Tag Archives: Massachusetts

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Plymouth, MA – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire in high school classroom

Classes will take place as scheduled at Plymouth North High School despite a small fire that broke out inside a classroom early Monday morning.

The fire started just after 6 a.m., but was put out by the sprinkler system.

No students were inside the school yet. Some students and staff members who were in the parking lot were held in their cars and buses while firefighters investigated.

They were then sent to the performing arts center, school library, and classrooms that were safe to enter.

The Plymouth Fire Department said the fire does not appear to be suspicious. A cause was not released.

“We are thankful to the Plymouth Fire Department and our staff for their swift and efficient response,” the school said in a statement.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Holyoke, MA – Fire in paint booth of container plant controlled with help from sprinkler system

No injuries were reported early Thursday after a fire started in a paint booth inside a factory on North Bridge Street and spread to the roof.  The blaze at International Container Co., 110 North Bridge St., was reported shortly after 4 a.m., Fire Capt. Kevin Cavagnac said.

The fire spread from the paint booth to the roof via a vent pipe. It was quickly extinguished from inside the building and the firefighters cut open the roof around the vent pipe with power saws to check for and prevent further extension, Cavagnac said.

The spray booth has a sprinkler system which activated and set off the alarm system.  The cause of the fire is under investigation. The factory was in operation when it broke out.

Apartment Building, Residential

Springfield, MA – Arson fire at apartment building extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

No injuries were reported late Thursday morning after a female barricaded herself inside a downtown apartment and set a recliner chair on fire. The incident occurred in a fourth floor apartment at 1607 Main St., shortly before 11:45 a.m., Dennis Leger, aide to Commissioner Bernard J. Calvi, said. The female barricaded the door with a table, chair and other items, Leger said. The fire, which did not spread beyond the chair, was extinguished by the apartment’s sprinkler system before firefighters arrived. The female was taken to Baystate Medical Center. The apartment sustained water damage from the sprinkler, Leger said.

College/University (on campus), Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

Boston, MA – Residence hall fire at Boston College contained with help from sprinkler system, No injuries reported

A fire broke out on the fourth floor of Welch Hall shortly after midnight last Tuesday morning. The fire was most likely due to a small refrigerator experiencing an electrical issue, according to Eric Fricke, a spokesman for the City of Newton Fire Department.

While the none of the room’s residents were injured, they will be relocated to a different room for the remainder of the year due to the damage the fire caused.

A number of rooms on the third and fourth floors experienced water damage because the sprinkler system activated, causing several dozen residents to be temporarily relocated. Overnight housing was provided to six Boston College students.

“Throughout the day, Facilities Services has worked to dry out the affected rooms using dehumidifiers and fans,” University Spokesman Jack Dunn said in an email. “They expect that all students, except those in the room where the fire started, will be able to return to their rooms by this evening.”

Investigators are still determining the reason that the fridge caught fire. Fricke said the refrigerator, which was placed under one of the residents’ beds and was not originally distributed by BC, caught on fire either because it was overfilled, leaving it without “room to breathe,” or because it short-circuited.

Welch residents were forced to wait outside shortly after the fire alarm went off. After a while, they were moved to McElroy Commons. Because the fire activated the sprinkler system, students were not allowed to return to Welch until 3 a.m. When one of the sprinkler heads goes off, the sprinkler company has to replace it, causing the students to be kept away from their dorms for a prolonged period of time.

A burnt bed frame, destroyed mattress, television, and mini fridge were outside of Welch this morning. Glass appeared to be missing from several of the top-floor windows. Fricke said that the windows may have cracked due to the heat of the fire, or firefighters breaking the windows for ventilation.

Fricke sees this incident as a teachable moment for students, which should encourage them to practice safety. He noted that improperly using power strips often causes fires on college campuses. “College students are kind of [unaware of risks],” Fricke said. “What ends up happening is they don’t appreciate the dangers.”

