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

Government/Military, Other-Government/Military

Fire at MSP international airport controlled by single sprinkler (Minneapolis, MN)

A small fire in a break room at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport set off smoke detectors and a sprinkler above Gate G-1, causing some minor disruption before operations returned to normal. “It was a small stove fire in a storage and break area,” MSP spokesman Patrick Hogan said Monday. The fire was in an employee-only area, one floor above the public concourse used by passengers.

Apartment Building, Residential

Apartment kitchen fire controlled by sprinkler system (Fontana, CA)

Firefighters extinguished a kitchen fire Saturday morning after a resident reportedly left hot oil unattended.  At about 5:47 a.m., firefighters responded to an apartment fire in the 9200 block of Cypress Avenue. According to a news release from the San Bernardino County Fire Department, a resident had apparently begun to heat up some oil in the stove top and left for a short period, during which time the oil heated up and ignited a fire. The sprinkler system activated and held the fire in check until firefighters arrived, the Fire Department said.

Athletic Club/Sports Facility, Other Business

Baseball stadium fire contained by fire sprinkler system (York, PA)

An early morning fire at a concession stand in Santander Stadium was extinguished Saturday with little damage done, said York City Fire Department Chief David Michaels.  A compressor in the cooling unit of the first-base-side concession stand overheated and caught fire around 6 a.m., Michaels said.  He said the fire was contained by the park’s sprinkler system.  The damage was minimal enough that planned events at Santander Stadium were able to go on as normal on Saturday, he said.

“If not for the sprinkler, it would have been a totally different outcome,” Michaels said. “It could have been a significant fire.”

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Sprinkler system saves manufacturing plant from sustaining major damage (Thomasville, NC)

A sprinkler system saved a manufacturing plant from sustaining major damage, said Robbie Binkley, battalion chief for the Thomasville Fire Department.  Rocky Watts, division chief of code enforcement/fire marshal for the TFD, said the plant housed 100 gallons of sulfuric acid mixed with water in a chemical open system. He explained the fire was around the system. Watts said it appears the fire was a result of a shortage in the electrical wiring in the heating element of a chemical holding tank.  There was no structural damage and minimal smoke damage, the battalion chief reported. 

A fire destroyed the same business 10 years ago, at which time it did not have a sprinkler system, he said.  The sprinkler system “kept the fire in check and saved the building,” Binkley said. Watts said the company cleans racing parts and places a coating on them.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Damage minimized at manufacturing facility (Denison, TX)

A manufacturing facility fire on Tuesday morning is being investigated as suspicious. When fire crews responded to the fire at approximately 5 a.m., they found that the door to the building was open and smoke was pouring out of the facility. The building’s fire sprinkler had been activated when they arrived as well.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Restaurant fire kept in check by sprinkler system (Fairbanks, AK)

A fire that began at a restaurant early Thursday morning was contained thanks to the building’s fire sprinkler. The Fairbanks Fire Department was notified of a fire at 5:50 a.m., and when they arrived, they found that the fire was kept at the point of ignition thanks to the fire sprinkler system.

“The sprinkler system basically saved the day,” Fire Chief Ernie Misewicz said. “It kept the fire in check in the front portion of the dining room.”

The fire’s cause was from someone improperly disposing smoking materials in a flower pot in the front of the building. There were no injuries reported.

“Had the sprinkler system not activated, there would have been significant damage to the building,” Misewicz said.