Tag Archives: Arizona

Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

Phoenix, AZ – Sprinkler system activated for fire at university; No injuries reported

An unknown number of Grand Canyon University students were displaced after a fire broke out at a mid-rise residential building near the school Sunday morning.

Cpt. Shaun DuBois, a spokesperson for Phoenix fire, said firefighters were dispatched to the six-story building at around 9:30 a.m. after a fire alarm went off on the building’s third floor. DuBois said firefighters who first arrived at the scene did not see any smoke or flames from the outside but quickly accessed the third floor where they saw smoke in the hallway.

DuBois added that the building’s fire sprinklers had activated and successfully kept the fire in check as firefighters fully extinguished the fire.

“The combination of fire sprinkler activation and quick actions by firefighters prevented further damage and fire extension into the structure,” DuBois said in a statement. “Occupants were alerted by fire alarms and had evacuated the building prior to fire department arrival.”

DuBois said there were no reported injuries related to the fire. Staff with the department’s community assistance program are working with GCU staff to support the students who would be temporarily displaced, although it was not immediately known how many students would be impacted or for how long.

Other - Retail, Retail

Yuma, AZ – Sprinkler system activated for lithium-ion battery fire at furniture store; No injuries reported

Lithium-ion batteries were suspected to have sparked a fire at a Yuma furniture store Friday morning.

According to the Yuma Fire Department, at 5:30 a.m., crews were dispatched to a report of a “water flow alarm” in the 300 block of West 32nd Street. Upon arrival, crews found a large furniture store with heavy smoke and water exiting from the front door. Firefighters were able to enter the structure and extinguish the fire quickly.

It was discovered that a properly working fire sprinkler was able to prevent any further damage to the building and its contents, YFD said. No injuries were reported, and business operations were not disrupted.

“Fire sprinkler systems can keep fires from spreading and can also extinguish them. Fire spreads quickly and can double in size every minute. Even small fires can cause significant property damage and endanger those nearby. Contrary to many Hollywood portrayals, only sprinkler heads directly exposed to the heat activate, not those in the rest of the room, building, or complex,” YFD noted.

A YFD investigator discovered the fire’s area of origin was a shelf with lithium-ion batteries and a battery charging station, YFD said, noting “This is yet another call for service in which lithium-ion batteries have been involved.”

YFD offered the following battery charging tips:

Use the provided or approved charger for the battery

Do not use extension cords or overload surge protectors

Do not use damaged or deformed batteries

Keep batteries away from high temperatures, do not charge them if they are hot

Remove the battery from the unit when done charging and do not cover the battery

Do not keep batteries on a charger once the charging cycle is completed

Keep the battery away from other combustibles

Fire sprinkler systems save lives and property.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Little Rock, AR – Sprinkler system activated for fire on 7th floor of hotel; No injuries reported

On Sunday morning, there was a fire at the Holiday Inn Presidential in downtown Little Rock.

Officials with the hotel confirmed that a fire did occur, but were unable to confirm the extent of the damage.

The Little Rock Fire Department confirmed that the fire was reported around 6 a.m. and occurred on the hotel’s 7th floor.

Fire crews were on scene for three hours, and spent most of their time cleaning smoke and water from the sprinkler system out of the building.

The Fire Department said that there were no injuries as a result of the incident.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Tucson, AZ – Sprinkler system activated for attic fire at senior living center; No injuries reported

Residents with mobility issues had to be carried from the upper floors of a Midtown senior living facility after a fire in the attic space disabled the elevators.

Tucson Fire crews were dispatched to the facility in the 1500 block of East River Road at 9:35 a.m. for reports of smoke coming from an attic space, according to a social media post from TFD.

The fire was under control by 9:53 a.m. No residents were injured. A maintenance worker was transported from the scene with a medical issue unrelated to the fire, the post said.

Several residents were carried from the facility. The sprinkler system prevented the fire from spreading, but the water caused significant damage to more than a dozen units, the post said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Surprise, AZ – Sprinkler system activated for fire at senior living facility

Surprise Fire-Medical Department and Arizona Fire and Medical Authority crews responded to a fire at a senior living facility Saturday evening.

Crews were sent to Kingswood Place, a senior living facility near Bell Road and Parkview Place, where a small fire had broken out in a bedroom. Sprinkler systems were able to keep the majority of the fire at bay as firefighters arrived, according to Surprise Battalion Chief Larry Subervi, a spokesperson for the department.

About 25 residents were displaced during the fire, but after an hour all were able to return to the building. Four residents were not able to return to their rooms due to damages from the fire or the sprinkler system. They were relocated to different rooms at the facility.

A medical treatment center was set up for residents during the fire for heat-related complaints, but no residents were significantly injured, according to the department.

The cause of the fire was still under investigation.

Kingswood Place could not be reached for comment.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Prescott, AZ – Sprinkler system activated for fire at senior living facility

Ninety people are without a home after a fire broke out at a Prescott senior living community on Friday evening.

