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

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Sparks, NV – Sprinkler system puts out fire in HAZMAT situation; No injuries reported

The Sparks Fire Department was dispatched to an activated fire alarm at 230 Coney Island Dr. just before 6 a.m. on Monday.

When authorities arrived on scene, they found water flowing out from under a roll-up door. 

Upon investigation, fire crews observed a light haze in the building caused by a small fire near a Potassium Hydroxide drum. The fire was put out by the building sprinkler system.

Crews decided to back out and call for the Regional Hazardous Material Team.

Regional Hazardous Material Team members from the Reno and Sparks fire departments both responded to the scene.

Crews started the evacuation process of all businesses located nearby and secured the scene for one block to the east and west of Coney Island Dr.

A HAZMAT team remains on scene accessing the incident.

A fire investigator is also on scene, but cannot make access to assess the cause yet.

Coney Island Dr. has reopened.

Apartment Building, Residential

Conroe, TX – Early morning fire at mid-rise apartment building held in check by sprinkler system

Conroe Fire Department Assistant Fire Chief Mike Legoudes Jr. credits fire sprinklers for saving The Towers Woodland Apartments and it occupants from a potential disaster early Saturday morning in Conroe. The Conroe Fire Department was notified at 5:26 a.m. of an apartment fire at 366 FM 1488. Firefighters arrived at 5:32 a.m. and reported heavy white smoke coming from the parking garage below Building 12.

“The cause of the smoke was found to be a single vehicle on fire,” information from Legoudes stated. “An aggressive offensive attack was initiated and the fire was quickly extinguished.” The fire was declared under control at 5:35 a.m. All occupants of the building were able to escape and were accounted for with no reported injuries to occupants or firefighters. Needham Road Fire/Rescue and The Woodlands Fire Department assisted.

The involved building consists of a ground-level parking garage with four stories of apartments above, for a total of five stories. The garage area and apartments are fully protected by fire sprinkler and automatic fire alarm systems.  “A single fire sprinkler head activated keeping the fire under control until arrival of firefighters while the automatic fire alarm system alerted occupants of the fire, allowing them to escape unharmed,” the release stated. “The potential for disaster in a residential building of this size, at the time of day the fire occurred, is great.”

Legoudes stressed in the release that the importance of properly installed and maintained fire sprinkler and automatic fire alarm systems cannot be overstated. As a result of the fire sprinkler activation, there was no visible damage to the building and no occupants were displaced, he said. “A properly installed and maintained fire sprinkler system is the single-most effective way of preventing loss of property or life in the event of a residential fire,” he stated. “In this instance, property was definitely saved while lives were very likely saved.”

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Jersey Shore, PA – Early morning fire at nursing home kept from spreading by sprinkler system

Third-floor residents of Manorcare Health Services in Jersey Shore were briefly evacuated after a small electrical fire broke out in a bathroom early Tuesday morning, according to Citizen’s Hose Co. Fire Chief Matthew Fausey.

The fire at Manorcare occurred in the ceiling of a resident’s bathroom on the third floor just before 5 a.m., Fausey said.

The fire activated the building’s sprinkler system, which helped prevent the fire from spreading, Fausey said, adding that firefighters had the fire extinguished in a matter of minutes.

Once the fire was out and the water cleaned up, residents were moved back into their rooms, he added.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Delta, BC, Canada – Fire in gymnasium storage area at elementary school contained with help from sprinklers

An investigation is ongoing into what could have sparked an early Saturday morning fire at Delta Manor Education Centre in Ladner. Delta fire responded to the scene just before 3 a.m. Deputy chief Guy McKintuck said the fire was contained to a storage area behind the gymnasium. He said firefighters had the small blaze knocked down pretty quickly, which was also aided by an overhead sprinkler. There is water, smoke and fire damage, but no estimate on the costs for the restoration, he said. The former elementary school serves as a church and also offers adult basic education and ESL classes.

Other Business

Branson, MO – Early morning fire at theater contained by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

A Branson police officer heard popping sounds coming from the back of the Shoji Tabuchi Theatre on Shepherd of the Hills Expressway overnight and when fire crews arrived, they found flames shooting out of the backstage area. Branson Fire Chief Ted Martin tells KTTS News the call came in around 2 a.m. and three fire departments responded.

He says the fire started stage left in a 12 by 12 area where there’s a lot of support equipment, including radios, battery chargers, power strips and extension cords. Martin says the sprinkler system kept the fire contained.

There’s smoke throughout the building, and crews have spent the morning trying to ventilate the smoke and they’ll be working with restoration companies to use dehumidifiers to get the moisture out of the stage props and the stage deck, and remove the smoke odor. Martin says the theatre should be able to re-open in a few days.   The fire is accidental, and Martin says they haven’t been able to rule out an electrical short.  No one was hurt.

Manufacturing, Paper Mill / Saw Mill

La Grande, OR – Early morning sawmill fire contained with help from sprinkler system

A fire was reported at Boise Cascade’s Mt. Emily plant at 1917 Jackson Ave. in La Grande about 4:45 a.m. Sunday. Nobody was injured in the blaze, which kept firefighters busy until about 7 a.m., according to Larry Wooldridge, chief of the La Grande Rural Fire Department.

