Tag Archives: Evening (6pm-9pm)

Residential, Townhouse / Condominium

Dewey Beach, DE – Sprinkler system activated for fire in residential unit; No injuries reported

A Feb. 19 fire caused $75,000 in damage to a Dewey Beach residential unit.

The fire was reported at 7:30 p.m. at 1701 Bayard Ave., where firefighters from Rehoboth Beach, Lewes and Bethany Beach found flames coming from top floors of a four-unit building, officials said.

A residential sprinkler system confined the fire to unit A of the building, with moderate damage to the exterior of the structure, officials said. Occupants had exited the home before firefighters arrived, and there were no injuries reported.

Firefighters were on the scene for more than two hours extinguishing the blaze. The Delaware State Fire Marshal is investigating to determine the origin and cause of the fire. More information will be posted when available.

Apartment Building, Residential

Beaufort, SC – Sprinkler system extinguishes grease fire at apartment complex

A grease fire at an apartment in Beaufort County has left one family displaced.

The fire broke out shortly before 8:30 p.m. on Friday at the Magnolia Park Apartments on Laurel Bay Road, according to the Burton Fire District.

The Burton Fire District, MCAS Fire Department, Beaufort County EMS and Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office all responded.

BFD said the apartment’s sprinkler system kicked on and extinguished the fire prior to firefighters’ arrival.

When firefighters did arrive on scene, they said they found a single sprinkler head that activated above a stove where the grease fire had erupted. Firefighters stopped the flow of water from the sprinkler head, which produces approximately 25 gallons of water a minute, until the complex’s maintenance personnel restored the system.

Due to smoke and water in the apartment, the family of six that lived there was displaced. Red Cross is now assisting the family.

Burton fire officials said that while the family of this apartment had to be temporarily relocated, the families in the other five apartments were able to return home.

“A fire doubles in size every 18-30 seconds, and even with a less than three-minute response by firefighters, without that sprinkler system and single sprinkler head, the fire would have devastated that apartment and caused damages throughout the building, possibly displacing all six families,” said Burton Fire District Community Support Officer Capt. Daniel Byrne.

Manufacturing, Paper Mill / Saw Mill

Chehalis, WA – Sprinkler system activated for fire in sawdust bin; No injuries reported

While there was a large volume of fire in a sawdust bin at Hardel Mutual Plywood on Thursday evening, no one was injured and the fire did not spread to the company’s main structure. 

The fire most likely started in a sawdust vacuum system on site, said Lewis County Fire District 6 Chief Ken Cardinale. 

“Sometimes they get a spark either from a rock or a nail or something that gets into that sawdust material and then causes the fire,” said Cardinale. “I wouldn’t say they’re common, but they do occur at these facilities. We probably have two or three of these that occur every year around the county.” 

The fire was inside the sawdust bins outside the building, which had sprinkler systems installed and “held it in check” until fire personnel were able to arrive. 

District 6 responded and called neighboring Lewis County Fire District 5 to assist, said Cardinale. 

Crews attacked the fire from above for about an hour and a half before it was extinguished, he said. 

“We put it out to keep it from spreading to the inside and cleaned up and went home,” he said. 

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

El Paso, TX – Sprinkler system activated for arson fire at school; No injuries reported

The Ysleta Independent School District is working with police investigators after footage of Sunday night’s fire was at Pebble Hills Elementary school circulated on social media.

Around 7:15 p.m. Sunday, fire crews responded to the fire.

Smoke was reportedly coming out of the school building and the fire alarms were activated, according to EPFD spokesman Enrique Duenas-Aguilar.

A small fire was found inside a room at the school.

The sprinkler system inside contained the fire from spreading, according to Duenas-Aguilar.

No injuries were reported.

Footage taken of individuals running out of the school surfaced on social media.

Footage of a table inside the school on fire was captured as well.

KFOX14 spoke to Pebble Hills Elementary school parents regarding the incident.

The majority of parents were concerned with how the students were able to get inside and expressed concern over the safety of the campus.

