Tag Archives: Maine

Apartment Building, Residential

Westbrook, ME – Automatic sprinkler system extinguishes apartment kitchen fire; No injuries reported

A cooking fire in a Westbrook apartment building displaced 16 people on Friday morning, but no one was injured.  Fire Chief Andrew Turcotte said the fire on Walker Street started in a second-floor kitchen just before 9 a.m. The heat triggered the sprinkler system in that unit, so the flames had been extinguished when Westbrook fire crews arrived on scene.  “The sprinkler system did its job,” Turcotte said.

Still, the incident caused fire and smoke damage to the three-unit building, which Turcotte said is owned by Avesta Housing. The Red Cross of Maine said it is working with three families to ensure they have food, a safe place to sleep and access to services. A spokesperson for the affordable housing developer did not immediately return a request for comment Friday afternoon.

Turcotte pointed to statistics from the National Fire Protection Association, saying that nearly 100,000 apartment fires take place every year. Sprinkler systems like the one triggered Friday have been proven to reduce the rates of injury or death in those fires, he said.  “These fire protection systems save lives,” the fire chief said.

Apartment Building, Residential

Bath, ME – Sprinkler system activated at apartment building for elderly and disabled

Residents escaped safely from Seacliff Apartments, which provides housing for the elderly and disabled, when a fire broke out at one of the apartments at 47 Floral St. Sunday morning.

The fire was reported at 10:17 a.m. and drew firefighters from multiple communities. The building is owned by Bath Housing.

“The guys made a tremendous stop,” said Bath Fire Chief Lawrence Renaud.

The six-member crew on duty was able to extinguish the flames and upward of 50 firefighters quickly responded from Bath and the neighboring towns including Brunswick, West Bath, Woolwich, Phippsburg and Topsham.

The building houses 36 single bedroom apartment units and four two-bedroom apartments, according to the Bath Housing Authority’s website.

Given the time of the day and type of structure, there was concern the tenant was inside the apartment when the fire broke out, but Renaud said the person was located elsewhere.

“The sprinkler system in the hallways did activate so I think that was in our favor as well,” Renaud said. “I can’t advocate enough about sprinkler systems. They do save property and lives.”

A second floor apartment had a window open above the ground-floor apartment where flames were shooting from the window, causing smoke damage.

For the most part, there doesn’t seem to be any structural damage to the second floor, Renaud said. There are at least six units with water damage on the first floor and two with smoke damage on the second floor that are uninhabitable. The cause and origin of the fire haven’t been determined.

“It’s a coordinated effort,” he said.The American Red Cross was called to assist residents who may have been displaced by the fire. Bath Housing staff also responded because they know the building and their clientele.

Adult Care/Rehab Center, Other - Residential, Residential

Portland, ME – Sprinkler system helps contain fire at YMCA serving as temporary housing

Fire officials in Maine are investigating a fire at the Portland YMCA that temporarily affected 31 men living there as part of a housing support program.  The Portland Press Herald reports crews responded to the Portland YMCA around 4 p.m. Thursday. Assistant Fire Chief Keith Gautreau said a sprinkler system helped contain the small fire.  No injuries were reported.

According to a YMCA statement, the 31 residents are living in the dormitory through a housing support program called GROW. YMCA officials say the program provides temporary shelter for men moving into stable housing from homelessness.

YMCA of Southern Maine CEO Helen Brena said the Red Cross was quick to offer help for any residents who may have been displaced by the fire, but that after a cleanup effort Thursday night, the residents were able to return to stay there.

Apartment Building, Residential

Auburn, ME – No one hurt as sprinkler system helps control apartment fire

Two families were displaced by a fire that damaged two units at the Auburn Mall Apartments at 75 University St. late Saturday afternoon.

The Auburn Fire Department said the 5 p.m. fire started on a kitchen stove in one of the units at the 12-unit building.

No one was hurt.

It took the department about 20 minutes to extinguish the blaze.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Portland, ME – Sprinkler system activates to help control restaurant fire

The Portland Fire Department says a fire broke out at the 576 Congress Street location of the pizza chain, Otto’s, on Sunday, August 20.  Crews arrived on scene around 10 a.m. after an oven fire spread into the duct work. The building’s sprinkler system went off but the restaurant has smoke and water damage.  Congress Street was shut down for an hour on Sunday but reopened by 11:00 a.m.  eputy Chief Terry Walsh expects that Otto’s will remain closed for an unknown amount of time.

Apartment Building, Residential

Gardiner, ME – Fire Chief credits sprinkler system with saving lives and property in apartment blaze

Gardiner Fire Chief Al Nelson said a working sprinkler system extinguished an early morning fire on Water Street in Gardiner and saved both lives and property. Nelson said firefighters went to the building on the northwest corner of Water Street and Maine Avenue shortly after 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, following notification from a security company.

“They could see light smoke coming from behind a door,” he said. When they opened the second-floor apartment door, they saw a fire on the stove, and that’s when the building’s sprinkler system activated and put out the fire. It’s also when the tenants in the apartment woke up and came to see what was happening, Nelson said.

“The sprinkler system saved lives. It did its job,” Nelson said. “The stove is ruined, but that’s easy (to replace).”

The site of this fire is only a couple hundred feet from the site of a July 2015 fire that destroyed 235 Water St. and it damaged buildings on either side of it.

