Residential, Single Family Home Tucson, AZ – Sprinkler system keeps fire from spreading in single-family home November 23, 2015 viking210 A house fire in the 4700 block of east Starflower street was extinguished quickly and without incident. Rural Metro Dire Dept. says that a quick response time, successful tactics and a well maintained sprinkler system played a significant role in snuffing out the house fire. The fire is said to have started in the kitchen and thanks to the sprinklers it was contained there. The prevention department of Rural Metro fire says that this situation goes to show that checking smoke detectors and other preventative methods can help immensely. As of now the investigation is ongoing, the cause of the fire is unknown and there is no information as to cost of the damage.
Apartment Building, Residential Peoria, AZ – Apartment kitchen fire controlled by single automatic sprinkler; No injuries reported November 23, 2015 viking210 Peoria firefighters said a sprinkler system in an apartment prevented a stove fire from causing more damage than it did. Peoria-Fire Medical crews responded to a fire at approximately 11:45 a.m. Thursday at the Rancho Del Sol Apartments. Crews found a home filled with smoke and a stove fire being controlled by a single fire sprinkler head. The fire damaged the stove and microwave with some damage to the cabinets and drywall, officials said, and there was also water damage from the sprinkler head. The homeowner said a pan of oil on the stove was unattended for less than a minute. “This fire . . . could have been significantly worse without the presence of a fire sprinkler system,” Peoria-Fire Medical officials stated in a release. “Flames from a grease fire can quickly spread and engulf a kitchen. In this case, the fire was being controlled by the sprinkler system until fire crews could arrive.” Everyone was able to evacuate safely with no injuries, officials said. According to fire investigator Mike Brune, a similar stove fire in a Peoria apartment complex without sprinklers did significantly more damage and left the apartment Fire crews stayed on scene to clear away the standing water so that the homeowner could get back in the home more quickly. “With Thanksgiving right around the corner, this is an important reminder that kitchen fires are the No. 1 cause of home fires. Always stay in the kitchen while cooking on the stove, and keep a fire extinguisher nearby,” the release stated.
Retail, Shopping Mall Casa Grande, AZ – Electrical fire at Victoria’s Secret store extinguished by sprinkler system October 29, 2015 viking210 The Victoria’s Secret store at The Promenade at Casa Grande has closed temporarily after a small fire erupted last Wednesday morning. A store associate said it was an electrical fire. The sprinklers had extinguished the fire by the time the Casa Grande Fire Department arrived at about 8 a.m. Signs posted in front of the store indicate the damage could take up to two weeks to repair. Much of the merchandise has been removed as some of the walls and flooring are renovated. The store is expected to undergo a “complete make-over,” according to the associate. Security guards are monitoring the area 24/7 until the store opens again. Residents who call the store at 421-1372 will hear a pre-recorded message indicating the location is temporarily closed with no scheduled date to re-open.
Other / Not Specified, Other Business Mesa, AZ – Single sprinkler prevents fire from spreading at large business complex September 29, 2015 viking210 A sprinkler system kept a fire from spreading through a large Mesa business complex Monday morning. Crews from Mesa, Tempe, Phoenix and Chandler responded to the fire near Broadway and Alma School roads at around 6 a.m. The fire started in an area of the building that was packed with auto parts. Firefighters were able to gain control of the fire pretty quickly thanks to a working sprinkler system. “We know that sprinklers of course save lives but we also know, importantly for a business, that it saves a building and a business in itself,” said Deputy Chief Forrest Smith with the Mesa Fire and Medical Department. Smith said it appeared that one sprinkler head kept the fire in check. Officials said hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of merchandise and property were saved. No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Government/Military, Prison / Jail Florence, AZ – No injuries after sprinklers douse fire inside prison laundry room July 28, 2015 viking210 A fire broke out at a private prison in Florence Saturday afternoon, according to a town official. According to an official with the town of Florence, a fire broke out a Corrections Corporation of America facility in Florence. CCA said the fire started in a dryer in a laundry room. The fire went up a vent where it caught plastic, that was on the roof, on fire. CCA said the cause of the heavy black smoke was the plastic burning. The fire inside the building was extinguished by the internal sprinkler system, according to CCA, while firefighters extinguished the outside. The fire was not in a living area of the prison, but according to the town of Florence official the fire did cause “serious damage” to the facility. There were no injuries.
