Tag Archives: Evening (6pm-9pm)

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Chapel Hill, NC – Kitchen fire at senior living facility controlled by fire sprinkler system; No injuries reported

A structure fire damaged a Chapel Hill senior living facility Tuesday night and displaced several residents.

According to a release from the town, the Chapel Hill Fire Department responded to a report of a fire at The Cedars of Chapel Hill at 6:03 p.m. When fire personnel arrived on the scene, 513 Cedar Berry Lane, they confirmed a working fire on the building’s first floor.

The fire, which originated in the kitchen of one of the residential units, was under control as of 6:23 p.m. The town said it caused damage to three additional units beyond the originating one, with eight total residents displaced. The residents of the unit where the fire originated were treated on the scene and did not need to be transported for additional treatment, according to Tuesday’s release. No other injuries were reported.

A sprinkler system in the senior living facility reportedly kicked into action with the start of the fire. While the sprinklers did not extinguish the fire, according to the town’s release, officials believed it gave residents time to safely evacuate.

Chapel Hill said the personnel response to The Cedars consisted of 23 Chapel Hill firefighters, including four engines. One Durham fire engine with three firefighters also responded as automatic aid.

The town’s release said the cause of the fire is under investigation, but it also gave advice on safety practices while in the kitchen. Chapel Hill Fire officials say it’s important to never leave stoves unattended and to keep flammable items away from stove units.

Staff for The Cedars will work with the displaced residents to find alternate living arrangements, according to Tuesday’s release.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Chesterfield County, VA – Sprinkler system contains bathroom fire at local Kroger; No injuries reported

Chesterfield Fire officials tell 8News a Midlothian-area Kroger was evacuated Wednesday evening after a bathroom fire activated the store’s water sprinkler system.

Fortunately, no one was hurt.

Fire crews were called to the 3000 block of Polo Parkway, inside The Shoppes at Bellgrade, for a public service call just before 7 p.m. Chesterfield Fire officials tell 8News that while details remain limited, the grocery store did suffer an unspecified amount of water damage.

An employee told 8News at the scene that the fire was discovered inside the family bathroom.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Napa, CA – Hotel fire sprinklers, activated by heat, contained fire to bathroom

Guests at the Hampton Inn and Suites in south Napa were evacuated when smoke activated a fire alarm at 8 p.m. Sunday, the Napa Fire Department reported.

Napa Fire said the smoke was discovered to be coming from a locked guest room. Firefighters found a small fire in a bathroom that had been partially put out by the automatic sprinkler system, Fire Capt. Steve Becker said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Guests were able to return inside after 90 minutes, Becker said.

Apartment Building, Residential

Jasper County, SC – Apartment kitchen fire on third-floor extinguished by fire sprinklers

Jasper County Fire Rescue is reminding the public of the benefits of having a sprinkler system after a sprinkler extinguished an apartment fire.

Fire officials say at 8 p.m. on June 16, crews were dispatched to the Brook Mill Apartments for a structure fire. When firefighters arrived, they found a kitchen fire in a third floor apartment had been extinguished by the sprinkler system.

JCFR says the sprinkler put out the fire before it spread to the entire apartment.

Automatic fire sprinklers reduce the risk of dying in a fire by 80%, according to the National Fire Prevention Association. To learn more about sprinklers, click here.

Apartment Building, Residential

Columbia, SC – Sprinkler system stops fifth-floor apartment kitchen fire; No injuries reported

A representative of the Housing Authority in Columbia reported water damage resulting from a fire in a fifth floor unit at a senior apartment building caused the evacuation of residents early Saturday evening.

Cynthia Hardy said a small kitchen fire occurred in a resident’s apartment at Arrington Manor, at the corner of College and Oak streets near Five Points, around 7 p.m. June 27, 2020. 

“Damage from the fire at the independent senior living facility was minimal, but the building sustained a lot of water damage,” Hardy said. “For safety precautions, fire department officials suggested shutting the building down, turning off the power, and relocating the residents while they restore the building.”

No injuries were reported and all 57 residents were relocated to area hotels and are being assisted by the American Red Cross.

Columbia Housing CEO Ivory Mathews said, “when the sprinkler system in a residential building of that size is triggered, there are restoration and inspection steps performed by third party entities that must occur before re-occupancy is granted. Third party includes water damage restoration contractor, electrician, sprinkler system contractor, Dominion Energy and the Columbia Fire Dept. We anticipate the restoration and inspections work to be completed within 3 days.”

According to Housing Authority’s property directory, Arrington Manor was last renovated in August 1979 and opened for occupancy in 1981. The six-story apartment building features 14 efficiency apartments, 29 one-bedroom apartments and 13 two-bedroom apartments.

