Tag Archives: arson

Apartment Building, Residential

Brockton, MA – Apartment arson fire contained by sprinkler system

… The incident is the second arson fire in the city in a week. On Aug. 19, someone set a fire inside an apartment in a 16-unit apartment building at 119 Newbury St., Williams said.

The apartment was unoccupied, however, there were other people in the building at the time. No one was injured.

The building’s sprinkler activated and helped keep the fire from spreading inside the four-story wood-frame building until firefighters arrived, Williams said.

Anyone with information on these two arson cases is asked to call the Arson Watch Reward Program at 1-800-682-9229. A reward of up to $5,000 has been offered for pertinent information.

Office Building, Other Business

Florence, OR – Possible arson fire at business center suppressed by sprinkler system

Authorities suspect arson as the cause of a fire in the Florence Business Center after eight fire starts were discovered inside a business on 12th Street.   At 6:41 a.m. Tuesday, Siuslaw Valley Fire and Rescue personnel were called to the business center after someone reported smoke coming from the building and water flowing from a sprinkler in the ceiling.

Within 5 minutes, firefighters arrived but discovered no fire because the sprinkler had put the fire out.  Authorities said it was “very obvious” that the fire starts were intentionally set.  Three fire engines, one firetruck, three support vehicles and 12 firefighters responded.

The structural damages are estimated at $25,000.  Anyone with information is asked to call Florence police detective Brandon Ott at 541-997-3515.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Cumming, GA – Arson fire at high school extinguished by sprinkler system

Two Forsyth County Schools had three fires recently.  In the first fire, an apparent arsonist reportedly set a roll of toilet paper on fire Aug. 12 in the boy’s bathroom at North Forsyth High School.  The sprinkler system extinguished the fire before deputies arrived.  The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office reported deputies first thought it was an electrical fire, but it was “quickly determined to be arson.”  Authorities could not give other details as the case remains under investigation.

Apartment Building, Residential

San Francisco, CA – Sprinkler system activates to help control arson fire at apartment

Burglar sets shoe on fire in cooking pot during SF break-in — The burglar caused damage to the apartment Thursday by setting a shoe on fire in a cooking pot and triggering the residence’s sprinkler system to go off, officials said Friday.  The break-in occurred just before 8 p.m. at an apartment in the 1100 block of Laguna Street in the Western Addition.

“They put the shoe in the pot and set it on fire,” said Officer Carlos Manfredi, a spokesman for the San Francisco Police Department.  The burglar entered the apartment through a back window, Manfredi said.

Apartment Building, Residential

Temecula, CA – Arson fire at apartment building doused by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

A Temecula man was arrested Friday, July 29 for allegedly breaking into his ex-lover’s apartment and starting a fire. Jack Wayne Hill, 45, was arrested on suspicion of arson, burglary, making criminal threats, vandalism and stalking and booked into the Southwest Detention Center in Murrieta. Bail information was not immediately available.

According to Riverside County sheriff’s Sgt. Jon Wade, deputies had been called to the apartment in the 28800 block of Pujol Street, just west of Interstate 15, over the past week to contend with complaints that Hill was allegedly harassing the victim and had caused damage to her vehicle.

The woman, whose identity was not released, obtained a criminal protective order Wednesday, barring the construction worker from coming close to her or her residence, Wade said.

About 8 a.m. this morning, Hill allegedly went to the property, forced his way inside and ignited a fire. County fire personnel were the first to respond but discovered that the sprinkler system in the building had doused the flames. 

Deputies located the suspect at his job site, where he was taken into custody without incident.  Court records show no documented felony or misdemeanor convictions for Hill in Riverside County.

Athletic Club/Sports Facility, Other Business

Americus, GA – Arson fire at Boys & Girls Club controlled by sprinkler system

Police are still looking for the person or group responsible for lighting a fire inside that gym. The club says the damage caused by the fire and sprinkler system will take months to repair.

They call the crime “disturbing and disappointing.” The damage was discovered last week.  However, they still aren’t sure exactly when it happened. They’re reviewing video, to hopefully help catch who did it. Dozens of fans are blowing inside the gym at the Americus Boy’s and Girl’s Club to dry out the floor.

There are no kids playing here because vandals took chairs and benches and lit them on fire. The floor melted. The basketball net burned, and a nearby drink cooler was destroyed as well.

“Kids look forward to coming in the gym every day to play basketball so I just don’t know who would do something like this,” said basketball coach Quentin Moore. The sprinklers saved the building. Unfortunately, they also ruined the floor. The gym was a staple for the community.

“So I just don’t see any reason why they would come up and try to destroy what they like during the evening time,” said Director of Operations Jimmy Green. Fortunately, insurance will cover most of the cost. It’s not just this floor that needs to be repaired though.

