Tag Archives: Florida

Primary / Secondary School

Orlando, FL – Arson fire in high school bathroom suppressed by sprinkler system; No injuries

A 14-year-old was charged with arson, Saturday, after an explosion that caused a fire inside a bathroom at Timber Creek High School, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. Orange County Fire Rescue officials say the fire activated the sprinkler system inside the bathroom, putting the fire out. Officials say a secondary sweep of the campus showed another restroom was also set on fire. Firefighters say no one was hurt. Deputies say the teen is a student at Timber Creek High School.

Other Business, Recycling / Waste Facility

Rockland Key, FL – Early morning fire at waste management facility controlled by sprinkler system

Monroe County Fire Rescue responded at 3:17 a.m. Thursday to a fire inside the City of Key West’s transfer station at 125 Toppino Industrial Drive on Rockland Key. The fire was put out just after 5 a.m. with no injuries. Here’s what happened: Crews from Stock Island, Cudjoe Key and Big Coppitt Key arrived to find heavy smoke inside the building that made it impossible to enter immediately. After using fans to push some of the smoke out of the building, crews were able to go inside and assess that the fire was in the middle of a large household trash pile.

At the transfer station, waste is separated into household trash, recycling and yard waste. “It was an exothermic reaction that caused the fire,” said Monroe County’s Deputy Fire Marshall Craig Marston, who is investigating the incident. “Chemicals mixed with the regular trash.”

An automated sprinkler system operated to keep the fire from spreading, Marston said. Crews used a large front-end loader to separate the household trash that was not burning from the fire that was deep inside the large building. Then firefighters were able to extinguished the smoldering flames.

Officials from Waste Management were on scene to help limit the damage. At the time of the fire, there were six bulk haulers in line to haul out debris to the mainland and another eight route trucks in line to bring trash to the transfer station. The fire caused only a three-hour delay in the process. Marston said this fire is a good reminder to residents on why it is important to separate household chemicals from your regular trash.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Tampa, FL – Fire at Courtyard Marriott hotel limited by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

A fire forced guest and staff to evacuate a Tampa hotel. Tampa Fire Rescue responded to a fire at the Marriott Hotel located at 3805 W. Cypress Street on Thursday night. The fire started around 9:15 p.m. Firefighters said a flight attendant who was staying at the hotel started the heater/AC unit and it sparked. She immediately called 911 about the fire. “My husband and I were in there. We were watching TV and heard some commotion. I opened up the door and a lady was running down the call, everybody out!” said Yvonne Wesley Payne, a hotel guest. Firefighters said the third floor had water and smoke damage. The sprinkler system worked. Firefighters believe the cause of the fire was electrical/mechanical malfunction of the room heater. No one was hurt.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Fort Walton Beach, FL – Restaurant fire extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Firefighters from the Fort Walton Beach and Ocean City-Wright fire departments responded to two fires on Tuesday … At 3 p.m. firefighters responded to a grease fire on a stove at the Ocean Buffet at 309 Miracle Strip Parkway S.W., Soria said. By the time they got there, the sprinkler system had extinguished the fire, but the crews remained on the scene to make sure it was out.  Damage was minimal.  Nobody was hurt in either blaze.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Destin, FL – Sprinkler system helps contain deck fire at seafood restaurant

Crews responded to a fire that broke out at Tailfin’s Seafood House and Oyster Bar on the Destin harbor early Thursday morning.

According to Destin Fire Department Batallion Chief Jimmy Taylor, the call came in at 4:37 a.m. and crews from the Destin Fire Department and the Okaloosa Island Fire Department responded.

Taylor said no one was inside the building at the time the fire began and there were no injuries. The cause of the fire has not been determined and is under investigation by the DFD. The fire damage is estimated at $25,000.

