Tag Archives: Illinois

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Wheeling, IL – Fire at high school quickly extinguished by sprinkler system

No cause has been identified in a small fire that led to the evacuation of Wheeling High School, 900 S. Elmhurst Rd., at approximately 1:45 p.m. Friday (Dec. 7).

According to Wheeling Deputy Fire Chief Michael McGreal, the fire was contained to a storage closet near the rear of the school’s woodshop and was related to filters on a spray booth for paint and lacquer. There were no injuries and only minimal damage, with the closet cleaned and ready for use the same day.

McGreal said the school’s sprinkler system activated quickly, dousing the fire before it could become a serious danger. However, as a precaution, students stayed outside for around 20 minutes while fire crews cleared the scene.

“We tried to get the kids in as soon as possible, because it was very cold,” McGreal told the Journal & Topics.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Chicago, IL – Sprinkler system assist firefighters in extinguishing fire at mattress factory

Chicago firefighters were called to a report of a fire in a mattress factory in West Garfield Park on Sunday morning, officials reported. About 7:40 a.m. emergency responders first were called to 4444 W. Ohio St. on the West Side for a report of a fire at a mattress factory. The building was evacuated and no one was reported injured, according to tweets from the Chicago Fire Department.  The fire later became a two-alarm fire, meaning additional resources were needed. In one tweet, the Chicago Fire Department said water was on the fire, both from a sprinkler system inside the building that activated and from firefighters trying to combat the flames. In another, officials said they were working to ventilate the building. In a tweet just after 9 a.m., officials reported the fire was out and an extensive ventilation and overhaul was in progress. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Altamont, IL – Fire in dust collector at manufacturing plan controlled by sprinkler system

Fire damaged a machine at an Altamont manufacturer on Monday.
Altamont firefighters were called to Irwin Telescopic, just west of the Effingham County Fairgrounds, at 12:20pm. Altamont Fire Chief Jon Becker said a dust collector in the south end of the building was the source of the fire. Apparently, a filter in the machine caught fire. A sprinkler system inside the machine activated, but the machine was still smoldering when firefighters arrived. Becker said there was smoke throughout the building, so personnel were evacuated until the building could be ventilated. Becker said the fire did an estimated $20,000 damage to the dust collector. He said there was no structural damage.  Altamont firefighters handled the call on their own, although Abbott EMS was there on standby and Altamont police checked in at the scene. Firefighters were on scene for about an hour.

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Chicago, IL – Fire at large furniture warehouse extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

A fire broke out in a large furniture warehouse in the Ford City neighborhood in the early hours of Black Friday.  Fire crews responded to United Furniture in 4100 block of West 76th Street about 9:30 a.m. and discovered several couches on fire, according to department officials.  The sprinkler system extinguished the flames, officials said. Employees were evacuated but no one was reported injured and no one was transported from the scene for medical treatment, officials said.

Warehouse owner Abdail Morra wore a light yellow coat and held a cup of coffee as he stood a few feet from the building, looking on as emergency personnel surveyed the scene. Four fire engines with flashing red lights were parked just outside the building.  “It was honestly really scary,” he said, showing a video of dozens of couches catching fire. An employee noticed the fire and rushed to Morra’s office.  Friends and colleagues approached Morra outside, offering a hug or a handshake and a few words of condolence.   “I just hope I don’t have to close down,” he said. “If I close down, it will break me big time.”

Restaurant

Orland Park, IL – Sprinkler system extinguishes overnight restaurant fire

A sprinkler system at the Patio restaurant in Orland Park is being credited with limiting the damage caused by an early morning fire Thursday, officials said.  Firefighters were dispatched to the 7930 W. 159th St. business about 1:30 a.m. for an activated fire alarm and found smoke inside the building, a release from the Orland Fire Protection District said.  However, a sprinkler head had extinguished the fire that had started in one of the cooking oil fryers. Some fire remained in the ducts above the fryers and was extinguished by a hose, the release said.  “Orland Fire Protection District officials noted the sprinkler the important role the sprinkler played in preventing the fire from spreading and destroying the restaurant,” the release said.  “The sprinkler immediately activated as the fire began to spread to combustibles nearby saving the business from more extensive damage.”