“My big concern is how they got in the building, because I thought the doors were closed and locked so that kind of scares me a little bit about my kids safety,” said Naomi Fierro.

Another parent said students should be held accountable and their discipline should begin at home.

“For one, I think it starts at home, if the kids are acting up this way I think the parents need to maybe tighten the grip on their kids or just their parenting styles need to change, maybe the kids are hanging out with the wrong crowd,” said Emily Ray.

Glen Cove Elementary School was also vandalized on Sunday.

El Paso police are also looking into that crime.

Heavy vandalism in some classrooms and hallways, and windows were damaged, according to Ysleta ISD.

The school was able to open Monday for instruction.

It’s unknown at this time if the vandalism and fire are related.

Apartment Building, Residential

Westfield, MA – Sprinkler system activated for fire at apartment complex

Two families are left without a home following a fire in a Westfield apartment complex Tuesday night.

Fire officials told Western Mass News that this was not the first fire in that same apartment building.

Back in 2018, a fire in Building 5 of the Powder Mill Village displaced everyone living there. On Tuesday, another fire in that same building displaced two families.

The Fire Department credited a new sprinkler system for saving lives and stopping the flames.

“I laughed and thought it was somebody that just over cooked their supper,” said Sheila Elmer.

Elmer’s family is now without a home after a fire broke out in the apartment above hers, also leaving her handicapped husband and autistic son with just the clothes on their backs.

“We’ve lost most of everything,” she told us. “Everything has a very bad burnt plastic smell.”

Westfield Fire officials told Western Mass News that they responded to the fire in Building 5 of Powder Mill Village around 6 p.m. on Tuesday night and that the cause has been identified as an unattended candle.

Deputy Fire Chief Seth Ellis said that a fire in the same building close to 4 years ago displaced the entire building. It has since been rebuilt, and because of new laws, a sprinkler system had to be installed, which he said ultimately saved lives.

“The sprinkler system that was installed in the building after a serious fire in 2018 extinguished the fire for the most part prior to the fire department arrival and prevented this from being a much worse incident,” Deputy Chief Ellis explained.

Elmer said that if it was not for the sprinkler system, her family may not have gotten out in time.

“If the sprinkler wasn’t there, it would’ve caught on fire and burnt multiple, again like last time,” she told us.

She said that her husband is in the hospital after having difficulty breathing and her son’s therapy cat is missing, but she is glad everyone is safe and is hopeful her family will be able to find a handicapped accessible apartment quickly.

“We have a lot of support,” said Elmer. “The immediate need is just getting us a place to live. I have fourteen dollars in the bank. I’m not going to get anywhere with that. It’s too cold to be in the car; my husband and son can’t be in the car. I can, but not them.”

The fire department said that some of the other buildings in the complex have partial sprinkler systems in place but Building 5 is the only building with a full system. They also recommended using electronic candles instead of an open flame. No injuries were reported.

Apartment Building, Residential

Circleville, OH – Sprinkler system activated for third-floor apartment fire; No injuries reported

A fire has been reported in an apartment in Everts Hill located at 532 South Court Street in Circleville around 6:30 pm on Monday.

According to early reports, smoke and fire have been seen in a third-floor apartment. The building was evacuated and many of the residents are in the cold.

Update from Chief Thompson, a small fire in the bedroom of 3rd-floor apartment, sprinkler system contained the fire. Smoke and fire damage was contained to one apartment only, but five additional units were damaged with water from the system.

All other residents returned to their homes, the six units affected are being helped by a red cross. Management is on the scene now for clean-up and contacting the appropriate fire service companies. No injuries were reported in the fire.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Ann Arbor, MI – Sprinkler system activated for fire at hotel; No injuries reported

An Ann Arbor hotel was damaged Sunday night when a fire broke out in one of its rooms, causing the sprinkler system to activate.

Fire crews were called at 8:47 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 2, to the Holiday Inn, 3155 Boardwalk Drive, south of Eisenhower Parkway for a report of a fire in the building, according to the Ann Arbor Fire Department.

