Tag Archives: Connecticut

Apartment Building, Residential

Norwich, CT – Sprinkler system activated for garbage fire at apartment complex; No injuries reported

Two apartments and a common area in a downtown Norwich apartment complex sustained smoke and water damage following a fire in its garbage area early Monday morning, officials said in a press release.

At 2:14 a.m., Norwich Fire Department said crews responded to the Thayer Building, 16 Franklin Street, for a fire alarm activation and water flow alarm.

Firefighters said while on their way, dispatch notified responders that residents reported smoke in the building.

On scene, officials said crews found a rubbish fire in a room used to store garbage containers and waste, according to a press release.

A single sprinkler head had activated in the area of the fire, officials said, which slowed down the fire’s growth.

Crews extinguished the fire with a hose and the sprinkler system was shut down to minimize water damage, the release said.

According to firefighters, the fire was contained to the garbage room, but the building sustained some water and smoke damage to a common area on the second floor and two apartments on the first floor.

No civilians or firefighters were injured, officials said, and the Norwich Fire Marshals’ Office is investigating the cause.

Apartment Building, Residential

Stamford, CT – Apartment kitchen fire extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries to occupants

A late morning fire in downtown damaged an apartment on Clinton Avenue, according to fire officials.  A post on the Stamford Fire Department web site stated that, at 11:40 a.m., the city’s 9-1-1 center received an automatic fire alarm for 40 Clinton Ave., a downtown high rise apartment building.  The post said that arriving firefighters were advised that water was coming from an apartment on the fifth floor. When firefighters arrived on the floor they reportedly encountered lots of smoke and found an activated sprinkler in an apartment.

Other fire companies were called to the scene while firefighters stretched a hose from the standpipe to the fire apartment, the post read.  Fire officials said investigators discovered that cooking oil had ignited and, when the occupant attempted to extinguish the fire with water, the fire flared up and activated a sprinkler overhead and fire was extinguished. The fire was declared under control at 11:52 a.m. The occupant of the apartment had evacuated prior to fire department arrival and suffered no injuries.

The two occupants of the apartment were displaced and will be staying with friends and family. A total of four engine companies, one truck company, the heavy rescue company, and the duty deputy chief responded with a total of 27 firefighters. Stamford Police responded as well to provide traffic control. The city fire marshal’s office responded for cause and origin determination. The final fire department unit left the scene at 1 p.m.

The National Fire Protection Association reports that cooking fires are the top cause of home fires and injuries, and the leading cause of fires in the kitchen is unattended cooking.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

North Haven, CT – Sprinkler system activated in fire at manufacturing plant

Chief Paul Januszewski reports that the North Haven Fire Department battled an early morning fire at an industrial facility on Saturday, according to a news release.

Firefighters responded to the Parker-Hannifin Corporation, located at 33 Defco Park Road, at 3:11 a.m., after receiving a call from a police officer working a paid detail nearby. The officer reported smoke showing in the area. Upon arrival, firefighters had flames coming from the rear of a 32,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility.

The building’s sprinkler system had activated, but the fire alarm was not activated.

Fire was showing through the roof, and firefighters began an aggressive attack to attempt to limit the damage and keep the flames from spreading. Despite the cold weather doing its best hamper efforts, the crews were successful in stopping the fire, and containing the most serious damage to about 10 percent of the structure. The fire was declared under control at approximately 5 a.m.

No one was injured, but during firefighting efforts, it was determined that a large quantity of acids and other chemicals used in the manufacturing process were present at the scene and had spilled or leaked during the fire.

Chief Januszewski has declared a hazardous materials incident. The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection and a private environmental contracting company were called to the scene to access and clean the chemicals, and the North Haven Fire Department is providing decontamination for workers, as is standard procedure in these types of incidents.

“This was a challenging fire, with a large facility, bitterly cold conditions and the added element of unknown and potentially dangerous chemicals present at the scene,” Chief Januszewski said in a news release. “I would like to commend our overnight fire crews and mutual aid partners for working diligently to contain this fire to only one portion of the building, despite the fire’s head start with a non-functioning alarm system present in the building. Additionally, had it not been for the alert police officer in the area, the outcome may have been much worse.”

Officials believe at this time that the design of the building worked to mitigate any exposure of the chemicals to the ground and environment.

Interior operations and the fire investigation will begin a soon as all of the chemicals are identified and removed by the contractor.

Fire crews from Wallingford and Hamden also responded to the scene to provide mutual aid, and the North Branford Fire Department provided station coverage.

Once the cleanup is finished and fire investigation are underway, investigators will also look into why the fire alarm system, which had been inspected in the past calendar year, failed to notify the fire department. Chief Januszewski indicates that remodeling and construction work was taking place at the facility, and officials will investigate if that played any role in either the failure of the fire alarm of the outbreak of the fire.

Parker-Hannifin is a manufacturer of gaskets and seals for aircraft.

Apartment Building, Residential

Tolland, CT – Stove top fire at apartment complex extinguished by sprinkler system

Officials in Tolland responded to a stove top fire at an apartment complex Saturday morning.

Crews responded to 86 Buffcap Road after receiving a report of a fire alarm going off in an apartment complex.

Officials say the fire was put out with a sprinkler. Two units are uninhabitable while crews continue to asses the water damage. 

The Tolland Fire Marshal is investigating the cause of the fire.

There are no reports of any injuries. 