Other Business, Recycling / Waste Facility

Brockton, MA – Fire at recycling and waste management facility doused by sprinkler system

The sprinkler system at Champion City Recovery did its job early Sunday morning, containing a fire at the transfer station before firefighters arrived. Fire officials responded to the scene at 138 Wilder St. at 2:23 a.m., discovering smoke and fire from a debris pile within the main building. There was minimal damage to the building, and no one was injured. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, fire officials said Sunday afternoon. The sprinkler system was already activated when firefighters arrived at the transfer and recycling station on the city’s north side, containing the fire to the debris (comprised mostly of construction materials). Firefighters used multiple hoses to douse the pile, and a heavy equipment operator from Champion City Recovery helped move the pile around for firefighters. The owner was on scene, the Fire Department said. Champion City Recovery is a rail-served transfer station managing construction and demolition waste. The fire was extinguished before 4 a.m. The city’s Building Department was called to survey any structural damage. The facility also had two fires in 2014: a smoky blaze within the building in June, then an excavator fire in November.

Retail, Shopping Mall

Rehoboth Beach, MA – Fire at outlet mall caused by malfunctioning fluorescent light controlled by sprinkler system

A fire March 22 in the Ralph Lauren Polo outlet caused $5,000 in damage, officials say. Firefighters from Rehoboth Beach, Indian River and Lewes responded to the Midway Outlets at 4:19 a.m. for an automatic fire alarm and found a smoke-filled store, said Harry Miller, chief deputy state fire marshal. A sprinkler system was activated and kept flames under control, Miller said. No one was injured.  Miller said the fire was caused by a malfunction in a fluorescent light fixture which ignited combustible material nearby. He said damage was $5,000.

Apartment Building, Residential

Fitchburg, MA – Apartment kitchen fire extinguished by automatic sprinkler system

A small kitchen fire at the Riverside Commons apartment complex left two units water-damaged Wednesday morning.  According to apartment manager Lisa Chaves, the fire started when a tenant was cooking on their stove top at about 10:30 a.m.  She said that no one was injured in the fire and that flames were extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system. However, Chaves said two apartments were damaged by the water from the sprinklers.

Apartment Building, Residential

Lowell, MA – Sprinkler system contains apartment blaze caused by electrical issue

Ten people were displaced following a one-alarm fire that broke out in a rear apartment unit behind the Acre Sports Pub on Fletcher Street at around 7:45 a.m. Sunday. The sprinkler system was activated and contained the fire until Lowell firefighters arrived on scene and quickly extinguished the blaze, according to Lowell Fire Chief Jeff Winward.

“Because of a working fire-alarm system, all occupants of the building were able to escape from the fire without injury,” Winward said. The displaced residents of the multi-unit building at 282 Fletcher St. were assisted by the American Red Cross, according to the chief. All other occupants were able to return to their apartments. The Acre Sports Pub remains open. The cause of the blaze was ruled accidental after starting due to an electrical problem, Winward said.

Apartment Building, Residential

Watertown, MA – Sprinkler system activates to help control blaze at apartment building

7:11 a.m. Officers were called to 55 Waverley Ave. for the report of a fire alarm activation. Upon arrival, police and the Watertown Fire Department investigated smoke coming from an area between the third and fourth floors of the building. The fire was identified to have started in the trash room of the building and, because of the smoke from the fire, the building’s sprinkler system was activated. <BLOG NOTE: Only the substantial heat from a fire will cause a sprinkler to activate, Not smoke.>

Other - Retail, Retail

Belmont, MA – Sprinkler system controls fire affecting three businesses

A building’s sprinkler system did its job preventing a fire from spreading and allowed the Belmont Fire Department to extinguish a one-alarm blaze that damaged three businesses in Cushing Square around 8 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 14.

A fire alarm was activated at 8:23 p.m. at 448 Common St. in what is called The Spirited Gourmet Building, said Belmont Fire Chief David L. Frizzell at the scene. When fire equipment arrived two minutes later, the fire control panel indicated a blaze in Pilgrim Shoe Repair.

Upon gaining access, crews discovered the store full of smoke and small fire in the back corner of the operation.

“The sprinkler’s worked controlling the fire long enough for our personnel to knock it down,” said Frizzell. Fire crews spent nearly two hours searching for “hot spots” in the walls and ceiling. Besides the Pilgrim, water damage was reported in The Spirited Gourmet and the Fred Astaire Dance Studio.

An investigation into the cause of the fire is underway.