Tag Archives: California

Apartment Building, Residential

Palo Alto, CA – Sprinkler system extinguishes kitchen fire at 88 unit affordable housing complex

Seven residents were displaced by a kitchen fire at the Opportunity Center in Palo Alto on Saturday evening that resulted in significant water damage, a fire official said.  Crews responded to the 88-unit affordable housing complex, located at 33 Encina Ave., around 5:30 p.m. where a fire was reported on a second-floor unit, Deputy Fire Chief Catherine Capriles said.  Sprinkler heads extinguished the fire by the time crews were at the scene and residents had already evacuated, she said.  The fire was caused by unattended cooking oil on a hot plate, according to Capriles.  Residents in the involved unit and others below were displaced by the blaze, which left a significant amount of water damage, she said. The American Red Cross was called to assist seven people.  The fire left an estimated $50,000 to $60,000 in damage, Capriles said. No injuries were reported.

Other Business

Camarillo, CA – Sprinklers assist firefighters in controlling fire at electrical parts supplier

A Camarillo business is recovering after a brief fire Friday night. According to Engineer Steve Swindle with the Ventura County Fire Department, the blaze was reported Nov. 17 at electronic parts supplier Advanced Motion Controls, 3805 Calle Tecate. Firefighters arrived around 6:45 p.m. and the fire was out in 30 minutes, Swindle said. Dan Mayer, vice president of finance at AMC, said the fire’s cause is under investigation but it looks to be an electrical fire that damaged manufacturing equipment. Swindle said the department helped remove smoke and clean up water from the sprinkler system as well. “They had already knocked the fire down pretty quickly, but it was a large concrete building full of smoke,” Swindle said.

Hospital/Care Facility, Hospital/Medical Clinic

Temecula, CA – Overnight fire at women’s health clinic extinguished by sprinkler system

A Temecula women’s clinic was damaged in a possible arson fire Wednesday, but no one was injured. Firefighters were called out just after 1 a.m. to a reported fire inside FPA Women’s Health at 41715 Winchester Road after an alarm company was alerted, according to officials. The fire was extinguished by the time crews arrived on scene, apparently by a sprinkler system at the location, officials said.

Residential, Single Family Home

Fontana, CA – Arson fire at home extinguished by residential sprinkler system

Santa Barbara City police are assisting Fontana cops in searching for Santa Barbara fisher Matthew Rice, who is accused of breaking into the home of his ex-wife, attempting to shoot her twice, breaking her arm in an ensuing struggle, and then attempting to set three homes on fire: those belonging to his former parents-in-law, his ex-wife, and his ex-wife’s boyfriend. Of the arson fires Rice allegedly started, a home sprinkler system put one out and firefighters doused the other two.

Police officers were called to the city’s waterfront Thursday morning to check out reports that Rice might be on board his boat, the St. Peter. The police said they did not find Rice and could not confirm he was, in fact, there. They did see a car that appeared to match the description of the car Rice allegedly stole from his ex-wife, but they could not confirm Rice was in it. The driver of that car took off before police could intervene and went onto the freeway. Santa Barbara police did not give pursuit. Likewise, police could not confirm reports that Rice had attempted to sink his boat. Rice, 37, has held a harbor permit since 2014.

According to Fontana police, Rice broke into the home of his ex-wife Tuesday night. There, he tried two times to shoot her with an old rusty shotgun, which reportedly malfunctioned. Her new boyfriend was present, and a fight broke out.

Rice’s only prior contact with city police took place in June 2016, when he was arrested and booked into County Jail for public intoxication

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Escondido, CA – Kitchen fire at restaurant suppressed by sprinkler system

A kitchen fire damaged a Mexican eatery in Escondido, but a sprinkler system helped suppress the flames before firefighters arrived and made quick work of it, a battalion chief said Thursday. The blaze was reported just after 10 p.m. Wednesday at Paulita’s Restaurant at 636 N. Broadway, Escondido Battalion Chief Art Holcomb said. The first crews on scene found smoke coming from a large vent pipe on the roof of the small diner that was already closed for the night. “The units on scene made access to the building and located a small fire that was being held in check by a commercial kitchen suppression system,” Holcomb said. “Aggressive action by the firefighters contained and controlled the fire in approximately 20 minutes.” The cause of the fire was still under investigation Thursday, but it likely started near a stove in the kitchen, Holcomb said. Firefighters reported moderate damage to the kitchen and minor to moderate smoke damage throughout the rest of the restaurant. No injuries were reported and there was no immediate estimate of the cost of damages

Athletic Club/Sports Facility, Other Business

Temecula, CA – Electrical fire at dance studio controlled by sprinkler system

A Temecula dance studio was damaged today when an electrical fire triggered an automated sprinkler system that poured water onto the blaze and everywhere else.  The fire was reported at 4:30 a.m. in the 28000 block of Felix Valdez Avenue, just off of Rancho California Road, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.

