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

Office Building, Other Business

Grand Forks, ND – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire at business; No injuries reported

Early Friday morning  the Grand Forks Fire Department responded to a general fire alarm at 1300 South Columbia Road.

When fire crews arrived, they encountered smoke in a hallway and an office area.

The automatic sprinkler system was activated and effectively extinguished the fire, preventing the fire from spreading and minimizing damage. Fire crews removed smoke from the building and assisted with water cleanup. The cause of the fire is under investigation, and there were no injuries to occupants or fire personnel on the scene.

The Grand Forks Fire Department responded with five engines, one truck, one command vehicle, and 17 personnel.

The fire department was assisted by the Grand Forks Police Department and Altru Ambulance.

The Grand Forks Fire Department would like to remind all residents of the effectiveness of smoke detectors and sprinkler systems in preventing or minimizing fire damage.

Residential, Townhouse / Condominium

Brick, NJ – Sprinkler system activated for fire at home; No injuries reported

A sprinkler system installed during renovations at a Brick Township home helped to limit a fire at the home on Thursday morning, Brick Township fire officials said.

The home on Cedar Island Drive was unoccupied when the fire broke out, said Kevin Batzel, chief of the Brick Township Bureau of Fire Safety. There were no injuries reported.

The fire was reported about 6:30 a.m. and was confirmed by Officer Joseph Sansone, who then called in the remainder of Brick’s fire companies to fight the fire.

The fire started on the lower part of the exterior of the home, according to the preliminary investigation, Batzel said. It traveled up the house and broke through into the interior on the upper floors of the house.

He said the sprinklers had been installed as part of recent reconstruction, and sprinkler heads in bedrooms on the second and third floors activated, “which held the fire in check until the fire department arrived.”

The sprinklers slowed the spread of the fire throughout the home and “gave firefighters valuable time to extinguish the fire and minimize damage,” Batzel said.

“Residential fire sprinklers are required in some larger constructed or renovated homes such as this one,” he said, adding that they provide another layer of protection to go along with smoke detectors.

Assistant Fire Marshal Robert Kurilla is investigating.

Batzel praised Brick Township’s firefighters and thanked all of the mutual aid partners for their assistance with the fire.

Apartment Building, Residential

Gainesville, FL – Sprinkler system activated for 8th floor apartment fire; No injuries reported

Firefighters put out apartment fire in Gainesville early Monday morning.

According to Gainesville Fire Rescue, firefighters responded to an apartment fire on the 8th floor at 931 West University Avenue. The sprinkler system was able to extinguish the fire quickly.

There were no injuries reported but several apartments suffered water damage.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, but the origin of the fire believed to be a vacuum cleaner in the laundry room.

Residential, Residential High Rise

Los Angeles, CA – Sprinkler system activated for dumpster fire in high-rise basement; No injuries reported

Firefighters Sunday knocked down a dumpster fire in the basement of a 38-story high-rise in Westlake, which triggered alarm and fire sprinkler activations on multiple floors, authorities said.

Firefighters dispatched at 5:39 a.m. to 1100 W. Wilshire Blvd. had the fire out at 6:18 a.m., the Los Angeles Fire Department reported.

“Firefighters located a dumpster fire in the basement, which triggered fire sprinklers in a trash (chute) room on the 17th floor and is the source of the smoke,” said Margaret Stewart of the Los Angeles Fire Department.

“Firefighters will work with the building engineer to manipulate the HVAC system to fully ventilate the building and remove the smoke,” Stewart said. “Any occupants not already evacuated are being advised to shelter in place.”

Firefighters will continue to ascend the structure’s stairwell and check every floor to the top, to evaluate smoke conditions, Stewart said.

No injuries were reported.

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.

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