Tag Archives: Evening (6pm-9pm)

Apartment Building, Residential

Austin, TX – Sprinkler system controlled arson fire at apartment complex

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The Austin Fire Department (AFD) responded to the apartment complex located at 10010 N Capital of Texas Highway SB at approximately 8:33 p.m. on Sunday, December 8 for a report of a fire in a bedroom.

Austin Police Department (APD) personnel were on scene for a check welfare call at the residence and directed fire crews to the scene. The fire had been brought under control by the building’s fire sprinkler system. Crews finished extinguishing the flames and reset the sprinkler system before the scene was turned over to AFD Investigations.

Fire investigators processed the scene and spoke with Steve Manor, the apartment’s resident, who had been detained by APD. Mr. Manor confessed to intentionally starting the fire to elicit a response from APD or AFD. The physical evidence at the scene validated Manor’s admission.

Steve Manor was transported to the Travis County Jail. He has been charged with arson, a state jail felony. His bond has been set at $15,000.

The damaged to the residence and contents are estimated to be approximately $12,000.

Manufacturing, Other - Manufacturing

Moses Lake, WA – Sprinkler system contains fire caused by high voltage electrical equipment

The Moses Lake Fire Department was dispatched Tuesday night around 7:30 p.m. to 7761 Randolph Road Northeast, by the Port of Moses Lake, according to a release by the city of Moses Lake. 

When the department arrived it found facility personnel outside of the structure who told MLFD there was a fire in one of the process rooms on the ground floor of the facility. The fire was later discovered to be caused by high voltage electrical equipment which caught fire at a processing tank within the facility. There were no hazardous chemicals involved or released during the fire.

The building sprinkler system went off in response to the fire and helped contain it to the one processing room. There was heat damage to the walls and ceiling of the room, however, the fire never spread.

The Moses Lake firefighters made entry into the building with extended fire hose lines to the area which was a blaze. Crews entered the building which was full of heavy smoke and limited visibility. Soon after entering, they begin fighting fire shortly after making entry. It took them around an hour to fully suppress the fire and units remained on the scene for several hours to ventilate the building and ensure the fire was completely out.

The responding agencies were MLFD Battalion 1, Chief 101, Tower 1, Engine 1, Engine 2, Medic 3 and Grant County Fire District 5.

Apartment Building, Residential

Chesterfield, County, VA – Sprinkler system extinguishes stove top fire at apartment complex; No injuries reported

A fire that took place in Chesterfield on Sunday night caused an apartment building to be evacuated and one person to be displaced.

According to Chesterfield Fire and EMS, they received a call at 7:54 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 17 about a fire at an apartment building in the 300 block of Karl Linn Drive.

The first units were on scene within five minutes. It was determined that a stove top fire happened within a single apartment on the first floor, and the fire did not spread outside the apartment.

The fire was extinguished by an automatic sprinkler and there were no reported injuries. The person who lived in the apartment has been displaced.

All others in the building that were evacuated temporarily will be able to stay in the apartments unaffected.

This is the second stove fire that has happened at this apartment building within the past two months, the other happening back in September.

Manufacturing, Other - Manufacturing

Stuart, FL – Sprinkler system activated for fire at manufacturing facility

The State Marshal is investigating after a business caught fire in Martin County Saturday night.

Martin County Fire Rescue responded to a fire alarm going off at Paradigm Precision on SE Commerce Ave. in Stuart shortly after 7:30 p.m.

Five stations aided at the scene after the first crews that arrived noticed a smell of light smoke.

Inside the building, they discovered a small fire near a table.

Fire rescue reports the sprinkler system was a critical aid in keeping the tableside fire in check.

They also praise the working fire alarm and sprinkler system as “critical in reducing damage in this incident.”

Apartment Building, Residential

Langford, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system controls fifth-floor fire at apartment complex

Sprinklers prevented a fire in a six-storey Langford housing complex on Saturday night from turning into something much worse, says Langford Fire Rescue Chief Chris Aubrey.

Aubrey said his department was called about 8:30 p.m. to Hockley House on Hockley Avenue, and residents reported smoke on the fifth floor when crews arrived.

There were also some reports of an explosion being heard, which prompted a request for assistance from departments in Colwood, View Royal and Esquimalt.

Langford crews found a fifth-floor unit where a small fire had been controlled by the sprinkler system.

Since it turned out to be a relatively minor incident, the other departments were told to stand down, Aubrey said. “The fire could have been much larger but the sprinklers controlled it.”

He said nothing was found in the suite that indicated there had been an explosion.

“It might have been the sound of the sprinklers activating — sometimes they make a loud bang,” Aubrey said. “And we’re checking to see if there were any aerosol cans or something like that that might have been affected by the fire.”

Residents were evacuated from the 120-unit building but all but one were able to get back inside in a few hours, Aubrey said. One person was checked out by paramedics and did not have to be hospitalized.

The street was reopened by 10:30 p.m.

Other - Storage / Warehouse, Storage / Warehouse

Eugene, OR – Sprinkler system activated for fire at storage facility; No injuries reported

A fire broke out on a soundstage Sunday night, at Chambers Communication in the 2900 block of Chad Drive, in Eugene.

At approximately 7:53 p.m. on September 22, 2024, Ladder 6 was dispatched from the Sheldon station for Eugene Springfield Fire (ESF) to a fire alarm at Sound Stage 4 on the property.

After arriving, crews found smoke pouring from the building and an alarm sounding, ESF tells us.

ESF called for a first alarm and began to work on building access. Fire crews tell us that the large warehouse style sound stage was being utilized as storage for a local second hand retailer to store holiday inventory.

