Tag Archives: Evening (6pm-9pm)

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Silver City, NM – Electrical fire at crowded Denny’s restaurant put out by sprinkler system

An electrical fire in the ceiling above the kitchen at Denny’s sent customers and staff scrambling out into the parking lot Tuesday night, leaving their pancakes and burgers behind. The Silver City Fire Department got called out at 8:21 p.m. said Capt. Nathan Schwarz, but when firefighters arrived, the fire was already out.  “There was an electrical short in the back over the kitchen and the sprinkler system did its job and put the fire out,” he said.

Fifty to 60 customers were in the restaurant at the time, along with 20 employees, said Jennifer Noperil, one of Denny’s managers. One Denny’s employee said they heard a pop.  “I was cooking and I looked to the left and smelled smoke,” said cook Tyler Yarbrough.  Another employee popped the ceiling tile up to find where the smoke was coming from. He said he then saw flames in the ceiling.

“He tried putting it out with a fire extinguisher but it was just too much,” said cook Daniel Murillo.

That’s when staff called 911 and told the customers to evacuate the restaurant.

Customer Miguel Alvarado said he was sitting near the kitchen and had just gotten his meal when he heard the alarm go off and then the sprinkler went off.

People left the restaurant in a mostly calm fashion but some of the kids were crying, an employee said.

An ambulance had been dispatched to the restaurant minutes earlier for an unrelated medical call, Schwarz said. Employees had the restaurant completely evacuated by the time firefighters arrived. The fire was completely contained to the attic above the kitchen, Schwarz said. Six firefighters worked to pull soggy, burned insulation from the ceiling.

“Denny’s is going to be closed down for a few days until they can get an electrician in here and make repairs to the ceiling,” he said.

Apartment Building, Residential

Billings, MT – Sprinkler system assists firefighters in controlling apartment fire

An apartment fire Tuesday night above two Billings restaurants forced customers temporarily into the street while firefighters responded to the incident. The fire burned in a second floor unit of the Acme Hotel Apartments building above Hooligan’s Sports Bar and set off sprinklers in the apartment and fire alarms in the building.  Firefighters were able to contain the fire to the apartment and the cause was under investigation, according to Battalion Chief Dave Gilbert.

Multiple fire engines parked in the middle of North 28th Street and the Billings Police Department blocked the street off between First Avenue North and Second Avenue North during the response.   The street remained blocked off as of 8:00 p.m.  Some smoke traveled into a third floor hallway in the building and fans were set up to ventilate the area and clear smoke, Gilbert said.   About 20 minutes after the fire alarms began customers were allowed back into Hooligan’s Sports Bar and the Montana Brewing Company.

Gilbert said it was possible Hooligan’s would have to close early Tuesday night depending on the sprinkler system setup in the building. In some cases sprinkler and alarm systems in buildings are interconnected to the extent that shutting of one part of the system can affect the remainder, Gilbert said. A Billings Fire Department fire marshal would determine if any closures were necessary, Gilbert said. As of 9 p.m. a fire marshal was still conducting interviews and the cause of the fire remained undetermined, Gilbert said. More information would be available later in a press release, he said.

Residential, Residential High Rise

Houston, TX – Fire on 26th floor of high-rise apartment building controlled by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

A two-alarm high-rise apartment fire blocked Weslayan and West Alabama for nearly two hours Saturday evening. The fire was the result of a kitchen fire on the 26th floor of the 40-story building.  The problem was a faulty stove with what was described as a leaking gas valve, Houston Fire Department said. A sprinkler system in the apartment was activated and firefighters did the rest, including capping the leaking valve. Damage was reported to that unit, smoke damage next door, as well as that from water used to put out the fire.

According to the deputy fire chief on scene, apartments one floor above and beneath the unit where the fire was reported were evacuated. The rest of the building was not affected and was not alerted, but some residents were called by friends who saw the firetrucks surrounding the building. One woman walked down 31 flight of stairs with her dog and children in tow.  “A friend texted me and suggested I leave,” she said.

Another couple, with their 2-year-old son were returning from dinner when they saw the flashing lights. “We’re here because our house in Brays Heights flooded, and now this,” said Buck Baker. “It’s too much drama.” No injuries were reported and no high rise rescues were required.

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Wenatchee, WA – Sprinkler system helps control foam tray fire at packaging company

A fire in foam apple trays at Dolco Packaging was confined from spreading by an exterior sprinkler system and a quick response by firefighters.   The foam trays were stacked on pallets  in an outdoor storage yard and the burning material put up a significant amount of black smoke when it was first reported to RiverCom about 7:20pm.  The facility is located at 1121 S. Columbia Street in Wenatchee.

The Wenatchee World reports crews from Chelan Fire District #1 and Douglas Fire District #2 arrived and quickly knocked down the fire.   A 2nd alarm was sent out requesting more firefighters but was quickly cancelled when the fire was brought under control according to  Chelan County Battalion Chief Cary Neu.   He reported some smoke damage to the interior of the warehouse but the majority of the damage was outside.  The cause of the fire was not available.

