Tag Archives: Evening (6pm-9pm)

Apartment Building, Residential

Hampton, VA – Sprinkler system knocks down apartment building fire; No injuries reported

Hampton Division of Fire & Rescue responded to a report of a fire in the 200 block of Marcella Road shortly before 6 p.m. last Thursday, Battalion Chief Jeff Bartgis said at the scene.  Firefighters arrived and found fire in a third floor unit, Battalion Chief Jeff Pereira said.

The sprinkler system helped contain flames to the one unit, but it caused water damage in adjacent units on three of the floors, the officials said.  “A lot of them have a lot of water in them,” Bartgis said. “The sprinkler system did exactly what it was supposed to do and knocked the fire down for us,” he said. A restoration company was requested to dry out the units, and Bartgis said he’s hopeful residents can return to their homes soon. No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Lewiston, ID – Electrical fire at hotel put out with help from sprinkler system

Fire officials suspect an electrical malfunction sparked a fire Monday evening in a fourth-floor room at the Red Lion Hotel in Lewiston.

The Lewiston Fire Department was dispatched to the hotel at 621 21st St. at approximately 6:20 p.m., and no one was injured in the fire, according to a news release from LFD Chief Travis Myklebust.

The first arriving unit found occupants from the hotel exiting into the parking lot, and nothing was showing from the outside. Crews went to the fourth floor and found a room with heavy black smoke coming into the hallway from inside. At that point, units from Asotin County Fire District No. 1, Clarkston Fire and Wheatland Fire District were requested as well.

As crews were getting in place, the hotel’s sprinkler system activated and helped extinguish the fire. The fire was contained to the room and there was some minor smoke damage on the fourth-floor and minor water damage on the third floor, according to the news release. The fire was under control by about 15 minutes after arrival.

Lewiston responded with three engines, one ladder truck, one service truck, two ambulances and three command officers, with a total of 17 personnel. Mutual-aid units responded with two engines and one support unit, totaling 14 personnel. Two fire investigators were also called to the scene.

Restaurant

Gurnee Mills, IL – Evening fire at Burger King extinguished by sprinkler system

The Gurnee Fire Department responded to a small kitchen fire at the Burger King in Gurnee Mills Saturday evening, officials said. The restaurant’s fire alarm went off just before 6 p.m., according to Battalion Chief Bob Heraver. The fire had been extinguished by the sprinkler head when firefighters arrived, Heraver said, and investigators determined the fire was caused by a flash from one of the stoves in the kitchen. Firefighters helped clean up the kitchen before turning it over to the Lake County Health Department for health and safety checks. There is not yet a final cost assessment of the water damage, but the restaurant is looking to reopen as soon as possible, according to authorities.

Apartment Building, Residential

Cleburne, TX – Fire in apartment at historic building contained to room of origin by sprinkler system

Cleburne firefighters say that an apartment fire in a historic downtown building was limited to the room of origin thanks to the building’s sprinkler system. That said, firefighters also noted that the building’s sprinkler system appears to be “substandard and poorly installed.”

Firefighters responded at 6:43 p.m. to the 400 block of East Henderson Street on reports of an earlier fire already extinguished. The fire originated in the kitchen of an apartment on the building’s second floor because of a pan of unattended oil on the stove top. The occupants told firefighters they went downstairs to eat but returned to find that the pan of oil had caught fire and spread to the microwave oven and cabinets above the stove, according to reports.

The occupants were unable to shut the sprinkler system off, which resulted in water damage to the kitchen area and the apartment below. Cleburne Assistant Fire Chief Keith Scarbrough said the fire may have caused far more damage but for the sprinkler system.

“Sprinkler systems work,” Scarbrough said. “Statistics from across the U.S. show that they put fires out 97 percent of the time. Of the other 3 percent, 1 percent is because of mechanical failure like weather or freezing temperatures.

“The other 1 percent is because someone turns them off and the last 1 percent is because the fire’s too big for the sprinkler’s capacity. That’s instances where someone originally used the building for offices or something like that and installed a system to handle that but later repurposed the use of the building, like making it a warehouse or paint processing facility and didn’t upgrade the sprinkler system to suit the new purpose.

“But, in my career here, I’ve seen three earlier instances where sprinkler systems almost certainly saved buildings from being lost, two school fires, a manufacturing plant fire and now this fire.

“Sprinkler systems are one of the most effective fire fighting processes available, which is why all businesses and even homes should have them.”

Firefighters responded to an industrial oven fire at 12:38 a.m. Saturday in the 200 block of West Industrial Boulevard to find heavy smoke emitting from the roof level of the plant.

Excess materials within the system caused the plant’s industrial ovens to catch fire. Workers on scene extinguished some but not all the fire having to quit because of heavy smoke. Cleburne firefighters completed the task and remained on scene until the ovens cooled sufficiently.

Firefighters responded to reports of a possible house fire at 8:05 p.m. March 2 in the 1700 block of Shawnee Drive.

Homeowners told firefighters they left a pot of chicken unattended on the stove. They turned the stove off and removed the chicken but the incident filled the home with smoke.

Firefighters checked but found no signs of heat or fire in the house. They set fans to clear the house of smoke and made note that the pot contained a burned chicken.

Child Care Facility, Hospital/Care Facility

Cornelius, OR – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire set by resident at youth group home

A youth group home operated by the Albertina Kerr Centers was damaged Monday evening, March 5, after a resident allegedly set a fire in his room.

