Tag Archives: Afternoon (12pm-6pm)

Apartment Building, Residential

Lansing, MI – Fire extinguished by sprinkler system at new apartment building

A tenant moving in to a new apartment building near downtown Lansing accidentally started a small fire that left 11 units uninhabitable due to water damage, Lansing firefighters said.

The fire at Marketplace, on Cedar Street near the Lansing City Market, started in a fifth-floor unit between 5 and 5:30 p.m. Friday, said Steve Mazurek, a public information officer for the city’s fire department.

The building’s sprinkler system extinguished the fire, which started on a stovetop that was turned on by accident and sparked a box or other material that had been placed there, Mazurek said. The fire was contained to a single unit, whose tenant had moved in the same day, he said.

Firefighters were called because water from the sprinkler system caused damage to surrounding and lower units, Mazurek said. No one was injured. Eleven of 79 units can’t be occupied until they’re repaired.

The $8.5 million Marketplace building opened last fall. It is owned by Lansing developer Pat Gillespie. Gillespie could not immediately be reached by phone.

His company, Gillespie Group, posted a message on its Facebook page this morning, saying a restoration company will be on site throughout the weekend to repair damaged units. Office staff are available to answer residents’ questions, the company said.

Hospital/Care Facility, Hospital/Medical Clinic

Bel Air, MD – Fire at medical center limited to utility closet thanks to sprinkler system

Nobody was injured in a small utility room fire at Upper Chesapeake Medical Center in Bel Air Sunday afternoon, according to theOffice of the State Fire Marshal.  At 1:07 p.m., a fire alarm activated at the medical complex in the 500 block of Upper Chesapeake Drive, the fire marshal reported. 

Staff told emergency dispatchers there was a fire in the cardiac catheterization lab, located on the first floor of the four-story building, the report said. A cardiac catheterization lab is where medical practitioners user special equipment to diagnose heart conditions. 

Approximately 20 firefighters responded—from Bel Air, Abingdon and Fallston—and found that a sprinkler had put out a small fire in lab’s utility room before crews arrived, the fire marshal reported.  While there was no structural damage at the facility and no procedures were taking place in the lab at the time of the incident

Apartment Building, Residential

Fort Myers, FL – Sprinklers help contain apartment fire; No injuries reported

Firefighters were dispatched to the area of Bay and Dean Streets around 1 p.m. for a report of a fire on the third floor of the Dean building.  Firefighters rescued a small dog but the fire itself was contained to the apartment’s kitchen.

Sprinklers activated to help control the fire.  “It’s not fun. But the biggest thing out of the fire is that nobody was hurt,” said Perry Hauser the City Tavern General Manager. Everybody knows, it’s out of everybody’s hands.”

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Rehoboth Beach, DE – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire at country club; No injuries reported

Firefighters were called last Friday afternoon to fight a fire at the Kings Creek Country Club near Rehoboth Beach.   Rehoboth Beach Volunteer Company spokesman Warren Jones says the fire was discovered in the bar area of the clubhouse and that it spread in the attic area until a sprinkler system activated and extinguished most of the flames. Jones says there were no injuries.

