Tag Archives: California

Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

Davis, CA – Sprinkler limits fire damage in on-campus residence hall; No injuries reported

UC Davis students were displaced from their dormitory Sunday after a stovetop fire triggered the building’s sprinkler system, according to the Davis Fire Department. Officials said burning oil caught fire in a fourth-floor unit at 8th and Wake, 1440 Wake Forest Dr., at about 8 p.m. The fire activated the sprinkler system, which soaked that unit as well as three below it.  No injuries were reported. About eight or nine students were displaced due to the water damage, but the building owner pledged to put them up in hotel rooms until they could return to their residences, fire officials said. Both Davis and UC Davis fire crews responded to the scene.

Apartment Building, Residential

Petaluma, CA – Apartment kitchen fire extinguished by sprinkler system; Elderly couple and daughter escape without injury

A small kitchen fire Friday displaced a Petaluma couple from their apartment at a senior living complex, fire officials said. An oiled pan heating on the stovetop was left unattended and caught fire about 12:15 p.m. at the Vintage Chateau Senior Apartments on North McDowell Boulevard, Petaluma Fire Battalion Chief Jeff Schach said.  The fire triggered the sprinkler system in the second-floor apartment. The water extinguished the fire and caused some flooding in the unit and ceiling damage to the first-floor apartment below.   Three people were home at the time of the fire, an elderly couple and their daughter, but no one was injured, Schach said. The unit sustained water damage and the residents would be displaced for several days, Schach said.

Residential, Single Family Home

Novato, CA – Sprinkler system extinguishes garage fire in million dollar home under construction

A fire sprinkler extinguished a fire sometime Thursday or early Friday that would have destroyed a Novato home worth more than a million dollars, fire officials said. The fire occurred between the time construction workers left the home in the 100 block of San Domingo Way Thursday and Friday morning when the general contractor stopped by.

Firefighters went to the three-story home at about 6:45 a.m. Friday to check whether any fire was left in the walls or other concealed places. Firefighters used thermal cameras and found the fire was indeed extinguished. “The home would have been a complete loss” if not for the sprinkler, Battalion Chief Bill Tyler said in a statement.

Fire officials believe the fire started when rags used to do some staining in the home Thursday spontaneously ignited in a bucket in the garage. The home is under renovations and no one was in the home when the fire occurred. The sprinkler system had been connected to a water supply three days before the fire, according to fire officials.  The sheet rock in the home was damaged by smoke, but the structural part of the home was not damaged, fire officials said.

According to Tyler, when the fire sprinkler contractor came to replace the sprinkler head that had activated the general contractor gave the sprinkler contractor a bear hug and said, “Thank you! Your sprinklers saved the house.”

Department Store, Retail

Northridge, CA – Trash compactor fire at Kohl’s store limited with help from sprinkler system

Los Angeles firefighters doused a dumpster fire on Saturday morning that broke out behind a Kohl’s store in Northridge. The blaze began at 8:18 a.m. at a combination compactor-dumpster that spanned the outside and inside of the Kohl’s store at 8800 Corbin Ave., said Brian Humphrey, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department. It took 34 firefighters 21 minutes to snuff it out.  A fire sprinkler system helped lesson the damage to store equipment and its loading dock, Humphrey said.  There were no injuries. The cause of the fire and damages were under investigation.

Residential, Single Family Home

Riverside, CA – Early morning house fire isolated to garage by sprinkler system; Family escapes unharmed

The garage of a two-story Riverside home ignited Wednesday morning, March 22.  Riverside firefighters responded to the 9400 block of Newbridge Road about 4:25 a.m. to a smoking garage, according to a news release from the Fire Department.  The home’s sprinkler system kept the fire isolated in the garage, the release said, and firefighters put out the flames. Crews then worked to remove water from the home.  The family of four inside the home made it out safely. Nobody was injured, the release said.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Ventura, CA – Sprinkler system holds flames in check after vehicle crashes into building and starts fire

Rescuers responded to a building that caught fire in Ventura early Friday after a vehicle crashed into it.

