“Everything worked how it was supposed to work,” a firefighter told Our Quad Cities News crew.
Workers inside the building reported that a machine caught fire at 6:11 p.m. Then the sprinkler system contained the blaze, firefighters said.
Crews remained on the scene to ensure the fire didn’t spread. No injuries were reported.
The Tucson Fire Department confirmed crews were called to the Gila Residence Hall, located at 1009 East James E. Rogers Way, for a small fire around 7 p.m.
The TFD said the dorm’s sprinkler system put out the flames before crews arrived. There were no reported injuries, according to the TFD and the University of Arizona Police Department.
Some of the students had to find a new place to sleep on Thursday, and 13 News reached out to the university to see what is being done for those affected.
AFR said firefighters found a small fire involving clothes and cleaning supplies inside a janitor’s closet in the back of the store around 8:35 p.m. An automatic sprinkler in the janitor’s closet went off, and firefighters extinguished the remaining fire with water cans.
Store employees and customers were evacuated, and no injuries were reported. AFR said damage was contained to the janitor’s closet, and a minor amount of smoke spread throughout the store.
AFR said there were reports that the fire was set intentionally, and the cause has not been determined at this time.
A water flow alarm went off just before 6:45 p.m. Saturday at 1 Wind Stone Drive, according to Madison Fire Department.
Firefighters reported discovering a fire sprinkler going off on a four-floor deck when they arrived, as well as a fire on deck directly below.
A deck chair and siding to the building were damaged in the fire, MFD said.
Crews believe a cigarette not properly thrown away was to blame for the fire.
Firefighters credited the sprinkler for putting the fire out quickly. No one was displaced.
The first fire crews were on scene within minutes and quickly located the source of the smell, an extinguished kitchen fire. The stove had been left on unattended, igniting a fire that spread to the kitchen cabinets above. Just as the fire was about to breach the ceiling and spread throughout the building, the heat activated a nearby fire sprinkler and stopped the fire in its tracks. After making sure the fire was fully extinguished, Firefighters shut the water off to the fire sprinkler and began the clean-up process.
Fire damage was limited to the stove and the kitchen cabinets, and although the residents of that apartment will be temporarily displaced, the fire did not spread to the other units and there were no injuries reported. Had it not been for the building’s fire sprinkler system, this incident could have had a very different outcome.
THE IMPACT OF FIRE SPRINKLERS ON APARTMENT FIRE DEATHS AND INJURIES
It is estimated that about 25 percent of the U.S. population resides in apartment or multi-family buildings. Overall, apartment fire deaths and injuries have declined during the past five decades, but they have continued to be the second-leading occupancy for fire deaths and injuries (behind one- and two-family dwelling fires). Since the late 1980s or early 1990s, most new apartment buildings have installed residential fire sprinkler protection. While the number of apartment fires has remained fairly steady over the past thirty years, fire deaths and injuries have declined. Fire sprinkler systems have played a large role in the reduction of deaths and injuries in these types of buildings.
Deaths from apartment fires has been declining from an average of 840 per year in the 1980s to an average of about 375 per year (2013-2022). Injuries from apartment fires, however, continued to climb into the 1990s before gradually declining.
The Amarillo Fire Department responded to a fire at apartments on south Coulter Saturday night.
The fire, reported at 6:18 PM, originated from a dryer inside an apartment unit.
When firefighters arrived, they discovered that the apartment’s automatic sprinkler system had effectively contained the fire before it could spread further.
According to the Amarillo Fire Department (AFD), crews conducted searches of the unit, ventilated the apartment, and assisted the occupant in retrieving personal belongings.
Firefighters also replaced the activated sprinkler head, restored the system, and worked to remove standing water from the apartment.
AFD says a total of “10 suppression units and 34 personnel responded” to the incident, which lasted approximately 1 hour and 17 minutes.
Estimated damages include $20,000 in property loss and $50,000 in content loss.
Fortunately, no injuries to civilians or firefighters were reported.
The Maryland State Fire Marshal’s Office said the fire happened at Queen Anne’s High School on Ruthsburg Road in Centreville around 7:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 9.
The school’s alarm company alerted 911, and a custodian also discovered the blaze after the alarm activation.
Investigators said the fire started in a rear first-floor office and was caused by “an unspecified electrical event involving a power surge protector.”
The sprinkler system extinguished the flames before they spread further.
Crews from the Goodwill Volunteer Fire Company responded with 36 firefighters and brought the situation under control in about 30 minutes.
No injuries were reported, but the school was closed Wednesday, Sept. 10, for cleanup.
The fire caused an estimated $15,000 in structural damage and another $15,000 in contents.
Around 6:15 p.m. Sunday, crews from the Whitestown Fire Department were called to the warehouse at 4255 Anson Boulevard. That’s in an industrial park just east of I-65.
Upon arrival, firefighters discovered a fire on the third-floor shelving units, WFD said on Facebook.
The building’s sprinkler system had activated and contained the fire to two rows of shelves before fire crews arrived.
Firefighters put the fire out and ventilated the affected area.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
The Virginia Beach Fire Department said crews were dispatched around 6:16 p.m. to the 5600 block of Infinity Lane. When firefighters arrived, they found light smoke coming from an electrical box outside the four-story building.
While crews worked to mitigate the issue, officials said a catastrophic failure occurred inside the electrical room, activating the sprinkler system. Dominion Energy immediately secured power to the affected units due to the dangerous combination of water and electricity.
The number of residents displaced remains unclear. Property management is working to help tenants find temporary housing if needed.
No injuries to residents, firefighters, or pets were reported, and there was no fire damage to the building.
The incident is under investigation.
Crews arrived to find fire coming from an A/C unit in the rec room.
The report states the building’s sprinkler system was activated, helping contain the fire but leaving the room with water damage.
No residents were displaced but fire officials say one resident experiencing chest pain was taken to the hospital for evaluation.
A staff member, exposed to dry chemicals from a fire extinguisher, was assessed on scene and declined to go to the hospital.