“Really the whole gym got to be repaired and it’ll probably be months before we get back in here,” said Moore.

The club turned away kids trying to play Monday. They’re reviewing cameras to see if they can catch the culprits. Due to the weight of the bench and how hard the doors are to open, Green and Moore think it was someone older.

“I hope they catch him and prosecute him to the fullest because it’s just ridiculous,” said Moore.

“We going to find out who did this. And that’s when we’re going to prosecute them,” said Green.

It’s a prosecution that would mean a lot to this club and to these two men. The club is looking for a new place to play basketball.

The director of that club told us she was baffled by this crime. If you saw anything in the area last week that looked suspicious, you’re asked to call the Americus police. 

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

London, ON, Canada – Possible arson fire at school activates fire sprinkler system

London police and fire inspectors are investigating a case of arson at a northwest London elementary school Tuesday morning.  Firefighters were called to Wilfrid Jury Public School at 950 Lawson Road at around 5:06 a.m. after alarm bells sounded.

Upon arrival, smoke was visible inside the building and sprinklers were activated. Fire officials say there was a broken window at the back of the building, along with signs of forced entry inside. There was fire set inside a classroom, which was extinguished by the sprinkler system.

An early estimate pegs the damage at around $20,000.  There are currently no suspects in custody, or suspect descriptions at this time. The Thames Valley District School Board says all summer programs and childcare will be open, with some classroom adjustments.

Apartment Building, Residential High Rise

Macon, GA – Arson fire at high-rise apartments contained with help from sprinkler system

Fire alarms and sprinklers went off again Monday morning at St. Paul Apartments, a high-rise at 1330 Forsyth St. plagued by recent arsons.  Macon-Bibb County fire investigator Sgt. Steve Wesson said several fires have been reported at the building in the past three or four weeks. 

“A resident was setting something on fire and throwing it down the trash chute, causing the Dumpster to catch on fire,” Wesson said before leaving the apartments Monday morning.

About 5:30 a.m., Macon-Bibb firefighters responded to a small fire in room 904, a vacant apartment that was being used for storage, Macon-Bibb fire investigator Lt. Ben Gleaton said.

The room had been burglarized, some tools stolen and a fire set, Wesson said.  “I hope you get whoever. This is crazy,” fourth-floor resident Brigitte Gramke told the investigators as she walked her dog outside the brick building near downtown Macon. “It’s really bad.”

A Bibb County deputy arrested Robert Walter Hutchens, 75, who lives in room 901 at St. Paul Apartments.  Hutchens was charged with burglary, according to Bibb County jail records, and stolen tools were recovered.

Additional charges are pending if Hutchens is found responsible for the fire.  The sprinkler system caused water damage in some of the building, Gleaton said.

“It has to cost a fortune and usually it’s arson,” Gramke said of the multiple fires.  The St. Paul Apartments manager declined to comment Monday morning.

Apartment Building, Residential

Cheltenham, PA – Arson fire at apartment building suppressed by sprinkler system

Residents of one of the rebuilt buildings at the apartments at 1600 Church Road were evacuated May 31 after a fire alarm went off at 2:46 a.m., Cheltenham police reported. The fire was believed to be arson, police said.

Several people reported smelling an odor of gasoline and there was an odor of gasoline in a stairwell in the first floor of the B building, where the fire was located, said Cheltenham Fire Marshal Joe O’Neill, who confirmed “the fire was set” and is under investigation. “The sprinkler system put out the fire almost immediately,” he said.

There was fire damage to the stairwell and smoke, soot and water damage to carpet in that area, O’Neill said. The building had previously been destroyed in a fire in October 2012.

Glenside Fire Company assisted by Edge Hill and LaMott fire companies responded to the scene to “make sure the hazard was addressed” and clear the smoke and odor of gasoline from the building, O’Neill said.

Apartment Building, Residential

Cheltenham, PA – Arson fire at apartment building suppressed by sprinkler system

Residents of one of the rebuilt buildings at the apartments at 1600 Church Road were evacuated May 31 after a fire alarm went off at 2:46 a.m., Cheltenham police reported. The fire was believed to be arson, police said.

Several people reported smelling an odor of gasoline and there was an odor of gasoline in a stairwell in the first floor of the B building, where the fire was located, said Cheltenham Fire Marshal Joe O’Neill, who confirmed “the fire was set” and is under investigation. “The sprinkler system put out the fire almost immediately,” he said.

There was fire damage to the stairwell and smoke, soot and water damage to carpet in that area, O’Neill said. The building had previously been destroyed in a fire in October 2012.

Glenside Fire Company assisted by Edge Hill and LaMott fire companies responded to the scene to “make sure the hazard was addressed” and clear the smoke and odor of gasoline from the building, O’Neill said.