Tag Archives: Georgia

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Cumming, GA – Arson fire at high school extinguished by sprinkler system

Two Forsyth County Schools had three fires recently.  In the first fire, an apparent arsonist reportedly set a roll of toilet paper on fire Aug. 12 in the boy’s bathroom at North Forsyth High School.  The sprinkler system extinguished the fire before deputies arrived.  The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office reported deputies first thought it was an electrical fire, but it was “quickly determined to be arson.”  Authorities could not give other details as the case remains under investigation.

Athletic Club/Sports Facility, Other Business

Americus, GA – Arson fire at Boys & Girls Club controlled by sprinkler system

Police are still looking for the person or group responsible for lighting a fire inside that gym. The club says the damage caused by the fire and sprinkler system will take months to repair.

They call the crime “disturbing and disappointing.” The damage was discovered last week.  However, they still aren’t sure exactly when it happened. They’re reviewing video, to hopefully help catch who did it. Dozens of fans are blowing inside the gym at the Americus Boy’s and Girl’s Club to dry out the floor.

There are no kids playing here because vandals took chairs and benches and lit them on fire. The floor melted. The basketball net burned, and a nearby drink cooler was destroyed as well.

“Kids look forward to coming in the gym every day to play basketball so I just don’t know who would do something like this,” said basketball coach Quentin Moore. The sprinklers saved the building. Unfortunately, they also ruined the floor. The gym was a staple for the community.

“So I just don’t see any reason why they would come up and try to destroy what they like during the evening time,” said Director of Operations Jimmy Green. Fortunately, insurance will cover most of the cost. It’s not just this floor that needs to be repaired though.

“Really the whole gym got to be repaired and it’ll probably be months before we get back in here,” said Moore.

The club turned away kids trying to play Monday. They’re reviewing cameras to see if they can catch the culprits. Due to the weight of the bench and how hard the doors are to open, Green and Moore think it was someone older.

“I hope they catch him and prosecute him to the fullest because it’s just ridiculous,” said Moore.

“We going to find out who did this. And that’s when we’re going to prosecute them,” said Green.

It’s a prosecution that would mean a lot to this club and to these two men. The club is looking for a new place to play basketball.

The director of that club told us she was baffled by this crime. If you saw anything in the area last week that looked suspicious, you’re asked to call the Americus police. 

Apartment Building, Residential High Rise

Macon, GA – Arson fire at high-rise apartments contained with help from sprinkler system

Fire alarms and sprinklers went off again Monday morning at St. Paul Apartments, a high-rise at 1330 Forsyth St. plagued by recent arsons.  Macon-Bibb County fire investigator Sgt. Steve Wesson said several fires have been reported at the building in the past three or four weeks. 

“A resident was setting something on fire and throwing it down the trash chute, causing the Dumpster to catch on fire,” Wesson said before leaving the apartments Monday morning.

About 5:30 a.m., Macon-Bibb firefighters responded to a small fire in room 904, a vacant apartment that was being used for storage, Macon-Bibb fire investigator Lt. Ben Gleaton said.

The room had been burglarized, some tools stolen and a fire set, Wesson said.  “I hope you get whoever. This is crazy,” fourth-floor resident Brigitte Gramke told the investigators as she walked her dog outside the brick building near downtown Macon. “It’s really bad.”

A Bibb County deputy arrested Robert Walter Hutchens, 75, who lives in room 901 at St. Paul Apartments.  Hutchens was charged with burglary, according to Bibb County jail records, and stolen tools were recovered.

Additional charges are pending if Hutchens is found responsible for the fire.  The sprinkler system caused water damage in some of the building, Gleaton said.

“It has to cost a fortune and usually it’s arson,” Gramke said of the multiple fires.  The St. Paul Apartments manager declined to comment Monday morning.

Apartment Building, Residential

Savannah, GA – Sprinkler system limits spread of cooking fire at large apartment complex; No injuries reported

(As reported by WTVM ABC news 9).  About 10 people have been displaced at the Oaks at Brandlewood after a cooking fire triggered the fire alarm and the sprinkler system. All that water seeped through the floors and into a few units on the first floor. The American Red Cross was called out to help those families until they are dried up and can return.