Apartment Building, Residential

St. George, UT – Sprinkler system extinguishes third floor apartment fire; No injuries reported

A structure fire that started in the kitchen of a three-story apartment displaced the tenants of two of the apartments and garnered the interest of more than 40 residents as firefighters tended to a chaotic scene Sunday evening.

Shortly after 8 p.m., firefighters responded to a fire alarm activation at the Oasis Palms apartment complex on Dixie Drive involving a structure fire that reportedly started in the kitchen area, St. George Fire Battalion Chief Robert Hooper said.

“We were paged out on the fire alarm at first,” Hooper said. “When 911 received a call from someone in the complex reporting they saw smoke coming from one of the third-floor apartments a few minutes later, we did an all-out page for all staff.”

The tenants were safely evacuated by the time the first engine arrived on scene. Crews encountered a fire alarm that continued ringing and smoke coming from the upstairs apartment, while a small crowd was gathered outside after exiting their apartments when the alarm sounded.

Firefighters entered to find that any active flames were already extinguished by an automatic sprinkler system installed throughout the complex. As the water continued to spray from the sprinkler, Hooper said, it ran into the unit located directly below on the second floor of the complex.

Shortly thereafter, the fire alarm and sprinkler system were deactivated and fire crews checked for any burning material and began the process of removing a large amount of water from both units.

Both apartments sustained “heavy, heavy water damage,” Hooper said, as well as smoke and fire damage. So much so, that both apartments were left uninhabitable until repairs could be completed, leaving the two families displaced.

The American Red Cross was contacted and responded to the scene to provide emergency shelter and provisions to the tenants displaced by the blaze.

Hooper said the fire appeared to have started near the stove.

“It looks like it started with a cooking fire, possibly grease,” he said. “But it was obviously hot enough to activate the sprinkler system.”

He went on to say that as a fire burns and gets hotter, the heat melts the wax plug placed over the head of the sprinkler, and once it completely melts away, the sprinkler automatically turns on, which is what happened Sunday.

No injuries were reported and an estimate of the damage was not yet available at the scene.

Residential, Townhouse / Condominium

Redding, CA – Sprinkler system in townhouse garage stops fire from spreading; No injuries reported

A faulty light fixture caused a garage fire at College View Townhomes in Redding.

Firefighters say it happened on Saturday, June 13 around 6:30 p.m. when they responded to a report of a structure fire at the College View Townhomes in the 1300 block of College View Drive.

Someone who lived at the home called 911 after they heard water flowing into her garage from a sprinkler system. Firefighters say when she opened the door to her garage, she noticed that the garage was full of smoke so she closed the door and quickly evacuated her family from the home.

Firefighters arrived and extinguished the fire.

No injuries were reported.

Firefighters say the cause of the fire was determined to be a faulty light fixture.

There was about $1,500 in damage to the home as a result of the fire, officials say.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Bel Air, MD – Supply room fire at senior living center kept in check by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Monday evening, Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company was called to the Brightview Senior Living Center for a reported fire.

When Firefighters arrived at the scene, they saw damage from a fire in the supply room.

The fire was kept in check by one fire sprinkler, preventing the fire from spreading.

The Department of State Fire Marshal determined an electrical outlet failed, igniting combustibles.

No injuries were reported at this time.

Residential, Single Family Home

Taneytown, MD – Fire sprinklers keep fire contained to garage after fire pit ashes are incorrectly discarded

A house fire caused by fire pit ashes displaced two Taneytown residents after their garage caught fire in the 200 block of Colbert Street on Sunday night, according to fire officials.

The homeowner was alone in the house when a smoke detector alerted him to the fire, according to Mike Glass, public information officer for Taneytown fire company. The other resident was away at the time, he said. The Office of the State Fire Marshal identified the owner as Alan Sadowski.

Six fire companies responded after the initial call went out at about 8:54 p.m., Glass said, and those first on scene said there was a large fire in the attached garage. A sprinkler system in the house kept the fire mostly contained to the garage, but flames spread to the second floor of the single-family home where the bedrooms are, he said. Fire apparatus returned from the scene at approximately 11 p.m.

Improperly discarded ashes were the cause of the accidental fire, according to a news release from the Office of the State Fire Marshal.

Residential, Single Family Home

Valley Center, CA – Garage fire limited thanks to fire sprinkler system

The first was an attached garage fire on Nicole’s Vista Wy. This fire was reported at 6:20PM on Saturday May 30. Units from Valley Center Fire, San Pasqual Reservation Fire and Pala Fire responded. The fire started in the garage, and was controlled by the automatic fire sprinkler system. Because of the fire sprinklers, damage was limited to the immediate area of origin, and the family was able to continue to occupy their home.