Tag Archives: Evening (6pm-9pm)

Office Building, Other Business

King County, WA – Sprinkler system controlled fire on office building roof; No injuries reported

Smoke was seen billowing in the air Thursday evening at a Boeing office building in Seattle.

Seattle fire crews were called to 16th Avenue South and East Marginal Way South to fight a fire.  

Chopper 7 flew over the scene and captured firefighters on top of the building.

Firefighters were seen putting out hot spots on the roof, where it appeared construction crews were working.

Seattle fire officials said multiple 911 calls reported a large column of smoke was coming from a large building near 16th Avenue South.

When crews arrived, the building had already been evacuated, and the fire was contained to the fourth floor and the roof by the building’s sprinkler system, officials said. 

No injuries were reported.

All southbound lanes of East Marginal Way South at 16th Avenue South were closed, while crews fought the fire but were eventually reopened.

Seattle fire crews turned the scene over to the Boeing Fire Department to determine the cause of the fire.

Food Processing, Manufacturing

South Beloit, IL – Sprinkler system quickly contains commercial fryer fire

A commercial fryer caught fire Tuesday at Axium Foods and caused about $70,000 in damages.

The fire was reported about 8:15 p.m.

Firefighters arrived at the plant, 239 Oak Grove Ave., to find 20 to 30 employees outside and heavy smoke inside the plant.

“The (overhead) sprinkler system activated pretty quickly and kept the fire contained,” South Belolit Fire Chief Michael Davenport said. “We had the fire under control in about 15 minutes and the fire completely out in 20 minutes.”

Axium Foods, at times a three-shift operation, is a corn-based snack food manufacturer making chips and other products.

“The fire started in the fry unit of the oven,” Davenport said.

The cause of the fire, however, remains under investigation. Damage was estimated at $50,000 to the machinery and $20,000 to product lost. Rockton Fire Department assisted.

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Kapolei, HI – Warehouse fire stopped thanks to fire sprinklers; No injuries reported

Authorities say a fire that sparked from a warehouse in Kapolei on Wednesday night was intentionally set.

The blaze started around 8:25 p.m.

The Honolulu Fire Department said the fire started in unit 11 in a building on Kalaeloa Boulevard near the intersection of Malakole Street.

The sprinkler system in the building helped stop the fire from spreading, fire officials said.

Crews extinguished the fire within about 25 minutes.

No injuries were reported.

The cause is under investigation.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Seattle, WA – Sprinkler system contains fire to single room

Update 11am: David Cuerpo from Seattle Fire says the fire started when one of the LimeBike battery packs ignited and caused other packs to catch fire. The sprinkler system activated and contained the fire within the room.

The Vault Response Team was activated when the crews found high voltage signage; water from sprinklers mixed with battery acid can conduct electricity and pose a risk to firefighters.

Cuerpo says they requested Seattle City Light to de-energize the building while crews shut off the sprinkler system, allowing the vault team to use dry chemical extinguishers onto the fire.

When the fire was put out, the batteries were removed to a safe outdoor area in case they reignited.

Original 10am: Two electrical fires broke out at the LimeBike warehouse in Ballard last night.

Seattle Fire first responded at 7pm, and posted on Twitter that the fire was contained to one room of the warehouse at 4615 8th Ave NW.

By 9pm, they’d put out the initial fire, but then at midnight, crews were back on the scene because the fire had reignited. Lauri Miller posted an update in the My Ballard Group shortly after, saying Seattle Fire was planning to use dry chemicals to put out the fires.

A representative for LimeBike says they’re working with the Seattle Fire Department to find out the root cause of the fire.

Seattle Fire hasn’t yet responded to My Ballard’s calls — we’ll update with any new information on the cause of the fire.

Apartment Building, Residential

Indianapolis, IN – Cooking fire contained by fire sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Fire in a high-rise apartment building displaced several residents Thursday evening, at least temporarily.

Around 8 p.m., a cooking fire was reported in a fifth-floor apartments at Crooked Creek Towers, 7988 Michigan Road.

The fire caused an automatic sprinkler system to activate. The high-pressure spray led to extensive flooding throughout the apartment and the rest of the fifth floor.

An evacuation ensued, and medical personnel transported two residents to be checked for what appeared to be minor injuries or anxiety.

There were no other injuries.

Indianapolis Fire Department personnel remain at the scene and hope to have everyone back in their homes tonight.

Retail, Shopping Mall

Eden Prairie, MN – Fire at shopping mall quickly put out by fire sprinklers; No injuries reported

Moviegoers were forced to evacuate Wednesday evening after a small fire broke out near the AMC Theater at Eden Prairie Center.

