Tag Archives: Illinois

College/University (on campus), Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

Champaign, IL – Early morning fire at University of Illinois residence hall extinguished by sprinkler system

Fire officials are investigating what caused a trash can fire in a University of Illinois dormitory early Thursday morning. At 2:13 a.m., the Urbana and Champaign fire departments responded to a report of a fire at Scott Hall, 202 East Peabody Drive, in Champaign.

When they arrived, the firefighters did not see anything from the outside, but on the second floor, they found smoke in the southwest hallway, said Urbana Fire Chief Brian Nightlinger. A fire had started in a trash can in a common area garbage closet, said Craig Grant, associate director of campus code compliance & fire safety.

A sprinkler in that closet extinguished the fire. Firefighters were able to turn the sprinkler off before it caused significant damage, Nightlinger said. “The sprinkler system did its job,” Nightlinger said.

The residence hall was evacuated until around 3 a.m. Students took shelter in Snyder Hall and the Student Dining and Residential Programs building, Grant said. Cleanup lasted into the early morning.  Anyone with information on what may have caused the fire can contact the Champaign Fire Department at 217-403- 7200.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Naperville, IL – Sprinklers assist firefighters in containing fire in storage room at business

The contents of a Naperville business in the 2000 block of Aurora Avenue suffered more damage than the structure following a Saturday afternoon fire, according to a release from the Naperville Fire Department. Firefighters received a call from an employee at 1:05 p.m. stating the fire alarm was sounding and there was smoke coming from a rear storage room, but no flames seen, the release said.

The first arriving fire unit reported nothing showing from three sides of the business, the release said. Upon entry, they found heavy smoke, at which time the alarm was upgraded by the shift commander, bringing more equipment and firefighters.

Extinguishing the fire was difficult due to the size of the structure, however after the deployment of several hose lines and coordinated operations, including the building’s sprinkler system, the fire was extinguished 46 minutes after the initial dispatch, according to the release.

Damage to the structure was moderate, however damage to contents within the structure was extensive due to smoke, fire, and water, the release said. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation, and there were no injuries to firefighters or civilians.

The Naperville Fire Department was assisted on the scene by departments from Aurora and Plainfield. Units from Downers Grove and Bolingbrook as well as the Warrenville and Lisle-Woodridge Fire Protection Districts provided station coverage for the city during the incident.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Quincy, IL – Sprinklers put out mattress fire at Chaddock School; No injuries

Emergency crews responded to a mattress fire Wednesday morning at Chaddock School, according to Asst. Fire Chief Bernie Vahlkamp.

The Quincy Fire Department says crews responded to the fire at 205 S. 24th St., in one of the cottages. Vahlkamp said the fire was out by the time firefighters arrived and that Quincy police are handling the situation.

“The sprinkler system put out the fire,” Vahlkamp said. “But, smoke did fill the room and hallway.”

Vahlkamp said there were no injuries.

Other - Residential, Other / Not Specified, Other Business, Residential

Mount Prospect, IL – Two recent fires highlight importance of automatic fire sprinklers

** NO MEDIA COVERAGE – FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTED **

October 24, 2015 at approximately 5:58 p.m., the Mount Prospect Fire Department responded to an activated fire alarm in the building at 1751 Linneman Road. As firefighters were investigating the activated fire alarm, they discovered an activated sprinkler was controlling a vehicle fire inside the building. Firefighters extinguished the fire, limiting fire damage to the vehicle.

On October 28, 2015 at approximately 3:43p.m., the Mount Prospect Fire Department responded to a report of an oven fire at 290 Westgate Road. As firefighters entered the dwelling unit they discovered that one activated fire sprinkler was controlling an oven fire. Firefighters extinguished the fire, limiting fire damage to the stove area.

No injuries were reported as a result of these fires. Without the automatic fire sprinkler systems and fire alarm systems, the loss to both of these buildings could have been much more significant. The estimated fire damage for both of these fires was $125,000 with a total property value saved in excess of five million dollars.

“The positive result of these fires represents the excellent work that our entire fire department does on a daily basis,” stated Interim Fire Chief Brian Lambel. “The fire suppression was extremely effective due to the training and professional operations of our firefighters. The automatic fire sprinkler systems performed as designed due to the inspections, code enforcement and the development review role our Fire Prevention Bureau performs. The outcome of these fires could have been much different if all of these components had not come together.”

Fire sprinklers work because they do not rely on human factors. Unlike the common myth that all sprinklers in the building activate at once, only the fire sprinkler above the actual fire activates. Automatic fire sprinklers operate in the area where a fire starts, preventing it from growing uncontrolled to a dangerous size while simultaneously sounding an alarm and notifying the fire department.

