Tag Archives: Evening (6pm-9pm)

Apartment Building, Residential

Portland, OR – Sprinkler system activated for fire at apartment complex

One person was displaced due to a two-alarm fire at an apartment complex in downtown Portland Monday night.

At about 8 p.m., Portland Fire & Rescue were called out to a fire near the intersection of Southwest 10th and Southwest Salmon. First crews on scene saw fire showing from a third story window and a second alarm was called to bring in additional resources.

While evacuating residents, a firefighter came upon a person struggling to breathe in a stairwell. PF&R says the firefighter gave their mask to the struggling resident and helped them outside. The resident was evaluated for possible smoke inhalation but denied medical need in the end.

PF&R says the apartment complex’s fire sprinkler system helped keep the fire from spreading to other units in the building. The fire was extinguished about 20 minutes after the 911 call was made.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Oxford, ME – Sprinkler system activated for fire in large commercial building; No injuries reported

A significant fire damaged a large commercial building Saturday evening in Oxford.

Oxford fire officials reported responding to the blaze at 822 Main Street shortly before 7:30 p.m.

The structure accommodates several businesses.

Due to the smoke, races at the nearby Oxford Plains Speedway were briefly halted.

Fortunately, there were no injuries, and the building’s sprinkler system is credited with preventing further destruction.

Authorities are still investigating the cause of the fire.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Springfield, OR – Sprinkler system activated for commercial structure fire; No injuries reported

Eugene Springfield Fire crews are on scene of a commercial structure fire at 4660 Main Street in east Springfield, the fire department reported Thursday around 8:40 p.m.

A crew was notified of a fire alarm at 7:47 p.m. and arrived under 4 minutes, the department said.

“Engine 14 found an alarm sounding with smoke from a roll up door,” EDF stated. “The crew called for a full commercial alarm assignment bringing 3 additional engines, 2 trucks, 2 BCs and an ambulance.”

Crews made entry in to the building and were confronted by heavy smoke from a fire within a machine shop.

Firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the fire which was held in check by the sprinkler system.

Crews are working to clear smoke and overhaul the fire.

There were no injuries and the fire is under investigation.

Apartment Building, Residential

Columbus, IN – Sprinkler system activated for fire at apartment complex; No injuries reported

A residential sprinkler system limited fire damage at a Columbus apartment complex on Monday night.

Columbus Fire Department investigators said that the fire was caused by an improperly discarded cigarette, said Capt. Mike Wilson, fire department spokesman.

At about 6:47 p.m., Columbus firefighters were called to the St. Barts Apartments, 745 Sycamore St., for a fire alarm activation. When the first arriving firefighters arrived on the scene, they reported water flowing from a third floor balcony.

Firefighters used a ground ladder to gain access to the balcony and found an activated sprinkler head, smoldering cardboard boxes and minor fire damage on the exterior of the apartment. Firefighters moved the charred debris to allow water from the sprinkler to extinguish hot spots located within the empty cardboard boxes. When firefighters were sure that hot embers were fully extinguished, firefighters stopped the flow of water from the sprinkler system.

Columbus Fire Department investigators spoke to the apartment’s tenant, who shared that he had been smoking on the balcony approximately 30 minutes prior to the sprinkler system activation. The apartment’s tenant told fire investigators the he was storing empty cardboard boxes on the patio from a recent move.

Fire investigators determined that the tenant had been using an empty cardboard box to discard used cigarettes. The tenant told investigators that he believed he had fully extinguished the cigarette before discarding the cigarette in one of the empty boxes. Investigators have classified the fire as accidental in nature as a result of the improper disposal of smoking materials. Damage to the property is estimated at less than $5,000. No injuries were reported.

The fire incident commander, Capt. Dave Dwyer, said that the sprinkler system operated appropriately and helped to avert a more significant fire. “ With plenty of fuel and oxygen, the fire could have easily spread to other combustible materials or potentially entered the living space, if not for the sprinkler system,” said Dwyer said. The Columbus Fire Department has responded to two fire incidents in the past week that were extinguished by automatic sprinkler systems.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Riverside, CA – Sprinkler system activated for fire at auto care shop; No injuries reported

At 2019 on May 14th engine 10 was dispatched to a fire alarm at Otwells Auto Care at 7304 Indiana.  They arrived to find smoke coming from a large commercial building.  A structure response was dispatched, and the crew immediately initiated fire attack.  On entry what they found was a vehicle on fire burning while up on a lift. The fire was being held in check by a fire sprinkler directly above the vehicle.  The fire was brought under control at 2040.  The damage was estimated at $30,000 to the vehicle and building.  There were no civilian or firefighter injuries.  Care of the scene was returned to the business owner.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Lynchburg, VA – Sprinkler system activated for fire at nursing home

The Seven Hills Rehabilitation & Nursing facility in Lynchburg has been evacuated due to a fire on Friday night.

