Tag Archives: Evening (6pm-9pm)

Auto Dealership, Retail

Eureka, CA – Sprinklers help limit damage in fire at auto body shop

An alert passerby coupled with a sprinkler system helped quell what could have been a much worse fire at Fred’s Body Shop on Saturday night.  A malfunctioning paint recycler — an apparatus which separates and reclaims solvents from waste paint for reuse — at the shop, located on Indianola Cutoff, was the cause of the fire but the business’ commercial fire sprinkler system suppressed much of the flames.

A passerby reported smoke and a small amount of fire coming from the shop and, at about 6:40 p.m., units from the Humboldt Bay Fire and Arcata Fire headed to the scene. The first arriving battalion saw smoke coming from the roof vents and forced open a door and found the fire in the back of the shop. Additional crews arrived and extinguished the flames with 15 minutes.

As a result, Indianola Cutoff was closed for about an hour and a half. Damages were estimated at $6,000 but fire officials note the early notification and fire suppression system greatly minimized the damage potential for the body shop.

Other Business, Recycling / Waste Facility

Durham, NC – Sprinkler system helps firefighting effort at recycling center

Durham firefighters were called at 7:57 p.m. to 4619 Industry Lane in response to a structure fire at Sonoco Recycling.

Once on scene firefighters determined that “moderate smoke” was coming from the rear of the building. Employees told firefighters where the fire started and that a piece of machinery used to bale recyclable material was on fire.

Firefighters were able to control the fire within about 10 minutes. A sprinkler system in the building helped the firefighting effort.

Fire investigators determined the cause of the fire was an overheated motor in a baler machine. No one was injured and only the machine and a “large amount of recyclable material” were damaged.

Residential, Residential High Rise

Hamilton, ON, Canada – Fire in garbage chute at high rise apartment building extinguished by sprinklers

Residents were evacuated from a downtown apartment building for about half-an-hour Monday to allow Hamilton firefighters to deal with a fire in the garbage chute.

Firefighters were called to 150 Sanford Avenue North shortly after 8:30 p.m. Monday.  Fire department spokesperson Claudio Mostacci said by the time firefighters had arrived, the sprinkler system had extinguished the fire.

 The service sent 11 vehicles to the scene. Some firefighters remained on the scene to deal with possible “hot spots” in the garbage.  Mostacci said no one was hurt and there was no damage.

While he could not say what caused the fire, Mostacci said the fires are often started by people accidentally throwing cigarette ashes down the chute.  He reminds tenants in apartment buildings to be careful.

Department Store, Retail

San Leandro, CA – Walmart fire contained with help from sprinkler system; No injuries

A two-alarm fire required the evacuation of the Walmart store on Davis Street on Saturday night, fire officials said.  Alameda County Fire Department spokeswoman Aisha Knowles said the store’s sprinkler system activated, and the entire store was evacuated. 

The fire broke out about 7:30 p.m. in the kitchen of the McDonald’s restaurant inside the store at 1919 Davis St.   Firefighters had knocked down the blaze by 8 p.m., but the store remained empty half an hour later.  Nobody was hurt.

Apartment Building, Residential

Fargo, ND – Sprinklers keep fire from spreading at apartment complex

Fargo firefighters got a quick knockdown on a fire thanks to an automatic sprinkler system that controled most of the stove fire. The fire was reported just after 6 p.m. Wednesday in a second floor apartment at 5018 Amber Valley Parkway South in Fargo.

There were no injuries. The fire started when the tenant was cooking and stepped away from the kitchen. She noticed the fire when she heard her smoke detectors go off.

Battaliion Chief Tim Binfet says if the sprinklers had not activated, the fire would have spread throughout the apartment. Damage is estimated at $15,000. The Red Cross assisted the tenants with temporary lodging.