The fire originated in some wood stored inside a Boise Cascade building and caused no structural damage, Wooldridge said. Four fire departments responded to the blaze: the La Grande, La Grande Rural, Imbler and Union fire departments. The firefighters were aided by an automatic sprinkler system at Boise Cascade, which was running when they arrived. The cause of the fire has not been determined.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Chantilly, VA – Early morning fire in middle school classroom extinguished by sprinkler system

At 2:00 a.m., Monday, May 17th, Fire and Rescue crews from Dulles South were dispatched for a fire alarm at J. Michael Lunsford Middle School, located at 26020 Ticonderoga Road. Firefighters arrived to find an active fire alarm and the presence of smoke inside the building. A full structure fire assignment, to include units from Brambleton, Fairfax County, and Dulles Airport, were dispatched to assist.

Firefighters located a small fire in a classroom which had been extinguished by an automatic fire sprinkler system. Fire department personnel remained on scene to ensure the extinguished material was removed, the utilities were secured and that the building was adequately ventilated. Once deemed safe, the building was turned over to Loudoun County Public Schools representatives. The Loudoun County Fire Marshal’s Office conducted an investigation and determined the fire was accidental and estimated damages at $5,000.  There were no injuries to firefighters or civilians. One pet reptile was removed from the room of origin and turned over to school staff for care.

This incident is a prime example of the positive impact of a fire protection alarm and automatic sprinkler system. A small fire in a classroom triggered the school’s monitored fire alarm system, which alerted firefighters, while the fire was quickly contained and extinguished by an automatic sprinkler system.  The damages to the building were minimized by the sprinkler system, allowing the school to remain open with little impact to the community and its students.

Loudoun County Fire and Rescue Officials continue to tout the importance of automatic fire sprinkler systems and their safety benefits. For more information on fire prevention activities and education in Loudoun County, visit www.loudoun.gov/firemarshal or call 703-737-8600.

Department Store, Retail

St. George, UT – Fire in break room at TJ Maxx store extinguished by sprinkler system

Firefighters rolled out to a structure fire Sunday morning at a retail store that was extinguished by the time they arrived, thanks to an internal sprinkler system. “Sprinklers for us are life savers and building savers both,” St. George Fire Battalion Chief Darren Imlay said.  Firefighters responded to a fire alarm at TJ Maxx, 42 S. River Road, around 6:20 a.m., Imlay said.

When they arrived on scene the firefighters saw some light white smoke inside the building. Lights and alarms attached to a fire alarm were going off at the time and water was on the floor, signifying the sprinklers had gone off. The sprinklers had extinguished the fire before they arrived, Imlay said, leaving it to firefighters to reset the sprinkler system and alarm, as well as air out the building.

The fire had started in an employee break room by a large vending machine. While sprinklers and alarms going off in commercial buildings is nothing new (sprinkler systems for fire suppression are required by standards set by the National Fire Protection Association), Imlay was nonetheless glad they were in play in this instance.

“For us, that could have been a big, big fire,” he said, “but because it was a sprinklered building … the sprinklers activated and kept the building from burning down. Plus the alarm activated and we were notified through the alarm company, so we had a quick response there.” Though sprinklers systems for fire suppression may not be as common in residential units as they are in commercial ones, residents can still invest in smoke detectors (which can be acquired for free in some instances) and alarm systems that can alert police, fire and medical personnel to a potential emergency.

The building was unoccupied at the time of the fire. A call into TJ Maxx’s St. George location Tuesday was answered by a recorded message stating the St. George store is currently closed for renovations and will have a grand reopening soon. This report is based on preliminary information provided by emergency responders who were at the scene and may not contain the full scope of findings.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

College Station, TX – Early morning fire at BBQ restaurant controlled by sprinkler system

Rudy’s Barbecue in College Station had a fire scare early Wednesday morning. College Station Fire officials say people saw smoke coming from the building around midnight.  The building’s sprinklers were activated; keep the fire under control until firefighters arrived.  Officials say the fire was contained to the wooden fence outside of the building, and did not damage the inside of the restaurant.   No injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

Child Care Facility, Other Business

Murray, UT – Early morning fire at day care facility contained by sprinkler system

It could have been a whole lot worse. That’s what Murray fire investigators are saying about an early morning blaze that burned a detached classroom area at Almost Home Playcare, a children’s daycare facility located at 140 West Winchester Street.  Deputy Chief Jon Harris told Gephardt Daily the fire started in a rubbish collection area outside a converted classroom.  He said a lawnmower was also stored there.  The flames spread quickly, scorching the exterior of the classroom before spreading into the attic.

A sprinkler system did its job, however, not only saving the interior of the classroom, but also preventing the fire from spreading to the rest of the daycare. “If those sprinklers didn’t go off and there was nobody around, this would have been a whole different story,” Deputy Chief Harris said.  Harris also credited the daycare’s alarm service for placing a call to dispatchers, letting them know that fire had broken out.  Harris said investigators had yet to determine the cause of the fire although there were no indications of foul play.