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

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Pelham, AL – Equipment fire at manufacturing plant contained by sprinkler system

A Wednesday morning fire at a Pelham plant sent one employee to the hospital for smoke inhalation. Fire crews responded to a call at Coosa Composites LLC at 105 Pardue Road at 7 a.m. Plastic material and a piece of machinery caught fire, but it was mostly contained by the plant’s sprinkler system, according to the Pelham Fire Department.

Other Business

Easton, MA – Fire at team sports apparel company is minimized with help from sprinkler system

The fire at Pop Tops Sportswear, 10 Plymouth Drive, was reported to the Easton Fire Department about 6:52 a.m. when the fire alarm was tripped.  Pop Tops manufactures and sells custom team uniforms, apparel, work wear and promotional products.

When firefighters arrived, smoke was coming from the building. The 100×200-square-foot warehouse was filled with thick, heavy smoke, said Easton Fire Captain James Walsh. It took firefighters about 10-15 minutes to locate the fire inside the building.

“The toughest part was locating it because of the smoke conditions. The building was full of smoke.” Walsh said. “There was zero visibility.”

The blaze started inside of a room where equipment is cleaned. Walsh said one of the pieces of equipment ignited the fire.  The sprinkler system went off inside the building soaking some of the company’s merchandise.

“A lot of merchandise was ruined,” Walsh said.  The Stoughton and Raynham fire departments also responded to the scene and the Brockton Fire Department provided station coverage for Easton, Walsh said.

Given the materials inside the building – including clothing and chemicals – the fire could have been a lot worse, Walsh said.  “Everything worked well. The sprinkler system worked well, the alarm system went off. The guys were able to get in there quick and knock it down,” Walsh said.

Other Business

La Crosse, WI – Sprinkler system credited with controlling early morning fire at corrugating business

Firefighters are crediting a sprinkler system for controlling a business fire in La Crosse.  According to the La Crosse Fire Department, they were called to Badger Corrugating on Green Bay Street in La Crosse around 4:45 Tuesday morning.

Upon arrival, crews found smoke throughout the entire building, but the sprinkler system was controlling the fire.   There were no injuries but the building suffered moderate smoke and water damage.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Perryville, MD – Sprinklers credited with quelling blaze in senior community building

Investigators are crediting a residential sprinkler system for quickly extinguishing a kitchen fire inside one of the 92 units at a four-story senior community building in Perryville on Monday morning, according to the Maryland State Fire Marshal’s Office.

Fire officials also reported that one person, who they identified as Jeffrey Coudon, required medical treatment after suffering “minor smoke inhalation.”

The blaze started about 5:30 a.m. in the kitchen of a one-bedroom apartment on the third-floor of the Fairgreen Senior Community in the 100 block of Greenway, fire officials said. Investigators blamed the blaze on “unattended cooking on the stove,” fire officials added.

“The fire was quickly extinguished by the residential fire sprinkler system, effectively protecting the lives of occupants in the building. Water damage was sustained to the first and second floors, as result of the activation,” said Deputy State Fire Marshal Joseph Walters, lead investigator.

About 15 firefighters with volunteer fire companies from Perryville and Perry Point brought the small fire under control in approximately 1 minute, having received advance help from the sprinkler system, fire officials reported.

Other - Retail, Retail

Nashville, TN – Early morning fire at Anthropologie store extinguished by sprinkler system

Fire crews responded to a one-alarm fire at women’s clothier and life-style brand business Anthropologie in Green Hills early Tuesday morning.  Firefighters were called to the store, located at 4031 Hillsboro Pike in the Hill Center Green Hills, around 6:30 a.m.

Fire officials told News 2 the fire began when a display near an outlet caught on fire. The store’s sprinkler system extinguished the fire by the time firefighters arrived.

The fire was contained to the display but inventory was damaged by water from the sprinkler system and smoke. The exact cause of the fire is under investigation.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Cranbrook, BC, Canada – Suspicious fire at middle school limited by activated sprinkler system

The investigation into a fire at Laurie Middle School is ongoing, as school district staff have shut down the building for repairs stemming from a rooftop fire.  Cranbrook RCMP along with Fire and Emergency Services responded to the blaze early Wednesday morning, as fire fighters extinguished the blaze and police assisted with an investigation into the cause.

While authorities haven’t determined what started the fire, it is considered suspicious by the RCMP.  Anyone who has information about the fire is encouraged to call the Cranbrook RCMP at 250-489-3471 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

The Southeast Kootenay school district has closed Laurie Middle School for Thursday and Friday, however, class will be back in session on Monday, Nov. 16.

“The fire damage was limited to the exterior of the building, but it did trigger our sprinkler system, so we didn’t get any fire inside the school because our sprinkler systems worked like they’re supposed to work,” Rob Norum, treasurer with School District 5, said.

While staff and contractors are cleaning that area up to reopen on Monday, the gym was much harder hit.

“The gym is a different story. We’ve got water inside some of the walls and in some of the insulation in the ceiling and some water underneath the floor,” said Norum. “We don’t know the extent of the damage there, but we’re getting that assessed to see if we have to do any major renos.

“We’ve already had an engineer in; he’s going to continue to look at the building to make sure we don’t have any structural issues. We’ve had an air quality expert in and he’s cleared the building.”