Around 6 p.m., crews were called about fire and smoke that was reported from a third-story apartment at the Prescott Lakes Senior Living Apartments near Prescott Lakes Parkway and Highway 89. The fire was upgraded to a second alarm due to the building’s size and number of residents inside.

The Prescott Police Department was the first on the scene and saved the resident in the apartment and those in nearby units. Fire crews soon arrived and quickly accessed the apartment on fire. With help from the fire sprinkler system, firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the flames and prevent the fire from spreading to the rest of the complex.

Some residents evacuated; however, others could not leave their apartments and were told to shelter in place by the fire personnel after it was determined they were not in danger. A Prescott police officer was treated on the scene for smoke inhalation. One resident fainted after being evacuated and was taken to the hospital for further evaluation. No other injuries were reported.

Prescott Fire says there was extensive water damage from the sprinklers and fire personnel on all three floors, including an electrical room that powers half of the complex. Therefore, fire officials, the City of Prescott Building Department and utility companies determined it was unsafe for residents to return to their apartments, leaving 90 people and several pets displaced.

The Yavapai County Office of Emergency Management and the Red Cross has arranged a temporary shelter at the Humboldt Unified School District Offices in Prescott Valley. Around 11 residents have chosen to stay at the shelter, while many others are staying with family, friends, and at hotels. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.

Prescott Fire says the outcome would’ve been different if the sprinkler system were not in place. According to a report from the National Fire Protection Agency, buildings with fire sprinkler systems successfully confine fire spread to the room of origin 95% of the time, compared to 71% of properties without.

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Phoenix, AZ – Sprinkler system activated for electric vehicle fire in warehouse

An autonomous electric vehicle caught fire at a Waymo warehouse in south Phoenix on Tuesday morning, authorities said.

All employees had safely evacuated the building by the time firefighters responded to the scene near Buckeye Road and Third Street around 8:30 a.m., the Phoenix Fire Department said.

Capt. Todd Keller told KTAR News 92.3 FM the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

“I can tell you that the sprinkler system did a fabulous job preventing the fire from extending to the building, which allowed our firefighters to go in and assist with the extinguishment of the fire,” Keller said.

“Because these battery’s cells store a high amount of energy in such a small amount of space … once one of these cells goes, it’s extremely difficult to put out.”

After the fire was extinguished, the vehicle was put in a Phoenix Streets Department environmental dumpster to be taken for proper recycling.

Keller said the Waymo facility is used to service the company’s self-driving vehicles.

“They bring the electric vehicles to the Waymo warehouse and equip them. They download the software, they get all the cameras ready and get them ready for the road,” he said.

Apartment Building, Residential

Yuma, AZ – Sprinkler system extinguishes kitchen fire at apartment complex

The Yuma Fire Department (YFD) responded to an apartment fire, only to find that a fire sprinkler head had extinguished the fire.

The incident occurred on Tuesday at approximately 6:17pm at Cielo Verde Apartments, near the Walmart on S. Avenue 8E.

After responding to a fire alarm, YFD confirmed that the fire sprinkler head had activated and put out the fire near the stove.

YFD also said that there were two people inside the apartment and both were able to safely evacuate the apartment. Additionally, they said that the cause of the fire started when a pan was left on the stove.

Fortunately, the fire damage was minimal due to the fire sprinkler head, according to YFD.

Department Store, Retail

Yuma, AZ – Sprinkler system activated for fire at J.C. Penney store; No injuries reported

The Yuma Fire Department (YFD) says a J.C. Penney store caught fire, damaging a storage room but was extinguished by its sprinkler system.

After 4 p.m. on September 1, an alarm went off at a J.C. Penny on Yuma Palms Parkway.

Upon arrival, firefighters saw the building being evacuated and smoke coming from a shoe department storage room.

The sprinkler system extinguished the fire and no injuries were reported, according to YFD.

Fire damage was contained within the storage room and water damage was seen in other parts of the building.

YFD says the store was closed but will reopen after clean-up and repairs are done.

The cause of the fire is being investigated.

Residential, Townhouse / Condominium

Bullhead City, AZ – Sprinkler system activated for fire at condominium; No injuries reported

On Tuesday evening, April 19, 2022, at approximately 6:07 PM, several BCFD units were dispatched to a report of a possible structure fire on the 200 block of Moser Ave. The first arriving crew reported a multi-story condominium with smoke showing out of a single unit. Crews quickly confirmed that the unit was unoccupied and were able to gain access through the front door. Fortunately, the building is equipped with an automatic sprinkler system, which properly activated, contained, and extinguished the fire before it was able to spread. No injuries were reported during this incident, and the cause of the fire remains under investigation at this time.

Firefighters attribute the working automatic sprinkler system to saving lives and property. Due to the location of this fire, it could have extended into the living spaces of the surrounding units, causing extensive damage.

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