Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential Belleview, FL – Single sprinkler controls attic fire at assisted living center; Lightning strike identified as cause June 19, 2017 viking210 The fire that forced the evacuation of residents and staff at an assistant living facility in Belleview was apparently caused by Mother Nature. According to a spokesperson from the State Fire Marshal’s Office, it appears the fire was caused by a lightning strike. Damage to the attic area is approximately $30,000. The exact cause of the fire won’t be determined until the investigation is complete. Marion County Fire Rescue officials said Friday there were reports of heavy weather with lightning in the area prior to the fire. Fire officials said the blaze started in the attic above the electric panels and moved along the trusses. Firefighters, sheriff’s deputies and others placed 56 residents from Hampton Manor Assisted Living, 10590 SE 62nd Avenue Road, onto buses that transported them to another Hampton Manor facility. Fire officials said they received the call about 5:05 p.m. and arrived on scene at 5:11 p.m. The fire was under control at 5:29 p.m. Beatrice Kelty, community director at Hampton Manor, told the Star-Banner that Donna Clifford was in the kitchen when she heard a pop sound in the breaker and then saw fire in the ceiling. Clifford, the dietary supervisor, immediately pulled the alarm. There were seven staff members on duty at the time of the fire. Kelty said she quickly went to the kitchen and doused the blaze with a fire extinguisher. Kelty said she and the other team members, including Dawn Crossley, a resident care manager, went to get the residents and evacuate them. None of the residents were in the kitchen at the time of the fire. When the fire started, Kelty said, they were in the middle of dinner. “My team was excellent and the residents cooperated,” Kelty said. According to a fire report, as the fire made its way through the attic, a single fire sprinkler was activated and it contained the fire to the general area until firefighters arrived. The report also said that as soon as flames were seen in the attic, a staff member pulled the kitchen pull station that activated the hood. Though no fire was present in the hood, fire officials said it prevented the gas from going into the kitchen. “The early actions by the staff to activate the fire alarm and notify MCFR along with the operation of the sprinkler system allowed for a quick response and to contain the damage,” according to the report. Cindy Campbell, director of operations, told the Star-Banner that all the residents remain at the Hampton Manor at 1500 SE 24th Road because the Belleview building sustained significant damage in the kitchen area. Campbell said its unknown when the repairs will begin or end or when residents will be able to return to the Belleview building. For now, she said, they’re looking for an alternate location, and the residents at the Southeast 24th Road facility are adjusting well.
Athletic Club/Sports Facility, Other Business St. Petersburg, FL – Sprinklers knock down flames at gym after treadmill catches fire overnight June 13, 2017 viking210 A treadmill at the LA Fitness at 5900 Fourth St. N caught fire overnight and caused minor fire and water damage to the gym, according to St. Petersburg Fire Rescue. The treadmill caught fire for unknown reasons around 11 p.m. Wednesday night, said St. Petersburg Fire Rescue Lt. Steve Lawrence. The last employee had already left for the night. The fire was discovered by an employee when they showed up for work around 5 a.m. Thursday. Two treadmills were destroyed, a window suffered minor damage and soot had spread throughout the building. The gym was also doused in water released by the automatic sprinkler system that was activated during the fire. The damage left the gym closed Thursday. Lawrence said the LA Fitness was being cleaned up and it should be open again in two to three days. The sprinklers likely saved the gym from more extensive damage, he said. “The fire suppression system did do its job,” he said. “It was limited fire damage. The water damage can be cleaned up.”
Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse Orlando, FL – Fire at CVS warehouse contained with help from sprinkler system March 16, 2017 viking210 A fire at the CVS Pharmacy warehouse in south Orange County caused evacuation of the building. But the company said the incident won’t have much impact on supplying the many drug stores in the region. Orange County Fire Rescue responded to the large warehouse at 8201 Chancellor Drive, around 4:15 p.m. Sunday. Arriving units found smoke and a small fire in the building, in the industrial park about a mile west of the Florida Mall. It was difficult for firefighters to access the fire, and it required sawing a hole in the roof to reach the fire and extinguish it. The warehouse’s sprinkler system was activated by the fire. CVS said that likely contained the fire to that area. Fire units remained on scene into Sunday night to remove smoke from the building and check the 720,000 square foot facility to ensure that the fire is completely extinguished, and that there are no other hazards. CVS spokesman Mike DeAngelis sent a statement to WESH 2 News, advising that the fire started in the rear corner of the building in a break room area. The warehouse will be closed Monday to examine the building’s inventory to see if any of it was damaged. He noted that all of Monday’s shipments to stores had already been loaded in the fleet of trucks, and were not affected by the fire. CVS plans to use its distribution centers in Vero Beach and Knoxville, and the company’s pharmaceutical suppliers to replenish stores in our area if needed. No one was injured in the incident.
Other - Storage / Warehouse, Storage / Warehouse Jupiter, FL – Sprinkler system keeps fire under control after boat catches fire in dry storage facility January 30, 2017 viking210 A vessel in dry storage caught fire Friday afternoon at the Loggerhead Marina. The first arriving crews found that a boat on the top rack was on fire, said Capt. Albert Borroto, spokesman for Fire Rescue. The sprinklers of the facility activated and helped to keep the fire under control. The firefighters quickly extinguished the fire and protected two nearby boats for fire exposure. The three affected vessels were brought down from the storage area and investigator was called to the scene. There were no injuries reported.
