Tag Archives: Evening (6pm-9pm)

Irondequoit, NY – Nursing home fire contained by sprinkler system

Waco, TX – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire at manufacturing plant

Firefighters were battling a fire Monday evening at the Hobbs Bonded Fibers plant at 200 Commerce St. in Waco.

A passing Waco fire crew spotted smoke coming from the plant Monday evening and notified the Waco Fire Department’s dispatcher.

About a half-dozen units were dispatched to the plant, which had been evacuated.

An employee said it appears the plant’s sprinkler system extinguished the fire before the crews arrived, but firefighters later spotted flames.

Just before 7 p.m., firefighters were looking for hot spots concentrated in the ceiling.

The cause of the fire hasn’t been determined.

The plant produces a range of products ranging from filters to health care products to industrial apparel to carpet and rug backings to Nomex and Kevlar products, quilt batting, fiberfill and pillow forms.

Firefighters were dealing not only with the fire, but also record-high temperatures.

Toronto, ON, Canada – Arson fire at historic building controlled by sprinkler system

Police have taken over the investigation into a fire at Old City Hall on Monday night after investigators determined that it was deliberately set.

Toronto Fire Chief Matthew Pegg told CP24 on Tuesday morning that investigators with the Ontario Fire Marshal and Toronto Fire Services made the ruling after wrapping up an extensive investigation at the historic building at around 4:30 a.m.

“I can confirm that the fire was intentionally set. It is now in the hands of the detective at Toronto police,” he said.

The one-alarm blaze broke out in the southeast corner of Old City Hall at around 8 p.m.

Pegg said that crews first became aware of the fire after the building’s sprinkler system went off.

He said that the damage from the blaze is estimated at about $100,000, which he called “extraordinarily low” given the circumstances.

“We are very fortunate that that this building has sprinklers and that the system worked as designed. It would have been a much different scenario had that not been the case,”: he said. “We had three sprinkler heads activate last night. The sprinkler system controls the growth, development and spread of the fire so in essence it keeps it in check until our firefighters arrive and can suppress the fire.”

Pegg said that there is smoke and water damage from the fire but no structural damage.

According to a spokesperson from the Ministry of the Attorney General, the fire impacted the Provincial Offences Act appeals office but did not damage any paperwork related to criminal cases.

“The Provincial Offences Act appeals office and matters scheduled in one courtroom have been moved within the building. The courts remain operational at this time,” Brian Gray said.

No information has been released about potential suspects at this point.

Franklin, TN – Sprinkler system extinguishes apartment fire

A Franklin woman’s pet cat will live to see another day after a kitchen fire nearly destroyed the unit. 

Officials say the fire happened around 8:30 p.m. on Sunday evening at the Grove at Shadow Green apartments off Columbia Avenue. 

The fire was started when a burner on the stove was left on, igniting the microwave and other combustibles around the appliance. 

The blaze was extinguished by a single automatic fire sprinkler, officials say protected the other occupants in the three-story, 30-unit complex. 

“We are thankful the fire sprinklers performed as designed – preventing a much different outcome for the pet and the other families living in the building,” said Franklin Fire Marshal Andy King. “The Franklin Fire Department encourages all prospective tenants to choose apartment complexes with fire sprinklers when possible. They are lifesavers.”

When responders arrived on the scene, they first rescued the tenant’s cat and then ventilated the unit and turned off the sprinkler. 

The tenant was not home at the time of the incident. She returned after neighbors notified her about the fire. 

The unit below also suffered water damage. 

Officials estimate the damage to the two units at around $25,000. 

Leamington, ON, Canada – Fire at food processing facility limited by sprinkler system

The Leamington Fire Department responded to a call at Top Line Farms, on the 500 block of Essex Road 18 around 6 p.m. Saturday.  Flames were pouring through a large portion of an outside wall when fire crews arrived.  Fire officials say the blaze appears to have been caused by an improperly discarded cigarette.  They have put an initial damage estimate of $2.3 million on the fire, but say damage to product inside the facility is still being assessed.  The Leamington Fire Department credits the facilities sprinkler system with helping to contain the fire.  Topline Farms markets a variety of hothouse specialty produce.

Lakewood, WA – Arson fire at casino contained by sprinkler system

On Monday, July 9th at approximately 7:05 p.m., West Pierce Fire & Rescue responded to reports of a structure fire at the Macau Casino, located at 9811 South Tacoma Way in Lakewood. Reports came in as smoke being present in the building and the building was in the process of being evacuated. Crews arrived and determined upon entry the fire was in the women’s restroom. The sprinkler system in the building contained the fire to the restroom and saved the structure, as well as the occupants inside. Without the automatic sprinkler system in place, the fire would have quickly spread and the incident would have been much larger.