Because of the proven effectiveness of automatic fire sprinklers and the enhanced life safety features they provide, the Village of Mount Prospect requires all new construction be protected by automatic fire sprinklers. This requirement includes new townhomes and single-family residences. For more information regarding automatic fire sprinklers, or the requirements for testing and maintenance of sprinkler and fire alarm systems, please contact the Mount Prospect Fire Prevention Bureau at (847) 818-5253.

 

Apartment Building, Residential

Rockford, IL – Sprinklers knock down apartment kitchen fire; No injuries and only minor damage reported

Sprinklers knocked down and contained a kitchen fire that broke out in an apartment located in the 10-unit Riverside Apartments building at 3701 Trilling Ave. A resident in a first-floor apartment fell asleep while cooking. Food caught fire on the stove, activating smoke detectors and a sprinkler system, Rockford Fire Department District Chief Charles Barnes said.

“The sprinklers stopped it fast,” Barnes said. Heavy smoke, fire and the sprinkler apparently forced the resident to climb out his window which overlooks the parking lot of the apartment building.

No injuries to residents or firefighters were reported, Barnes said. “There was minor damage,” Barnes said. “The water damage from the sprinkler head, the sprinkler took out the fire so we didn’t have any fire extension. The maintenance people here are going to get it all back in service.”

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Bloomington, IL – Sprinkler system limits damage in early morning fire at Kroger grocery store

It was a slightly later open than usual for the Kroger grocery store at 1502 N. Main Street in Bloomington on Friday. A Kroger spokesman confirmed there was a small fire that broke out in a manager’s office. Spokesman John Elliott said the fire activated the sprinkler system and there was no damage.

Bloomington Fire Department spokesman Stewart Blade said crews were called to the store at 5:15 a.m. The store has since reopened. Blade said the cause of the fire is under investigation.

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Elgin, IL – Sprinkler system holds warehouse fire in check

A fire damaged the inventory Monday morning in an Elgin warehouse that sells shipping and storage boxes, fire officials said.

The fire started just after 9 a.m. at Boxpartners.com, 2650 Galvin Drive, in the northwest corner of the warehouse, Elgin fire officials said in a news release.

A  sprinkler system held the fire in check until firefighters arrived to extinguish it. Nobody was injured. The blaze caused about $25,000 in damage. It remains under investigation.

Apartment Building, Residential

Charleston, IL – Grease fire at University Court Apartments put out by sprinklers

A grease fire was reported at 7:02 p.m. Sunday in the Cooper Building of University Court Apartments. Assistant Fire Chief Steven Bennett of the Charleston Fire Department said the residents in apartment 23 were cooking when the grease got too hot and started to catch fire.

“The sprinklers had activated and put the fire out, so the sprinkler system did what it was supposed to do,” Bennett said.

There was minimal fire damage and little water damage in other apartments.

“The sprinkler was activated so it was putting the water out on the fire, so some of that water finds cracks and goes down into the apartment(s) below,” Bennett said

“Right now the fire alarm is now activated until the electrician can come and reset it,” Bennett said. “Because it activated when the sprinkler went off and right now the sprinkler system’s down until the plumber can change out the sprinkler head that activated.”

The fire alarm has been reset in Cooper.

The electricians and plumber were called and notified, and building service workers had already started cleaning up the water.

Residents were able to return to their apartments at 7:50 p.m. unless they were in the apartment affected by the fire.

Kelly Miller, associate director of housing and dining, said the people who had to leave Cooper because of the grease fire were staying with friends.

Miller said there was not a lot of physical damage, and the sprinklers went off as they were supposed to.

Office Building, Other Business

Decatur, IL – Sprinkler system controls laundry fire at downtown commercial building

The Decatur Fire Department says firefighters responded to a small fire at a building in downtown Decatur Tuesday morning. The Decatur Fire Chief tells WAND News that crews responded to a fire in the laundry room on the basement floor of One Main Place. The fire chief says the building’s sprinkler system helped keep the fire under control until crews arrived, at which point the fire was extinguished.

The fire chief also says smoke caused from the fire resulted in the evacuation of everyone in the building. West Main Street was also temporarily closed off while crews responded to the scene.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Rantoul, IL – Fire in filtration system at manufacturing plant contained by sprinkler system

Employees at a Rantoul industrial plant were evacuated from the building Monday morning when fire broke out in a filtration unit. One employee at the Eagle Wings plant in the industrial park complained of smoke inhalation but refused to be transported to a hospital, Rantoul Fire Chief Ken Waters said.

He said embers in a filtration system caught filters on fire, filling the plant with smoke. The plant’s sprinkler system contained the fire, and employees were allowed to return to the plant. Firefighters used a high-velocity fan to pull the smoke out of the building.

Waters said the fire damaged 64 filters. He said the plant’s head of maintenance indicated it will be five days before new filters can be brought in, but production will not be limited because filters from another part of the plant will be used. Firefighters received the call at 8:56 a.m. and cleared the scene about 90 minutes later.

Eleven firefighters responded with a ladder truck, engine and rescue unit. No dollar estimate of damage was available.