Tag Archives: Evening (6pm-9pm)

Manufacturing, Other - Manufacturing

Longview, TX – Sprinkler system activated for fire at distribution plant; No injuries reported

Firefighters were called out to a fire at around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.

The fire was at R & K Distributors on Whaley Street in Longview. Several engine companies arrived at the scene to battle the flames. Whaley St. was blocked eastbound as they worked to bring the fire under control.

At 6:15 p.m. Longview Fire Department officials say the fire was out, and there were no injuries. The sprinkler system assisted in putting out the fire.

No injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

Hospital/Care Facility, Hospital/Medical Clinic

Largo, FL – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire at hospital; No injuries reported

Around 19 patients at HCA Florida Largo Hospital were evacuated to other rooms after a fire started in a patient’s room on Sunday night.

Largo Fire said around 8 p.m. smoke was seen coming from the third floor. Fire crews from Clearwater, Seminole, and Largo were called to assist.

“Preliminary investigation shows that a paper towel dispenser possibly overloaded with some batteries, and because again paper towels are highly flammable, it overheated the paper towels inside, started to drip molten plastic down onto the table that they had tissue paper and towels on and then it extended to the wall from there. It was contained at the height of about midway up the wall,” Largo Fire District Chief, Kyle Lighthiser, said.

Lighthiser said the fire burned through the paper towels and said it’s unclear how long the fire was burning before the sprinkler system put it out. He said the staff was told to shut down the air conditioning system so smoke wasn’t circulating.

Fire crews then walked through the building with air monitors to make sure it was safe.

Lighthiser said maintenance is cleaning up any flooding but added that general cleanup will take several days.

There were no reported injuries.

Government Office, Government/Military

Los Angeles, CA – Suspicious fire at city hall contained by sprinkler system

Arson investigators are looking into what caused a “suspicious” fire to break out at Los Angeles City Hall on Saturday night. 

According to the LAFD, firefighters responded to City Hall – located at 200 N. Main Street in downtown L.A. – around 8 p.m.

Preliminary reports indicated that an object was apparently thrown into the building, causing the fire to start.

Fire crews arrived on scene and responded to an activated alarm on the second floor of the building. A sprinkler helped contain most of the fire, LAFD said.

“LAFD firefighters found evidence that the fire was started suspiciously,” a spokesperson for the LAFD confirmed to KTLA.

A fire department spokesperson told the LA Times that the fire started in the office of Chief Legislative Analyst Sharon Tso.

Tso later confirmed that there was a fire in her office, but also said that she could not comment further on the matter.

Arson investigators with the Los Angeles Fire Department are handling the ongoing investigation.

Apartment Building, Residential

Yarmouth, MA – Sprinkler system activated for fire at apartment complex; No injuries reported

Firefighters rushed to the Yarmouth Commons Apartments sometime before 12:30 PM after reports of a kitchen fire on the 3rd floor. Mutual aid from Dennis also responded to the scene. A sprinkler system controlled the fire and limited damage to the kitchen. No injuries were reported. Further details were not immediately available.

In response to a reader inquiry, Cape Wide News reached out to Yarmouth Fire and received the following statement from Deputy Chief Jon Sawyer: “The building is not habitual at this time. There are 40 apartments and 39 were occupied. As of  7:30 PM (Saturday), the sprinkler and fire alarm systems had been restored, broken windows in the fire apartment had been boarded up and restoration crews were on scene working hard to remove water and dry things out. All three floors sustained water damage.

The towns Building and Electrical Inspectors were on scene and are ready to assist contractors as soon as they are ready.

Families were allowed back into the building to collect medications and belongings as soon as it was safe.

Red Cross did a fantastic job assisting families as well as the management of the complex.

Everyone involved knows families are displaced and are doing everything possible to get them back home as quickly as possible.”

The apartments were constructed on the site of the former Cavalier Motel.

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Norwood, MA – Sprinkler system activated for fire at pallet warehouse

In the evening hours of Friday, June 10, the Norwood Fire Department responded to an alarm at 675 Canton St. The alarm was triggered after a fire sprinkler activation at a large commercial structure which houses a pallet warehouse.

