Tag Archives: Kentucky

Office Building, Other Business

Louisville, KY – Sprinklers help minimize damage in fire at GE facility

No one was injured in a fire at GE Appliances, located in the 4000 block of Buechel Bank Road. The fire started at 8 p.m. Firefighters said the sprinkler system activated. The fire was in the Global Customer Center, it’s also known as Building 35, and was contained in 25 minutes. The Okolona fire chief said no production was impacted and damage was in a small area of the GE Appliance Park building.

The Global Customer Center houses research and technology and also serves as a place for big GE customers to view the latest appliances in a showroom. Four fire departments responded to the fire. They include: Okolona, Buechel, Camp Taylor and Highview.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Lexington, KY – 3 a.m. fire at manufacturing plant knocked down by sprinkler system

Sprinklers stopped a fire from spreading at a plant in Lexington.  The fire started just after 3 a.m. Monday at Interplex Plastics on Brentwood Court.  Firefighters say when they arrived, the fire was already knocked down by the sprinkler system in the plant.

No one was in the plant at the time of the fire.  An arson investigator was called to the scene.  No word yet on a possible cause.

Other Business

Lexington, KY – Electrical fire in parking garage activates sprinkler system; No injuries or structural damage reported

The government center at 200 East Main Street in downtown Lexington was closed Monday because of an electrical fire late Sunday night in an adjoining parking garage. The parking garage sprinkler system, which was triggered by the fire, helped to contain the blaze which blaze broke out about 11:30 p.m. Sunday in some wiring inside the parking garage.

Firefighters had to turn off electricity in the parking garage, which also caused parts of the government center to lose power, city officials said. With the government building closed, some city employees will not work Monday, said Susan Straub, Mayor Jim Gray’s spokeswoman. The garage is between the Kentucky Theatre and the government building.

Initial indications suggest that the parking garage sustained no structural damage, Straub said. The cause remains unknown, Straub said. Earlier Monday, officials said electrical current arced, and some insulation caught fire. The fire was quickly put out once electrical power in the garage was turned off, fire officials said.

Apartment Building, Residential

Corbin, KY – Apartment fire extinguished by sprinkler system

Approximately 30 residents at a downtown Corbin apartment building were forced to evacuate the building just before Midnight Tuesday when a fire was sparked in a storage room.  Corbin firefighters were called to Cooper Health Apartments at the intersection of Main and Gordon streets when a fire alarm was activated.

Battalion Chief Larry Jones stated the fire was sparked in a small storage room off of the main office on the first floor by some type of electrical malfunction.  Corbin Fire Chief Barry McDonald said a sprinkler head broke off sending water pouring onto the fire, extinguishing it.

The sprinkler system had to be shut down because of the broken sprinkler head. With the system down, maintenance personnel had to establish a fire watch until it could be repaired.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Another nursing home fire put out by sprinkler system, no one injured (Louisville, KY)

A fire at a nursing home, called Christian Health Center West, led to the evacuation of residents on Monday. Officials said the fire started in the attic, but was located above the kitchen and cafeteria area. They evacuated 84 of the nursing homes residents. No one suffered from any smoke inhalation and the fire did not damage anyone’s room. The sprinkler system did leave water damage and it’s unclear whether some of the residents will be able to stay in their rooms Monday night. At this point, the fire department says it looks like an electrical fire but arson is still being investigated.

Retail, Shopping Mall

Fire sprinklers help control fire at Aeropostale store in outlet mall (Simpsonville, KY)

Fire crews were called to the Outlet Shoppes of the Bluegrass at about 2 a.m. Wednesday. Mall spokeswoman Gina Slechta says the fire started in the Aeropostale store. Simpsonville Fire Chief Ronnie Sowder says an electrical issue caused the fire that started in a light display. Sprinklers in the store, which were originally installed by Dalmatian Fire Inc. in Louisville, Kentucky, helped contain the fire and limit damage to the store. The Outlet Shoppes spokeswoman says there was no damage to the surrounding buildings, and the mall opened on time the next day.

Residential, Residential High Rise

Kitchen fire at senior high-rise apartment building suppressed with help from sprinkler system (Owensboro, KY)

The call that every Owensboro firefighter fears came in at 12:07 a.m. Saturday: A fire on the 16th floor of Roosevelt House I, 2920 Yale Place.  “It was a kitchen fire,” Chief Steve Mitchell said later Saturday. “The sprinkler system had been activated, and we were able to knock the fire down fairly quickly.”  But more than 200 senior citizens live in the 18-story building, Owensboro’s tallest, and the 911 system was flooded with calls from people needing help evacuating the building, Mitchell said.  There were no serious injuries.

Athletic Club/Sports Facility, Other Business

Sprinkler system aids firefighters at health club fire (Owensboro, KY)

A health club had a fire occur in one of it’s clothes dryers. The dryer, which was full of towels, caught fire, and the outside of the unit began to burn. The heat from the fire activated the fire sprinkler which was near it; the sprinkler controlled the fire until fire crews arrived. Thirty people were in the building when the fire occurred but were able to evacuate safely.