Tag Archives: Evening (6pm-9pm)

College/University (on campus), Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

Palo Alto, CA – Sprinkler system activated in fire at Stanford residential building

Note: On January 19, 2000, a fire in a dormitory at Seton Hall University tragically took the lives of three students and injured many more. The residence hall did not have a sprinkler system.

At around 7:00 p.m. on Sunday night, some residents of Studio 1 at the Escondido Village residential complex were evacuated after a cooking fire contained to one apartment set off a sprinkler. A Studio 1 resident said that she and a group of other residents were not permitted to re-enter their complex for one hour and 20 minutes, and stayed at the nearby Community Graduate Center instead. At approximately 8:20 p.m., the alarms stopped ringing and students and visitors began to re-enter the complex, the resident said. The Palo Alto Fire Department had no additional information to offer as of Monday evening.

Department Store, Retail

Paso Robles, CA – Sprinkler system held fire in check at Lowe’s Home Improvement until fire crews arrived

A fire started inside the Lowe’s Home Improvement in Paso Robles on Saturday night.

According to Paso Fire Battalion Chief  Scott Hallett, a fire started in the rear of the building, in the receiving and storage area of the store around 8:30 p.m.

Multiple resources responded alongside Paso Robles Fire including CAL FIRE and Atascadero Fire Department.

The fire was “held in check” by the sprinkler prior to the arrival of firefighters, Hallet said.

Crews worked about three hours, working on smoke evacuation and water removal. Hallet reported the fire caused minor damage to merchandise and damage to storage.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Taking the damage into account, Lowe’s Home Improvement is likely to reopen on Sunday, Hallett said.

Residential, Residential High Rise

Santa Monica, CA – Sprinkler system keeps high rise building fire from spreading

A Santa Monica high rise by the beach caught fire last Monday night before Santa Monica and Los Angeles firefighters put out the blaze, according to the Santa Monia Fire Department (SMFD).

On Monday, February 11, at 7:15 p.m. SMFD Engine 2 responded to the Shores Apartments at 2800 Neilson Way to investigate a fire alarm activation. Upon their arrival firefighters discovered smoke billowing from an apartment balcony on the 10th floor of the 17-story high rise building. Additional resources were immediately requested, bringing in all SMFD resources as well as aid from the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD).

Firefighters worked to extinguish the flames, which were kept from spreading to the common hallway of the building thanks to an activated fire sprinkler head, according to the SMFD.

“A challenging component to this high-rise fire incident was keeping the dozens of impacted residents safe and out of harm’s way. Firefighters used a combination of sheltering occupants in place until the fire was brought under control, as well as systematically evacuating those who could be, safely out of the building,” SMFD Captain and Public Information Officer Patrick Nulty said in a press release. “Thanks to a functioning fire alarm and fire sprinkler system, residents were alerted to begin evacuating immediately and the fire was kept from spreading.”

According to the department, it took 33 firefighters approximately 19 minutes to suppress the flames, which were confined to the kitchen and living room area. There was extensive water damage to several units below the fire from the fire sprinkler. No injuries to residents or first responders were reported. The resident of the apartment where the fire occurred was not home at the time of the fire, and was displaced as a result of the damage. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.

Apartment Building, Residential

Waterloo, IA – Apartment fire put out by sprinkler system while woman and infant were asleep in bedroom

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An automatic alarm that alerted firefighters to an apartment fire likely saved the lives of a Waterloo woman and her infant child, according to fire officials. Waterloo Fire Rescue was called to 3855 Pineview Place in Waterloo on Thursday evening for an automatic alarm going off. They found a woman and baby asleep in the bedroom of the apartment when they arrived. Fire crews also found a stove-top fire had been put out by the apartment’s kitchen sprinkler, which activated and extinguished the fire before it could spread, according to Waterloo Fire Marshal Chris Ferguson. The woman and baby were treated for unspecified injuries. The cause of the fire was a burner that had accidentally been left on, according to Ferguson.

Apartment Building, Residential

Cheney, WA – Sprinkler system prevents apartment fire from spreading

A fire in a Cheney apartment building prompted an evacuation, but was contained to a single apartment Monday night thanks to a sprinkler head. Last Monday around 8:23 p.m., Cheney firefighters responded to the fire at the Eagle Point Apartments, discovering upon arrival that a single automatic fire sprinkler head in a kitchen had activated. The building was evacuated, but the sprinkler prevented the fire from spreading throughout the apartment. All occupants of the building were allowed to return, besides the occupants of the affected apartment. Fire crews determined the fire started on the stove in the apartment while an occupant was cooking.

Other - Retail, Retail

Mission, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for fire at tire store

Wednesday night’s fire inside the Mission Canadian Tire store is now considered to be suspicious.

According to a press release, the Mission RCMP have opened an active investigation.

Police are seeking any witnesses to the fire and asking them to come forward.

The release asks that if anyone was in the area of Canadian Tire, on London Ave., between 6-7 p.m. during the time of the fire and has dash cam footage, they should forward it to the Mission RCMP Detachment.

Anyone who may have witnessed anything suspicious in the area during the time of the fire are also urged to come forward with information.

The fire broke out inside the Canadian Tire store at about 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 30.

Mission Fire Rescue Service was called and quickly responded.

“Crews, when they arrived on scene, found smoke right to the floor, inside the structure,” said Mission fire chief Dale Unrau.

Firefighters located the blaze “within the racking.” It has been “mostly put out” by the in-building sprinkler system, explained Unrau.

“Firefighters completed extinguishing the fire and at this point in time are just ventilating the structure,” Unrau said on Wednesday night.

