Tag Archives: Alabama

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Smiths Station, AL – Daytime fire at high school minimized with help from sprinkler system

Smiths Station Fire & Recuse confirms first responders were called to a fire at Smith’s Station High School on Thursday morning.The fire department says units responded to the school around 11 a.m. CT where there had been a fire in a trash can inside the boy’s locker room.  Fire was brought under control and extinguished by the Lee County Sheriffs Office School Resource officer using a fire extinguisher prior to the fire departments arrival. The fire department also says the school’s fire suppression sprinkler system also activated.  Fire units used equipment to help remove the smoke and the school brought in a private company for water removal.  The department says there was only minor damage and no injuries were reported.

Adult Care/Rehab Center, Hospital/Care Facility

Birmingham, AL – Sprinkler system knocks down dryer fire at rehabilitation center

A small dryer fire forced patients at UAB’s Spain Rehabilitation Center to be evacuated early Thursday morning.

The fire was reported before 4:00 a.m. on the fifth floor of the building. Birmingham Fire-Rescue says the flames were put out by the building’s sprinkler system before they arrived.

Patients covered in blankets waited outside the building for approximately 30 minutes according Birmingham Fire-Rescue. 

Storage / Warehouse

Opp, AL – Sprinkler system extinguishes office fire at wholesale distribution business

A sprinkler system saved an Opp business that caught fire on Sunday morning. H.T. Hackney, a wholesale distribution center, experienced a fire in its front office area.  Opp Fire Chief Cory Spurlin said fire fighters were dispatched around 11 a.m. Sunday.  “Engine 7 arrived on the scene first, and there was smoke showing from the front office area,” he said. “I was behind them, and I requested mutual aid from Andalusia, Onycha, Babbie and Elba because there was approximately 400,000 square feet in the facility.”

Spurlin said that the fire was inside the wall in the office stairwell, and the sprinkler system kept it held at bay, but there was moderate to heavy damage in the area. Spurlin said they got the fire under control at 11:30 a.m.  “There was a lot of smoke in the downstairs and upstairs areas of the office,” he said. “We were able to hold it to the office area, and helped with ventilating and getting hot spots under control. We also helped the company get debris cleaned up.”

Spurlin said there were no injuries reported, and that there were employees present when the fire occurred. “The fire alarm worked, and everyone was safe and accounted for,” he said.

Residential, School / University, Sorority / Fraternity

Florence, AL – Sprinklers assist in limiting fraternity house fire

The cause of the fire that ravaged the back side of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity house at UNA has not been determined. Florence Fire Department investigators returned to the Pine Street fraternity house Thursday morning to investigate. Inspector Ryan Orrick said the fire started on the backside of the second floor in the area of an attached deck, but it will be more difficult to determine the cause.

He took photographs of the charred house, and collected samples to be sent for analysis in hopes of finding what sparked the blaze. “This is not uncommon in a large loss fire such as this,” Orrick said of taking time to find the cause. Orrick said the Florence Fire Department allowed fraternity members to enter the house — except the back portion where much of the fire damage was concentrated — to remove belongings.

Members of the fraternity removed boxes of personal belongings, including clothes and school items. Water dripped from a bag of school books one member carried out of the house, and another said water was still dripping from his mattress in a second-floor bedroom. Returning to the house brought some relief to fraternity members and alumni of the chapter who Wednesday watched flames come through the roof of the house for more than an hour.

“It was not as bad as I thought it would be,” alumnus Russ LeMay said. He was on the scene Wednesday and back at the house early Thursday morning to assist members and survey the damage. He said a determination about the fate of the house would be made later, but he was more optimistic that portions might be salvageable.

Bill Rogers, treasurer of the house corporation, said the house had recently passed the necessary fire inspection, and the sprinkler system inside the house worked as it should. The fire alarms could be heard outside the house Wednesday. Eight members of the fraternity lived in the house. No one was injured.

Government/Military, Prison / Jail

Gadsden, AL – Detention center sprinkler system helps stop fire allegedly set by ICE detainee

An investigation is underway after an Immigrations and Customs Enforcement detainee reportedly set a fire inside a maximum-security unit at the Etowah County Detention Center.

According to the Etowah County Sheriff Todd Entrekin, the fire was reported around 7:43 a.m. Friday in Unit 3. A detainee allegedly sparked a fire inside the common area of the unit, then set his mattress on fire inside his cell.

The fire activated the sprinkler system inside the unit.

Entrekin says the detainee, along with four others, were outside their cells on free time when it happened. The detainees involved are reported to be from the Middle East and Asia.

“All inmates and detainees are accounted for inside the detention center. This was an isolated incident inside Unit 3 and no other units were ever in danger during the event. At this time, there is no need to evacuate any inmates or detainees to other facilities,” a press release emailed to media said. “There are no serious injuries to anyone inside the facility. Inmates who have complained with breathing issues received immediate medical attention and have been returned back to their unit. All Sheriff’s Office employees have also been checked and cleared by medical personnel.”

Sheriff Entrekin said in the release: “I want to personally thank the Gadsden Fire Department for their quick and professional response. They did an excellent job in containing the fire. Words cannot express my appreciation and gratitude to the employees of the Sheriff’s Office, especially those inside the detention center. The detention deputies acted quickly to ensure the safety of all inside Unit 3. Their noble actions saved lives today.”

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Bessemer, AL – Fire at high school caused by overloaded electrical cords is put out by sprinkler system

Bessemer fire officials say they responded to a small fire at Bessemer City High School Monday night.  Fire officials say they believe some electrical cords powering a fridge and a copier caught fire, triggering the sprinklers to go off.  Thankfully, the sprinkler system put out the fire.  They say the fire isn’t serious but residents may notice some crews on scene as they clean up the water and smoke damage.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Irondale, AL – Sprinkler system helps limit hotel fire to one room

Fire crews are on the scene at the Hampton Inn off Grants Mill Road in Irondale.

