Tag Archives: Georgia

Dalton, GA – Sprinkler system activated for fire at apartment complex

A Tuesday afternoon fire at the Crown Mill Lofts apartments could have been much worse but it was stopped by the building’s sprinkler system.

The fire started in an electrical outlet when a resident was not home. Thanks to the sprinkler system, the damage was limited to some scorched drywall, a burned dresser and water damage. There were no injuries.

“It’s a textbook example of why sprinkler systems are important,” said Dalton Fire Marshal Donnie Blankenship. He’s using the incident as a reminder of the importance of making sure sprinkler systems are in good working order. “Those are concrete floors (in the apartment) but if I’m not mistaken there’s a lot of heavy timber in there … they may have put concrete over the timber … but you had the potential of another Thread Mill-style fire with that building. Other than some water damage to some apartments below it, there was minimal damage.”

“There was a dog and two cats in the apartment,” Blankenship added. “And all those survived.”

Blankenship is in charge of the Dalton Fire Department’s Prevention Division. The firefighters in that division are tasked with inspecting the fire prevention systems in new buildings and making sure they are up to code as well as inspecting the fire safety systems in existing businesses and apartment buildings on an annual basis.

“We go out to these buildings and make sure they’re maintained annually and that way, when (a fire) does happen, the sprinklers and alarms work properly,” Blankenship said. “We don’t see many (systems) that are totally inoperable, but we see the majority of them have some type of issue that we usually address with (the owners) to get them to fix it.”

The fire department also receives reports from sprinkler and fire alarm contractors who do any work in the city, and the department reviews those reports to make sure the systems are working properly. If any deficiencies are noted, the department contacts the companies to make sure they’re fixed.

Blankenship said if any building managers or property owners are concerned about the condition of their sprinkler systems or other fire safety equipment, they can contact the Dalton Fire Department to request an evaluation.

“We’ll come out and inspect it, and their sprinkler contractors usually are set up to come out at a certain time, usually once a year, to inspect them, too,” Blankenship said.

Warner Robins, GA – Sprinkler system activated for overnight arson fire at high school

Authorities are investigating vandalism after a suspect broke into Warner Robins High School and started a small fire.

According to the Houston School District, Warner Robins Hih School Principal Chris McCook notified parents of the incident by phone and email and said it happened overnight.

He said at around 12:30 a.m. a person broke into the school and started a small fire in the multi-purpose room, immediately setting off the overhead sprinkler system and alerting the fire department.

McCook told parents the fire was contained, did minimal damage to the building and thanked fire crews for promptly responding.

“I am grateful to the fire department for their quick response and our maintenance staff who worked during the night to make sure the school was ready for students to arrive this morning,” said McCook. “Law enforcement has also been on campus to gather evidence necessary to find the individual responsible.”

WGXA has reached out to the Warner Robins Police Department and has yet to hear back.

Atlanta, GA – Sprinkler system activated for arson fire in senior living high-rise; No injuries reported

Seniors living in an Atlanta high-rise building got a scare after a fire broke out overnight.

The fire happened at the Friendship Towers on Northside Drive around midnight.

Firefighters tell FOX 5 that senior residents had to be evacuated after someone set fire to trash on the 13th floor of the building.

Thankfully, the building’s sprinkler system was able to keep the flames under control and no one was injured.

Arson investigators are now working to find out who started the blaze.

If you have any information about the fire, call the Atlanta Police Department.

Buford, GA – Sprinkler system activated for fire at mall; No injuries reported

Firefighters are investigating an incident that sparked at the Mall of Georgia Tuesday morning.

Crews were called to Buford Drive in Buford at 5:38 a.m. A bystander called 911 and reported a fire at the Mall of Georgia food court, authorities said.

When firefighters arrived, they found the fire developing in a first-floor storage room behind of the restaurants in the mall food court, investigators said.

The fire triggered the sprinkler system. Despite the low visibility, crews were able to use its hose to extinguish the flames. Mall workers and security were evacuated during the fire.

The building’s ventilation system was used to remove residual smoke from the and fire units brought in fans to ventilate parts of the building.

The storage room sustained heavy fire damage; there were no injuries.

Crews have determined the fire started from an electrical issue with a light fixture.

Milton, GA – Sprinkler system activated for electrical fire inside school auditorium

No one was inside of the auditorium at the time of the fire, and the remainder of the building was evacuated, school officials said.

“Fulton County Schools’ facilities and maintenance department was deployed quickly, and the local fire department arrived to confirm the fire was put out,” officials said.

The cause of the fire is unknown.

Clarkesville, GA – Sprinkler system activated for kitchen fire in apartment

Investigators say a cat is the cause of an apartment fire that occurred Sunday afternoon in Clarkesville.

Clarkesville Fire Department along with other emergency services was called to the Cameron Apartments at 3:10 p.m. for a fire alarm.

According to the release, when fire crews arrived they forced entry into the apartment and found smoke with one sprinkler turned on.