There were no injuries to report as staff and customers exited the store safely. No firefighters were injured during the blaze.

Unrau said there is no damage to the structure itself but the clean up will take time.

“The sprinkler system did a great job and extinguished the fire, but there’s lots of water throughout the store and smoke throughout the store as well, so I’m sure the building will be out of service for an extended period of time.”

Several hours later, at about 2 a.m. Thursday morning, firefighters were called out to the store again as a second fire began to burn.

“We’re not quite sure why we had another fire break out in there, but when we left after the first one, our fire investigators had already completed their investigation in the initial fire area and our crews that were ventilating the structure had gone through and done a final check with a thermal camera and everything was cold,” said Unrau.

He called it a mystery and noted that the Mission RCMP were on scene throughout the night, watching the structure until the morning when the police investigation team arrived.

Unrau said the fire is “definitely suspicious.”

“I have a big team of investigators digging through the rubble as we speak.”

Other Business, Warehouse

Charlotte, NC – Sprinkler system assists firefighters in controlling business fire in large warehouse

Around 5:30 p.m. firefighters responded to a fire alarm at a warehouse in the 1000 block of Louise Avenue. When they arrived smoke was pouring from one side of the building but the size of the building meant more firefighters were needed. “The sprinkler system activated inside the building and actually held the fire in check until firefighters could stretch lines in which was approximately 300 feet into the structure,” Charlotte Fire Battalion Chief Joshua Johnson said.

Firefighters say employees had already evacuated before they arrived, but checking the businesses was still a priority. The scene along Louise Avenue has been covered in flashing lights all night. There are 3 businesses inside the massive 75,000 square foot building where the fire broke out.  Firefighters say the alarms went off, and the employees followed their evacuation plan and got out unharmed. 

“On a structure this size the first and most important thing is making sure everyone’s out in case there was anyone working here and the second is we call in additional resources quickly,” said Johnson. Neighbors trying to get home were rerouted and were concerned the fire could spread.

“It’s kind of scary that it sits this close to the house,” Miller said. Firefighters say the sheer size of the building presented challenges but no one was injured. Inside they say there’s substantial smoke damage but only moderate fire damage.

“There was zero visibility, you got to worry being about finding the seat of the fire to start with without firefighters getting lost or trapped, that’s the most difficult part of it,” said Johnson. So far, firefighters haven’t said which business the fire started in. Right now the cause remains under investigation.

Manufacturing, Other - Manufacturing

Cape Girardeau, MO – Sprinkler system activated for semi-truck fire at Buzzi Unicem; No injuries reported

Cape Girardeau and Scott City firefighters responded to a fire Friday night at the Buzzi Unicem Alternative Fuels facility in south Cape Girardeau.

Upon arrival just after 8 p.m. at the facility, 2524 S. Sprigg St., firefighters found light smoke coming from a semitruck and trailer in the fuel unloading area, according to an incident report from Cape Girardeau battalion chief Randy Morris. The sprinkler system had been activated and foam was flowing, the report stated. Fire personnel set up for a foam operation and extinguished a small fire coming from the semitruck, which contained waste oil.

The waste oil and foam were held in a containment area and did not pose any life or environmental concerns, according to the report. The Alternative Fuels facility uses waste oils to power the Buzzi Unicem plant in place of coal, Morris said in the report.

Because of below-freezing temperatures at the time of the fire, ice was formed, creating slip hazards for firefighters, the report stated.

Morris said the Alternative Fuels facility has participated in tours and drills with the Cape Girardeau Fire Department and the Regional Homeland Security Response Team, which helped save time during this actual emergency situation.

Apartment Building, Residential

Spartanburg, SC – Sprinkler system extinguishes apartment kitchen fire; No injuries reported

Three families were displaced after an apartment fire Friday evening off Powell Mill Road.

Una Fire Chief Jeff Hadden said his department responded to a kitchen fire at about 5:20 p.m.

The fire started on the stove in an apartment at Companion at Lee’s Crossing, which is just past Jesse Bobo Elementary School.

The apartment complex’s sprinkler system extinguished the fire, Hadden said.

That apartment and the two below it sustained water damage, affecting a total of nine adults and six children.

No one was injured.

The local Red Cross chapter is providing financial and other assistance to all of those affected by the fire who needed it.

Hospital/Care Facility, Hospital/Medical Clinic

Spencer, IA – Sprinkler system extinguished fire sparks at hospital; No injuries reported

Staff were cleaning areas of Spencer Hospital Tuesday impacted by smoke damage from a small equipment fire Monday night.

Hospital officials said they hope to reopen the surgical center, the area of the hospital where the fire broke out, later this week. Scheduled procedures were canceled Tuesday and Wednesday. All other hospital services were available Tuesday.

“Caring for our patients is always our number one priority and today we also had team members busy cleaning areas within the hospital which were impacted by smoke damage, sterilizing equipment and replacing linens,” Spencer Hospital President Bill Bumgarner said in a statement Tuesday.

Bumgarner said the surgical center will reopen once a deep-cleaning process is completed and approval is received from the state fire marshal’s office and the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals, which oversees healthcare facilities in the state.

Shortly after 5 p.m. Monday, a hospital staff member in the surgical equipment sterilization area smelled smoke and noticed sparks escaping from one of the washer units. A fire alarm was pulled and the sparks were extinguished by the sprinkler system by the time firefighters arrived. Due to the spread of smoke in other areas of the hospital, 16 patients were transferred to neighboring facilities. No one was injured as a result of the fire.