Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail Jerome, ID – Fire officials credit sprinkler system after early morning fire at market March 30, 2016 viking210 Jerome fire officials are crediting a store’s fire suppression system for preventing what could have been a major disaster Sunday. According to the City of Jerome fire crews were called to Ridley’s Family Market at around 6 a.m. to a report of a fire. Jerome Police arrived and found smoke and fire in a back room not open to the public. The store was quickly evacuated before fire crews arrived on scene. The fire spread quickly with help from combustible material inside the store. But, within several minutes the sprinkler system kicked in and halted the spread of the blaze. Once fire crews arrived they searched for any hidden fires and didn’t find any. Investigators believe the fire was accidental. Officials say that the business was able to open several hours after the fire thanks to the sprinkler systems. The City of Jerome says this is the second building saved by a sprinkler system in the last 18 months.
Apartment Building, Residential Eugene, OR – Apartment balcony fire contained by sprinkler system March 30, 2016 viking210 Eugene/Springfield Fire units responded to an apartment fire at the Heron Meadows complex in west Eugene early Sunday morning. The call came in just after 5:40 a.m. Firefighters hurried to building 783 on Throne Drive. The apartment complex is just off Royal Street. Fire officials say the fire was small and started on the balcony of a second-floor unity. The apartment’s sprinkler system contained the fire to just the balcony where crews extinguished the flames. Officials say no one was injured and the fire was accidental..
Residential, Townhouse / Condominium Kelowna, BC, Canada – Sprinklers help knock down flames in early morning townhouse fire March 21, 2016 viking210 An early morning structure fire in Kelowna has caused damage to at least one suite in a three storey townhouse. The Kelowna Fire Department received a call about the fire around 6:28 a.m. on Friday. When crews arrived on scene they spotted a fire on the roof of a townhouse on Ambrosi Road. Firefighters managed to knock the fire down quickly and the building sprinkler system helped to extinguish the flames. There were no reported injuries as a result of the fire but one suite was affected and an adjoining suite suffered water damage as well. Emergency Support Services is now assisting the residents with any support services they may require. The cause of the fire has not been released.
Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant Lower Heidelberg, PA – Fire at BBQ restaurant held in check by sprinkler system March 12, 2016 viking210 Crews responded to a fire at a Berks County restaurant early Friday morning. Firefighters battled a fire at The Bar-B-Q Pit along Penn Avenue in Lower Heidelberg Township. Berks County dispatchers say the flames broke out at about 5:30 a.m. Fire officials say police arrived first and saw smoke and flames in the kitchen through a window. The sprinkler system held the fire in check while firefighters went in and put it out. No one was hurt. Crews had to close Penn Avenue for about 15-20 minutes but have since reopened it. Investigators are trying to figure out what caused the fire.
Apartment Building, Residential Saskatoon, SK, Canada – Sprinkler system assists firefighters in extinguishing early morning apartment fire March 6, 2016 viking210 At around 1:40 a.m. CST, the Saskatoon Fire Department responded to a call of smoke coming from an apartment complex on the 1300 block of 20th Street W. A mattress had caught fire in the building and its occupants were forced outside. Ventilation fans were put in place to clear the smoke after firefighters were able to put out the fire with the help of an existing water sprinkler head. The cause of the fire is undetermined at this point.
