Tag Archives: Evening (6pm-9pm)

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Vienna, VA – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire in high school classroom

A fire in a Madison High School classroom forced the cancellation of a drama performance on Friday, Nov. 9. There were no injuries.

Fairfax County Fire and Rescue responded to the fire around 6:49 p.m. Friday. Firefighters arriving on scene found smoke showing from the roof line of the school but found fire sprinklers had put out the blaze in a classroom. The fire was contained to the classroom.

About 125 students and staff had been in the building when the fire occurred. Smoke alarms and sprinklers alerted them to the fire. Most evacuated, while first responders helped others get out safely.

Fire investigators say a malfunctioning kiln left on unattended started the fire. A kiln is an oven for drying ceramics. Damages were estimated to be $3,000.

The school tweeted that the drama performance of “Noises Off” had been cancelled for that day. The play went on as scheduled on Saturday, Nov. 10 and has additional dates on Nov. 16-17 at 7:30 p.m.

Retail, Shopping Mall

Evansville, IN – Structure fire at nail salon contained by sprinkler system

Firefighters were responding to an apparent structure fire at a West side business Saturday evening.

The fire apparently originated at Pretty Nails nail salon, according to scanner traffic. Responders were working to get the building’s sprinkler system turned off, but the fire was stopped.

The call came in around 8:15 p.m. According to scanner traffic, Evansville and Vanderburgh County officers are blocking all east-west on Pearl Drive. Motorists are advised to avoid the area.

The address on the call was 5405 Pearl Drive, which is the location of a strip mall that houses Buffalo Wild Wings. Eye-Mart and Crazy Buffet as well as the nail salon.

According to scanner traffic, multiple fire and rescue units were staging at the AMC Theatre just down the street. The site of the fire was safely evacuated.

Restaurant

Boulder, CO – Sprinkler system contains fire in kitchen area of restaurant; Firefighters fully extinguish blaze

Boulder Fire Rescue responded to a small fire that broke out in the kitchen of Foolish Craig’s in downtown Boulder on Wednesday night.  Battalion Chief Dave Gelderloos said a Boulder police officer called in the fire at about 8:26 p.m. after he heard and alarm and smelled smoke in the area.  A ladder truck, four engines and an ambulance were dispatched to the restaurant at 1611 Pearl St., Gelderloos said.  He said a sprinkler system in the restaurant contained the fire to the kitchen area, and firefighters were able to quickly extinguish a small fire that was still burning. A ladder truck was brought in to check the roof of the building.  The cause of the fire was not immediately known, and Gelderloos said no one was hurt.  Boulder police temporarily shut down Pearl Street between 16th Street and 17th Street, as well as the alley on the northside of the restaurant, while the fire was being extinguished. It was reopened by 10 p.m.

Apartment Building, Residential

Richmond, TX – (No Media Coverage) Apartment kitchen fire contained by single sprinkler; No injuries to civilians or firefighters

** Fire Department Reported – No Media Coverage ** On 11/05/2018 at approximately 1900 hours. Investigators responded to an apartment located at 1901 WATERSIDE VILLAGE Drive Richmond, TX 77407 for an oven fire in the apartment. The fire activated one sprinkler head, which contained the fire to the oven. The activated sprinkler head kept the fire from growing or spreading any further. The remaining fire was extinguished with a fire extinguisher. There were no injuries to civilians or fire service personnel. The cause of the fire is unintentional caused by unattended cooking.

Residential, Townhouse / Condominium

Clear Lake, IA – Sprinkler system extinguishes kitchen fire in condominium; No injuries reported

A stove top grease fire at a condominium complex was put out before firefighters could arrive Monday night. The Clear Lake Fire Department was called to The Harborage Pilot House on North Shore Drive around 8:44 pm. Three engine companies, 18 firefighters, and one ambulance responded, with another engine company and five firefighters from Ventura being sent for mutual aid.

When they arrived at the scene, fire department officials determined a pot of grease on a stove had ignited. The heat activated the sprinkler system and extinguished the flames.

An estimated $5,000 in water, smoke, and heat damage was done to one condo, with some water damaged to that floor and the floors below. All residents were able to evacuate and no one was injured.

The Clear Lake Police Department also assisted at the scene.

Other - Manufacturing

Sioux City, IA – Fire at Cargill facility caused by discarded cigarette contained with help from sprinkler system

It was a discarded cigarette that started a fire at Cargill Tuesday evening.  But, that fire never made it inside. However, there is heavy smoke damage to the outside of the building.  This all happened just before six o’clock Tuesday evening. A truck driver noticed smoke and activated the fire alarm.  The sprinklers activated – No one was hurt.

We talked to fire officials who tell us a discarded cigarette in a disposal container started on fire spreading to a nearby bench. But, they say it could’ve much worse.  “A truck driver just leaving the mill out on the South end of the building is the one that discovered the fire. He ran into the building, activated the alarm and notified the staff inside the building,” said Fire Captain Ryan Collins.  The sprinkler system was restored and everything is back in operation. No injuries to Cargill staff, or the 20 firefighters who responded, were reported.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Statesville, NC – Boiler room fire at high school put out by sprinkler system; No injuries and classes not disrupted

A fire that broke out Monday night in a boiler room at Statesville High School did “minimal damage” and will not disrupt classes, school officials said Tuesday.  The school’s sprinkler system put out the blaze shortly after it began around 6:30 p.m., according to a press release from Iredell-Statesville Schools.  The boiler room is in the basement of the Center Street campus. Some staff members were at the school when the fire started but no injuries were reported.  The Statesville Fire Department worked with school maintenance staff to secure the area, ISS said.

