Tag Archives: Idaho

Apartment Building, Residential

Boise, ID – Apartment complex saved from kitchen fire thanks to fire sprinklers

A Caldwell apartment complex was saved Saturday from a kitchen fire by a sprinkler sytem.

Caldwell Fire crews found an empty apartment filled with smoke this weekend. Luckily the fire had started the sprinkler system, which confined the damage to the kitchen.

“Without the sprinkler intervention, there would undoubtedly be significant damage to the property and lives at risk,” according to a spokesperson.

Fire investigators said the system stopped the fire from engulfing the kitchen within two minutes and expanding quickly to the apartments next to and above it.

“If there were not sprinkler system in this building, this would be a different situation. We could be out a building and 6 families could be out of their homes.” – Complex Maintenance Management

Apartment Building, Residential

Rexburg, ID – Fire sprinkler controls fire after remote control battery catches on fire; No injuries reported

On Friday around 11 p.m., a fire broke out in the NorthPoint Men’s building.

Witnesses said a remote control car battery ignited in an apartment, prompting residents to call 911. The Madison Fire Department and Rexburg Police Department rushed to the scene.

“My roommate bought a charger for an RC car, and I guess that one of them blew up,” said James Raney, a junior studying communication. “I guess there was a flame in his room. I opened the door and I just saw smoke everywhere.”

Witnesses said flames reached the ceiling.

“The battery caught on fire,” said Logan Wright, a freshman studying mechanical engineering. “We were outside and the water (from the fire sprinkler system) would not stop. I was sitting on the couch and I could hear the thing burning, it sounded like the space shuttle. The flame was up to the ceiling.”

Wright called the 911 to report the fire before evacuating.

“We were dispatched here for smoke in a room,” said Ben Williams, a firefighter for the Madison Fire Department.

Firefighters said they extinguished the fire before it spread. The building was evacuated and no injuries were reported.

Crowds gathered outside questioning why the alarms had gone off. Some guessed it was the result of burnt food, as has happened earlier in the semester.

“This is the third time that this has happened this semester,” claims Jared Davey, a sophomore studying psychology. “The last few time it was because someone actually burned their food and…(had to) air out their apartment.”

Restaurant

Meridian, ID – Sprinkler systems assists firefighters in extinguishing kitchen fire at entertainment venue

A kitchen grease fire caused some damage at Big Al’s Meridian Wednesday, but the restaurant and entertainment venue was able to open Thursday. Meridian Fire responded at about 11:30 p.m. Fire Chief Mark Niemeyer said the fire was extinguished within five minutes. There was minimal smoke damage from the fire and a sprinkler activated, he said. Kelly O’Callaghan, Big Al’s general manager, said staff think a piece of equipment might have malfunctioned causing the fire, but they’re not sure. An employee noticed the fire after kitchen staff had cleaned up and gone home. O’Callaghan said Big Al’s is open and serving food from its snack bar. He said they plan to have the main kitchen back up and running by Saturday.

Restaurant

Boise, ID – Sprinkler system helps limit damage in overnight restaurant fire

Boise restaurant, bar suffered minimal damage in Saturday morning fire — A pair of Main Street Boise businesses were damaged by an accidental early morning fire Saturday, according to the Boise Fire Department.  The Brickyard Steakhouse, 601 Main St., and The Amsterdam next door suffered fire, smoke and water damage, according to a Boise Fire press release. Crews responded at 5:45 a.m. to a fire that started in the kitchen of the Brickyard Steakhouse, which activated the building’s sprinkler system.  The owner of the Brickyard as well as an employee at the Amsterdam said both businesses saw minimal damage.  The fire is said to have begun in a plate warmer unit built into the wall between 601 and 609 Main St. The warmer was left on and wood plates within the warmer ignited and extended up the wall. The cause of the fire was accidental, according to the release.

Retail, Shopping Mall

Meridian, ID – Fire at nail salon in strip mall contained with help from sprinkler system

Firefighters converged on a Meridian strip mall Wednesday night after flames broke out inside a business there.  The fire was first reported at about 9:20 p.m. in a row of shops and businesses along South Meridian Road near the intersection with Gem Avenue.  Meridian Fire battalion chief Tyler Rountree said the fire appears to have started in a salon called The Nail Place, and that crews were able to knock the flames down quickly after arriving on the scene.  The fire was big enough to trip the building’s sprinkler system. Rountree said the fire started in the back of the nail salon. It did not spread to neighboring businesses, although crews did go into the businesses to make sure.  No injuries were reported.  A fire investigator was on scene late Wednesday night. At this point, there is no word what caused the fire.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Meridian, ID – (no media coverage) Single sprinkler puts out fire in high school gym caused by combustion of oily rags