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Valdosta, GA – Fire at night club put out by sprinkler system

The Valdosta Fire Department responded to a fire call early Saturday morning, before dawn, at Club Deja Vu. Reports stated the sprinkler system in the club operated as designed, extinguishing the fire before the fire department arrived.

Fire crews opened the building, removing smoke and turned off the sprinkler system. Damage was estimated to by $10,000.  The club was closed at the time of the fire, per reports, and no injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential, Residential High Rise

Iowa City, IA – Late night fire on 9th floor of University of Iowa residence hall held in check by sprinkler system; No injuries

A fire on the ninth floor of Slater Residence Hall did minor damage to the University of Iowa building early Saturday morning. According to a news release from the Iowa City Fire Department, firefighters arrived at Slater Hall, 325 S. Grand Ave., at about 1:24 a.m. Saturday, four minutes after receiving an alarm for a fire on the ninth floor.

When firefighters arrived, all occupants of the structure had evacuated the building, according to the release. The fire was contained to a single dorm room. The building’s sprinkler system helped keep the fire in check, according to the release, and the fire was extinguished within six minutes. No civilians or firefighters were injured by the fire. Minimal smoke and fire damage was reported to the building, according to the release, and two students were displaced from their dorm by fire damage.

A release from UI Department of Strategic Communications Saturday said that “there is significant water damage on several floors.” A second release on Sunday confirmed that only two students remained displaced by the fire and were being provided with temporary housing in Slater while their room was repaired.

UI spokeswoman Jeneane Beck had said Saturday it was likely “very few” residents displaced and that they had been provided rooms. Sprinklers had only been activated in the areas effected by the fire, Beck said. UI is still waiting on a damage estimate. Beck added that the dorm had its annual fall fire drill in September, so residents were prepared for the evacuation.

Estimated cost of damage and the cause of the fire were not known as of Saturday morning, though both were still being investigated. The UI release said that the fire “appears to have been unintentional.”

University of Iowa Police, Iowa City Police, Johnson County Ambulance Service and University of Iowa Facilities supported the ICFD at the scene.

Retail, Shopping Mall

Henderson, NV – Sprinkler system contains fire in retail strip mall; No damage to neighboring businesses

The Henderson Fire Department responded to a structure fire in a commercial strip center near North Boulder Highway and East Lake Mead Parkway this morning at about 2:30 a.m. The call was reported to 9-1-1 as a water flow event by the building’s alarm monitoring company. The first arriving firefighters observed smoke originating at Las Vegas Kettle Corn, located at 110 N. Boulder Hwy., and requested additional assistance for a possible structure fire.

Crews broke the store’s front windows to ventilate the smoke and found the fire in an office area of the business. The fire was controlled by the building’s fire sprinkler system and crews quickly extinguished the remaining fire. The fire did not extend into neighboring businesses. The businesses located in the strip center were closed at the time of the fire. There were no injuries to bystanders or fire personnel.

A City of Henderson Fire Investigator, Henderson Police, NV Energy and Southwest Gas assisted in securing the building. It was determined that the fire originated in the store’s camera security equipment.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Hampton, VA – Early morning fire at InTown Suites Hotel controlled with help from sprinkler system; No injuires

Hampton firefighters battled a fire at a hotel on W. Mercury Blvd. early Friday morning. The hotel, which had at least 105 registered guests, was evacuated as a result of the fire. Crews found alternative accommodations at area hotels for the displaced guests, and even provided transportation for guests who were unable to drive themselves to the new location.

Friday afternoon, fire investigators determined the cause of the fire was unattended cooking in one of the rooms. Firefighters say the fire started on the second floor of the InTown Suites, and was contained to that area. The hotel guests were evacuated due to safety reasons. Dominion Power turned off power to the building as a safety measure and will determine when it is safe to turn it back on.

According to Asst. Fire Chief Maurice Wilson with the Hampton Fire Division, crews responded to the InTown Suites in the 2100 block of W. Mercury Blvd. around 3:30 a.m. after receiving notice of a fire alarm. “I opened the door it was just pure fire,” resident Eddie Rife said. “It was on fire and we couldn’t do anything about it so we just started getting everybody out.”

Eddie Rife said he ran from floor to floor with hotel workers trying to get people out. But, he found a woman in a wheel-chair other people forgot. “I ended up running into her room grabbing her putting her in her wheelchair,” he explained. “I tried to go down the elevator but it was too smokey and the elevator was out so I have to take her by the steps.”

Firefighters arrived to find the fire on the second floor in room 221. Wilson says the sprinkler system activated which helped firefighters bring the fire under control in about 10 minutes.

When the sprinkler system went off, it also leaked water into a few first floor rooms and caused smoke and water damage. Wilson says the hotel was evacuated and two people complained of smoke inhalation. Both were evaluated on the scene and didn’t go to the hospital.

According to Wilson, no one has claimed to be staying in the room where the fire started.

InTown Suites released this statement about the fire:

“ InTown Suites is aware of a small and isolated fire that occurred this morning in one of our rooms. Our fire suppression systems worked as designed and the fire was quickly extinguished.  According to Hampton fire officials, no persons required medical attention as a result of this incident. The safety of our guests is of utmost importance and we thank the Hampton Fire Department for their quick response.   We are working with authorities and local contractors to fully restore services and will continue to make as our guests as comfortable as possible while we resolve this issue.