According to the Eden Prairie Fire Department, the fire occurred around 7:45 p.m. in a back hallway behind the AMC theater, where it was quickly controlled by the sprinkler system installed inside the mall.

The fire caused light smoke in the mall, but heavy smoke in the back hallway.

Authorities say there were no injuries and no other businesses in the mall were evacuated. The theater is expected to reopen Thursday.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Washougal, WA – (no media coverage) Single fire sprinkler head extinguishes fire at nail salon, saving building from extensive damage

This strip mall fire occurred in Washougal WA on Monday August 12th. Business owners closed at 6:45 PM, 911 water flow alarm/dispatch came in at 7:15 PM. Camas Washougal Fire Marshals Office stated fire crews arrived to find the fire out and controlled by a single fire sprinkler head activation. The fire was contained to a single massage chair that was blackened just prior to sprinkler head activation. Crews provided smoke evacuation and squeegeed water out the front door before going back in service. The units on each side of the Nails & Spa where the fire occurred, had some minor water damage but with minimal effort by restoration services overnight they were able to open the next day for business. The Spa will require a couple days longer since the fire occurred in their space. Building management services arrived and were grateful they were not having to repair more extensive damages such as roof ventilation or extensive heat and smoke damage that would have occurred without a fire sprinkler system.

Apartment Building, Residential

Bothell, WA – Single fire sprinkler head extinguishes apartment kitchen fire, saves building from further damage

At 8:00 pm on Monday, August 5, 2019, firefighters were dispatched to a report of a kitchen fire in one of the units in The District at Mill Creek Apartments at the 17700 block of Bothell Everett Highway.

It was reported that a hot pan had ignited nearby plastic and a wooden spoon. The tenant evacuated the building to find a fire extinguisher. When he came back with the fire extinguisher, he found that the sprinkler system had turned on and put out the fire.

Firefighters arrived on scene and secured the water and the sprinkler head that was activated. Crews then began cleaning up the water from the apartment. All other tenants in the building had evacuated for safety.

The activation of the single sprinkler head above the fire is a perfect demonstration of the effectiveness of residential fire sprinklers systems. It not only contained and extinguished the stove fire, but it also saved the building from further damage.

Residential fire sprinklers, along with working smoke alarms help protect your home and family.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Honolulu, HI – Hotel fire sprinkler system keeps fire from spreading; No injuries reported

Honolulu Fire Department investigators have determined that the fire was intentionally set and the investigation has been handed over to the Honolulu Police Department.

Fire officials also provided the estimate of fire damages at $1,765,650 to the building and no injuries were reported for this incident. 

Nearly 60 firefighters rushed to put out a high rise fire in Waikiki on Monday night.

The fire began just after 8:30 p.m. at the Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel on Kalakaua Avenue and was discovered in a storage room on the 14th floor. 

According to the Honolulu Fire Department, fire sprinklers kept the flames from spreading.

Those staying at the hotel told KITV4 that the loud speakers that went off during the fire said, “This is not a drill” and instructed them to stay in their units.

The cause of the fire and the extent of the damage are being investigated.

No injuries have been reported at this time.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Elk Grove Village, IL – (No media coverage) Landscape and snow removal fire sprinkler system activates to put out fire; No injuries reported

On July 23, 2019 at 7:33p.m. the Elk Grove Village Fire Department responded to a fire alarm at ARO Enterprises, a landscape and snow removal company located at 1401 Tonne. Upon arrival, crews had nothing showing (no visible smoke or fire), but noticed a slight odor of plastic burning. No employees were on site at the time of the alarm.

After rapid entry into the building via the Knox Box (a small, wall-mounted safe that holds building keys for emergency services to retrieve in emergency situations), crews encountered moderate smoke conditions and were able to hear the sound of an activated sprinkler head. Following that sound, the fire was located, but was mostly already under control due to three (3) sprinkler heads that had activated. The remaining hot spots were extinguished with a simple pressurized water extinguisher, significantly limiting the typical water damage that occurs when use of a fire hose is necessary.

The building at 1401 Tonne was originally constructed without fire sprinklers.  Prior to ARO Enterprises taking occupancy in 2003, the Village required the installation of the sprinkler system due to the indoor storage of vehicles and related flammable materials. Without the presence of this early detection system, the building and all of its contents would have been a total loss. Instead, damages were held to a  minimum and ARO Enterprises suffered no disruption to its main business operations.

The Elk Grove Village Fire Department is proud to share the story of this “Sprinkler Save” to bring attention to the benefits of automatic fire sprinkler systems and their contribution to the preservation of life and property. This fire is still under investigation; however, no foul play is suspected.

Jason Staidl

Fire Marshal