Apartment Building, Residential

DeKalb, IL – Apartment kitchen fire extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Two families were displaced by a kitchen fire in the Hunter Ridgebrook apartment complex last Monday at 835 Edgebrook Drive.  The DeKalb Fire Department responded to the fire, which started on the stove of a ground-floor apartment, about 9 p.m., Fire Chief Eric Hicks said.  Hicks said the fire was put out by the on-site sprinkler system by the time firefighters arrived – six minutes after the call came in.  He said the fire is not being considered malicious and is being treated as accidental.

“It was a pretty good-sized stove fire,” Hicks said, adding that it was confined to the apartment.  The Hunter Ridgebrook property manager helped the families out with a place to stay, Hicks said. He estimated the damage at $20,000.  The city’s building and code compliance division is checking with the property owner to ensure repairs are being addressed, Hicks said.  The Sycamore, Cortland, Malta, Shabbona, Maple Park, and Genoa-Kingston fire departments assisted.

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Aurora, IL – Warehouse fire kept in check by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Aurora firefighters responded to a piece of equipment that was on fire in a warehouse near Interstate 88 and the Aurora outlet mall.

Firefighters found a large one-story warehouse filled with smoke around 1:49 a.m. Tuesday in the 900 block of Corporate Boulevard, officials said in a news release.

Upon further investigation, firefighters found a large hopper filled with foam and padding that was on fire. A sprinkler head activated which helped keep the fire under control until 24 firefighters were able to completely extinguish the fire with hoses in one hour, according to the release.

Officials said the fire was probably caused by the machine overheating.

There were no injuries, officials said. The fire damage was contained to the hopper and did not spread to the building, the release stated.

Apartment Building, Residential

Sterling, IL – (Fire Dept. Reported) Bathroom fire in loft apartment building extinguished by single sprinkler

** No Media Coverage – Fire Department Reported **

Date: September 13, 2018
Time: 20:53
Location: 218 First Avenue, Sterling, Illinois
Property: Lawrence Lofts – 5 story residential structure
Sprinklers Activated: 1

Event details:
Dispatched to a water flow alarm at five-story residential structure. Upon investigation, found a fire had occurred in a bathroom in a 4th floor unit.   Fire had been extinguished by the sprinkler system.

This is a 20-unit apartment building with 5 floors above the Whiteside County East Courthouse.  Two courtrooms all open for business the next day.  “If not for sprinkler, life and property would have been lost.”

*Reported by Gary Cook, Fire Chief, Sterling, IL

 

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Peoria, IL – Oven fire at Sam’s Club prompts sprinkler system to activate; No injuries reported

A kitchen fire temporarily closed Sam’s Club on Monday afternoon and caused a damage estimate of $1 million in products on the store’s shelves.

At about 3:30 p.m., Peoria firefighters responded to a fire in the deli area at 4100 W. Willow Knolls Road.

Once inside, they found a small fire in a rotisserie oven, which was put out with a water extinguisher, Acting Battalion Chief Robert Lundholm said in a news release.

One sprinkler head was activated and kept the fire in check before they arrived, he said.

Firefighters remained on scene after the fire was out to shut down the sprinklers and ventilate the building.

No injuries were reported. All employees and customers were evacuated and accounted for, and the store was closed.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Chicago, IL – No injuries after sprinkler system puts out fire in CPS elementary school gymnasium

A flash fire damaged a Chicago public school this weekend on the North Side, just two weeks before the first day of class. The fire broke out in the third-floor gym of Burley Elementary School, 1630 W. Barry Ave., on Saturday in the Lakeview neighborhood. In an email to parents, the principal of Burley said, “We are still unsure of exactly what and how it happened, but what I do know is that no one was on that floor when it happened and no one was injured.”

The sprinkler system put out the fire but also caused collateral water damage throughout building. Families and staff pitched in Monday to paint and do a number of projects. Portable generators, makeshift ventilation and restoration teams are racing against the clock. The principal gave credit to firefighters and CPS for efforts in the past two days, but CPS is caught in a time crunch.

CPS is left unable to answer how long cleanup will take, or if school will begin on time on Sept. 4 at Burley and if there are safety issues surrounding not only the water damage, but how the fire began with no one in that area.  The principal asked parents to “please be patient with me as we let the experts do what they are best at and know that Burley is in great hands.”

In a statement, CPS said that it anticipates the school will be repaired for the first day but is creating a contingency plan. They said they’re waiting on investigators to determine how the fire began.