Thanks to a functioning sprinkler system and a lengthy battle from fire crews, the fire was contained, and no injuries were reported.

Due to the large amount of smoke and some collapsing of of the stored goods, the fire was difficult to access.

Fire crews say the building’s sprinkler system played a crucial role in keeping the fire from spreading.

While inside, the partial collapse of stacked boxes forced the team to evacuate temporarily before regrouping to move hazards.

ESF tells us that large warehouse buildings can pose various risks for getting lost, collapsing inventory or cold smoke explosions.

The fire was contained to the inventory in the building and there were no injuries reported.

  • 6 engines
  • 2 trucks
  • 2 chiefs
  • 1 medic
  • 1 EMS supervisor
  • 1 support unit
  • 1 deputy fire marshal responded

This is a developing story; the cause of the fire is still under investigation; we will bring you more details when we receive them.

Apartment Building, Residential

Portland, OR – Sprinkler system activated for fire at eight-story building; No injuries reported

Firefighters have extinguished a blaze at an eight-story building in Southeast Portland’s Sellwood-Moreland Neighborhood.

Just after 8 p.m., Portland Fire and Rescue stated via a post on X that they and Clackamas Fire were on the scene of the building, “with fire showing from the 5th and 6th floors” and that a second alarm was requested.

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After 20 minutes, PF&R made another post saying the fire was extinguished and that no injuries were reported.

A KOIN 6 News videographer was on the scene where black soot could be seen marking multiple balconies on the building’s upper level.

“This fire began on the on balcony of a 5th occupancy that extended up to the 6th and dropped fire embers to have active fire on the 3rd and 4th levels,” PF&R said in a subsequent post. “Hand held hose lines and the fire sprinkler system extinguished the flames.”

Officials said there were three people who were displaced because of water damage and other damage caused by the fire.

PF&R is still investigating the cause of the fire.

Self-Storage Facility, Storage / Warehouse

Los Angeles, CA – Sprinkler system activated for fire at storage facility

A fire on the fifth floor of the Extra Space Storage facility in Westchester was extinguished in 26 minutes Monday evening.

The Los Angeles Fire Department was notified for the fire by the building’s automatic fire alarm system at 8:14 p.m., according to department spokesman Brian Humphrey. Firefighters responded to 5555 W. Manchester Ave., between Aviation and Airport boulevards, where they found flames coming from one unit in the seven-story building.

The fire was extinguished at 8:40 p.m.

Humphrey said the blaze was held in check by a fire sprinkler system and firefighters are in the process of salvage, protecting the building’s contents and water removal.

Apartment Building, Residential

Arcata, CA – Sprinkler system activated for fire at multi-unit apartment building

On August 6, 2024 at 7:00 P.M. Arcata Fire District units along with multiple other fire, law enforcement and EMS agencies were dispatched to a reported commercial structure fire at 4975 Valley West Boulevard.

Arcata Police officers in the area had arrived first and reported smoke coming from a single apartment of a two-story multi-unit apartment building. The police officers immediately began evacuating occupants of the building. Arcata Fire District units arrived on scene and found an apartment with heavy smoke and active fire. The automatic sprinkler system had activated and was preventing the fire from spreading beyond the original apartment.

Due to the size of the structure and potential for threat to life, Arcata Fire District requested Humboldt Bay Fire, who already had an engine responding to assist, dispatch their ladder truck for additional specialized equipment and staffing. The Arcata Fire District units that were at scene attacked the fire, performed secondary searches and confirmed the building was completely clear.

The fire was controlled in about 10 minutes. Arcata Fire personnel ventilated smoke from the building.

While evacuating the structure, Arcata Police officers located an occupant who was suffering from smoke inhalation. The patient was assessed and treated by ambulance personnel at the scene.

The Arcata Fire District Volunteer Logistics responded with salvage equipment to allow fire personnel to remove water, expediting the ability of occupants to re-enter the building. Arcata Fire District personnel conducted an investigation of the cause of the fire, which is undetermined at this point and remains under investigation.

Damages to the building are approximately $10,000. Arcata Fire District would like to thank its allied partners for all of their assistance as the fire had potential to develop into a major incident. Arcata Fire was assisted by Blue Lake Fire, Fieldbrook Fire, Humboldt Bay Fire, Arcata Police Department, Arcata-Mad River Ambulance, Cal Fire Emergency Command Center in Fortuna, and Pacific Gas and Electric.

Arcata Fire would also like to recognize the importance of smoke alarms and automatic extinguishing systems. Combined, these systems allow for early notification which most certainly saves lives and reduces fire spread.

Apartment Building, Residential

Mobile, AL – Sprinkler system activated for fire at apartment building; No injuries reported

7:20 p.m.

Mobile Fire-Rescue Department units were dispatched at about 7:05 p.m. for a report of an apartment fire at the Crossings apartments at 5799 Southland Drive in Mobile, Alabama, Monday evening, July 29, 2024.

Units arrived on scene to find smoke visible from a third-story apartment and immediately deployed a fire hose into the structure.

Multiple units are on scene at this time working to extinguish any fire and to make sure all people are clear of the building.

 

7:24 p.m.

In an update to Dispatch, the Incident Commander advised that the fire, which was on a third floor balcony, had been knocked down.

Personnel will remain on scene to ensure that all hotspots are extinguished. Crews will assist with salvage and overhaul until the incident is stabilized.

 

8:17 p.m.

A fire sprinkler on the balcony kept the fire at bay until the crews could extinguish it. The fire was contained completely on the balcony and it was stopped before it spread to the building, which houses two sections of 14 apartments.

Residents have been allowed back inside the building. The fire’s cause has been determined to be accidental in nature. No injuries were reported.