<No Media Coverage – Fire Department Reported> A single sprinkler head extinguished a fire in the Rocky Mountain High School gym late on the night of July 28th. The fire, caused by improperly discarded oily rags from a gym floor refinishing project, activated the sprinkler and alarm system. Meridian Fire Department responded, and found smoke in the entryway of the gym. They were able to stop the water flow and prevent substantial water damage to the newly-refinished gym floor. “The sprinkler did its job,” reported Joe Bongiorno, Meridian Fire Dept. Fire Marshal. “A single head put the fire out.”

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Lewiston, ID – Electrical fire at hotel put out with help from sprinkler system

Fire officials suspect an electrical malfunction sparked a fire Monday evening in a fourth-floor room at the Red Lion Hotel in Lewiston.

The Lewiston Fire Department was dispatched to the hotel at 621 21st St. at approximately 6:20 p.m., and no one was injured in the fire, according to a news release from LFD Chief Travis Myklebust.

The first arriving unit found occupants from the hotel exiting into the parking lot, and nothing was showing from the outside. Crews went to the fourth floor and found a room with heavy black smoke coming into the hallway from inside. At that point, units from Asotin County Fire District No. 1, Clarkston Fire and Wheatland Fire District were requested as well.

As crews were getting in place, the hotel’s sprinkler system activated and helped extinguish the fire. The fire was contained to the room and there was some minor smoke damage on the fourth-floor and minor water damage on the third floor, according to the news release. The fire was under control by about 15 minutes after arrival.

Lewiston responded with three engines, one ladder truck, one service truck, two ambulances and three command officers, with a total of 17 personnel. Mutual-aid units responded with two engines and one support unit, totaling 14 personnel. Two fire investigators were also called to the scene.

Food Processing, Manufacturing

Pocatello, ID – Sprinkler system helps firefighters control blaze at food processing plant

Firefighters responded to a fire at the Amy’s Kitchen food processing plant on the city’s north side early Wednesday morning.

The fire was reported around 3 a.m. and triggered a massive response by the Pocatello Fire Department.

The fire was declared to be out around 4:10 a.m. and firefighters said the plant’s sprinkler system helped them gain the upper hand on the blaze. There were no injuries.

The blaze started in the plant’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning system and caused minor damage to the facility, the Fire Department reported. Smoke flowed from the plant’s roof but no flames were visible from outside the plant.

The fire also resulted in the plant’s evacuation.

The Fire Department said that because of dangerously high carbon monoxide levels in the plant caused by the fire, the plant’s workers were not allowed back into facility until approximately 8:30 a.m.

The firefighters focused their efforts on the portion of the Amy’s Kitchen plant nearest to West Quinn Road and a Fire Department ladder truck provided firefighters access to the plant’s roof in this area.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the cost of the damage caused by the blaze was not known.

The Fire Department said the exact cause of the fire is still under investigation but the blaze was definitely unintentional.

In response to the fire, Amy’s Kitchen issued a statement saying the company is grateful that no one was hurt during the fire. The company also thanked the firefighters who responded to the scene.

“We would like to express our deepest gratitude to our team in Pocatello and the local fire department for their quick response and help in evacuating everyone safely out of the building,” the statement read.

Other Business

Garden City, ID – Early morning fire at commercial laundry business contained by sprinkler system

The Boise Fire Department responded to a fire at at a commercial laundry facility in Garden City last Wednesday morning at 5:30 a.m. on the 5200 block of North Sawyer Avenue. The fire department says the business is still in service thanks to a fire sprinkler system in the facility, which limited the spread of the fire and kept it in the area the fire started. The fire was under control in about 30 minutes. The cause of the fire was ruled an accident, according to the fire department.  Two firefighters were injured while responding to a fire.  One firefighter suffered an ankle injury and the other suffered a back injury.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Boise, ID – Sprinkler system helps douse fire at BBQ restaurant; No injuries reported

The Meridian Fire Department is investigating after smoke engulfed a Dickey’s Barbecue Pit restaurant on Saturday afternoon.  

It happened just before 5 p.m. on the 2800 block of Overland Road. 
No one was injured and the sprinkler system was activated. The fire department says two units were training just blocks away and were able to get to the scene in a matter of minutes. 

Crew cut holes in the roof for ventilation in to make sure fire had not spread to the attic.
While a small fire was found inside the restaurant, crews are still investigating to find out what happened.