Apartment Building, Residential

Pasadena, TX – Apartment kitchen fire extinguished by sprinkler system

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** NO MEDIA COVERAGE – Fire Department Reported **
On Saturday, March 14, 2015 at 7:34 pm, the Pasadena Fire Department responded to a reported Automatic Fire Alarm at 3271 Shaver Street in Pasadena.  Upon their arrival firefighters were advised that it was a false alarm but that the water flow alarm was also activated.

Investigation by fire department personnel revealed that there had been a small fire in the kitchen of one of the apartment units which activated a single sprinkler head and extinguished the fire. No Injuries were reported. Fire damage was confined to the top of the stove and the cooking container and water damage was confined to the apartment of origin. The cause of the fire was determined to be accidental.

This incident shows the importance of an automatic fire sprinkler system and demonstrates that if the building did not have an automatic sprinkler system, the outcome could have been completely different.

Furthermore there is no doubt whatsoever that at the very least the presence of a sprinkler system saved hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage and property loss to the building owners and potentially prevented citizens and firefighters from being injured or killed.

College/University (on campus), School / University

Durham, NH – Fire at University of New Hampshire contained with help from sprinklers

A small oven fire broke out in Rudman Hall at the University of New Hampshire on Sunday evening.  Durham Fire Chief Corey Landry said the department received a call about a fire in an oven on the third floor of Rudman Hall around 7:25 p.m. Located on College Road, Rudman Hall is home to the College of Life Sciences and Agriculture.

Landry said the caller was using a commercial-sized oven and had placed plastic tubes inside. Landry could not comment what the caller was doing specifically with the tubes.   The tubes had melted and started a small fire, but it was contained to the oven, Landry said. The fire set off the sprinkler system, but the water was drained through drains in the floor.

Landry said the building was evacuated, but there was no one inside. The only damage sustained was to the plastic tubes.

Office Building, Other Business

Louisville, KY – Sprinklers help minimize damage in fire at GE facility

No one was injured in a fire at GE Appliances, located in the 4000 block of Buechel Bank Road. The fire started at 8 p.m. Firefighters said the sprinkler system activated. The fire was in the Global Customer Center, it’s also known as Building 35, and was contained in 25 minutes. The Okolona fire chief said no production was impacted and damage was in a small area of the GE Appliance Park building.

The Global Customer Center houses research and technology and also serves as a place for big GE customers to view the latest appliances in a showroom. Four fire departments responded to the fire. They include: Okolona, Buechel, Camp Taylor and Highview.

Self-Storage Facility, Storage / Warehouse

Southbury, CT – Electrical fire at self-storage facility extinguished by sprinkler system

The operators of Store-Haus, a self-storage facility at 82 Poverty Road, cleaned up damage Thursday from a small fire the night before in the front office. Owner Dave Polmon said a chair in the office ignited after a wire overheated. The heat triggered the office’s sprinkler system, which put out the fire.

Firefighters were dispatched to the building at 8:40 p.m. after dispatchers were alerted by an alarm. Polmon said the business remains open despite the damage. He said plastic bowls five feet from the fire-damaged chair melted in the heat, but a container of chocolate-covered rains about 10 feet away did not melt.

Store-Haus opened in 1988 in the former location of a manufacturing firm called Dav-Matic Inc., which closed due to the decline of manufacturing in Connecticut.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Pasadena, CA – Fire at plastics plant extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries

A small fire broke out at a high-tech plastics company Tuesday evening, prompting a hazardous materials investigation. No one was injured. The building’s sprinkler system extinguished the fire within about 10 minutes.

Around 6:20 p.m., a small explosion at the Materia facility located at 89 N. San Gabriel Blvd. caused the fire, which was contained to a heating device in the building, said Pasadena Fire Department spokeswoman Lisa Derderian. The device is used to heat plastic materials, Derderian said. “There was a light odor for a small amount of time but our specialists determined there was no hazard,” she said. Fire officials remained on scene until about 7:50 p.m. to restore the system. Twelve employees were inside the building when the fire started and safely evacuated, Derderian said. Fire officials did not have a damage estimate Tuesday night.