Child Care Facility, Other Business Murray, UT – Early morning fire at day care facility contained by sprinkler system May 8, 2017 viking210 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.
Apartment Building, Residential Poughkeepsie, NY – Early morning apartment fire put out with help from sprinkler system; Fire started in closet May 1, 2017 viking210 An early morning apartment fire that began inside a closet was quickly put out with the help of a sprinkler system Monday, according to City of Poughkeepsie Fire Chief Mark Johnson. An automatic fire alarm at 4:15 a.m., shortly followed by a phone call, alerted firefighters to the fire at 150 Hudson Ave., Johnson said. Once on scene, firefighters discovered a fire in a first-floor apartment. Firefighters were met with heavy smoke, and heat from the fire had caused the sprinkler system to activate. The sprinkler system helped contain the fire, according to Johnson. The occupant of the apartment was not home at the time, Johnson said. No civilians or firefighters were injured. Firefighters from the Arlington Fire District and the Fairview Fire District assisted at the scene. All fire personnel had left the scene by 5:40 a.m., Johnson said. The fire is believed to have started “in a clothing closet,” he said, and its cause is under investigation by police and fire investigators.
College/University (on campus), School / University Greencastle, IN – Fire in new dining hall building at DePauw University suppressed by sprinkler system April 30, 2017 viking210 A small fire early Saturday morning at Hoover Hall on the DePauw University campus occurred in a storage room on the lower level of the new dining hall in the center of campus. The fire was extinguished very quickly, DePauw officials said. The fire began at about 5:45 a.m. while no one was in the building but the safety system did its job, DPU spokesman Ken Owen told the Banner Graphic. Two sprinklers put out the bulk of the fire, he said, and a fire extinguisher was used once the Greencastle Fire Department arrived on the scene to fully put it out. No fire hoses were necessary in the incident. No damage estimate was available Saturday morning, however, damage was deemed “minimal” by DePauw officials. The fire created smoke and there was water left by the sprinklers, necessitating clean-up and the closing of the dining hall at least for Saturday breakfast. The sprinkler system must be recharged, Owen said. Because of that clean-up work, along with the need for the fire marshal to do his work to determine the cause of the fire, breakfast was not being served at Hoover but instead breakfast items were available at the convenience store in the Union Building. At 10 a.m., the Health Department gave DePauw clearance to reopen Hoover Hall. The plan at that time was to open Hoover Hall with a limited menu at noon Saturday. “All of us — the DePauw administration and our friends from the fire department and public safety — thank you and all students for their patience and understanding as we proceed today,” Owen said in a statement for the university. “I can’t say enough about the good work many people have performed in the early hours of a Saturday to make the process of recovering from this incident as quick and seamless as possible.” Hoover Hall is the DePauw’s new 48,600 square-foot dining hall which sits in the shadow of historic East College in the center of campus. It was formally dedicated last October. The $32 million project took 29 months to complete after ground was broken on May 17, 2014. The lead gift came from R. David and Suzanne A. Hoover, both 1967 graduates of DePauw.
Office Building, Other Business Quincy, MA – Fire on top floor of office building held in check by sprinkler system April 27, 2017 viking210 A blaze on the top floor of a Quincy office building kept firefighters busy early Wednesday morning. Firefighters responded to 300 Crown Colony Drive shortly before 1 a.m. to investigate a fire alarm in the building. When they arrived, they discovered that the sprinkler system was going off on the fifth floor, Quincy Fire Deputy Chief Ed Fenby said. Additional manpower and engines were called to the building. When they went up to investigate, dense black smoke was filling the suite belonging to MCMC LLC, a health insurance company. They forced their way into the locked office and found a power strip, computer and printer that were on fire, Fenby said. “The sprinkler kept it in check and they put out the rest of it and checked to make sure it didn’t get into the walls,” Fenby said. No one was believed to be in the building at the time of the fire and it is not considered suspicious. Because the windows of the building do not open, the fire department had to smash one of them in order to help ventilate the unit.