An agency spokeswoman said six engine crews and a truck company, numbering 25 personnel, arrived within minutes and encountered smoke on the second floor of the two-story structure and went into attack mode.  On entering the 10,000-square-foot building, crews realized the fire-extinguishing sprinkler system was engaged, causing water to flow from the upper floor to the ground floor, according to the fire department.

The system was eventually shut off but caused an estimated $20,000 in damage, departmental officials said.  The sprinklers were credited with dousing the flames, which broke out as a result of faulty wiring in a bathroom fan, according to the agency.

Apartment Building, Residential

Davis, CA – Sprinkler system controls fire at apartment complex; No injuries reported

Ten people were displaced from their apartments Saturday after a small fire activated the complex’s sprinkler system, according to the Davis Fire Department.  Division Chief Joe Tenney said crews responded at 10:30 a.m. to the Sharps & Flats Apartments, 1660 Drew Circle, where a small fire had broken out on a desk in an upper-floor bedroom. The fire broke a nearby window, sending smoke and flames outside as firefighters arrived on scene.

A fire sprinkler in the apartment controlled the blaze, but it also caused water damage to that unit and two others, Tenney said. No injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.  The Red Cross was summoned to assist those who were displaced by the incident.

Place of Worship

Tracy, CA – Sprinkler system puts out fire at church

Tracy firefighters were sent to a church Monday afternoon after a small fire on a stairway set off a fire sprinkler and alarm. Battalion Chief Rick Doyle said they were originally sent to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1981 Chester Drive, to investigate a fire alarm that sounded shortly after 2 p.m.

The firefighters found a water sprinkler flowing and light smoke in the building. They called for additional fire engine crews to help find the source of the smoke. Doyle said a small fire on a stairway tripped the sprinkler, which extinguished the flames before the firefighters arrived. The water was turned off and crews searched the building but found no other fires. They remained for about an hour to help clear the water from the building.  The cause of the fire is under investigation, Doyle said. The cost of water damage caused by the sprinkler has not been calculated yet.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Eureka, CA – Overnight laundry fire at nursing home extinguished by sprinkler system

The following is a news release from Humboldt Bay Fire:  At 12:40 a.m. this morning, Humboldt Bay Fire responded to a reported fire alarm at Granada Rehabilitation and Wellness Center at 2885 Harris Street. While the two initial fire units and duty officer were responding, Humboldt Bay Fire’s Dispatch Center received additional information from staff that there was a fire in the facility. The incident was immediately upgraded to a full structure fire response, including two additional fire units from Humboldt Bay Fire and a unit from Arcata Fire to aid in coverage of other areas of the jurisdiction.

The first in fire engine found that there was a fire in a laundry room in the rear of the facility. The fire sprinkler system had activated and extinguished the fire in the room, limiting the damage to a table, wall, and ceiling above the area. Fire doors had activated and closed, separating the patients from the fire area.

Facility staff immediately evacuated patients to other sections of the building away from the fire area. By the time additional fire units arrived, facility staff had completed the evacuation. Fire personnel remained on scene for two hours to ensure the fire was completely extinguished and to aid in water removal from the areas impacted by the sprinkler activation.

The fire suppression system, quick actions of facility staff, and early notification helped to minimize damage to the facility and undoubtedly kept the patients from being injured. Patients impacted by the incident were moved to other rooms within the facility. The cause of the fire was due to cleaning rags that had been removed from a dryer without having sufficient time to cool. Humboldt Bay Fire encourages everyone to allow fabrics in dryers to go through the cool down phase of the drying process and to not place them in piles until they have cooled.

 

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Riverbank, CA – Sprinkler system assists firefighters in controlling restaurant fire

Cool Hand Luke’s in Riverbank is expected to stay closed for about a week after a fire last Tuesday night.  The fire broke out at the restaurant on Patterson Road at about 7 p.m., setting off the sprinkler system in the kitchen and prompting the evacuation of dozens of diners.  The fire was accidental, said Lt. Dave Hutchison, supervisor of the Fire Investigation Unit.  It started on a stove in the kitchen, got into the heating and air conditioning system and spread into the attic.