Residential, Single Family Home

Derry, NH – Sprinkler system helps 14-year-old girl escape intense garage fire

Fire officials say a residential sprinkler system helped knock down an intense garage fire at 3 Alder Court on Monday, and also helped save a 14-year-old girl who was home at the time.The girl was in the basement and unaware of the fire in the attached garage until she noticed water running from the sprinkler system and saw smoke filling the house. After seeing the garage was on fire, she was able to escape, said Derry fire Lt. Jack Webb.The forward progress of the fire in the garage was stopped until firefighters could arrive and extinguish the blaze. “That sprinkler system stopped the fire,” Webb said, adding “it allowed the little girl to get out of the house.”Firefighters were able rescue a small dog that was uninjured, he said. The first call came into the dispatch center at 3:36 p.m. and crews were on the scene at 3:44 p.m., Webb said.When they arrived, the garage was fully involved, with fire above the roof line.Firefighters from four stations responded to the blaze that went to two alarms, Webb said. Crews had to contend with bitter cold and icy conditions. There were also five other calls that occurred in town during the fire, including a major sprinkler system burst at Shaw’s Supermarket.The crews poured a lot of water onto the garage of the two-story Colonial-style house and the fire was declared under control at about 5 p.m., Webb saidCrews remained on the scene until 7:23 p.m. for overhaul and to assist the family members recover their belongings. There was some extension of the fire into the attic and roof of farmer’s porch. The living area of the house received smoke and water damage; it will be uninhabitable until professionally cleaned, Webb said. The family was renting and will stay with relatives temporarily, he said. The garage and its contents are considered a complete loss. Fire loss, including contents of the garage, is estimated at $150,000. A corvette was lost in the blaze, Webb added.The cause of the fire isn’t suspicious and appears to be accidental, Webb said. –

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

West Windsor, NJ – Arson fire at senior apartment complex extinguished by sprinklers

A trespasser was arrested for allegedly starting a fire at the Gables of West Windsor on Feb. 13.  The suspect started a fire was started just before 3 p.m. The building manager told police he did not belong in the building, according to West Windsor police.

When police and firefighters arrived at the building they found an activated sprinkler head and smoke in the vestibule.  Further investigation revealed that a small fire had been extinguished by the sprinkler system, according to police.

Apartment Building, Residential

Westford, MA – Sprinkler system does its job in afternoon apartment fire

Fire officials are investigating whether an icicle that fell from a condominium rooftop punctured and ignited a gas meter, sparking a three-alarm fire at the complex Wednesday.

Four local families were displaced by the midday blaze, which scorched parts of the exterior walls of their condominium building on Bandon Circle. There were no reports of injuries.

What kept the fire from causing further damage was the sprinkler system that activated inside the condos, according to Westford fire Lt. Donald Parsons.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Kingman, AZ – Sprinklers help put out oven fire at Safeway store

A burning rotisserie oven forced the evacuation of the Safeway store in Kingman at 3970 N. Stockton Hill Road early Tuesday afternoon. The oven reportedly caught fire while cooking chicken.

The small fire set off the sprinkler system in the store, said Joe Dorner, assistant fire chief for the Kingman Fire Department, and crews from that department and Northern Arizona Consolidated responded to help extinguish the fire and clear up lingering smoke in the store.

Kingman Police Department officers helped evacuate the store.  Both fire departments were working with Safeway to help reset the sprinkler system. No injuries were reported.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Wasilla, AK – Sprinklers keep porch fire from extending into assisted living structures

Firefighters responded to a blaze at an assisted living home near Wasilla early Monday afternoon. Matanuska Susitna Borough deputy emergency services director Casey Cook says that 20 residents and all staff were safely evacuated as firemen arrived at 2:30 pm. No injuries have been reported.

Initial reports indicate the fire started on the front porch of the home, although an investigation is ongoing to determine the cause. Cook says most of the fire damage affects a front porch and an upstairs apartment, while other parts of the building incurred smoke and water damage.

“There was an added on balcony on the second and half of the third floor, and that was pretty much demolished by the fire. The actual living structure was sprinklered, and so the sprinkler stopped a lot of fire extending into the actual living structures…”

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Dalton, GA – Fire at automotive parts manufacturer Shiroki contained by sprinklers

A fire Friday afternoon at Shiroki North America on Veterans Drive was quickly brought under control, according to Dalton Fire Chief Bruce Satterfield. The fire broke out in a small room where workers were putting coating on car parts at about 1:20 p.m.

Satterfield said a spark in one of the plant’s filter systems ignited the fire. The fire activated two sprinkler heads in that room and “they really kept the fire down,” he added.

The responding crews handled the response without calling for additional help and the fire was under control in less than 10 minutes, Satterfield said. He estimated the damage to the filter system to be around $15,000. Satterfield credited the company for keeping its fire safety equipment in good condition. There were no injuries.