Tag Archives: Early AM (5am-7am)

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Hannibal, MO – Sprinkler system controls fire at Best Western Hotel

Nobody is hurt after a fire at a hotel in Hannibal.

According to the Hannibal Fire Department, firefighters responded to a reported fire in the bathroom of the Best Western Hotel at 401 North Third Street around 6:32 AM Sunday morning.

Upon arrival, fire crews discovered that the fire was initially controlled by the hotel’s sprinkler system.

Hotel guests were evacuated to the adjacent annex building of the hotel for safety.

After an investigation, the fire was determined be accidental and caused by an electric issue.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Aberdeen, SD – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire at Hampton Inn

On the morning of November 29, 2024, Aberdeen Fire Rescue responded to a report of a fire at the Hampton Inn, an 84-unit hotel. The fire was reported at 5:52 a.m. in a second-floor room, prompting immediate action from fire and police units.

Upon arrival, Aberdeen Fire Rescue observed hotel guests evacuating the building, assisted by Aberdeen Police Department officers. Evacuated guests reported encountering smoke in the second-floor hallway. Due to cold conditions, evacuees were temporarily sheltered in the nearby Holiday Inn Express lobby until the situation was stabilized.

Fire crews quickly located the source of the fire in room 227. They found moderate smoke and heard water flowing inside the room. Upon entry, they discovered the remnants of a small fire that the fire sprinkler system had effectively controlled and extinguished. The room suffered smoke and moderate fire damage.

Firefighters ventilated the second floor, and guests were allowed to return to their rooms once the area was deemed safe. The fire crews were on the scene for approximately 1.5 hours, ensuring the building’s safety and managing the situation effectively.

Responding units from Aberdeen Fire Rescue included Battalion Chief Roemmich, Truck 1, Rescue 2, Rescue 3, Command 1, Medic 1, Medic 3, and the Fire Rescue Prevention/Investigation Division. The Aberdeen Police Department also played a crucial role in the evacuation and safety procedures.

Apartment Building, Residential

Romeoville, IL – Sprinkler system activated for early morning apartment fire; No injuries reported

The Lockport Township Fire Protection District responded to an apartment fire in Romeoville early Wednesday.

Shortly after midnight, the LTFPD was called to the scene in the 1300 block of Mews Lane where crews found a fire had broken out on the balcony of a second-floor apartment unit.

According to the fire district, the building’s sprinkler system was triggered by the smoke and kept the fire from spreading, allowing crews to quickly extinguish it.

The building’s exterior reportedly suffered some damage, and the interior of the impacted unit also sustained minor damage.

Although the occupants were home at the time of the fire, no injuries were reported.

Lockport Fire Investigators still are investigating the specific cause of the fire, but, according to the initial report, the cause “appears to be accidental.”

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Half Moon Bay, CA – Sprinkler system contains fire at beach house; No injuries reported

Fire officials performed a full evacuation of the Beach House at Half Moon Bay after an early-morning fire erupted in the hotel’s laundry room.

Automatic alarm systems at the luxury hotel alerted fire personnel around 5:30 a.m. to a structure fire spreading on the first floor. Six fire crews responded to the scene and evacuated about 30 guests and hotel employees from the premises.

The first responders to the fire found that the automatic sprinkler system at the hotel had contained most of the blaze.

The exact cause of the fire remains under investigation. Battalion Chief Clayton Jolley said the fire was likely triggered by the water heater in the laundry room and then spread to other combustibles such as linens and baskets lying around the area.

Jolly estimated the cost of the damage from the blaze to be around $15,000, primarily due to water damage caused by the hotel’s sprinkler system.

Guests were allowed to return to their rooms by 6:30 a.m.

In 1996, the unfinished structure of the Beach House hotel was destroyed in a suspicious fire that started in the building just days before the sprinkler system was installed. The fire completely wrecked the structure, causing $2.5 million in damages.

Investigators treated the fire as an arson case, which officially remains open to this day, although no suspect has ever been identified.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Arlington Heights, IL – Sprinkler system activated for fire at hotel; No injuries reported

A fire broke out Tuesday morning in a hotel guest’s bathroom, originating in a single light fixture. The Arlington Heights Fire Department is crediting the “quick action” of the sprinkler head for limiting damage at the Holiday Inn Express, 2111 S. Arlington Heights Road.

Officials said there were no occupants or firefighters injured during the incident.

Firefighters were called for an activated fire alarm at around 6 a.m. and found a sprinkler system activation at the fire alarm panel upon arrival. The hotel manager said a guest reported a fire in her room on the third floor.