Irondale and Birmingham Fire Department responded. According to officials, the fire was contained to one room. After the blaze began, the sprinkler system kicked in and helped limit the fire from spreading.

At this time, everyone is still outside of the hotel. The fire is under control now.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Montgomery, AL – Sprinklers help contain grill fire at downtown restaurant; No injuries

A two-alarm fire Wednesday afternoon in the kitchen of Dreamland Bar-B-que in downtown Montgomery’s Alley development caused only light damage, despite sparking a dramatic jet of flame above the city’s skyline. The restaurant expects to reopen within a few days.

Wesley Dillard said he was eating near the kitchen at about 2:30 p.m. when “someone came running out to the table and said, ‘Everybody needs to get out of here immediately! The grill’s on fire!’”

No injuries were reported, and emergency officials said there was no impingement to the interior.

Dillard joined a crowd watching from across the street as all floors of the building were evacuated. A 10-foot jet of flame bellowed from the stack above the restaurant a few minutes later.

Fire officials said the sprinkler system activated. The flame above the restaurant disappeared about 2:40 p.m., and officials confirmed that the fire was under control before 3 p.m.

“I just hope there wasn’t too much damage,” Dillard said.

Dreamland ownership partner Bob Parker said the only damage was caused by the sprinklers. He said the ventilation system functioned properly, and the jet of flame was caused by the grease burning out. The restaurant hopes to reopen by Saturday.

In September, a kitchen fire at Central restaurant in the Alley forced the eatery to close for several days. Dreamland provided free lunch for Central employees as they assessed the damage and cleaned up after that fire.

Dreamland recovered quickly after a kitchen fire in 2013 — the restaurant only closed for part of one day. Fire officials said at the time that they also had responded to fire alarms at Dreamland in 2012 and 2009.

A two-alarm fire Wednesday afternoon in the kitchen of Dreamland Bar-B-que in downtown Montgomery’s Alley development caused only light damage, despite sparking a dramatic jet of flame above the city’s skyline. The restaurant expects to reopen within a few days.

Wesley Dillard said he was eating near the kitchen at about 2:30 p.m. when “someone came running out to the table and said, ‘Everybody needs to get out of here immediately! The grill’s on fire!’”

No injuries were reported, and emergency officials said there was no impingement to the interior.

Dillard joined a crowd watching from across the street as all floors of the building were evacuated. A 10-foot jet of flame bellowed from the stack above the restaurant a few minutes later.

Fire officials said the sprinkler system activated. The flame above the restaurant disappeared about 2:40 p.m., and officials confirmed that the fire was under control before 3 p.m.

“I just hope there wasn’t too much damage,” Dillard said.

Dreamland ownership partner Bob Parker said the only damage was caused by the sprinklers. He said the ventilation system functioned properly, and the jet of flame was caused by the grease burning out. The restaurant hopes to reopen by Saturday.

In September, a kitchen fire at Central restaurant in the Alley forced the eatery to close for several days. Dreamland provided free lunch for Central employees as they assessed the damage and cleaned up after that fire.

Dreamland recovered quickly after a kitchen fire in 2013 — the restaurant only closed for part of one day. Fire officials said at the time that they also had responded to fire alarms at Dreamland in 2012 and 2009.

Other - Retail, Retail

Auburn, AL – Overnight fire at retail store contained by sprinkler system

A fire early Saturday night at Kinnucan’s on Donahue Drive has temporarily closed the Auburn location as store personnel work to assess damage. According to Auburn Fire Division Chief John Lankford, Kinnucan’s suffered a “small fire” Saturday around 2 a.m.

“When we arrived on scene, smoke and flames were visible on the College Street side of the complex,” Lankford said. “The fire was contained near the origin because the building’s sprinkler system activated. There was very little fire damage, but the water from the sprinkler got some of the merchandise wet. The fire originated near the sign that was mounted on the wall, and the fire cause is still under investigation.”

Kinnucan’s president and CEO Bobby Lake said he estimates the Auburn store will be closed about two to four weeks. “We did have a small fire in the attic area of the store, which the fire department did an incredible job getting put out rather quickly,” Lake said. “Unfortunately with fire comes a lot of water and a lot of smoke, so that’s the problem we’re dealing with now.”

Lake added that the volume of merchandise affected by the fire will prove a bigger problem than cleanup and building repairs.

“The most difficult will be the loss of the product in the store because even though the fire didn’t get to it, the smoke and the water in some cases did, so most of the stuff we carry, you can’t necessarily order in time,” Lake said. “It’s seasonal, so a lot of the spring products had come in, and so the opportunity to replace it, we’re just going to have to see what that is.”

Kinnucan’s has moved its annual A-Day player signing scheduled from 10 a.m. to noon this Saturday to its Tiger Town store in Opelika. Auburn players Cassanova McKinzy, Ricardo Louis, Shon Coleman and Peyton Barber will be signing autographs and interacting with the public. The event is free to the public and will also feature food and inflatables.

“We’re open in Tiger Town, and thankfully it (the fire) happened in the middle of the night, so nobody got hurt and again, what a great job the fire department did at getting the fire put out quickly,” Lake said.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Huntsville, AL – Sprinkler system keeps overnight hotel fire from spreading; No injuries reported

A fire in a Huntsville hotel room caused guests to be evacuated overnight after it activated the business’ sprinkler system. Firefighters were called to InTown Suites Extended-Stay, located just off of University Drive, just before 1:30 a.m. after the fire caused sprinklers on the second floor to go off. Several rooms were left with water damage. The fire was ruled to be accidental and guests and staff were allowed back in the building a short time later.