Tag Archives: Illinois

Residential, Residential High Rise

Schaumburg, IL – (no media coverage) Kitchen fire in residential high-rise building extinguished by sprinkler system

** Fire Department Reported – No Media Coverage ** Around 6:30 pm on March 4, the Schaumburg Fire Department responded to 1427 Valley Lake Drive for a general fire alarm. Fire companies found a small fire in the kitchen that was extinguished by a single sprinkler. The fire department was able to isolate the sprinkler system on the floor and limit fire damage to approximately $6,000. The cause of the fire was cooking. 1427 Valley Lake is a residential high-rise occupancy that was required to install fire sprinklers as part of Schaumburg’s high-rise retrofit ordinance.

Apartment Building, Residential

Rockford, IL – Sprinkler system contained fire at apartment complex until fire crews arrived

Rockford firefighters were called to the Faust Landmark Apartments, 630 East State Street, around 8 p.m. Friday night.  A fire was located on the 9th floor of the building.  A building sprinkler system helped contain the fire until firefighters arrived.  

An adult male resident was helped out of the apartment by a Metro Enforcement officer that was working on site.  He was taken to a local hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation.  No firefighters were hurt.

The Red Cross helped two adults relocate. The fire remains under investigation. 

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Waterloo, IL – Sprinkler system quickly knocks down fire at senior living community

The Waterloo Fire Department and Waterloo Police Department responded shortly after 9:20 p.m. Wednesday to a small fire at the Garden Place senior living community, 735 Columbia Avenue.

No injuries were reported in the incident, and fire officials praised an in-house sprinkler system for quickly knocking down the blaze.

Waterloo Fire Chief Aaron Shive said the fire was contained to one room of an assisted living apartment and was caused by an electric malfunction on a wall heating unit.

Other than the heating unit itself, there was no other fire damage, Shive said. There was water damage and small smoke damage as a result of the fire.

“The sprinkler system really did its job,” Shive said. “It sprayed so heavy that the fire was knocked down before it could spread anywhere.”

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Quincy, IL – Electrical fire maintained by sprinkler system until fire crews arrived

Tri-Township fire crews responded to a fire alarm on 1400 North 30th Thursday night.

Officials say they saw smoke coming from inside the building and arrived on scene at about 10:30 pm.

Fire lieutenant Andrew Wittler says an electrical conduit sparked the fire, which triggered the building’s sprinkler system.

Wittler says the sprinkler system was effective in preventing the fire from growing, and helped crews extinguish it quicker.

Wittler says the building was unoccupied at the time and reported no injuries.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Rockford, IL – Fire at machining manufacturer is doused by sprinkler system

A local business’ sprinkler system prevents thousands of dollars of damage after an early morning fire. The blaze broke out at Barnes International on Chestnut Street shortly before 1:00 last Wednesday morning. According to Rockford Fire, crews saw smoke from the building, but most of the flames were extinguished by a sprinkler system, limiting the damage and allowing firefighters to put out the remaining blaze with fire extinguishers. Officals say the fire was accidental, and no one was hurt.

Other - Retail, Retail

Peoria Heights, IL – Sprinkler system activated for fire at bakery

After sanding and finishing a set of stairs at Trefzger’s Bakery, owners Jeff and Martha Huebner tossed their oil-stained socks into a trash can and went home Sunday afternoon.

Hours later, the socks burst aflame, sparking a fire that caused as much as $250,000 in losses at the business, 4416 N. Prospect Road.

“The socks just started on fire by spontaneous combustion,” Jeff Huebner said. “It was just one of those weird things that we never would have imagined would happen.”

In their stocking feet Sunday afternoon, he and his wife used linseed oil to finish a set of worn stairs on the first floor of the two-story structure. When the job was done, they realized their socks were ruined.

“We just tossed them into the garbage and didn’t think anything of it,” he said.

But late Sunday, with the building unoccupied, the oily socks ignited inside the otherwise empty plastic can, said Peoria Heights Fire Chief Greg Walters. He said that oils like linseed oil, if compressed — such as within a clump of cloth materials, like socks — will heat up and catch the cloth on fire.

That is what occurred inside the Trefzger’s trash can, which melted next to cake-preparation table. A bag inside the can burned and melted, with embers falling onto cardboard boxes under the table. The boxes then caught fire, triggering a fire alarm and Trefzger’s sprinkler system just before 11:30 p.m.

As firefighters responded, Peoria Heights police spotted flames on the first floor of the building. Firefighters arrived to find the fire at the prep table, Walters said.

A crew stretched water lines inside to extinguish the fire, containing the fire damage to that area. The sprinkler system also helped slow the spread of the fire, Walters said. Assisting were firefighters from Peoria, West Peoria and Chillicothe, while Limestone Township firefighters provided back-up coverage.

Walters said that the structure sustained no damage from the actual fire. However, smoke and water damage is extensive, he said. The total loss — including cleanup, plus potential lost revenue and wages — is estimated between $100,000 and $250,000, Walters said.

After contacting his insurer, Jeff Huebner said the business will be closed for a couple of days while a cleanup service — already on the scene Monday morning — put the place back in working order. At the end of the cleanup, the Peoria City/County Health Department will examine the business to clear it for operations again.

On Oct. 13, 2016, Trefzger’s Bakery completed its nine-block move north on Prospect Road and opened for business inside a renovated, 121-year-old former bicycle factory.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Palatine, IL – Sprinkler system extinguished fire at sushi restaurant

No injuries were reported after a kitchen fire early Sunday at a sushi restaurant in northwest suburban Palatine.

Firefighters responded at 12:21 a.m. to a fire alarm at Sushi Para, 1268 E. Dundee Road, according to the Palatine Fire Department. The fire started in the kitchen and was quickly put out by the building’s sprinkler system.

No one was injured, but the restaurant was left uninhabitable, the fire department said. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Other - School / University, Other Business

Rockton, IL – Fire at performing arts center extinguished by sprinkler system

No one was injured after a small fire erupted about 9:30 p.m. Sunday in back of the stage inside the Hononegah Community High School Performing Arts Center. The sprinkler system extinguished the fire before the firefighters arrived, a news release said. An investigation has been started as to the cause and the damage is being assessed. No one was in the performing arts center when the fire began. Crews are attempting to mitigate the smoke and water damage.

Other - School / University, School / University

Westmont, IL – Sprinkler system activated for fire at school bus depot

A bus depot caught fire in Westmont after a worker used a torch that accidentally ignited a seat on a school bus Wednesday. Firefighters rushed to First Student Bus Company at 250 W. 63rd St. after a resident reported seeing heavy smoke coming from the building just before 3 p.m.

When fire crews arrived, the building’s alarm and sprinkler systems had been activated. Officials say everyone had been evacuated safely, but one person suffered smoke inhalation and was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

More than two dozen firefighters battled the blaze, with crews coming in from Downers Grove, Tri-State, and Clarendon Hills to assist the Westmont Fire Department.

The building and bus sustained a total of $150,000 in damage and the building was declared uninhabitable because of extensive smoke and water damage.

Retail

Rockford, IL – Storage room fire in retail store extinguished by sprinkler system

The Rockford Fire Department responded to Chateau More Than a Dress, 2508 South Alpine Road in the Alpine Village Shopping Center, around 7:45 p.m. Monday night after a sprinkler alarm went off in the business. Firefighters found smoke inside the business and an extinguished fire was discovered in a back storage area. The fire was put out by the sprinkler system. Fire damage was limited to a small area of merchandise. The business and a neighboring business also suffered water damage. Investigators say about $15,000 in damage was done. Other business in the strip mall were unaffected and remained open. No one was hurt.