Tag Archives: Illinois

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Sprinklers make the difference in middle school fire (Oak Forest, IL)


An electronic device might have been the cause of the fire. “If it wasn’t for the building’s sprinkler system, this place would still be burning,” said Oak Forest Fire Lieutenant Jack Janozik. Custodians were inside the school at the time of the fire, but all evacuated safely. The school’s sprinkler system was essential in snuffing out the flames, and saving the thousands of documents stored in the room. “That saved this building from burning down,” Janozik said.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Sprinkler system extinguishes fire at high school (Chillicothe, IL)

Apartment Building, Residential

Apartment kitchen fire extinguished by sprinkler system (Decatur, IL)

Food left cooking on a stove resulted in a small apartment fire. “It was a small fire,” Deputy Fire Chief Jeff Abbott said, “and the sprinkler system (in the apartment) had extinguished it by the time we got there. All we had to do was turn off the sprinkler system valve and ventilate the apartment. It was a successful use of the sprinkler system.” No injuries were reported.

Residential, Single Family Home

Sprinkler system contains and extinguishes house fire (Glen Ellyn, IL)

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This past weekend, a fire sprinkler system in a six-year-old home in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, contained and extinguished a kitchen fire before it was able to become destructive and possibly deadly. The fire was caused by a coffee maker that was too close to a gas stovetop, where a boiling pot of water was left unattended. The homeowners, who were in the backyard, noticed the fire and called the fire department just before a single fire sprinkler activated.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Sprinkler system aids firefighters during manufacturing plant fire (Urbana, IL)

A malfunctioning machine at the Solo Cup plant in east Urbana sparked a fire Thursday morning that caused moderate damage.

Urbana Fire Chief Mike Dilley said a combination of sprinkler heads inside the plant and firefirefighters’ hose lines kept the fire from being any worse than it was. All the workers in the plant were safely evacuated.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Printing business fire contained thanks to sprinkler system (Lake Zurich, IL)

The owner of a Lake Zurich company was able to escape his business as it filled with smoke due to a machine fire Thursday afternoon, officials said. The fire started in a laser printing machine inside the business at 75 Oakwood Road at about 3:35 p.m., and was contained to the machine thanks to a sprinkler system, said Lake Zurich Fire Chief David Wheelock.

Other - Storage / Warehouse, Storage / Warehouse

Chemical company fire extinguished by sprinkler system (Hinsdale, IL)

A Willow Springs chemical company was saved on Monday because of an automatic fire sprinkler system, said the town’s fire chief. A box alarm and hazmat team was called, and members found a single sprinkler head extinguished the wooden pallets and two drums of materials that caught fire. “These systems are in place for this reason, I can not find a better example of why we require fire alarms and sprinklers,” said Willow Springs Fire Chief Larry Moran.