Air quality tests showed that the school was safe and classes were held as scheduled Tuesday.  Principal Hans Lassiter said the area “has pretty much been cleaned up. There are remnants of the burned insulation that smelled pretty bad, but that, too, has been neutralized.”  One basement classroom will temporarily be relocated while repairs are made.

Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

Stanford, CA – Sprinkler system activates to help control dorm fire at Stanford University; No injuries reported and damage limited

Around 6:30 p.m. last Sunday night, residents of Ujamaa House in the Lagunita residential complex were evacuated after a fire was reported in a resident’s room. According to Bec Smith ’20, Palo Alto Fire Department said the fire originated from an electrical wiring issue.  While no one was injured, certain halls flooded after fire sprinklers activated. According to SUDPS spokesperson Bill Larson, the scope of the damage included residents’ belongings, walls and ceilings.

Several residents said the student currently living in the room was not present when the incident occurred. Witnesses reported seeing firefighters throwing clothes out of the window of the room, which is reportedly in the Lower B section of Ujamaa.  At around 8:20 p.m., the A wing of the dorm reopened, but the B wing remained closed as of 10:00 p.m.

“It doesn’t seem like it’s anybody’s fault,” said resident Jamayka Young ’21, who lives next door to the room in which the fire allegedly took place. “[The resident] didn’t have anything happen because they weren’t there.”

Police from the Stanford University Department of Public Safety (SUDPS) and the Palo Alto Fire Department blocked off entry to the area around Roble Drive and Lomita Drive as well as the entrances to Ujamaa until the situation was confirmed to be safe.  “I saw that smoke was coming from the [affected] room,” said Ruth-Ann Armstrong ’21, another resident who lives near the room. “A [resident assistant] called the police, and it took them about 15 minutes to get here.”  Authorities confirmed that the scope of the damage was limited. “It’s all done,” said SUDPS officer Victor Lee. “It could’ve been worse, but I think it was isolated to one room.”

However, not all of residents’ worries have been assuaged. “I’m worried about my laptop, which is open and on my bed, and how I’ll get money from Stanford to pay for this,” said Young, referring to possible damage from the sprinkler system.  “It’s not great,” said Smith. “I have a midterm tomorrow; a lot of people have midterms tomorrow.”  Smith later added that “everyone is coming together in [Ujaama] to provide housing to people in B wing,” with residents from A wing offering places to sleep to those from B wing.

An email sent to the Ujamaa mailing list by RA Gia Page Soles at 11:16 p.m. stated that the Upper B wing of Ujamaa house was clear for access. The email also stated that the air quality was “fine,” and it also notified residents that dehumidifiers would be operating in the Lower B wing.  An email was sent to the same mailing list at 12:51 p.m. on Monday stating that anyone who was affected in the electrical fire was eligible to submit a form for reimbursement for any items that were damaged as a result of the incident.  The Daily has reached out to the Ujamaa RAs and RF for comment.

Apartment Building, Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Ferndale, MI – Fire in 68-unit apartment building for elderly, disabled, and low income residents extinguished by sprinkler system

At about 8:30 pm last Monday night some residents of Withington West apartments were evacuated due to a fire that started in a fourth floor apartment.  Withington West is a 68-unit property of the Ferndale Housing Commission. It is home to elderly, disabled and low income residents. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

The fire started on a stove, by a resident cooking chicken. Fire Chief Kevin Sullivan further explained that walls in the building are made of concrete, so fire remain contained. “The fire protection system did exactly what it was designed to do, enough heat was released to set of the sprinkler head in the kitchen, effectively extinguishing the fire. The fire pump came on when the head opened, the water pressure dropped, the fire pump made up the difference,” he said. He confirmed there were no injuries. He also clarified that only apartments immediately around that where the fire started were evacuated.

Residents were permitted back into the building once the fire was extinguished, and restoration crews were on the scene as of 10pm working to clean up water from the sprinkler system and fire department. The Fire Marshall was also on hand to conduct the investigation.

Housing Director Heather VanPoucker confirmed there were no injuries and that efforts to protect residents went smoothly. “Fire suppression worked exactly as intended.” VanPoucker said. “The fire department response was excellent as always.”

Apartment Building, Residential

Berkeley, CA – Fifth floor apartment fire held in check by sprinkler system

Berkeley Fire Department responded to a fire at 2310 Fulton St. — which was determined to have been caused by a dryer that caught fire — after receiving a call at 6 p.m. about smoke billowing out of the apartment complex, according to BFD spokesperson Keith May.

May said the fire broke out on the fifth floor of the building, and firefighters put it out “within minutes.” He added that the fire did not cause any injuries to civilians or firefighters.

“The sprinkler system kicked in and held it in check,” May said. “Once (firefighters) made entry and found out where the smoke was coming from, they just immediately put it out.”

BFD responded to the fire by dispatching four engines, a truck company, a battalion chief and an ambulance, according to May.

May said the location where the fire broke out is still an “active scene.”