Upon arrival, the first unit reported dense plumes of smoke billowing from the warehouse. Quickly recognizing the potential for a rapidly escalating fire, they promptly called a 2nd Alarm, bringing in additional firefighting resources from the surrounding towns.

Firefighters began the challenging task of locating the source of the fire amidst the smoke-filled, pallet-strewn warehouse. After a grueling 45 minutes into the incident, they succeeded in locating the fire’s origin, quickly getting water on it, and managing to suppress the flames effectively.

Despite the successful initial efforts, the situation called for further assistance, leading to the activation of a third alarm. This call brought in even more resources and manpower to help overhaul the aftermath of the fire.

To aid in the smoke clearance of the warehouse, large fans were brought in to help with ventilation. This effort made it safer for the fire department units to work in the interior and ensure no hidden fire pockets would flare-up later on.

Units from neighboring towns including Foxborough, Westwood, Sharon, and others all responded to the fire, contributing to the efficient management of what could have been a catastrophic disaster. Their coordinated efforts ensured the massive warehouse sustained minimal damage.

Manufacturing, Other - Manufacturing

Kearney, NE – Sprinkler system activated for fire at manufacturing facility

Fire crews responded to a fire at Eaton in Kearney Wednesday evening.

According to the Kearney Volunteer Fire Department (KVFD), they found heavy black smoke when they arrived at Eaton Corporation at 4200 East Highway 30. The smoke was coming from the roof and exterior doors of the west side of facility. Employees were evacuating when fire crews arrived.

One crew found the fire and extinguished it while another gained access to the roof to ensure the fire had not extended to the roof.

Fire command verified with Eaton’s management that all employees were accounted for and had been evacuated.

Power was shut down in the impacted area along with the sprinkler system which was activated by the fire.

Two Eaton’s employees were evaluated by Good Samaritan EMS for smoke inhalation. No other injuries were reported.

The fire origin and cause are still under investigation, but the original investigation showed that the fire started in a seat grinder and spread to a mist collector. The fire was mostly contained to the area of these two machines, according to KVFD.

Other - Retail, Retail

Yarmouth, ME – Sprinkler system activated for fire at marketplace; No injuries reported

A fire at a Route 1 mall in Yarmouth on Monday night was contained before it could spread to a dozen or so adjoining businesses.

Yarmouth Fire Chief Mike Robitaille credited the sprinkler system at the Sherwin Williams paint store, 438 Route 1, for preventing a much larger fire that he said could have caused significant damage to other businesses at Yarmouth Marketplace.

Robitaille said the fire started just after 6 p.m. in a ceiling dormer above Sherwin Williams. It did not reach any of the paint products stored at the business, but the store sustained significant water damage.

“The fire was quickly contained, but in all honesty, it was the sprinkler system that did the job,” Robitaille said. “If the fire had spread, it could have been a significant dollar loss.”

Some of the adjoining addresses in the mall, which include Romeo’s Pizza, Enterprise Rent a Car, an AT&T store, P&P Screen Printing and Royal River Baptist Church, sustained smoke damage.

Mutual aid was provided by Cumberland, Freeport and Falmouth. No injuries were reported and the cause remains under investigation.

Apartment Building, Residential

Honolulu, HI – Fire at sixth-floor apartment unit extinguished by sprinkler system

On Saturday, April 22, the Honolulu Fire Department said they responded to a 911 call at 8:14 p.m.

The call indicated that there was a building fire at the location of the Country Club Village complex in the Moanalua area.

When fire personnel arrived on the scene at 8:18 p.m., they discovered water flowing out from a sixth-floor apartment of a 30-story building.

HPD personnel noticed that while the water was running out of the apartment, there did not seem to be fire or smoke emanating from the building.

Fire personnel made their way to the sixth-floor apartment. When they identified which apartment, they were able to gain access.

HPD confirmed that there were no occupants and proceeded to locate the fire.

However, what they found was not a fire because the sprinkler system had fully extinguished the fire prior to their arrival, according to HPD.

A portion of the fire personnel crew dispatched to cover the fire remained on the scene to secure the sprinklers and prevent more water from flowing into the apartment and the building.

