Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant Ottumwa, IA – Fourth floor hotel fire held in check by sprinkler system November 2, 2016 viking210 At approximately 12:15 a.m. Sunday morning, October 30th, the Ottumwa Fire Department responded to a report of a room on fire at the Hotel Ottumwa. Upon arrival, fire fighters discovered a fourth floor room on fire. Two sprinkler heads had activated, keeping the fire from growing and spreading. An employee of the Hotel Ottumwa, Trevor Medina, heard the fire alarm activation and went to the fourth floor. Medina kicked in the door and pulled a female occupant to safety. The occupant was immediately transferred to the Ottumwa Regional Health Center for treatment of smoke inhalation. Ottumwa Police Department personnel assisted with the safe evacuation of the upper floors of the hotel. Ottumwa Fire Chief Tony Miller credits the courageous action of Medina with preventing a tragic ending. The hotel sustained smoke and water damage; mostly limited to the original floor of origin with minor smoke damage on the fifth floor. Tenants and guests were allowed to return their rooms shortly after the fire was extinguished and the smoke was removed. The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Ottumwa Fire Department.
Retail, Shopping Mall West Burlington, IA – Jewelry store fire in shopping mall extinguished with help from sprinkler system September 10, 2016 viking210 A small fire caused occurred at Kay’s Jewelry Store about 7 p.m. Wednesday at Westland Mall. West Burlington Fire Chief Shaun Ryan said his firefighters responded to the mall about 7 p.m. on the report of smoke coming from a storage facility on the second-floor of the store. He said sprinkler systems activated and extinguished most of the fire by the time fire crews arrived. He said firefighters were able to knock down the remainder of the small fire within minutes. The entire mall was evacuated for about 90 minutes while firefighters removed smoke from the area, he said. The mall’s alarm system is on the same circuit so fire alarms went off throughout the building. He said the cause of the investigation remains under investigation. No injuries were reported. The Burlington Fire Department assisted West Burlington at the scene.
Apartment Building, Residential Sioux City, IA – Apartment bedroom fire extinguished by single sprinkler July 6, 2016 viking210 An apartment sprinkler was able to extinguish a small fire in a Sioux City apartment complex Friday night prior to the arrival of firefighters, officials say. According to a Sioux City Fire Rescue news release, firefighters responded to an alarm at Prestwick Apartments, 4230 Hickory Lane, shortly before 10 p.m. Friday. After investigating, firefighters located a single sprinkler head spraying water in a bedroom in one of the apartments. Firefighters stopped the water and found remains of a small fire that had occurred on the dresser, the release said. The occupant of the apartment was not home. Upon investigation, the firefighters traced the source of the fire to an unattended candle. Damage was limited to the top of the dresser and a television near the candle, the release said. Officials say sprinklers in buildings significantly reduce fire loss and deaths.
Hospital/Care Facility, Hospital/Medical Clinic Spencer, IA – Laundry room fire at hospital contained by sprinkler system; No injuries reported June 23, 2016 viking210 No patients or staff had to be removed from Spencer Hospital Saturday when the Spencer Fire Department responded to an early morning fire at the local medical facility. At 6:08 a.m., Spencer Fire and Rescue personnel were dispatched to Spencer Municipal Hospital following the report of a fire in the laundry room. While responding, firefighters were notified that the fire had been put out in the area when the sprinkler heads in the room were activated. There was still smoke in the area and Spencer fire crews were on site for approximately one hour working with Spencer Hospital staff and Spencer Police. The fire originated in the laundry area but the cause remains undetermined at this time. There was flame damage to the laundry room with some smoke entering the hallway and stairwell adjacent to the third floor. Fans were used to remove the smoke. No injuries were reported. The sprinkler system contained the fire and the smoke was contained by the closure of fire doors through the activation of the fire alarm system.
Apartment Building, Residential Des Moines, IA – Sprinklers help knock down flames when fire breaks out in apartments above pizza parlor June 17, 2016 viking210 No injuries were reported after a fire forced the evacuation Wednesday night of the Elliott Apartments above Fong’s Pizza on Fourth Street downtown. Captain Mark Dooley of the Des Moines Fire Department said crews arrived around 10:30 p.m. to smoke and flames on the second floor of the six-story building and launched an “aggressive interior attack.” “The flames were knocked down some with the activated sprinkler system,” Dooley said, adding that it made the firefighters’ job a lot easier. Almost all of the residents were home at the time fire crews responded and all were evacuated by 11 p.m. At 12:15 a.m. Thursday, Dooley said crews were no longer actively working to put the fire out but were instead checking the building to make sure the fire didn’t spread. The heat was what was causing the most concern, Dooley said. When the fire started around 10:30 p.m., it was approximately 84 degrees in downtown Des Moines, according to the National Weather Service. “There are medic units here just for the care of the firefighters,” Dooley said. They brought in extra medical crews and supplies solely to assist the roughly 100 firefighters working inside the complex, making sure to check their temperatures and heart rates. No cause for the fire has been identified and the investigation continues. Dooley said Polk County’s emergency response teams helped residents find a place to stay for the night. Fourth Street, Walnut Street and parts of Court Avenue were reopened in time for Thursday morning traffic. Joe Swift, a resident on the fourth floor, said he was out of the building minutes after the fire alarm went off. He said the smoke got very thick in the stairwell when he reached the second floor, making it difficult to see. He commended the men and women of the Des Moines Fire Department, who were knocking on doors and assisting residents out of the building. “These guys do a great job, and the ladies too,” Swift said. “In old buildings like this, underneath all that carpeting is all wood. There’s lots to catch on to.” On Twitter, Fong’s promised to repay swift work by the fire department with free pizza.
Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail Marshall Town, IA – Freezer fire at grocery store controlled with help from sprinkler system May 20, 2016 viking210 Firefighters were sent to a grocery store on a report of a fire in a freezer Thursday. Crews were sent to the Aldi’s store at 2405 South Center Street at 9:20 a.m. The store was evacuated as workers tried to track down which freezer the burning smell was coming from. The fire was seen coming from the back side of a freezer. By the time fire crews arrived, moderate smoke has filled the entire store, but no fire was visible from the entrance. As they started work, firefighters reported the sprinkler system activated. No injuries were reported. The investigation found the cause of the fire to be electrical and damage is estimated at $75,000.
Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant Council Bluffs, IA – Attic sprinkler system controls hotel fire caused by lightning strike; No injuries April 28, 2016 viking210 Investigators in Council Bluffs were sent to a hotel fire that was believed to be caused by lightning on Sunday morning. The fire happened at the Value Place hotel and added the building’s fire alarms were not working so guests had to tell each other to evacuate. 86 of the 113 rooms were occupied at the time of the fire, but no one was hurt. There was little damage to the hotel due to a working sprinkler in the attic. However, the hotel will be closed for several weeks because of water and electrical damage.
Other - Retail, Retail Iowa City, IA – Early morning laundromat fire suppressed by sprinkler system April 15, 2016 viking210 The Iowa City Fire Department responded to a report of a fire at Laundromania, 1848 Lower Muscatine Road, at 4:55 a.m. Tuesday. Crews encountered heavy smoke coming from the building and found fire coming from a bank of commercial dryers at the rear of the laundromat. Firefighters put out the fire in the dryers and made sure the fire had not spread to the rest of the building, according to a news release. The fire department credited the building’s sprinkler system for suppressing the fire before their arrival. Other businesses in the building sustained mild smoke damage. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant Peosta, IA – Hotel fire caused by electric heater/AC unit contained by sprinkler system April 7, 2016 viking210 A late-afternoon fire today forced the temporary closure of a Peosta hotel. Centralia-Peosta firefighters were called to Quality Inn & Suites at about 4:30 p.m. today after a fire was reported. Scanner traffic indicated that the hotel had been evacuated and that smoke was spreading in the bottom floors. Ray Stephan, assistant chief for the Centralia-Peosta Fire Department, said the fire began in a small entryway in a staircase leading to the first floor. “The sprinkler head was going off as we entered the building,” Stephan said. “We found it was a combination electric heater and air conditioning unit that had shorted out and burned.” Nicole Minnihan, a sergeant with the Peosta Police Department, confirmed that guests were present at the time of the fire but said there were no injuries. “Right now, the accommodations (for the guests) are still being worked out,” Minnihan said as of about 5:30 p.m. Stephan said at 6:10 p.m. that the hotel’s status for tonight was “in limbo.” He said hotel staff were pushing to keep the hotel open, but that the establishment could not reopen until sprinklers were back in service. He noted that a pipe was damaged during the fire. Minnihan said the fire was contained to one space inside the hotel, but smoke spread beyond that area to damage other portions of the hotel. She said the fire had been extinguished by 5:15 p.m. In addition to Peosta police and firefighters, officials with the Dubuque County Sheriff’s Department responded to the scene. “Everything is still under investigation at this point,” she said.
Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant Iowa City, IA – Sprinkler system helps contain fire at auto parts plant March 11, 2016 viking210 A structure fire damaged an Iowa City automotive parts plant and temporarily shut down operations Thursday morning, but no one was hurt, officials said. Iowa City Fire Department Battalion Chief Brian Platz said crews were dispatched to the fire at 11:07 a.m. for a report of smoke coming from the east side of the International Automotive Components building at 2500 Highway 6 in Iowa City. Platz said a fire began in a paint booth in the building and was transmitted through a smokestack to the roof. The fire in the booth itself was contained by the building’s sprinkler system, he said. “Their system extinguished the fire in the booth itself, but it didn’t cover anything above the booth,” Platz said. Crews then used water to extinguish the fire on the roof and in the smokestack, making sure that it would not spread, and Platz said firefighters were able to bring the flames under control using very little water. Thirteen personnel responded to the incident and had the blaze under control within about 40 minutes, according to Platz. And the building’s management was able to evacuate all employees and confirm their safety “very quickly,” he said.