Retail, Shopping Mall Miami, FL – Sprinkler system helps prevent shopping mall fire from spreading December 15, 2016 viking210 A sprinkler system played a role in containing a fire that took place Monday night at Ultra Mall in downtown Miami. The fire started at about 10 p.m. in the 1100 block of Southwest First Avenue. Smoke was coming from the storefront of Flossie’s — a store that sells items such as incense, oils, candles and books — when firefighters arrived. Miami Department of Fire-Rescue Capt. Ignatius Carroll said a sprinkler system contained the fire to a small area and prevented it from spreading to neighboring businesses. “A small fire was located inside of the store and was quickly extinguished,” he said. No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Apartment Building, Residential Gainesville, FL – Apartment fire held in check by sprinkler system; Two cats rescued November 28, 2016 viking210 Two cats were rescued and a fire was contained to a bathroom in a Gainesville apartment Friday night, an incident that shows the value of sprinkler systems in buildings, said Gainesville Fire Rescue. The fire was reported a 9:45 p.m. at the Pine Hill Estates apartment complex at 1426 NW Third Ave. The fire alarm monitoring company indicated it was a “water-flow” alarm, GFR District Chief Allen Siorek said in a press release. A neighbor also called in to report smoke coming from the building. Firefighters forced their way into the apartment and found a fire in the bathroom. Siorek said the sprinkler system had activated, keeping the fire in check. Two cats were rescued but no one was in the apartment when the fire occurred. “While the fire is still under investigation, the importance of a working sprinkler system cannot be overstated,” Siorek said in the release. “Without these live-saving devices, the fire would have spread considerably, potentially damaging adjacent apartments and endangering the lives of other tenants who were home, including the residents above.”
Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential Tallahassee, FL – Fire at Florida State dormitory kept in check by sprinkler system November 14, 2016 viking210 A Wednesday evening trash compactor fire filled Florida State’s Salley Hall dormitory with smoke, forcing residents to evacuate. At 6:19 p.m., Tallahassee Fire Department crews were called to the residence hall located on West Call Street near Chieftan Way. An automatic sprinkler system kept the fire under control. When firefighters arrived, they cleared the smoke from the seventh and eighth floors. Residents have since returned to the dorm. No fire damage or injuries were reported. FSU’s website said Salley Hall has the capacity to house 570 students. It was built in 1962 and renovated in 2000. Named after longtime professor Nathaniel Moss Salley, it once housed the FSU football team and was the first on-campus dorm to become co-ed.
Residential, Townhouse / Condominium Palm Beach, FL – Sprinklers help douse car fire in condominium parking garage November 11, 2016 viking210 Residents of the La Bonne Vie condominiums got a lucky break Monday evening when a longtime volunteer firefighter helped extinguish a car fire that broke out in their parking garage. Fire-Rescue Division Chief Sean Baker said the incident happened about 7:10 p.m. in the lower parking garage below the condos, 3475 S. Ocean Blvd. “The front end of the car was fully involved in fire,” Baker said. The cause of the fire has not been determined. Stephen Miller, one of the residents, said he and his wife Arlene were sitting in their living room when they heard a pop. “I said ‘That’s not good,’ and then the fire alarms went off,” Miller said Tuesday. He went downstairs and tried to use a fire extinguisher to put out the fire. The burning Mercedes was parked right under a sprinkler head. “The sprinkler system held it, but I wanted to make sure it didn’t get near the other cars,” Miller said. Crews finished extinguishing the fire shortly after arriving. Miller, 70, said he was a volunteer firefighter for 52 years in North Brunswick, N.J. “I’m like an old war horse, a fire horse,” he said, laughing. “It happened and I reacted.”
Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant Wildwood, FL – Sprinkler system holds fire at bay at Crevalle Boat manufacturing building October 24, 2016 viking210 Sumter County Fire & EMS were called Wednesday to a fire at Crevalle Boats in Wildwood. Heavy smoke was spotted coming from the large commercial boat manufacturing structure at 1520 Industrial Drive, according to Sumter County Fire Chief Leland Greek. “Due to the size of the building, and zero visibility from heavy smoke conditions, crews had significant difficulty locating the seat of the fire,” Greek said. The building’s fire sprinkler system was able to hold the fire in check, until crews were able to locate, and extinguish the fire. The cause of the fire was determined to be unintentional, resulting from a chemical reaction to materials used in the manufacturing process, he said.
Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse Boca Raton, FL – Single sprinkler puts out garbage bin fire at warehouse; No injuries October 1, 2016 viking210 A fire melted two garbage cans and caused some damage to a Boca Raton warehouse Thursday morning, a city fire official said. Firefighters responded shortly before 11 a.m. to a fire alarm at 1181 South Rogers Circle, south of Clint Moore Road and east of Congress Avenue. Upon arrival, the firefighters found heavy black smoke in the warehouse area of a suite, Boca Raton Fire Rescue spokesman Bob Lemons said. The firefighters entered and found two large plastic garbage cans that had melted. A single fire sprinkler had activated and extinguished the fire, Lemons said. The fire damage was limited to the area where the garbage cans were located. Firefighters shut down the water to sprinkler system, opened the rear garage door and used several large fans to remove smoke from the business. There were no injuries, Lemons said. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
