Tag Archives: Massachusetts

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Waltham, MA – Fire in Costco Wholesale tire center held at bay by sprinkler system

The Costco on 2nd Avenue had to be evacuated after a car caught on fire in the garage, last Tuesday afternoon. Fire officials said there were no injuries, and crews were able to make quick work of the fire. By 3 p.m. the Costco was open for business again. Around noon a man pulled a car into the Costco garage, got out and it started smoking and ended up catching on fire, according to fire officials. “They believe it originated in the engine compartment,” said Lt. Scott Perry of the Waltham Fire Department.

Employees evacuated the garage and the shopping center building for precautionary reasons, while firefighters dealt with the fire, which generated smoke that billowed out into the parking lot. Firefighters were able to keep the fire from spreading outside the garage. “The sprinkler did what it needed to do and kept it at bay enough to let the firefighters do their work,” said Perry. “And now there’s a little bit of clean up.”

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Holyoke, MA – Machinery fire at medical device manufacturer is contained by sprinkler system

A machine at a company which manufactures medical devices caught fire Tuesday afternoon. No one was injured in the blaze, which was contained to one machine at Marox Corp., on 373 Whitney Ave., Fire Capt. Kevin Cavagnac said. The fire was reported at about 2 p.m. and sprinklers in the building prevented the fire from spreading from the machine, he said. The fire caused minimal damage to the building, but utilities were shut off temporarily because of the water from the sprinkler system, he said.

Apartment Building, Residential

Springfield, MA – Sprinkler system extinguished kitchen fire in apartment building

A sprinkler system extinguished a fire in an apartment building in the downtown area Saturday evening.

The fire was reported at 6:26 p.m., at unit 104 in an apartment building on 35 Willow St. When firefighters arrived, they found a kitchen fire had been contained by the sprinkler system, said Dennis Leger, executive aide to Fire Commissioner Bernard J. Calvi.

The blaze caused about $10,000 in fire damage and water damage from the sprinklers, said Dennis Leger, executive aide to Fire Commissioner Bernard J. Calvi.

There were no injuries in the fire, he said.

The Springfield Arson and Bomb Squad investigated and determined the fire was caused by unattended cooking, Leger said.

Government/Military, Military Facility

Natick, MA – Electrical fire at research center contained by sprinkler system

A two-alarm electrical fire broke out last Tuesday evening at Natick Labs, a U.S. Army research center, resulting in heavy smoke but no serious injuries, said Natick Deputy Fire Chief Daniel Mathews. Firefighters responded to General Greene Avenue around 5 p.m. to find the building’s sprinkler system had put out most of the fire and contained it to one room, but still had to contend with smoke spreading through the large facility, Mathews said.

“Because of the size of the building and the amount of smoke, it took a lot of manpower,” he said. Mathews said the fire was started by electrical components in the building, although the exact cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Many of the people who work in the building headed home before 5 p.m. because of the snow, Mathews said, so the labs were mostly empty and no one was seriously injured. Security personnel were evaluated for smoke inhalation as a precaution.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Falmouth, MA – Sprinkler system extinguishes electrical fire at restaurant

The sprinkler system in the Ninety-Nine Restaurant at 30 Davis Straights in Falmouth extinguished a fire in the basement before firefighters arrived on Saturday morning, February 2.

An early-morning cleaning crew called firefighters at 5:11 AM when they discovered smoke alarms sounding, an odor of smoke, and the basement sprinklers activated, Falmouth Deputy Fire Chief Scott J. Thrasher said.

Firefighters opened the back door to let water out of the basement, shut off the electricity to the building, and notified the owner of the restaurant and the town’s building and health departments.

As soon as possible, firefighters reactivated the unaffected electrical circuits to keep the hot water and the freezers working to avoid further damage to the restaurant.

Deputy Chief Thrasher said that the fire is under active investigation, but the fire department believes the fire was related to electrical equipment in the basement.

“Ninety-Nine is trying to get back up and running for tonight,” he said, referring to Saturday night.

College/University (on campus), School / University

Cambridge, MA – Sprinkler system activates in laboratory fire at MIT; No injuries reported

A small explosion in a basement lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology prompted a large emergency response last Thursday morning, officials said. The explosion went off at 25 Ames St. around 10:30 a.m., prompting the sprinklers to turn on, according to the Cambridge Fire Department. No injuries have been reported. Officials say the situation is stable. No additional information was immediately available.

Auto Dealership, Retail

East Brookfield, MA – Sprinkler system activated for truck fire in garage of Ford dealership

Overhead sprinklers helped knock down a small truck fire in the garage of a Ford car and truck dealership.

Shortly before 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, a truck being serviced at Lamoureux Ford, 366 E. Main St., somehow caught fire, police Lt. William Gregoire said.

At the time of the fire, the truck was on a lift that was raised in the air and being worked on, Lt. Gregoire said.

Lt. Gregoire said the sprinkler system in the building took care of the fire pretty quickly, with the aid of fire extinguishers.

“The sprinkler system was the savior of the day,” Lt. Gregoire said. “It worked as it was supposed to.”

The garage was filled with smoke.

No one was hurt, according to police.

Retail

Shrewsbury, MA – Fire at Walgreen’s store put out with help from sprinkler system

Aided by the building’s sprinkler systems, firefighters quickly put out a fire at the Walgreens drugstore on Route 9 on last Tuesday night. Merchandise in the store sustained “extensive” fire and smoke damage, but the building itself did not sustain major damage, according to the Fire Department. Everyone got out of the building uninjured. The state fire marshal’s office is investigating the source of the fire. Firefighters went to the store at 8:40 p.m. Tuesday and encountered heavy smoke inside the building. The sprinkler system had kept the fire from becoming worse, the Fire Department said. It took firefighters about 10 minutes to extinguish the blaze. The store was closed Wednesday while Walgreens cleaned up.

Adult Care/Rehab Center, Hospital/Care Facility

Beverly, MA – Sprinkler system helped knock down fire at rehab center

Firefighters extinguished an early morning fire in a resident’s room at the Blueberry Hill Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center Sunday.

Two patients were taken to Beverly Hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation after the 3:20 a.m. fire, Beverly fire Lt. Matt Hart said in a release.

Firefighters arriving on the scene were met with heavy smoke in the room and halls. After a quick search, the patient was found and taken out of the room by firefighter Pete Davis.

The sprinkler system was activated, which helped to knock down the fire, Hart said. While the fire was contained to one room, the smoke and water damage affected the entire wing.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Chelmsford, MA – Oven fire at grocery store contained by sprinkler system until fire crews arrive

The Drum Hill Hannaford grocery store shut down for several hours Monday, following an oven fire in the store’s deli area, Fire Chief Gary Ryan said.

No injuries were reported. The store reopened just after 2:30 p.m., Ryan said.

Ryan said the Chelmsford Fire Department responded with an engine company at 7:04 a.m. Nov. 12 for a fire alarm activation.

When they arrived, the engine company encountered smoke by the deli. They also found an oven fire being contained by an activated sprinkler head, Ryan said.

The damage was limited to the deli area and the store was shut down for cleaning and sprinkler restoration, Ryan said.