West Pierce Fire & Rescue investigators determined the fire was set intentionally and the Lakewood Police Department is investigating.

Logan, UT – Fire extinguished at nursing home after help from sprinkler system

An air conditioning unit that sparked a blaze in a resident’s bed led to some injuries during the evacuation of a nursing home Friday.

An employee at Rocky Mountain Care, 1480 N. 400 East, discovered the fire about 6:40 p.m. and helped the female resident out of the bed and into the hallway, said Craig Humphreys, assistant chief and fire marshal of the Logan Fire Department. The resident was taken to the hospital to be treated for minor injuries.

Humphrey’s credited the employee for saving the woman’s life.

Another employee attempted to put out the fire with a fire extinguisher as the building’s sprinkler system activated, he said.

Evacuations were underway as firefighters arrived. With help of the sprinkler system, crews were able to quickly extinguish the fire, Humphreys said. Firefighters then worked to ventilate smoke and remove water from the building.

The fire destroyed the mattress but the fire was confined to one room, he said.

A woman who fell during the evacuation was taken to the hospital as a precaution, he said. Three employees were treated at the scene for possible smoke inhalation.

Humphreys said investigators determined the fire to be accidental. He said the fire started because the bed was pushed up against the electrical cord on the window-mounted air conditioning unit.

Cloquet, MN – Fire at senior apartment building held in check by sprinkler system

Emergency officials responded to a fire at a Cloquet senior living residence Friday evening which has forced some residents out of their apartments. The fire at Larson Commons was reported around 6 p.m. Friday. Area firefighters responded to the incident at the senior living residence and found smoke on the fifth floor.

“When crews arrived, we had multiple people yelling out of the window that they couldn’t get out of their apartments,” Cloquet Area Fire District Chief Kevin Schroeder said. “Initial crews found smoke throughout the fifth floor.”  Chief Schroeder adds crews found fire in the corner of the hallway. The fire had been confined to the area by the sprinkler system.

“The sprinkler system kept [the fire] in check. The fire started in some furniture, went up the wall into the ceiling,” Chief Schroeder said. Fire officials extinguished the fire and checked the walls to make sure the fire had not spread to other parts of the building. The cause of the fire is not known yet.

As crews check the electrical systems of the building complex to ensure no damages, residents have been evacuated. The Red Cross is assisting affected residents. Crews with the fire department are also assisting with recovering personal belongings and needs of residents affected.  Two people were evaluated for minor injuries. One resident was brought to Duluth to receive medical attention.  Cloquet Area Fire District was assisted by Carlton and Esko Fire Departments. The fire remains under investigation.

Cottonwood, AZ – Sprinkler system limits spread of commercial laundry fire

At around 6:45 p.m. June 28, Cottonwood Fire & Medical Department responded to a report of a fire in a senior residential living facility in the 100 block of South Willard Street in Cottonwood. Calls to 9-1-1 reported a fire in the laundry room of the facility.  According to a news release from Cottonwood Fire & Medical, upon arrival, firefighters found active flames in a large commercial dryer located in the facility laundry room.  “Fire fighters quickly extinguished the fire and ventilated the smoke from the building,” the news release states. “Fortunately, a fire sprinkler had activated immediately above the involved dryer and helped keep the fire from spreading to the structure.”  Damage was confined to the dryer and adjacent area. Assistance was provided by Cottonwood Police and the Verde Valley Fire District.  This incident is a reminder that fire sprinkler systems are instrumental in saving lives and property, fire officials advised.

Newington, VA – Dryer fire at business in strip mall is contained by sprinkler system; Damage minimized

Investigators have identified lint buildup in a dryer as the cause of the Thursday, June 14 Newington strip mall fire, the Fairfax County County and Rescue Department says. Fire sprinklers saved the middle unit strip mall business in the 8000 block of Rolling Road from significant damage. Damages were about $600, and no one was injured.  Fairfax County Fire and Rescue and Fort Belvoir Fire units had responded to the fire around 8:31 p.m. Five employees and one customer were inside at the time of the fire. An employee noticed the rear of the store filling with smoke, and all were able to evacuate.  A fire sprinkler activated and kept the fire contained until firefighters arrived. The fire came from the rear storage area of the building and was quickly put out within 10 minutes.