Firefighters received a report at 1:11 a.m. that a truck had slammed into and gone inside a two-story building in the 5700 block of Moon Drive, just north of Highway 101 and about a block west of South Victoria Avenue. The vehicle and the building both apparently caught fire.

Crews at the scene discovered one victim and requested an ambulance.

One man was taken to a local trauma center at 1:35 a.m. for injuries, just as the vehicle fire was reported knocked down. The structure fire was being held in check by a sprinkler system, firefighters said.

Officials said the fire was controlled within 23 minutes of firefighters arrival and put out an hour later.

Two other victims apparently left the scene, authorities reported to dispatchers.

In addition to Ventura City Fire, firefighters from Ventura County, Oxnard and Santa Paula fire departments as well as Ventura police also responded.

College/University (on campus), Other - Hospital/Medical, School / University

Palo Alto, CA – Lab fire at Stanford University Medical School held in check by sprinkler system

Palo Alto Fire crews knocked down a 3-alarm fire at Stanford University in Palo Alto after evacuating the surrounding area Saturday morning.  Crews first reported the fire on Twitter around 7:45 a.m. in the Edwards Building at 300 Pasteur Dr., which is connected to the hospital.

A hazmat team is still on site because the fire started in and burned a laboratory containing bio-hazardous waste, Palo Alto Fire said.  Also on site are 60 firefighters from Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties, 9 fire engines, five trucks, two medic ambulances, and five Command Chiefs. The main entrance to Stanford’s hospital is closed. Officials are redirecting those trying to enter the facility through other doors

A sprinkler system contained flames to a room on the third floor, according to Palo Alto Fire.  Around 8:00 a.m., the fire was upgraded from a 2-alarm to a 3-alarm.  Around 8:25 a.m., crews reported the fire was out. Since the fire was in the Medical School Building, officials say there was no threat to hospital patients. No injuries have been reported at this time.

 

Other - Retail, Retail

San Bernardino, CA – Attic sprinkler holds fire at bay at downtown shoe business

A fire forced customers and employees to evacuate a downtown San Bernardino shoe business Wednesday evening.

“The facade burned with smoke extension into the building,” San Bernardino County Fire spokesman Eric Sherwin said. “The sprinkler in the attic kept the fire at bay, but still had active fire in a 60-foot section of the facade on the store front side.”

The fire was first reported shortly after 5:30 p.m. with several reports of smoke coming from the attic of Shoe City at 808 S E St.

“Shortly after the fire erupted, the sprinklers activated and the store was evacuated,” Sherwin said. “An attic fire was located and knocked down in 25 minutes.”

Fire investigators were on scene and no injuries were reported. Fire officials haven’t released the cause of the fire.

It’s unclear when the business will reopen or how much damage was caused by the blaze.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

San Jose, CA – Fire at BBQ restaurant contained with help from sprinkler system

A two-alarm fire erupted Wednesday night at a Mi Pueblo Supermarket in East San Jose.  Firefighters responding to a report of a fire on the 1700 block of Story Road arrived to find smoke and flames coming from the store’s outdoor restaurant and roof, said San Jose fire Capt. Kevin Stidham.  A second alarm was immediately called because of the potential for the fire to spread to other businesses in the strip mall.  A build up of grease in the exhaust system of a BBQ pit was pinpointed as the cause of the fire, which spread to the roof, Stidham said. A sprinkler system helped contain the fire.  No injuries were reported.  Stidham said the store reopened after the county health department determined none of the food was damaged.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Santa Barbara, CA – Sprinkler system keeps restaurant fire from spreading

A working sprinkler system prevented a fire from spreading at a Santa Barbara restaurant early Monday morning. Santa Barbara City Fire officials said three fire engines were sent to the first block of East Anapamu Street at 5:39 a.m. for a report of smoke inside the building. Smoke was seen from outside the restaurant. Once firefighters forced their way into the building, they found the source of the fire to be in the kitchen.  Food accidentally left on the stove is believed to be the cause of the fire.  The sprinkler system activated and left two inches of water on the floor. Firefighters worked to get the water out of the restaurant.   Officials said the smoke and water damage is estimated at $10,000.  No injuries were reported.