Tag Archives: Afternoon (12pm-6pm)

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.

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.