At around 7:45, Lynchburg Fire crews were dispatched to a reported structure fire at the facility in the 2000 block of Langhorne Road.

LFD says a fire had started in one of the rooms of the single-story structure and was being contained by the sprinkler system. Responding fire crews quickly finished extinguishing the blaze, but smoke from the fire spread and forced the evacuation of the rest of the facility.

Two residents were taken to Lynchburg General Hospital for treatment of minor smoke inhalation. There is no update on their condition yet.

LFD said there were over 70 patients who had to be evacuated during the ordeal.

Lynchburg Fire said that eventually all residents were allowed back inside, but five rooms are uninhabitable due to the fire and smoke damage.

Due to the potential size of the incident, LFD says Concord Rescue Squad was called in to fill Station 2 while several of Lynchburg’s medic units were tied up at the scene of the fire.

The Lynchburg Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating and the cause of the fire is unknown at this time.

This story will be updated as more information is provided.

Other - Residential, Residential

Swift Current, SK, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for fire at multi-tenant building

A small late-night fire yesterday at a multi-tenant building in Swift Current was tackled mostly by the building’s fire suppression system.

The Swift Current Fire Department was called into action at 8:30 p.m. as alarms were ringing on the 300 block of 2nd Avenue Northwest.

Fire crews arrived to evacuation already underway but assisted two occupants from the building to safety.

Light smoke was seen coming from the building with the sprinkler system activated.

“They’ve been shown time and time again that they’re effective and they really help contain a fire until we get there,” Swift Current Fire Department Deputy Fire Chief Dean Diguer said.

Structural and content damage was noted but Diguer chalked that up mostly to water damage, not the fire itself.

The cause of the fire is unknown and is under investigation.

Manufacturing, Power / Energy Facility

Oak Creek, WI – Sprinkler system activated for fire at power plant; No injuries reported

A fire broke out at the We Energies Power Plant in Oak Creek on Monday night, April 8. The call came at 8:40 p.m.  

When crews arrived at the scene, they found smoke visible from the exterior of the dust collector. Fire companies entered the facility and confirmed that a fire had been extinguished by the sprinkler system.

There was no extension of the fire to any other part of the structure.

There were no reported injuries to We Energies employees or fire personnel. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.

Other - Residential, Residential

Auburn, CA – Sprinkler system activated for fire at low-income community; No injuries reported

Firefighters extinguished a fire at the Mercy North Auburn at Rock Creek complex on Sunday night.

CAL FIRE/Placer County firefighters responded to the multifamily structure on First Street before 9 p.m. According to CAL FIRE, first arriving personnel reported smoke showing from the third floor of the three-story complex.

Placer County Sheriff’s deputies evacuated 10 adjacent apartments on both sides of the fire. CAL FIRE reported the affected unit was fully charged with smoke, with a fire in the back corner and an active fire sprinkler.

“The modern building construction and sprinkler systems held the fire in check for the short time prior to firefighters extinguishing the fire,” CAL FIRE reported on its Facebook on Monday afternoon.

CAL FIRE confirmed the fire was extinguished 10 minutes after dispatch and three apartments sustained major fire and water damage. CAL FIRE also replaced the sprinkler and recharged the system.

There were no injuries due to the fire. The cause remains under investigation.

Mercy North Auburn at Rock Creek is a community of 79 homes for low-income and special-needs families. Located on 3 acres of county-owned property on First Street at the Placer County Government Center, Mercy North Auburn at Rock Creek includes 32 two-bedroom apartments, 25 three-bedroom apartments and 22 one-bedroom apartments.

Residents began moving in Jan. 24, 2022, and a ceremony was held in mid May 2022, which included a ribbon cutting and speeches with several area officials attending.

Doug Shoemaker, president of Mercy Housing California, said that day all 79 homes were occupied by working people and about 20 others who were homeless at one time. They were to pay 30 percent of their income toward rent. A few residents stood outside their new homes watching the ceremony.

Other - Retail, Retail

Baton Rouge, LA – Sprinkler system activated for fire at Dollar Tree store

A snack aisle at a Dollar Tree caught fire Sunday evening, destroying a shelf and damaging part of the building’s ceiling. 

The Central Fire Department posted pictures of the fire’s aftermath Sunday. Officials said the operational sprinkler system inside the store prevented the fire from spreading, and the scene was under control shortly after the firefighters’ arrival.

There was no immediate known cause of the fire, but the CFD encouraged anyone with information about the fire to contact the Baton Rouge Fire Department.

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