 The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office said the fire began on the back deck. The restaurant’s sprinkler system contained most of the fire before crews arrived and extinguished the remainder of the fire, and there was no known damage to the interior of the business.
A woman who answered the phone at Tailfin’s said the second and third floor of the restaurant are open.
Residential, Residential High Rise

Miami, FL – No injuries in high-rise apartment fire contained by sprinkler system

Fire rescue crews were called to a high rise apartment building fire in Northeast Miami-Dade.  The incident happened Saturday afternoon at the 7900 block of Northeast Bayshore Court.  According to officials, the building was evacuated after reports of a fire in the second floor storage room. The fire was contained to a small corner thanks to the buildings’ sprinkler system. The fire was eventually put out by fire rescue.  There wasn’t too much damage, but the sprinkler system damaged electrical wires. There was also significant water damage. No one was injured. Building management is now working to help residents who may have been displaced.

 

Other - Storage / Warehouse, Storage / Warehouse

Fort Pierce, FL – Sprinkler system keeps fire from spreading at boat storage facility

A fire in a boat storage building at the Taylor Creek Marina damaged 11 boats early Thursday, but it could have been worse, according to the St. Lucie County Fire District.

Before firefighters arrived, the building’s emergency fire sprinkler system limited the fire from spreading, said Fire District spokeswoman Brenda Stokes.

The building contained 300 boats stored in racks.The cause is classified as accidental. The fire started in one boat’s electrical system, she said.

Firefighters were called to the fire at 5 a.m. and used special breathing equipment to enter the building, which was filled with toxic fumes from burning fiberglass, Stokes said.

After the building was cleared of fumes, investigators found six boats had been damaged by fire. The remainder were damaged by smoke and from water from the sprinkler system.

The marina is in the 1600 block of North Second Street.

Residential, Townhouse / Condominium

St. Augustine, FL – Sprinkler system knocks down residential condominium fire

Historic City News learned that the City of St Augustine Fire Department was dispatched to a residential structure fire before 6:00 a.m. Sunday morning at Las Palmas on the Intracoastal condominiums in North City.

Crews, assisted by St Johns County Fire Rescue, arrived at the unit located at 1080 Bella Vista Boulevard and began extinguishment while a search for occupants was underway.

At about 8:00 a.m., a spokesman reported that the fire was out and cleanup at the site was underway. Local news reporters were informed that there had been no civilian or firefighters injured in the blaze.

By 9:00 a.m., Historic City News received additional details indicating that although the fire had been contained to one unit, additional units had sustained some water damage. Concrete firewalls separate the ground floor units and all buildings are equipped with a monitored fire sprinkler system.

According to city fire officials, the cause of this morning’s fire is still under investigation. Damage estimates were not made available.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Miami Beach, FL – Overnight electrical fire at resort hotel extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Hundreds were evacuated from a Miami Beach hotel early Tuesday morning after an electrical fire broke out. Crews responded to the scene outside the Deauville Beach Resort at 67th Street and Collins Avenue around 3 a.m. A hotel employee told NBC 6 that a generator caught fire outside of the building and that no one was injured.

“The wires came loose and apparently burnt up. So the only thing that burnt up was the wire, a temporary wiring that was going to the electrical room and the fire sprinkler for the building actuated and it controlled and extinguished the fire,” Miami Beach Fire Rescue Capt. Jorge Linares said.

Guests were forced to evacuate their rooms as firefighters shut off the power for safety precautions. FPL crews were on the scene and guests are still being kept out of the building as a precaution. The Red Cross was on the scene to help those who have been displaced. “We’re going to have the building officials and engineers check it out. It could be a couple of days or it could be a week, we don’t know yet,” Linares said.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Bradenton, FL – Overnight fire at assisted living facility extinguished by sprinklers; No injuries reported

City of Bradenton Fire Department responded to a structure fire started by a dryer early Tuesday morning. Around 1:27 a.m., the fire department arrived to the scene of a multi-residential assisted living facility in the 1000 block of 7th Avenue E.  Heavy smoke was coming from the north wing and main hallways. Thankfully, a sprinkler head was controlling the dryer fire in the laundry room, according to firefighters.  By 1:37 a.m., the fire was extinguished.  Damage is estimated to be about $6,000 and no injuries were reported.  The Bradenton Fire Department is investigating the incident.