Other - Retail, Retail Langford, BC, Canada – Early morning fire at paint store controlled by sprinkler system April 26, 2017 viking210 A Langford paint store has its sprinkler system to thank for putting a stop to what could have been a devastating blaze. Flames broke out at Cloverdale Paint on Langford Parkway at around 4 a.m. Monday morning, according to Langford Fire Rescue. “When we arrived there was heavy smoke showing from the building,” said Asst. Fire Chief Chris Aubrey. “The sprinkler system had just activated and was containing the fire, but we did have to force the front door and make entry, and put the fire out.” It’s believed the blaze caused the store’s motion sensors to go off, activating the alarm. “Should there not have been a sprinkler system it would’ve been a very significant fire,” said Aubrey. The cause is not yet known but the fire isn’t considered suspicious, investigators said. Damage to the building is estimated to be approximately $75,000 and the store will remain closed for an unknown amount of time.
Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant Hannibal, MO – Sprinkler system assists firefighters in early morning fire at rubber plant April 12, 2017 viking210 An early Monday morning fire at Buckhorn Rubber Plant in Hannibal was ruled accidental in nature, according to Hannibal fire investigators. Hannibal Fire Department said crews were called to the plant at 3:39 a.m. for a report of a machine on fire. HFD Investigator Mark Kempker said when firefighters arrived workers were outside the building and the fire had set off the building’s sprinkler system. Kempker said it took firefighters about 10 minutes to put the fire out completely. Crews stayed on scene for about an hour. Following an investigation, Kempker said the fire was caused by an electrical malfunction in the control panel of a machine.
Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential Mason City, IA – Early morning fire at senior living complex controlled by sprinkler system April 12, 2017 viking210 Officials say building safety features and a quick response kept a fire at a Mason City senior living complex from turning into a tragedy. Firefighters learned of the blaze at 5:56 a.m. Saturday at Shalom Tower II, 321 Fourth St. N.E. They were dispatched to investigate an automatic fire alarm controlled by the building’s sprinkler system. The fire was located in an apartment on the fifth floor. Crews performed search and rescue on the sixth and seventh floors, and made sure three floors — the fifth, sixth and seventh — were evacuated, according to a Mason City Fire Department statement issued Monday. The rest of the building also was evacuated. Firefighters say the blaze was contained to bedding and a bed, although there was smoke damage throughout the apartment. Mason City Fire Marshal Jamey Medlin said the fire would have been far worse had it not been kept in check by the building’s sprinkler system. The quick actions by emergency responders, which also included the North Iowa CERT, also made a difference, he said. “There were no life-threatening injuries to occupants of the building, and residents were able to return to their apartment(s) later that morning or by early afternoon,” he said in the statement. Owned by Good Shepherd, Shalom Tower 2 a 48-unit complex with residents who are age 55 and older. Officials say 44 residents were assisted during the fire.
Residential, Sorority / Fraternity Charlottesville, VA – Early morning fire at UVA fraternity house extinguished by sprinkler system April 10, 2017 viking210 Charlottesville first responders were dispatched to an accidental fire Saturday morning at the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity house in the 500-block of Rugby Road. The city fire marshal says it originated in the fireplace of the more than 100-year-old frat house. A sprinkler system quickly extinguished the fire. It was discovered shortly after 6 a.m. Saturday.
Residential, Single Family Home Novato, CA – Sprinkler system extinguishes garage fire in million dollar home under construction April 10, 2017 viking210 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.”
Other Business, Other-Government/Military Wilmington, DE – Fire at Amtrak maintenance building contained to area of origin by sprinkler system March 31, 2017 viking210 A fire broke out at an Amtrak maintenance building in Wilmington Monday morning but was quickly extinguished, according to officials. It has been ruled accidental. Wilmington firefighters were called to 4001 Vandever Ave. just before 7 a.m. for a report of smoke coming from building No. 17, known as the “Powerhouse,” according to a statement on the fire. The building is located within Amtrak’s maintenance facility for the Northeast Corridor. The fire was placed under control by 7:22 a.m. Prior to the fire department’s arrival, several Amtrak employees attempted to extinguish the fire with portable extinguishers, according to officials. The 120-by-55-feet warehouse-style building sustained both fire and smoke damage, but the building was equipped with an automatic sprinkler system which had activated, confining the fire to the area of origin. Approximately 60 fire and EMS personnel responded.