“At the press conference after the 2015 debacle, I said had that building had a sprinkler system, there would have been no press conference,” he said.

Nearly eight months before the 2015 fire, Royce Watson bought the building where the fire occurred Tuesday.

“It was a distressed property,” Watson said, “and it had a fairly good price, so that enabled me to update the sprinkler and fire alarm systems.”

The building has four retail units on the ground floor and eight apartments on the upper two floors.

Because the building already had a sprinkler system, he said, he had to either make it operational or remove it. He opted to fix it.

The apartment where the fire broke out sustained some smoke damage and the stove will have to be replaced, he said.

Watson, whose company, Wilcris LLC, owns other rental properties in the region, said the water from the sprinkler went into the unit below — his office — soaking his computer and some paperwork and bills on his desk.

While he said tenants share the responsibility for safety, he said he’s glad the system saved the building and that everyone is OK.

“I can’t thank him enough for his efforts on the sprinkler system,” Nelson said. “That saved the block.”

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Waterville, ME – Factory fire controlled with help from sprinkler system

An early morning fire at the Huhtamaki factory resulted in an evacuation and partial road closure Monday morning. No one was injured in the fire.  Waterville Fire Department Capt. Shawn Esler said they received the call around 7:30 a.m. on Monday for a large fire at the mill on College Avenue, where they responded with the assistance of the Fairfield Fire Department. Upon arrival, he said they discovered a large fire on the dryers requiring firefighters to deploy on the mill’s roof. Esler said two ladder trucks were committed to reach the roof line, and a crew of about 20 firefighters responded.

“The fire was contained to that area,” Esler said. “We had a very, very quick knockdown.” The cause of the fire at this time is unknown, Esler said. Crews were at the mill for about four hours, and Esler said most of that time was spent ensuring there was no extension of the fire to other portions of the mill.  Esler said several Huhtamaki employees were in the building at the time of the fire and were evacuated. A portion of College Avenue was shut down to allow the ladder trucks enough room to get firefighters onto the roof of the building. Esler said the Waterville Police Department assisted by directing traffic. Two papermaking machines were damaged by the fire, and Esler estimated the machines would be repaired by the end of the day Monday. The employees were back in the building before noon.

The fire department responds to a number of calls annually to Huhtamaki, but Esler said this one was a little larger than most they respond to because it involved firefighters going onto the roof. However, outside of the damage to the papermakers, Esler said there was no structural damage and no injuries to either employees or firefighters. He said the building’s sprinkler system activated, which also “significantly reduced the fire load.” Esler commended everyone’s knowledge of the mill and safety precautions, saying the firefighters did a good job quickly responding to the fire.  “The guys did a great job,” Esler said. “I can’t say enough about them.”  Representatives from Huhtamaki were not available Monday for comment.

Manufacturing, Paper Mill / Saw Mill

Searsmont, ME – Sawmill fire suppressed with help from sprinkler system; No injuries and minimal damage

Firefighters from several towns responded to Robbins Lumber Co. the afternoon of Nov. 14 for a reported fire in one of the facility’s buildings. Crews from Appleton, Lincolnville, Montville, Morrill and Searsmont responded to the incident, which was reported shortly before 3 p.m. Catherine Robbins-Halsted said the fire started in a sawmill building on the property. The exact cause of the fire is still being determined.  She said there was minor water damage in the building, as well as some damage to wiring. Robbins-Halsted credited the building’s sprinkler system and company employees, as well as local fire departments, with helping to suppress the fire.  No one was injured, she said.  Robbins-Halsted said the company will be open for business tomorrow.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Oxford, ME – Sprinkler system assists firefighters in knocking down fire at wood products manufacturer

Firefighters quickly knocked down flames at National Wood Products of Maine on Route 26 on Wednesday morning, Oxford Fire Chief Wayne Jones said. The fire was accidental, he said. No one was injured.  “The fire began in the area where the employees do the painting of their products,” Jones said. “They were doing some maintenance on the paint booth when the fire started.”  The fire was reported at 7:46 a.m.

The chief said the woodworking plant has a sprinkler system that “kept the fire intact” while the firefighters drove to the scene. “When you have a paint booth, there’s always the potential for an accidental fire, which is why businesses make sure those areas are explosion-proof,” Jones said. “It’s to prevent those types of fires from occurring or getting out of control, due to paint fumes or something else.”

National Wood Products of Maine supplies elaborate and simple furniture components and a wide variety of wood species, and produces finished furniture, ranging from juvenile furniture to adult lawn chairs. Jones praised the work for firefighters from Oxford, Norway, Paris, Mechanic Falls and Poland.

“All of the crews did a heck of a job of getting that fire knocked down as fast as possible,” Jones said.  Route 26 was closed while the departments extinguished the fire.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Portland, ME – Sprinkler system contains overnight bank fire; Business opens as usual in morning

About two dozen firefighters responded to the Norway Savings Bank building early Wednesday morning for a fire.  A bank spokeswoman said the bank will open as usual Wednesday. The bank’s drive-up opened at 8 a.m. and its lobby will open at 8:30 a.m., she said.  Karen Hakala said bank officials were thankful that no one was in the building when the fire broke out and that no one was hurt.

The fire started on the third floor near a water heater, Deputy Fire Chief Shawn Neat said.  Crews were called to the building on Congress Street around 2:45 a.m.