College/University (on campus), Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential New York, NY – Early morning residence hall fire at Columbia University contained by sprinkler system; No injuries March 5, 2016 viking210 A small fire broke out in a fifth-floor suite of Elliott Hall at 2:20 a.m. on Sunday, with water damage from the sprinkler response affecting rooms on the second through fifth floors of the building. After students were evacuated from the building following the sounding of the first alarm early Sunday morning, the Diana Center was opened for residents of Elliott Hall to wait in while the building was inspected by Public Safety, according to a resident assistant in Elliott Hall. The building was cleared for students to re-enter at around 3:30 a.m., but due to the sprinkler system’s response to the fire, the rooms immediately adjacent to the source, as well as the ones located several floors below it experienced flooding. A Barnard spokesperson confirmed that some administrative offices and hallway carpeting were affected by water damage. According to the RA, who wished to remain anonymous because RAs are prohibited by Residential Life to speak to the press, the flooding was caused by the sprinkler in the source room and not by multiple sprinklers. Residents living on the fifth floor near the room where the fire began said that aside from some smoke and ash in their rooms, they experienced no significant damage. The RA said that there was a second fire alert after the building was reopened, but that they thought that it had to do with the alert system and was not indicative of a second fire. It did, however, drive some students from the building for the night. Fifth-floor resident Maya Edwards, BC ’17, said that, although she did not leave for the night, she knew of students who left to stay with friends in other buildings. Although Barnard’s emergency alert notification system was not used for the fire, the RA said that they didn’t think that was a problem. “I feel like it was very contained so I feel like it wasn’t the same magnitude as in the 600s,” the RA said, referencing last year’s fire in 600 West 116th Street. Facilities is still working to address the problems caused by the flooding, but the building is fully operational, a Barnard spokesperson confirmed
Other - Retail, Retail Shrewsbury, MA – Suspicious fire at nail salon controlled with help from sprinkler system March 1, 2016 viking210 A fire inside a Shrewsbury nail salon located in the White City Plaza has been deemed suspicious by authorities after they discovered flames inside the business early Tuesday. The Shrewsbury Fire Department said firefighters were called to 20 Boston Turnpike around 1:40 a.m. for a water flow alarm. Firefighters found the front door at Creative Nails & Spa, located at 50 Boston Turnpike, had been shattered. “There was smoke from an interior fire and water from the sprinkler system coming out of the structure,” the fire department posted on Facebook. “Firefighters quickly deployed an attack hand line, made entry and extinguished the fire.” The sprinkler system was shut down after the fire was brought under control. The damage caused by the fire was limited to the nail salon. The fire is under investigation by Shrewsbury Police and the State Police Fire and Explosion Investigative Section.
Other / Not Specified, Other Business Tumalo, OR – Fire in server room at research facility controlled by sprinklers; Faulty air conditioner identified as cause February 29, 2016 viking210 A failed air conditioning unit is blamed for a fire that caused $20,000 in damage to the Bend Research facility in Tumalo. Firefighters responded to a monitored fire alarm at 3:30 a.m., Saturday. Crews arrived to find smoke in the hallways and water coming from the sprinkler system. Investigators believe the blaze started in a room containing internet servers, backup systems and the main fire alarm system. Bend Research employees arrived on-scene shortly after fire crews and began the cleanup and repair process. The sprinkler system is credited with stopping the fire from spreading beyond the 100-square-foot room. In a release, Dan Derlacki with Bend Fire says a larger fire or more smoke could have caused millions of dollars in damage to the research facility.
Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant Olathe, KS – Early morning fire at Residence Inn extinguished by sprinkler system February 26, 2016 viking210 Guests at the Residence Inn on South Strang Line Road were temporarily forced out Thursday morning after light smoke filled the lobby. The Olathe Fire Department was called to the hotel about 5:45 a.m. Firefighters said an overheated furnace caused an air filter to catch fire. The sprinkler system put out the fire. The Fire Department said there is minor damage. Guests were able to stay warm in their cars. They were allowed back in after about an hour.
Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential Albany, NY – Early morning fire at University of Albany dorm controlled with help from sprinkler system February 24, 2016 viking210 An unattended candle is being blamed for a dorm fire at the University at Albany. The fire broke out on the third floor of Oneida Hall just before 1 a.m. on Tuesday. The dorm is located on the Indian Quad of the campus. The fire was contained to one room and was out within a half-hour. One student had minor injuries and was taken to Albany Medical Center for treatment. The fire also activated the fire sprinkler system in that room, which caused water damage. Some of the rooms around it and below it also suffered water damage due to the amount of water that was used. Around 120 students were evacuated for a time.