Other-Government/Military Yuma, AZ – Sprinklers knock down fire at Department of Transportation garage July 2, 2015 viking210 On Wednesday, just after 8:30 pm, the smell of smoke was reported in the 2100 block of east Gila Ridge Road. Yuma Fire Department personnel arrived in the area and began to search for the source. A short time later smoke was found to be coming from a garage in the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) yard at 2165 east Gila Ridge Road. Firefighters gained access to the locked garage and found an ADOT utility truck on fire inside. The fire had mostly been knocked down by the fire suppression sprinkler system inside the garage. Firefighters extinguished the remaining fire and confirmed it had not spread further. Damage was limited to the vehicle and to sections of the garage directly above the truck. Several other vehicles, as well as additional tools and equipment, were undamaged. Fire investigators believe the fire originated in some equipment on the utility truck. The fire is not considered to have been intentionally set. 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 damage to personal property and endanger those nearby. Contrary to many Hollywood portrayals, only sprinkler heads directly exposed to the heat (155 degrees for a residential sprinkler) activate, not those in the rest of the room, building, or complex.
Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail Goodyear, AZ – Fire at Walgreens store put out by single sprinkler July 2, 2015 viking210 Officials believe a photocopier is to blame for the fire that started at a Walgreens in Goodyear Wednesday morning, according to the Goodyear Fire Department. Crews were dispatched to a fire at a Walgreens on Indian School and Litchfield roads at about 3:55 a.m. Wednesday, officials say. Firefighters originally reported smoke coming from an office in the back of the store, but a single sprinkler head from the automatic fire sprinkler system managed to put the fire out. The fire did not extend to any part of the store and was under control by 4:09 a.m., according to officials. Three employees and three customers were in the store when the fire broke out, but self evacuated after the building’s fire alarm warned them, according to Goodyear firefighters. No one was hurt. Firefighters believe the fire originated from a photocopier in the office, but investigators are continuing the investigation at this time. Twenty-eight fire personnel responded to the incident, and crews remained on scene for about an hour to help with water and smoke removal, according to officials. It was not immediately clear when the store would reopen.
Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential Prescott, AZ – Fire at senior apartment complex contained by sprinklers June 15, 2015 viking210 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.
Primary / Secondary School, School / University Tempe, AZ – Sprinklers extinguish arson fire in high school bathroom June 1, 2015 viking210 A juvenile was arrested after an arson investigation at Marcos de Niza High School revealed that he started a fire in the men’s restroom of the 400 building, police reported. The building houses the school’s driver education department and residence of an on-site officer, police reported. Tempe Police and the fire department responded to the fire alarm that went off at the school and when they arrived the saw that the fire sprinklers and suppression system in the bathroom extinguished the fire, police reported. The video surveillance of that area was reviewed and a camera outside the bathroom recorded the boy walking out of the restroom prior to smoke being seen, police reported. When he was read his Miranda rights and question he admitted to starting the fire with a lighter he found, saying he didn’t believe it would cause much damage and it would burn itself out, police reported. Because of the fire classrooms were evacuated and the school was reportedly disrupted, according to the report. Additionally, the security officer was in his residence when the fire started, causing him to be endangered as well, police reported. He was transported to Tempe City Jail, where he was booked and held to see a judge, according to the report.
Apartment Building, Residential Phoenix, AZ – Sprinkler system helps control fire in three-story apartment building April 20, 2015 viking210 An apartment fire in North Phoenix left six residents displaced on Saturday morning, according to Captain Aaron Ernsberger with the Phoenix Fire Department. The fire happened on the third floor of a three-story apartment building near Tatum Boulevard and Union Hills Drive. Crews from the Phoenix Fire Department quickly got the fire under control, and immediately began trying to stop the water flow to the sprinkler system from damaging the lower units. The Phoenix Fire Department is assisting the residents on all three floors that were displaced because of the water damage. The cause of the fire is unknown and is under investigation.