Residential, Single Family Home

Vernon Hills, IL – Single sprinkler helps control residential fire, protecting family’s home and pet dog

Friday evening at 6:06pm, the Countryside Fire Protection District responded to black smoke coming out of the roof vents of a residential home. The first engine arriving on the scene, upgraded the alarm to a working still, which brought additional units from Countryside, Libertyville, Mundelein, Lincolnshire-Riverwoods, Long Grove, Lake Zurich, Wauconda, Barrington, Palatine, Arlington Heights, and Deerfield. Firefighters quickly arrived on the scene, and began extinguishing the fire. The fire was controlled by a single fire sprinkler head in the interior of the house, and the exterior of the house was controlled by two hand lines off of the engine. The fire was extinguished within minutes of the first arriving engine. The family was not home at the time of the fire, but the family’s dog was rescued from the fire, and was given oxygen because of the thick black smoke. Firefighters assisted with clean up and returned back to their stations.

Townhouse / Condominium

Henderson, NV – Electrical fire in condominium building contained by sprinkler system

An electrical fire in a Henderson condominium building yesterday evening was contained to the area of origin by the building’s fire sprinkler system and firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the fire before it could spread to neighboring units.  The Henderson Fire Department responded at about 5:40 p.m. on Sept. 20 to a residential structure fire at Scottsdale Valley Condominiums, located at 2925 Wigwam Pkwy.  The first arriving engine crew observed smoke coming from a three-story multifamily condominium building. Firefighters located the fire in the third-level loft area of one of the condominium units.  Four adults were displaced.

Apartment Building, Residential

Oswego, NY – No injuries reported in apartment fire contained by sprinkler system

Oswego Fire Department personnel were called to a multiple-story building at 131 W. First St. at 6:42 p.m. Monday with reports of smoke filling an apartment. Crews were first alerted to smoke in an apartment on the 6th floor, ultimately locating a fire in an occupied apartment on the first floor.  Firefighters and Oswego Police personnel assisted the resident from the apartment and brought her to safety.  The fire was kept under control by the sprinkler system until firefighters were able to make entry to the apartment and knock it down.  The fire was declared under control at 6:53 p.m.  Fire damage was confined to kitchen, with smoke and water damage throughout the apartment of origin.

Smoke also filled several apartments and multiple floors of the building. Residents in the smoke-affected parts of the building were evacuated with the help of the Oswego City Police Department and the US Border Patrol, while other residents were asked to shelter in place.  Firefighters used multiple means to ventilate the structure of the smoke.

After several air quality checks, all of the residents were allowed to return to their apartments, with the exception of the fire apartment. No injuries were reported, all personnel were back in service at 8:10 p.m.  Special thanks to the building manager and maintenance personnel for their assistance during the emergency.

Office Building, Other Business

Tucson, AZ – Sprinkler system credited with minimizing damage at downtown office building

Firefighters arrived just in time to see the sprinklers activate over flames in the administrative office of Visit Tucson.

The fire alarm at 100 South Church Ave in downtown Tucson triggered a call to 911 at 6:38 p.m., according to a release from Tucson Fire Department. It stated firefighters arrived on scene two minutes later and had the situation under control 12 minutes after that.

They didn’t find anyone inside the building, but determined the fire started around some construction equipment. The cause of it all is still under investigation, according to the department’s release.

The department credits a working fire alarm and sprinkler system with saving property and lives from the flames.

Apartment Building, Residential

Chattanooga, TN – Fire in mechanical room of 10 story apartment building extinguished by sprinkler system

Chattanooga firefighters have evacuated apartment building on West 6th Street, due to a small fire Friday night.  The call came in just before 8:15 p.m. from The 300 apartment building. Fire department spokesman Bruce Garner tells Channel 3, a small fire broke out in the mechanical room on the fifth floor.  Garner says the sprinkler system put out the flames before firefighters arrived at the scene.

Firefighters evacuated residents and thoroughly searched all 10 floors of the building.  Garner says firefighters are working to clean up the water from the sprinkler system.  No one was hurt.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Dover, OH – Fire at pallet manufacturing company extinguished with help from sprinkler system

A melted water tank is believed to have helped to extinguish a fire at Inca Pallets on Sunday evening.  Firefighters arrived to find no fire, although a sprinkler had activated and there was heat damage to a building, according to Dover Fire Capt. Michael Mossor. Water was also found flowing from the top of a wall.

An incident report said firefighters drained the sprinkler system and a section of fiberglass insulation ignited.  Firefighters found damage to a large plastic water tank near the suspected origin of the fire. The report said fire affected the tank, releasing water which contributed to extinguishing the fire.  Damage was estimated at $50,000 to the contents and $5,000 to the property.

Six departments were dispatched to the business at 3005 Progress St., where the fire alarm was triggered at 6:29 p.m. Firefighters arrived six minutes later and left the scene by 8:10 p.m.  In addition to Dover, fire departments came from New Philadelphia, Strasburg, Sugarcreek, Uhrichsville and Bolivar.