Fire personnel also went the extra mile to assist with removing water from the building so that residents could return to their homes.

HPD did report that the elevator shaft became flooded due to the sprinkler system’s response to the fire, and the building was without elevator car service until the elevator company can repair the water damage and place them back into service.

HPD reported that they closed this case by 11:45 p.m.

HFD fully endorses the use of fire sprinklers to help mitigate the damages that fires can cause, and they have provided a few safety tips to help protect you and your family from a fire.

Ensure that your home has an adequate number of smoke alarms. These are essential for early warning detection of smoke related to fires. Having a warning system is the best way to increase the chances that you and your family have enough time to evacuate.

The HFD link for information on smoke alarms provides detailed information on how to maximize your smoke alarms.

The informational site also provides details on the various types of smoke alarms and the different ways to use them.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Red Deer, AB, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for fire at tire store; No injuries reported

Red Deer Emergency Services (RDES) are currently investigating a fire that took place Wednesday night at the north-end Canadian Tire store.

Curtis Schaefer, Assistant Deputy Chief for the City’s RDES, says the call came in at around 8:30 p.m. on April 5.

A total of 19 firefighters were on scene with three fire engines, a ladder, a command vehicle and an ambulance.

When crews arrived, he says smoke wasn’t seen escaping the building (6380 -50 Ave) but firefighters were able to see smoke inside the store from the front doors. He says crews got in quickly and found the seat of the fire, its origin, in the seasonal section of the store.

Making their initial fire attack, Schaefer says crews went back out to bring more hose lines but the fire grew, activating the sprinkler system. While the sprinklers controlled the fire from spreading, he says crews ventilated the building to ensure there was no other damage or fire going on in the building at the same time, before knocking out the fire completely.

“With the combination of the fire and the sprinklers, the entire building became full of smoke,” he said. “Once the fire was out completely and the sprinklers were shut off, the time was spent ventilating the building. It’s a very large structure with a large amount of smoke in it.”

Crews were on scene for approximately four hours, he says.

The cause of the fire is under investigation but Schaefer says the belief is that it may be suspicious, leading RCMP to assist them Thursday morning.

As the store’s closing hour was 9 p.m., he says all employees and customers were successfully evacuated when fire crews came on scene. No injuries were reported.

No damage was caused to other properties and the fire was contained to just the store’s seasonal area, but Schaefer says water and smoke damage spread across the entirety of the Canadian Tire.

“When we have fires inside large commercial buildings like this, the challenge is just the size. It’s difficult for our crews to get access to the seat of the fire and basically the size of the building and the amount of material in the building can cause challenges for our crews to get to the seat of the fire and put it out quickly,” he said.

Investigators and a property restoration company were on scene Thursday morning.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Rockland, ME – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire in industrial building

A March 20 fire at the International Flavors and Fragrances plant on Lime Street started due to sunlight refracting through a glass ball that was facing a roll of paper towels.

Rockland Fire Chief Christopher Whytock said this was the second consecutive fire in which a sprinkler system in an industrial building worked like it was intended and limited damage. On March 1, the department responded to a fire at Weatherend Estate Furniture in the Industrial Park.

The call at IFF came in shortly after 6 p.m. March 20. Rockland crews were at the scene within a few minutes followed by Rockport.

Chief Whytock said a fire started in an office in Building 13. The sprinkler system extinguished the fire.

The chief said workers began to smell what they described as “dust on a heater” in the area of the office about 50 minutes before the fire alarm and sprinkler system tripped. Workers looked around but couldn’t find the source of the smell and it had dissipated. They looked through a glass door into the office but didn’t see any source of the smell.

“What we found is that the roll of brown paper towels had smoldered for some time before it then caught a plastic bottle next to the roll on fire and the alcohol that was in the bottle gave off enough heat to then start melting the radio in the area of the fire. Once that got burning the heat was enough to initiate the sprinkler system,” the chief said.

Workers were outside the large building immediately past the gate at the Lime Street entrance as firefighters went inside the structure which had a receiving sign on it.

The International Flavors and Fragrances plant produces carrageenan from seaweed. Even though the company lists IFF as its owner, workers were wearing hard hats that said DuPont.

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