Tag Archives: Evening (6pm-9pm)

Apartment Building, Residential

Roanoke Rapids, NC – Suspicious fire at apartment complex kept in check by sprinkler system

Roanoke Rapids police are investigating a suspicious fire which caused more than an estimated $30,000 in damages to an apartment in the Jesslyn Drive area Sunday night.

Captain Charles Vaught said in a statement, Sergeant J. Spragins was working off-duty at Chapel Ridge Apartments shortly before 6:30 p.m. when he heard a fire-alarm go off in one of the buildings of the complex.

He immediately started checking the building to ensure everyone was OK. 

Upon smelling something burning in the building he began evacuation until he could determine the source of the smoke. 

The fire department arrived and located the burning apartment. 

With assistance from firefighters, detectives canvassed the apartment to determine what happened and were able to speak with the tenant who lives in the dwelling. 

Detectives are currently investigating to determine if charges will be filed.

Roanoke Rapids Fire Department Battalion Chief Tim Gray said this morning there were multiple areas of origin. In two of the areas ignited, two of the sprinkler heads activated. “There was a lot of water damage,” he said. “It was more water than fire damage.”

Gray said the sprinkler system kept the fire in check.

Firefighters from Station 2 observed smoke coming from the door of the apartment and made forced entry to check for anyone inside. There was no one in the dwelling.

Gray would only say the fire appeared to be suspicious and firefighters assisted the police department with the initial investigation before handing the matter over to investigators.

Some residents had to be relocated until the sprinkler system was restored.

Apartment Building, Residential

Portage, MI – Arson fire in apartment basement extinguished by fire sprinklers

Police arrested a 48-year-old Portage accused of starting a fire in an apartment building basement on Christmas Eve.

Robert Warren O’Brochta faces up to 40 years in prison for felony arson of a building and up to 12 years and six months in prison for felony first-degree recklessly endangering safety.

He is also charged with felony arson of property other than a building, which carries a maximum prison sentence of three years and six months.

According to the criminal complaint, Portage police responded to a fire alarm at the apartment building at 544 E. Slifer St. at 8:25 p.m., Dec. 24. Upon their arrival, they spoke to a resident who said he heard the alarm go off and went to the basement to see if anything was on fire. The witness saw flames in one of the storage units and ran back upstairs for a fire extinguisher. He returned to put out the fire and called 911.

The complaint states that police observed smoke throughout the bottom level of the building. An officer knocked on all of the apartment doors to make sure all the tenants were clear of the building. He opened the door to the basement and observed a large cloud of smoke, unable to tell if there was an active fire or not.

At the scene O’Brochta reportedly told an officer that he was the person who set the fire and the roommate of the person who called 911. O’Brochta admitted he had gone into the basement and set items on fire to get back at his roommate for antagonizing him. Officers obtained consent from the roommate to search the apartment and found the Bic lighter that O’Brochta said he used to set the fire.

Prior to admitting he set the fire, O’Brochta had approached an officer at the scene, dropped to his knees and placed his hands behind his head in a “surrender” position, according to the complaint. O’Brochta, who showed signs of intoxication, yelled for police to take him to jail and said he was the person they were looking for.

The complaint states the fire caused damage to an electrical wiring harness that ultimately cut power to four of the apartment units. The fire inspector determined two sprinkler heads went off and had extinguished the fire. The inspector said if the sprinklers were not activated, the fire would have done significant structural damage to one of the apartment units and possibly to much more of the building.

Property damaged in the storage unit reportedly included plastic chairs, a pop-up canvas canopy, a black hard case suitcase and possibly two bike tires.

O’Brochta, free after posting a $500 cash bond, has a pretrial conference scheduled for Jan. 21 in Columbia County Circuit Court.

Apartment Building, Residential

Rockford, IL – Apartment fire on eighth floor contained by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

No one was injured in a fire Saturday that damaged an eighth-floor apartment in a nine-story high-rise.

The fire at Valkommen Plaza, 310 Seventh St. was reported shortly after 6 p.m., and was contained to the apartment by a sprinkler, according to a Rockford Fire Department news release.

The apartment had minor smoke damage, but substantial water damage extended to the second floor and is estimated to total $50,000.

The cause of the fire was accidental, according to the news release. One adult occupant of the building was relocated by the Red Cross.

Four engines and 29 firefighters responded.

Apartment Building, Residential

Madison, WI – Parking garage fire quickly put out by fire sprinklers

Dozens of people are displaced after an apartment in Madison lost power and the property manager says it could take up to nearly a week to repair.

The Ovation 309 building located on 309 Johnson Street in Madison had a fire in the parking garage Tuesday that was quickly put out by the sprinkler system, according to a Madison Fire Department Public Information Officer. They did not release the cause of the fire.

NBC15 obtained an email sent to Ovation residents Wednesday from the property manager.

The email stated an electrical component was damaged and caused the outage. It also stated “general and electrical contractors have been on-site all morning working hard to restore power.”

According to the email, the “best case scenario” is the issue will be repaired in two days. However, if parts are unavailable, power loss could extend to nearly a week.

Other Business, Recycling / Waste Facility

Fontana, CA – Sprinkler system helps contain large trash fire; No injuries reported

Large piles of trash inside a Burrtec trash facility in Fontana caught fire Wednesday, Jan. 1, and damaged the sprinkler system inside the building before firefighters extinguished it, fire officials say.