The crews proceeded quickly to the third floor via the stairwell and reported light smoke conditions and a single sprinkler head activation, according to officials. Once it was verified the fire was out, the sprinkler system was shut down and drained to avoid further water damage.

Officials said the fire is still under investigation, but the area of origin appears to be a single light fixture in the bathroom of the third-floor room. There was limited damage and the fire did not extend beyond the bathroom of the fire unit due to the quick action of the sprinkler head. Multiple rooms were deemed uninhabitable due to smoke and water damage.

Crews from Mt. Prospect, Rolling Meadows, Des Plaines and Elk Grove Village assisted in the operations.

The Arlington Heights Fire Department is “everyone to always have an escape plan, whether at home or staying somewhere temporarily like a hotel.”

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Redding, CA – Sprinkler system activated for electrical fire at theater; No injuries reported

The Redding Fire Department responded to an electrical fire inside the Axiom Repertory Theatre in Redding early Wednesday morning.

Around 6:40 a.m. the Redding Fire Department responded to the theatre on Bechelli Lane.

According to theatre officials, there were no injuries, and NorCal Corals, the aquarium retailer next door, has not been damaged. RFD said the Axiom was unoccupied at the time of the blaze.

The executive director of the Axiom Theatre Nancy Hill, said they don’t know exactly how it happened, but the sprinkler system did its job, and now they will deal with the water damage.

RFD said the cause of the incident was determined to be a electrical failure or malfunction.

Apartment Building, Residential

Kelowna, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for fire on fifth floor apartment deck

An apartment building’s sprinkler system kept a minor fire on a fifth floor deck from expanding early Friday morning.

Just before 6 a.m. on Oct. 18, the Kelowna Fire Department (KFD) responded to a call for a structure fire at a six-story apartment building in the 800 block of Leon Avenue. When the initial crew arrived at the scene, no smoke or flames could be seen from the apartment’s exterior.

Upon further review, a small fire was found on a fifth floor deck. The sprinkler system kept the fire from expanding and crews extinguished the rest of the blaze.

The building’s fire alarm went off and everyone evacuated safely. After the blaze was doused, everyone was able to go back to their homes. No one was injured and one person was treated for minor smoke inhalation.

KFD has deemed the fire accidental and it’s no longer under investigation. They responded with three engines, one rescue unit, one ladder truck, and one command unit, totaling 18 fire personnel.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Rockford, IL – Sprinkler system activated for suspected arson fire at café; No injuries reported

Rockford Police are investigating an attempted arson at Wired Cafe. 

Rockford Fire Department responded to Wired Cafe after reports of a fire before 7 a.m. Sunday morning.

Tenants living above the cafe were awoken from their sleep by the sound of the fire alarm and quickly called 911 after noticing smoke coming from the back door of the establishment.

Upon arrival, firefighters found that the activation of the sprinkler system had significantly mitigated the spread of the fire. Firefighters worked quickly to extinguish the remaining flames, limiting the damage to the cafe itself.

No injuries were reported to civilians or firefighters. Damage is estimated at $30,000. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Rockford Fire Department Capt. John J. Hall tells 13 WREX Rockford Police are investigating a break in at the business that occurred prior to the fire.

Rockford Police Department confirms this is an arson investigation.

Hospital/Care Facility, Hospital/Medical Clinic

Hackensack, NJ – Sprinkler system activated for electrical fire at medical center; No injuries reported

Hackensack University Medical Center crews are working to report damage left by an electrical fire.
It happened at 6:38 a.m. Wednesday.
Firefighters investigated initial reports from hospital security of smoke coming from the supply room but found that an electrical busbar shorted out and activated a sprinkler, according to officials.
The electrical equipment shut down, and the sprinkler put of remaining hot spots. The damage was contained to the room, equipment and some hospital supplies.
No injuries were reported, and no evacuations took place.
Manufacturing, Other - Manufacturing

Snohomish, WA – Sprinkler system holds fire commercial fire in check

Early Saturday morning 48firefighters responded to a fire at 1530 Bonneville Ave (a 17,000-square-foot commercial building) in the City of Snohomish.

Snohomish County Fire District #4 was dispatched to a fire alarm, wherethey found smoke coming from the building and upgraded the response to a commercial fire.

Units from Everett Fire, South County Fire, and Snohomish Regional Fire and Rescue assisted Snohomish County Fire District #4.

Investigators said the building had an operating sprinkler system that held the fire in check until crews could gain access to the seat of the fire and fully extinguish it.

Currently there is no cause to the fire and the Snohomish County Fire Marshal is leading the investigation.