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.
Other / Not Specified, Other Business Beaverton, OR – Sprinkler system limits damage in early morning fire at small business February 16, 2016 viking210 1 Comment Firefighters extinguished a fire early Sunday in a commercial building in Beaverton. They arrived at the two-story concrete building, located at 10074 S.W. Arctic Dr., about 4:30 a.m. It was filled with smoke but the fire stayed in one room. It took Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue crews nearly an hour to clear out the smoke and water. The building houses several businesses. No one was inside at the time. A fire investigator said blaze started under a shelving unit. Two sprinkler heads activated, limiting the damage.
College/University (on campus), Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential Champaign, IL – Early morning fire at University of Illinois residence hall extinguished by sprinkler system February 13, 2016 viking210 Fire officials are investigating what caused a trash can fire in a University of Illinois dormitory early Thursday morning. At 2:13 a.m., the Urbana and Champaign fire departments responded to a report of a fire at Scott Hall, 202 East Peabody Drive, in Champaign. When they arrived, the firefighters did not see anything from the outside, but on the second floor, they found smoke in the southwest hallway, said Urbana Fire Chief Brian Nightlinger. A fire had started in a trash can in a common area garbage closet, said Craig Grant, associate director of campus code compliance & fire safety. A sprinkler in that closet extinguished the fire. Firefighters were able to turn the sprinkler off before it caused significant damage, Nightlinger said. “The sprinkler system did its job,” Nightlinger said. The residence hall was evacuated until around 3 a.m. Students took shelter in Snyder Hall and the Student Dining and Residential Programs building, Grant said. Cleanup lasted into the early morning. Anyone with information on what may have caused the fire can contact the Champaign Fire Department at 217-403- 7200.
Other Business, Recycling / Waste Facility Brantford, ON, Canada – Fire at rubber tire recycling business held in check by sprinkler system February 12, 2016 viking210 An hour later, firefighters were called to tire recycler Ideal Rubber for a fire in a tire shredder. Fire prevention officer Scott Hardwick said it was fortunate the plant’s sprinkler system, a requirement for such heat-intensive processes, kicked in to help keep the fire from getting out of control. Hardwick said the fire crews were able to respond quickly and suppress the fire within eight minutes of being called. “These can be very aggressive fires,” Hardwick said. None of the Ideal Rubber staff or the firefighters was injured by the fire.
Apartment Building, Residential Vancouver, WA – Apartment fire caused by unattended candle is limited by sprinkler system February 11, 2016 viking210 Sprinklers at a Vancouver apartment complex limited the fire damage from a Tuesday morning blaze to a single unit, fire officials said. Firefighters were called to Redwood Acres apartments, 3409 N.E. 62nd Ave. in Vancouver’s Bagley Downs neighborhood, about 5:15 a.m., Vancouver firefighter Pete Adams said. Arriving crews reported a working fire coming from the third floor and that all of the occupants had evacuated, Adams said. The sprinklers kept the fire from spreading, and arriving crews doused the flames, bringing it under control in about 20 minutes, Adams said. There were no injuries. The unit affected was heavily damaged by fire, adjacent units sustained smoke damage and the units below sustained some water damage, Adams said. Vancouver Fire Marshal Heidi Scarpelli said that the total damage is estimated at $60,000. The two people who lived in the fire-damaged unit were displaced, Adams said, but apartment management was making plans to house them in a different unit. Scarpelli said the fire was caused by an unattended candle left in the bedroom near the head of the bed. “The important note here is that a lit candle is an open flame, it’s definitely a fire hazard,” Scarpelli said. “This was definitely a preventable fire. … It was fortunate that the apartment complex had a sprinkler system that was completely operational and functioned the way it was designed.”
