard and Dowling Road, the department says. “When we arrived, there was just light smoke showing,” Anchorage Fire Department spokesman John See said of the 12:49 p.m. fire at 5901 Arctic Boulevard. The flames were contained to contents inside the business and did not necessarily burn the structure, See said. The fire was under control within minutes, he said. It’s unclear how the fire began.

Apartment Building, Residential, Residential High Rise

Charleston, SC – Sprinkler system contains high rise apartment fire to 10th floor apartment

An investigation by Charleston Fire officials revealed the fire that displaced about 152 Joseph Floyd Manor residents originated on a sofa in the living area of a 10th floor apartment. The specific cause of the fire is still unknown.  Crews helped residents move to hotel rooms Monday night after the fire broke out.

Three fire departments responded to the 10th floor of the Mount Pleasant Street apartment complex and found heavy smoke, said Ryan Kunitzer of the Charleston Fire Department.  Kunitzer said a fire sprinkler contained the fire in a 10th floor apartment. Emergency personnel assisted residents off the floor.   He said the city Building Official determined the structure was uninhabitable until a full assessment could be completed.

The Red Cross, the City Housing Authority and CARTA assisted emergency crews with moving the residents to local hotels after water used to control the fire affected multiple floors, Kunitzer said. Charleston, North Charleston and St. Andrews fire departments responded to the fire, in addition to the Charleston Police Department and Charleston County EMS.

Fire officials said that 93 of the estimated 152 Joseph Floyd residents were relocated to a nearby hotel. The other 58 residents went to stay with family or friends.   Officials also confirmed that one resident was taken to hospital for smoke inhalation.

The American Red Cross and Charleston County Housing and Redevelopment Authority officials opened a shelter for the residents. The shelter, located at Grace on the Ashley Baptist Church, opened Tuesday afternoon. There, residents can get a safe place to stay, meals, and other services.