Tag Archives: Maryland

Department Store, Retail

Germantown, MD – Fire at Bed, Bath and Beyond store controlled by sprinkler system

Montgomery County firefighters say an electrical short in a light fixture sparked a fire on Tuesday morning at the Bed, Bath and Beyond store on Middlebrook Road in Germantown.

Fire and Rescue Spokesperson Pete Piringer said workers discovered the blaze and called 9-1-1. He said the fire was controlled by the building’s sprinkler system.

According to Piringer, the store’s employees evacuated the building and there were no injuries

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

North East, MD – High school has second sprinkler save in six weeks; Dryer fire extinguished

A commercial dryer caught fire in a Rising Sun High School laundry room on Wednesday night, sending dozens of firefighters and several pieces of equipment to the scene, according to school officials.  The small fire in the malfunctioning dryer was quickly extinguished by a sprinkler head above the appliance, school officials said, adding that it also activated a smoke alarm. The fire call occurred about 9 p.m.

The school was open on Thursday for a regular schedule, thanks to cleanup and ventilation efforts.  There was no fire or water damage to the school at 100 Tiger Drive, off Route 272, in Calvert, school officials said. The sprinkler, however, did leave water on the hallway floor near the laundry room, which is located at the north end of the building.

Firefighters were sweeping that standing water out a back door on Wednesday night. They also were running industrial fans to ventilate the smoke inside the building.  A Maryland State Fire Marshal’s Office investigator arrived late Wednesday night and started an investigation to determine how the dryer fire started.

The dryer fire on Wednesday night has no connection to an electrical system fire in March, which was also contained by the school’s automatic sprinkler system.

(BLOG NOTE: Media report incorrectly stated that smoke caused the sprinkler to activate. Sprinklers are heat activated. Only the intense heat from a potentially damaging and deadly fire can cause this type of sprinkler system to operate)

Apartment Building, Residential

Laurel, MD – Apartment fire early Easter morning controlled by sprinkler system

Howard County firefighters responded to the blaze just before 1 a.m. Easter morning in the 9000 block of Thames Meade Road. Crews found a small mattress fire that was controlled by the building’s sprinkler system.

A fire was called to the scene to determine a cause and one person was evaluated by paramedics. Two apartments were deemed “unoccupiable,” and fire officials say that number might grow as investigators evaluate other apartments in the building for damage. The American Red Cross is helping residents with any short term help they may need.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

North East, MD – Overnight fire at high school contained to mechanical room by sprinkler system

**NO MEDIA COVERAGE – State Fire Marshal Report** — On March 18, 2015 around 2:48 am, the Maryland State Fire Marshal’s Office was requested for a fire at Rising Sun High School. Rising Sun High is a two story, brick educational facility located at 100 Tiger Drive in Rising Sun of Cecil County.  Approximately 30 firefighters from Rising Sun, Northeast and Oxford (PA) responded and extinguished the fire within 20 minutes. Investigators from the State Fire Marshal’s Office determined the fire to have originated in the mechanical room of the school due to an electrical malfunction. The high school was protected by a working fire alarm which alerted the local fire departments quickly. The sprinkler system was also activated, which contained the fire to the mechanical room. There was no structure damage due to the fire.

Hospital/Care Facility, Hospital/Medical Clinic

Bel Air, MD – Fire at medical center limited to utility closet thanks to sprinkler system

Nobody was injured in a small utility room fire at Upper Chesapeake Medical Center in Bel Air Sunday afternoon, according to theOffice of the State Fire Marshal.  At 1:07 p.m., a fire alarm activated at the medical complex in the 500 block of Upper Chesapeake Drive, the fire marshal reported. 

Staff told emergency dispatchers there was a fire in the cardiac catheterization lab, located on the first floor of the four-story building, the report said. A cardiac catheterization lab is where medical practitioners user special equipment to diagnose heart conditions. 

Approximately 20 firefighters responded—from Bel Air, Abingdon and Fallston—and found that a sprinkler had put out a small fire in lab’s utility room before crews arrived, the fire marshal reported.  While there was no structural damage at the facility and no procedures were taking place in the lab at the time of the incident

Apartment Building, Residential

Bethesda, MD – Sprinkler system keeps fire away from residents in overnight apartment blaze

Firefighters were called to the Bethesda Hill Apartment building at 5114 Dudley Lane shortly after 3 a.m. by a guest at the Bethesda Marriott located across the street.  All occupants quickly got out of the building, but the fire had spread considerably through void and empty spaces, MCFRS spokesperson Pete Piringer said

Piringer said the building’s sprinkler system effectively prevented the fire from spreading to the building’s living spaces. Piringer said it appears to have started with a dryer and nearby combustible material before quickly spreading to duct work in the walls, ceilings and floors between the second and third floors. 

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Annapolis, MD – Sprinklers extinguish fire at senior apartment complex; No injuries reported

Crews were called to an apartment fire at the Morris A. Blum Senior apartments in Annapolis around 7 p.m. last Wednesday. Arriving crews found a small fire in a wicker cabinet that was extinguished by two sprinklers that were activated by the fire.

Officials said in addition to the apartment where the fire happened, several units along the corridor and the first floor recreation area were affected. Officials said damage estimates are still being evaluated. No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Glen Echo Park, MD – Fire in art studio at historic property extinguished by sprinkler system

An electrical fire in an art studio and classroom space at historic Glen Echo Park has that part of the facility closed on Friday.

The fire was caused by an electrical problem related to a thermostat installed in the wall, according to MCFRS spokesperson Pete Piringer. Firefighers were called to the scene at about 3:15 a.m. Friday.

It happened in the Park’s Yellow Barn Studio.  Piringer said a sprinkler system put out the fire and damage was valued at less than $10,000.

Glen Echo Park said later that Friday morning that all classes in the Yellow Barn Studio are canceled today. The SilverWorks studio is also closed as Park officials wait until power is restored to the buildings.

Department Store, Retail

Glen Burnie, MD – Fire at Toys ‘R’ Us impeded by sprinkler system

Apartment Building, Residential

Bel Air, MD – Apartment fire doused by sprinkler system, no injuries reported

 Before 9 p.m. Monday night, crews responded to a reported apartment fire and found a “smoldering mattress” in an apartment in the 200 block of Kings Crossing Circle, said Rich Gardiner, spokesman for the Harford County Volunteer Fire and EMS Association.  The sprinkler system contained the fire, and there were no injuries as a result, Gardiner said.