The sprinkler system was reportedly able to put out the fire in the kitchen area. Firefighters were able to contain the fire in the apartment. Officials say the fire did not spread throughout the building or to other apartments.

During the investigation, the State Fire Marshal’s Office said the fire was caused by a cat that was inside the apartment.

The cat allegedly jumped on the refrigerator and knocked a bag off, onto the toaster.

Clarkesville Fire Chief Jason Poole said the cat in question had a history of jumping on the counter to get on top of the refrigerator.

The residents were not home at the time of the fire and all the pets in the apartment were saved by the firefighters.

Madison, GA – Sprinkler system activated for fire in restaurant kitchen

One of Madison’s most popular restaurants, Ricardo’s Kouzzina, is closed temporarily after a kitchen fire broke out on Tuesday, Nov. 1, damaging floors and essential equipment necessary to operate the upscale eatery.

According to Owner Ricardo Casillas, a gas hose connected to one of the stoves combusted and burst into flames during the end of the lunch rush on Nov. 1.

“It was around 1:30 p.m. when the fire broke out. It got bad but we were able to evacuate all of our customers and employees quickly,” said Casillas.

According to Casillas, the restaurant’s sprinkler system extinguished the fire before it spread too far beyond the kitchen. However, there is also water damage to parts of the kitchen and dining areas due to the sprinklers.

“The fire mostly damaged flooring and kitchen equipment,” said Casillas. “There was also some damage to the floors in the dining area where servers prepare drinks.”

Casillas is hoping to reopen the restaurant to the public by Nov. 17, but is not certain if that is possible.

“That’s the hope, it could be sooner or longer. It’s not really up to me,” said Casillas. “We are working with different contractors on the repairs and replacing equipment. It’s just such a busy time and a lot of contractors are behind. But we are doing everything we can and working hard to reopen to the public as soon as possible.”

Ricardo’s Kouzzina is located at 271 West Washington St. in Madison. The downtown restaurant is known for its seafood cuisine, Italian dishes, and family-friendly atmosphere.

Casillas moved to the United States from Mexico in the 1980s, first to California and eventually finding his way to Georgia in the mid-1990s. He has been a long-time chef in Athens and Madison, operating different restaurant ventures before opening Ricardo’s Kouzzina in 2013. 

Casillas said he is thankful for the community support and patience as he and his staff work to repair the restaurant after the fire.

“We look forward to opening again and getting back to what we do best,” said Casillas.

Peachtree City, GA – Sprinkler system activated for arson fire at Walmart

A 14-year-old girl in Georgia was charged with arson after being accused of setting a fire inside Walmart.

The Peachtree City Police Department believes the teen intentionally started a fire in the paper goods aisle of the store, WGCL reports.

According to police, officers executed a search warrant at the 14-year-old’s home, where they said she admitted to starting the fire.

Investigators said the girl stated no motive behind setting the fire. It was said to be her impulsive decision.

Authorities said the fire was set around 7:20 p.m. Aug. 24. It took firefighters throughout the night to get the fire under control. It was finally extinguished around 4 a.m. the following day.

Although the store’s sprinkler system functioned as designed, the store suffered extensive damage to the interior and the roof.

Three Peachtree City police officers who evacuated the store had to be treated for smoke inhalation, but no one was seriously injured.

Appling, GA – Sprinkler system activated for fire at Amazon plant; No injuries reported

Fire crews were dispatched to the local Amazon plant located at 2150 Discovery Drive at 11:59 p.m. Monday night.

En route, they were advised that there was a water flow alarm.

When crews arrived, evacuation had already taken place.

Smoke conditions were encountered when entering Division 2 of the building. Crews made their way to the source of the fire and determined that there were 2 sprinkler heads activated.

Crews found some bins that had been damaged by fire and several others with water damage.

Fire was extinguished and water flow from sprinklers reduced.

Power was terminated to the area by Amazon and crews removed as much water as they could.

No injuries reported.

Alpharetta, GA – Sprinkler system extinguishes house fire; No injuries reported

A Monday morning house fire in Alpharetta was caused by a power strip that was placed on top of a blanket, firefighters say.

Fortunately, the home was equipped with a sprinkler system and the fire was extinguished before fire crews arrived.

According to the Alpharetta Department of Public Safety at about 11:45 a.m. Monday, Alpharetta firefighters responded to reports of a structure fire on Calypso Drive. As crews arrived on scene and made contact with the homeowner, they found that one of the residents had placed a power strip on top of a blanket on the couch, located on the second level of the townhome.

The resident had then gone downstairs to check on the food in the oven and, in the time that they were gone, the blanket and then the couch caught on fire.

The heat from the flames activated the fire sprinklers directly above the couch and extinguished the fire before fire crews arrived on scene.

Firefighters confirmed that the fire was out and made sure that the fire had not extended to other areas.

No injuries were reported from the incident. Smoke was evacuated from the structure and firefighters performed salvage and overhaul to reduce water damage from the fire sprinkler activation.

According to the Alpharetta Department of Public Safety, in homes equipped with fire sprinkler systems, 97% of house fires never leave the room of origin.