Apartment Building, Residential

Macon, GA – (READER REPORTED) 8th floor fire contained to one apartment with help from sprinklers

***Thank you to a Sprinkler Saves reader who pointed out that sprinklers helped contain this fire to a single apartment.***

The Macon-Bibb Fire Department is still at an apartment complex after a fire started on the eighth floor Monday night.

The fire started around 6 o’clock at the Dempsey Apartments, located at 523 Cherry Street.

“There was significant damage to the floor,” chief Marvin Riggins said. “Fire investigators are checking to see if other floors were affected, and how the fire started.”

Adult Care/Rehab Center, Hospital/Care Facility

Washington, GA – Fire at personal care home minimized with help from sprinkler system

Sprinkler, staff keep fire at Harper’s from becoming danger to residents Quick work by staff members and a good sprinkler system kept an early-morning fire from becoming disastrous at a local personal care home, Washington Fire Chief C.J. Gilland said.

Harper’s Personal Care Home Inc  

Assisted Living Facility

Address: 186 Bootlegger Ln E, Washington, GA 30673

 

 

Apartment Building, Residential

Peachtree Corners, GA – Apartment bedroom fire snuffed out by sprinkler system

Gwinnett County firefighters responded to a fire in Peachtree Corners Tuesday morning. At 11:39 a.m., firefighters responded to a report of a fire alarm going off at an apartment on the 1200 block of Ivey Park Lane in Peachtree Corners. The crews found a sprinkler had put out a fire on a bed in a second floor unit at the complex. Rutledge said no one was home when the fire occurred, and investigators have not been able to determine what caused it.

Other - Retail, Retail

Marietta, GA – Sprinkler system activates in fire at tattoo parlor; No injuries reported

A tattoo parlor near the Marietta Square caught fire Monday afternoon, blocking traffic for several hours, though no one was injured, police said. Planet Ink Tattoos, at 12 Powder Springs St. #265, caught fire before 6 p.m., according to Marietta police. 

The road was temporarily closed between Marietta Square and Waverly Way due to the fire and reopened around 8 p.m, police said.  The Marietta fire department could not immediately be reached for comment about the cause of the fire.  Police were unable to immediately confirm when the fire began.

The Marietta Wine Market below the parlor, along with two other offices, sustained significant water damage due to the sprinkler systems, according to Brandt Blocker, managing artistic director of the Atlanta Lyric Theatre below the parlor.

The theater was in the middle of conducting auditions for an upcoming production at the time of the fire, Blocker told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Adairsville, GA – Fire caused by malfunctioning boiler in manufacturing plant contained by sprinklers

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A fire that broke out at a LG Hausys plant on Monday was determined to be caused by an internal malfunction on a boiler inside the plant.  Gordon County Fire and Rescue responded to the plant, located at 310 LG Drive, after calls for a fire were made around 10:30 a.m. on Nov. 23. Upon arrival, firefighters noted smoke showing on the backside of a large manufacturing building.

According to the incident report, maintenance personnel for the facility told fire officials that the area on fire was in a thermal boiler room, and upon further review, officials reported that there was obvious sprinkler activation, which had contained the fire to the area and prevented extension into the main facility.

Utilities were terminated in the area for salvage and overhaul to begin. Crews reported that it appeared a boiler had malfunctioned, causing the fire.  Portions of the wall and exhaust system were then removed to ensure fire damage had not escaped the boiler room.

Upon investigation, it was determined that the boiler had an internal malfunction that caused an oil line to fail, causing the fire around the ductwork of the boiler.  The boiler was leaking heavy oil and mitigation efforts were taken to minimize the spread of the oil into a runoff.  Further inspection revealed the roof had been compromised with thermal damage.

Fire Protection Services were then contacted to repair and reroute the protection systems to the manufacturing facility. Once completed, the facility was turned over to maintenance and management. According to the report, the fire caused approximately $14,000 of damage. No injuries were reported during the accident.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Valdosta, GA – Fire at night club put out by sprinkler system

The Valdosta Fire Department responded to a fire call early Saturday morning, before dawn, at Club Deja Vu. Reports stated the sprinkler system in the club operated as designed, extinguishing the fire before the fire department arrived.

Fire crews opened the building, removing smoke and turned off the sprinkler system. Damage was estimated to by $10,000.  The club was closed at the time of the fire, per reports, and no injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is under investigation.