The sprinkler system helped contain the fire when it started, then San Bernardino County Fire Department firefighters arrived and began using heavy equipment to spread out the trash so the fire would stop, said fire Capt. Jeremy Kerns.

The fire started just after 6 p.m. in the West Valley Transfer Station on the 13000 block of Napa Street and was out within 45 minutes, Kerns said.

The only damage was to the sprinkler system, and no one was injured, he said.

Investigators are still determining the cause of the fire, he said.

Apartment Building, Residential

Harrisonburg, VA – Apartment fire kept in check thanks to fire sprinklers; No injuries reported

The Harrisonburg Fire Department said a sprinkler system at an apartment complex in Harrisonburg saved things from getting a lot worse after a patio caught fire Wednesday evening.

Deputy Cheif Matt Tobia, with the Harrisonburg Fire Department, said officials arrived on the scene of a possible structure fire off of Woodbury Circle in the North 38 apartment complex around 6:30 p.m.

Chief Tobia said when crews arrived they could see smoke coming from the third floor of building 1093. Officials believe the fire started on the outside patio of the third floor.

He said when crews arrived the flames were almost completely extinguished thanks to the sprinkler system inside the apartment.

“Because of the location of the fire it could have very easily extended into the roof and burn the roof off of the structure,” Cheif Tobia said. “But one sprinkler head controlled the fire with less than just a few gallons of water.”

Chief Tobia said at all times a sprinkler system works just as well as a firefighter does until more crews can arrive on the scene.

Fire officials said no one was injured or displaced due to the fire. One engine will remain on the scene Wednesday night as crews investigate the cause.

Cheif Tobia said this is a real success story for the sprinkler system in the apartment.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Fresno, CA – Sprinkler system douses fire at senior apartment complex; No injuries reported

A stovetop fire in a senior apartment building in downtown Fresno displaced multiple people Thursday night, according to the Fresno Fire Department.

The fire began around 7 p.m. on the fourth floor of the Masten Towers on Broadway Plaza and Fresno Street, across from the Crest Theatre. The 11-story building houses low-income seniors and adults with mobility impairments.

No one was hurt in the fire.

The sprinkler system turned on and doused the flames, and firefighters were primarily working on salvaging the other apartments around it from water damage, according to Battalion Chief Thomas Cope.

Six to eight units were not in livable condition, and Cope believes only one person lived in each unit. Those people are being moved by management to other units in the building.

Several people self-evacuated after firefighters were called. The person who lived in the apartment where the fire started was not home at the time, Cope said.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Regina, SK, Canada – Boy sets fire to paper towel aisle at superstore, fire sprinklers keep fire at bay; No injuries reported

A 12-year-old boy is scheduled to appear in court Thursday in connection with a fire that started in the paper towel aisle of the Rochdale Walmart in Regina’s north end.

The boy has been charged with arson, the Regina Police Service said.

Police and fire trucks rushed to the store around 8:30 p.m. CST on Tuesday, after smoke was reported in the building. Staff and shoppers were evacuated from the building.

“The building was filled with a really thick, bad-smelling smoke,” said Jordan Blodgett, who was at a Tim Hortons near the store and saw the fire response.

Taylor Deis was at Walmart at the time and confirmed the fire was coming from the paper towel aisle. She captured a quick video before staff and customers had to leave.

Fellow shopper Michelle Morrow never saw the source of the fire, nor did she hear a fire alarm.

Her only indication that something was wrong, aside from the smoke, was a man speaking unclearly over the intercom telling people to “get out.”

Morrow said she wasn’t impressed by the evacuation methods.

Blodgett took video of the scene outdoors, showing a smokey haze floating from the Walmart entrance and red fire truck lights flashing.

Regina police say firefighters put out the fire and cleared the building. Fire Marshal Randy Ryba said investigators were on scene until about 1 a.m. assessing the situation. 

He confirmed the fire was started in the paper towel section of the store. The building’s sprinkler system kept the fire at bay until fire crews arrived on the scene, he said.

“I’m not sure if it was a lighter or match, but that’s all it took,” Ryba said. “It did cause a great deal of smoke and water damage throughout the store.”

Ryba said Walmart is assessing the damage and said it would be “a great deal of time” before the store can reopen.

When contacted by CBC News, Walmart said once the necessary clean-up and repair work is completed, the store will reopen. In the meantime, staff at the Rochdale location will be working in nearby stores.

Police say no one was injured.

Police said the investigation was assisted by management and security staff at the store, who made surveillance video available.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Tecumseh, ON, Canada – Sprinkler system puts out fire caused by piece of machinery

An industrial building in Tecumseh had to be evacuated after a piece of machinery caught fire.

The Tecumseh fire department reported the blaze at 5245 Burke St. shortly before 6 p.m. on Friday and said firefighters arrived to find heavy smoke inside. Fire officials said the sprinkler system activated and quickly put out the fire.

Fire crews remained on scene at around 7 p.m. to clear smoke from the production area of the plant.

The production shift has been cancelled, fire officials said.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Grand Rapids, MI – Kitchen grease fire at downtown restaurant quickly extinguished by fire sprinklers; No injuries reported

A kitchen grease fire at The B.O.B. in downtown Grand Rapids caused minor damage late Tuesday, Nov. 26.

The fire happened at about 8:20 p.m. and caused a sprinkler system to activate, Grand Rapids fire officials said.

The fire, on the first floor, was quickly extinguished and no one was injured. Firefighters also quickly shut off the sprinkler system.

It wasn’t immediately clear if any operations at The B.O.B. would be disrupted because of the fire.