The Cornelius Fire Department received the alarm at the house near the intersection of North 10th Avenue and Holladay Street at 6:01 p.m. Monday, according to spokesman Matt Johnston. He said the fire was extinguished quickly, and there were no injuries.

“The fire was actually put out by fire sprinklers,” said Johnston, adding, “It pretty much just burned a curtain. That was all that was burned. The sprinklers put it out and stopped it.”

Jeff Carr, chief executive officer of the Albertina Kerr Centers, said the sprinklers “went off very quickly” and extinguished the fire before first responders even arrived.

Albertina Kerr operates more than a dozen youth group homes and other mental health and treatment facilities across the Portland area.

Apartment Building, Residential

Duluth, MN – Cooking fire at high rise apartment building put out by sprinkler system

An apartment in the Tri-Towers Apartment Complex suffered thousands of dollars in damage after an accidental cooking fire.

The Duluth Fire Department says they responded to the high rise apartment building on 222 N. 2nd Ave. East around 7:20 p.m. Thursday.

When crews arrived, they noticed smoke on the sixth floor with a sprinkler system activated in one of the apartments on that floor. The department says the system extinguished the fire. Authorities vented out the smoke and vacuumed up water.

One resident of the apartment was taken to the hospital for evaluation.

Damages are estimated at $20,000.

Other - Manufacturing

Omaha, NE – Fire at industrial building controlled thanks in part to sprinkler system

No injuries were reported Tuesday night in a fire at an industrial building near South 42nd and D Streets.  Fire crews reported to the structure, which contains recycling materials, around 7:25 p.m.  Firefighters reported smoke on approach to the location.  The fire was declared under control at 7:45 p.m., thanks in part to a sprinkler system that helped contain the blaze, fire crews said.  Several employees were on location at the time of the fire, which remains under investigation, fire officials said.  The $889,300 structure sustained an estimated $250 in damage, officials said.

Apartment Building, Residential

Green Bay, WI – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire at large apartment building

A fire in a large apartment building was stopped in its tracks by the sprinkler system Monday night.  The Green Bay Metro Fire Department blames careless use of smoking materials for a fire inside a closet in one of the apartments of Woodland Park on University Avenue. The sprinkler system activated and alarms went off just before 6:30 p.m. When firefighters arrived, they found the fire was already extinguished.  Woodland Park has 80 apartments, according to its website.  Neighbors were allowed back in their apartments after about 45 minutes.  The person living in the apartment, along with two cats, are staying with friends across the hall, GBMFD said.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Wheeling, IL – Bedroom fire on 3rd floor of senior housing facility extinguished by sprinklers

Authorities say a sprinkler system helped avert disaster last week when fire broke out in a Wheeling senior housing facility.  Wheeling fire crews were called to the Addolorata Villa Senior Living Community, 557 McHenry Road, about 6:30 p.m. Thursday, in response to the fire.

The first firefighters to arrive found two fire sprinkler heads extinguishing a bedroom fire in a third-floor apartment of the four-story facility.  The resident of the unit was rescued by firefighters and admitted to a hospital for nonlife-threatening injuries, officials said. Firefighters and police evacuated several residents safely.

A Wheeling firefighter was admitted to Glenbrook Hospital in Glenview and kept overnight for observation of medical issues, according to the fire department.  The building where the fire started houses more than 100 residents and is one of four interconnected buildings at the facility, officials said. If not for the sprinkler system, it is likely the fire would have caused fatalities, Fire Chief Keith MacIsaac said in a news release. The cause of the fire is being investigated, but officials do not believe it was suspicious.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

McKinleyville, CA – Sprinkler system at Safeway store keeps fire from spreading, limits damage

Arcata Fire District firefighters were called to a reported structure fire at the McKinleyville Safeway located at 1503 City Center Road.  Battalion Chief Gomes arrived on scene first and discovered black smoke coming from a vent on the back of the building. Being Sprinkler familiar with the building layout, Gomes knew the fire was in the storeroom and directed the first due engine from the McKinleyville Station to make entry at the rear of the store, and initiate fire attack.  Store employees confirmed the fires location and had initiated a building evacuation.  The crews located the fire in the loft machinery room, above the rear storeroom and the building’s sprinkler system had been triggered.  The fire attack team used the buildings ladder way to gain access to the loft and deploy a hose line to the fire to complete extinguishment.  The second arriving engine from Mad River Station supported the fire attack operation by securing a water supply. The third engine from Arcata Station, and subsequent arriving CalFire and Fieldbrook engines, assisted with water removal to the sales floor and storeroom and applied salvage techniques to save computer equipment and merchandise.   

The fire loss was minimal, with an estimate of $2000 in damages.  Battalion Chief Gomes reports “The fire was held by the sprinkler systems that had activated properly, which assisted the firefighters in quickly extinguishing the burning material.  The combination of the two, saved this multi-million dollar building and its contents. Safeway was open for business the next day.”

The cause of fire was determined to be ordinary combustibles stored too close to hot mechanical equipment.

Additional engines from Humboldt Bay Fire and Blue Lake Fire covered District stations while the incident was occurring.

Arcata Fire District would like to remind all businesses and residents to keep adequate clearance around mechanical and electrical service equipment and ensure that sprinkler systems and extinguishers are checked regularly and functioning properly.