Tag Archives: Afternoon (12pm-6pm)

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.

Food Processing, Manufacturing

Fayetteville, AR – Sprinkler system activates to help control fire at Tyson Food’s facility

The Fayetteville Fire Department responded to a fire inside the building at Tyson Food’s Inc. on S School Avenue.  The fire happened at 3 p.m. inside the Mexican Original plant.  Dispatchers and Firefighters said the sprinkler system was activated.  Firefighters were on scene to help get the smoke out of the building.  The building was briefly evacuated, according to a Tyson spokesperson.

Apartment Building, Residential

Charlottesville, VA – Arson fire at apartment building doused by sprinkler system

Four people were displaced by a fire in a Charlottesville apartment Thursday. The fire occurred shortly after 4:30 p.m. on the 800 block of Mallside Forest Court. According to the Albemarle County Fire Marshal’s Office, this is an arson case. The Albemarle County Police Department has arrested 31-year-old Cleve Kush on a charge of burning or destroying a dwelling.

A sprinkler system in the apartment limited the size of the fire and the damage it caused. The Fire Marshal’s Office reports the damage estimate is about $1,200. The investigation into the arson is underway. One person was taken to the hospital for possible smoke inhalation. The Red Cross is helping the apartment residents.

Apartment Building, Residential

Battle Ground, WA – Sprinkler system suppresses apartment fire; No injuries and damage minimized

A fire sprinkler successfully suppressed an apartment fire Tuesday afternoon in Battle Ground, minimizing potential damage. Nobody was home when the fire broke out in a unit at Meadow View Apartments, said Clark County Fire & Rescue Division Chief Mike Jackson. Firefighters were called to 611 N.W. 20th Ave. at 2:49 p.m.

The oven had been left on the clean setting and ignited items on the stove, Jackson said. “The fire was luckily controlled with a single sprinkler head before we got there,” he said. There was minimal fire and water damage, though a neighboring unit may have some water damage, Jackson said. Without the sprinkler, the fire could have grown to be much worse and caused more damage. Fire sprinklers are activated by heat, going off when it reaches around 165 degrees.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Prescott, AZ – Fire at senior apartment complex contained by sprinklers

Three residents were unable to return to their apartments at Alta Vista Retirement Apartments after fire crews responded Friday afternoon, June 12, in what turned out to be a box left on a stovetop. Prescott Fire Department Battalion Chief Eric Kriwer said the department was dispatched at approximately 2:15 p.m. to the apartments in the 900 block of Canterbury Lane, responding with four engines and a company truck. He credited the sprinkler system at the apartments with preventing a more serious outcome.

Occupants of some 50 residences evacuated the building as crews looked for extensions throughout the building. Two people were treated for lightheadedness and transported by ambulance to the Prescott campus of Yavapai Regional Medical Center. The ensuing investigation revealed a fifth-floor resident had left a box on the stove and apparently turned on a burner, which ignited the cardboard and triggered the sprinkler system in the kitchen area. Kriwer said three residence were displaced and the property loss is still being calculated.

Athletic Club/Sports Facility

Madison, WI – Fire on 5th floor of YWCA building controlled by sprinkler system

The City of Madison Fire Department is crediting an automatic sprinkler system for helping avoid major damage after a fire at the YWCA on Wednesday.   Officials say the fire started on the fifth floor of the building located at 101 E. Mifflin Street around 1:15 p.m.

 Firefighters say there was heavy smoke conditions reported on the fourth and fifth floors after using high-rise firefighting operations. They were able to successfully extinguish the fire, keeping the water and fire damage to a minimum. 

The fire department says the YWCA staff followed all proper procedures upon hearing the fire alarms. They say everyone was evacuated safely and uninjured. Damage is estimated at $5,000-$10,000. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Modesto, CA – Sprinklers help contain fire in warehouse containing fireworks, almonds

Fire crews were able to contain a fire at a warehouse that contains walnuts and fireworks in unincorporated Modesto, officials said. Firefighters were called to the large warehouse in the 2300 block of Tenaya Street just after noon Sunday, the Stanislaus Consolidated Fire Protection District said.

The building’s automatic sprinkler system was activated and helped partially control the flames from spreading. When crews arrived, they saw smoke coming off the roof of the building and called for additional help. The east end of the warehouse was full of large bins of ground walnuts while the west end was full of fireworks. A firewall separated the fireworks and burning hulls of walnuts.

Nearly 30 firefighters with the fire district and the Modesto and Ceres fire departments were called to the warehouse to battle the blaze. No injuries were reported.

Residential, Single Family Home

Petaluma, CA – Sprinkler controls fire in home under construction; Protective cap still in place

A blaze that broke out Thursday inside a three-story home under construction northwest of Petaluma could have been much worse had a sprinkler system not activated and limited the fire’s spread, a fire official said.

“Under different circumstances, it could have been a much larger fire,” said Rancho Adobe Fire Battalion Chief Mike Weihman.  The blaze at 3528 Skillman Lane was reported at about 5:55 p.m. by a neighbor who spotted smoke billowing from the unfinished house.

Weihman said the fire broke out in a first-floor room at the rear of the structure that was being used by construction workers. The room also had an overhead fire sprinkler that activated despite being so new that it still had a dust cover over it. Weihman said water from the sprinkler doused most of the flames, greatly assisting firefighters, who brought the blaze under control within 20 minutes of their arrival on scene.

Apartment Building, Residential

Temple, TX – Sprinklers stop spread of apartment fire caused by rechargeable battery

Investigators say a rechargeable battery for a radio controlled model airplane is what started a fire at a Temple apartment Tuesday afternoon. Temple Fire & Rescue crews responded to a fire call at about 3 p.m. at Pecan Pointe Apartments. Firefighters saw smoke coming from the apartment, and were able to quickly locate the flames and extinguish them.

Firefighters credit the building’s fire sprinkler system with limiting the fire damage to the one apartment, which received a little fire damage, along with moderate smoke and water damage. One downstairs apartment also received water damage.

No injuries were reported, but the fire displaced two families. The apartment is making arrangements to house those families. The fire, which was under control by 3:21 p.m., was ruled unintentional. Investigators say a rechargeable battery for a radio controlled model airplane is what started the blaze.

Temple PD and Scott & White EMS also responded to the call.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Redding, CA – Sprinklers keep fire from spreading at manufacturing plant

A fire in a tank of detergent was doused Sunday by the sprinkler system at a Redding manufacturing plant, a Redding Fire Department official said. Shortly after 5 p.m. a fire alarm went off at Seco Manufacturing on Oasis Road, Battalion Chief Steve Reilly said.

The fire alarm was activated by a fire in a tank of detergent used in a process to anodize aluminum that is used to make surveying equipment, he said.

A fire sprinkler turned on above the tank, keeping the fire from spreading, he said. Shortly after the fire broke out, firefighters with Redding’s Engine Co. No. 6, which is across the street from the plant, heard the fire alarm and saw a light smoke coming from the rear of the business, Reilly said.

The firefighters got access to the rear of the building and were able to put it out by about 5:30 p.m., Reilly said. The business was closed for the Memorial Day weekend. The fire was confined to the tank, he said. He said the fire was caused by a malfunction in how the tank operates.