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Milford, CT – Fire in Wal-Mart garden center is kept from spreading by sprinkler system

A fire at the Wal-Mart store on Boston Post Road on Tuesday forced the store to shut down temporarily while fire crews extinguished the blaze.  Shortly after 5 p.m., fire units raced to the store at 1365 Boston Post Road after an employee reported a fire, according to Battalion Chief Anthony Fabrizi.

“Firefighting units arrived on scene to find a large volume of smoke visible from the fenced area of the garden center where pallets of store stock are kept,” he said. “The building’s fire sprinkler system had activated, which prevented the blaze from spreading.”  Firefighters quickly extinguished the remainder of the fire and safely got the burned items out of the area.  The store was evacuated and closed while crews worked to put out the fire.

“When a structure fire occurs, it is imperative to evacuate the building and call 911 from a safe area outside of the structure,” Fabrizi said. “As a reminder, proper functioning smoke and carbon monoxide detectors save lives. Please check yours today.”  Fabrizi said the cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Milford Fire Marshal.

College/University (on campus), School / University

New Haven, CT – Sprinkler system activated for dining hall fire at Yale University

A fire broke out in the the Pauli Murray College dining hall kitchen at around 8:15 a.m. on Wednesday, forcing diners and staff to evacuate and the dining hall to close temporarily.

The fire alarm blared across Murray’s first-year courtyard from the dining hall to adjacent entryway A. While the source of the fire remains unknown, the incident was minor and the flames did not carry from the kitchen into the dining room, according to Christian Fischer, senior director of Yale Dining. He said that a dining hall staff member activated the sprinkler system as a precautionary measure, triggering a call to the fire department.

“Safety is our number one concern and our staff is trained to deal with these types of minor incidents,” Fischer said. “Small nonalarm issues happen from time to time in commercial kitchens, and this fire, minor in nature, did not activate the alarm.”

In 2017, there were 16 fire incidents recorded in the residential colleges, including one in Murray, according to the 2017 Yale University Annual Security and Fire Safety Report. According to a member of the Murray dining staff who asked for anonymity for fear of retribution from his boss, Wednesday morning’s incident was the first time a fire has broken out in the Murray kitchen. He speculated that the flames were fueled by grease that was sparked behind the serving counter in the kitchen. The staff member contended that the whole team worked together to “take care of it” and that he was thankful that everyone was okay.

Lillie Horton ’22, one of just a few dozen students eating breakfast when the fire broke out, said she admired that everyone managed to stay calm.

“A worker ran out and screamed, ‘There’s a fire behind the skillet!’” said Horton. “You couldn’t see anything — or at least I couldn’t — but they turned on the sprinklers and [everyone] walked out really calmly.”

Horton, along with classmates Danny Kaplowitz ’22 and Carla Sanchez-Noya ’22, explained that this was not the first time the fire alarm had gone off in their courtyard. On separate occasions the three have been urged to evacuate entryways A and B for non-emergency reasons.

As a result, Kaplowitz was not worried by the ringing, as he assumed it was another false alarm. Still, both he and Sanchez-Noya evacuated their entryway.

Eight students interviewed by the News said that the fire was purely a minor inconvenience. Every member of Murray received an email about an hour after the event, explaining that the dining hall would be closed for breakfast “due to unforeseen circumstances.” Lunch and dinner options were also limited, as the grille and pizza stations remained closed.

“I stayed up really late studying for a quiz expecting to be able to sleep in,” Kaplowitz said. “The fire alarm really messed up my morning.”

In any fire emergency on campus, the Office of the Fire Marshal requires that bystanders call 911.

Other - Manufacturing

Stamford, CT – Fire in basement of industrial building held in check by sprinkler system

A fire in the basement of a Glenbrook industrial building that houses business was contained to that area, allowing upstairs occupants to return to the building on Wednesday. The fire started around 8:30 p.m. last Tuesday at 652 Glenbrook Road in the industrial complex, said Stamford Deputy Fire Chief Thomas Gloersen. First arriving units reported smoke coming from the basement of the large, re-purposed industrial building. The fire which was extinguished by hose lines was held in check by the building’s sprinkler system, he added. Stamford units received assistance from the Glenbrook and Belltown fire departments. No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

Other Business

Waterbury, CT – Fire at lumber business caused by improperly discarded oily rags suppressed by sprinkler system

Ed Bushka’s American Millwork and Lumber remains open after a backroom caught fire early Thursday.  At about 12:20 a.m., firefighters responded to the business at 625 Wolcott St. for an automatic fire alarm.  The first firefighters on scene saw smoke coming from the building and upgraded the call to a structure fire, Fire Chief Dave Martin said.

The fire occurred in a back area of the shop, where workers had finished wood with an oil-based urethane, Martin said. The fire was contained to that room.  “The sprinklers did their job and we were able to extinguish the little bit of fire that was left,” Martin said.

The cause of the fire was traced to rags containing urethane that were discarded in a plastic garbage can, Martin. The rags emitted volatile organic compounds, causing a spontaneous combustion, he explained.  The blaze was found to be accidental.

The fire department recommends discarding rags containing oil-based products in a metal container with a lid, preferably outdoors. Also, soak them in water to prevent a chemical reaction.  American Millwork and Lumber is open for business today.

Residential, Residential High Rise

Meriden, CT – Fire at high rise apartment complex extinguished by sprinkler system

The fire department responded to a call after a smoke alarm was tripped at at a high-rise complex Tuesday afternoon. This was related stove fire that activated a sprinkler system at the 55 Willow St. complex. The fire was extinguished by the sprinkler system. Crews remained on scene for about one hour evacuating residents, removing water from apartments on floors 1-4 and checking for associated hazards.