Crews arrived to find smoke coming from a second-floor room. They began preparing for stand-pipe operations, unloading fire hoses to be connected to a hydrant, officials said.

Firefighters located the source of the smoke, a vacant hotel room, and entered the room to discover the fire was being suppressed by the building sprinkler system, officials said.

A second alarm was initially called, but then canceled after fire crews were able to bring the fire under control, officials said.

No injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire was determined to be an issue with the room’s ventilation system, officials said.

Guests of the hotel were displaced for the night and relocated to the nearby Sheraton hotel, officials said.

The Pittsfield Township Fire Department, Huron Valley Ambulance and the Ann Arbor Police Department assisted at the scene.

Other Business, Place of Worship

Branson, MO – Church fire extinguished by sprinkler system

Branson firefighters helped clean up a church that caught on fire Saturday evening, which allowed the church to hold its Sunday morning service without any setbacks.

Fire crews responded after an automatic fire alarm went off Saturday at Faith and Wisdom Church.

When firefighters arrived, they determined the fire had started in a small utility room. The fire had been extinguished by the fire sprinkler system, but firefighters had to shut off the sprinklers.

Crews helped out with extensive cleanup, using vent fans to clear out the smoke. They also used squeegees to remove water from the building to prevent it from spreading into the sanctuary.

It’s unclear how much damage the fire caused at this time or how it started. Though the church was able to reopen Sunday and hold morning services.

Apartment Building, Residential

Naperville, IL – Sprinkler system activated for fire at apartment building; No injuries reported

Naperville Fire Department extinguished a structure fire in 2100 Block of Allegre Circle on Naperville’s northwest side. No injuries reported. (PN file photos are used to help flag reports about Naperville Fire and Police Department responses to emergency calls and Crime Stoppers, always reminding readers that keeping the community safe is everyone’s responsibility.) Be alert. Stay safe.

At 7:17PM on Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2021, Naperville’s Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) received a call for the structure fire in the 2100 block of Allegre Circle. Naperville 911(PSAP) dispatched a general alarm assignment consisting of 10 pieces of fire apparatus and 24 personnel including an Incident Commander and Incident Safety Officer to the reported address.

At 7:21PM, the first unit arrived on scene and found a three-story apartment building with a fire in unit 209. Incident command was established, and a 360-degree survey was conducted of the building. Fire companies quickly ascended to the second floor with hose lines and found a sprinkler head activated in the unit. The sprinkler held the fire in check until fire companies could fully extinguish it.

The fire was contained to unit 209 and was fully extinguished at 7:28PM.

The North Aurora and West Chicago fire departments provided coverage to Naperville fire stations during this incident. The cause is fire is still under investigation. There were no injuries to firefighters or civilians.

Only two units (109 & 209) were deemed to be uninhabitable by the Naperville Transportation, Engineering, and Development Team. A total of four residents were displaced and the fire is estimated to have caused $20,000 in
damages.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Paso Robles, CA – Sprinkler system activated for fire at restaurant; No injuries reported

Firefighters knocked down a fire at a Paso Robles restaurant on Thursday.

At around 6:52 p.m., Paso Robles Fire received reports of a commercial structure fire on the 800 block of 11th Street in Paso Robles.

Firefighters arrived within minutes and found no evidence of a fire on the outside of the location, which was identified as Taste Restaurant.

Firefighters entered the restaurant and found a small propane torch and cylinder that were burning under a rack in the kitchen.

The cylinder fire spread and ignited flammable items on the shelf above.

The sprinkler system went off before firefighters arrived and prevented the fire from spreading.

Fire officials say the cause of the fire was found to be a faulty connection between the propane cylinder and the torch head. When the fire ignited, the cylinder was dropped and accidentally kicked under the storage rock in the kitchen causing the sprinkler to activate.

The restaurant was evacuated and firefighters spend the next hour repairing the sprinkler system and assisting with water damage.

No one was injured during this incident.