Tag Archives: Michigan

Manufacturing, Other - Manufacturing

Portage, MI – Fire at Stryker Medical extinguished by sprinkler system

Stryker Corp. had to be evacuated Wednesday evening after a fire broke out in one of the building’s machine shops.  At 6:32 p.m. Wednesday, the Portage Fire Department responded to reports of a fire alarm activation in Stryker Medical, located at 3800 E Center Avenue in Portage, according to Portage Battalion Chief Rick Nason.

Within 64 seconds, the first fire crew arrived on scene and witnessed the company’s employees evacuating the building, though “reported nothing showing on the building’s exterior,” Nason said.

Inside, investigators discovered smoke billowing in one of the building’s machine rooms, located on the west side of the structure.  “We responded non-emergency to the alarm and upgraded the call,” Nason said, adding three engines responded to the scene after firefighters discovered the smoke, as well as water spread by the company’s sprinkler system.

“It was a big enough fire to set off the system, but it was contained,” Nason said, adding the sprinkler system extinguished the blaze. “There’s some plastic that’s burned up, next to a machine,” Nason added of the damages sustained during the fire.

Firefighters worked for more than an hour clearing water and smoke from the building. No one was injured during the incident. The cause is under investigation.

Government/Military

Muskegon, MI – Sprinkler system prevents spread of fire at city maintenance garage

A Muskegon Police Department cruiser was destroyed in a fire inside the city’s Department of Public Works garage Wednesday afternoon, March 25. An automatic sprinkler system quickly suppressed the fire, stopping it from spreading and preventing major damage to the building and other vehicles. Muskegon Fire Department firefighters, arriving on the scene, finished the job of extinguishing the blaze.

No one was hurt because no one was in the building at the time – employees were in a staff meeting off site, according to Muskegon Fire Marshal Major Metcalf. The fire was reported shortly after 1 p.m.  Fire and police officials late Wednesday were still investigating, but the cause may have been electrical problems with the cruiser that burned, Metcalf said. The car was at the DPW building for maintenance, and mechanics told fire investigators that one reported problem was with the electrical system, Metcalf said.

Besides the ruined cruiser, there was minor smoke and water damage inside the building and smoke stains on the outside of other vehicles, including two police cruisers and a fire engine, Metcalf said. “We didn’t find any major damage to any work areas,” he said.

“The one thing I was impressed with, the sprinkler system in the DPW was operational, in service, and it did prevent the fire from growing out of control,” the fire marshal said. “I was very pleased about that. Our firefighters arrived on the scene and fully extinguished it.”

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Romeo, MI – Fire at Ford engine plant contained with help from sprinkler system

The Ford Engine Plant in Romeo was evacuated Friday afternoon due to a fire that drew firefighters from seven local departments.  Capt. David Faulker of the Bruce-Romeo Fire Department said firefighters extinguished a blaze that started on machinery and spread to the ventilation system in a section of the plant.  Firefighters used fire hoses to spray water on flames from inside and the plant’s sprinkler system also activated.  There were no injuries. 

The fire was declared under control about 3:45 p.m.  Faulker said he could not speculate on the cause or amount of damage.  “It’s under investigation,” he said.  Ford officials could not be located to comment on whether production was scheduled to resume later in the night.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Holland, MI – Laboratory fire mostly extinguished by sprinkler system; Damage minimized

** NO MEDIA COVERAGE – Fire Dept Reported**   The Fire occurred the morning of March 2 at a lab / testing facility on 48th street.   The fire occurred after some equipment being tested failed.  Two sprinkler heads activated as a result and the fire was 95% extinguished when firefighters arrived.

A small plastic ladder near the equipment being tested caught fire and was in an angle that the sprinkler pattern could not get to. The remaining fire was extinguished by fire crews with a water extinguisher.  Although this building is type 2 construction, the sprinklers saved this building from thousands in fire damage.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Garden City, MI – Factory fire contained with help from two activated sprinkler heads

Garden City firefighters responded to a fire at about 5:30 a.m. after receiving a call that fire was coming through the roof of a manufacturing plant on Industrial Drive.  As a result of the fire and heat, two sprinkler heads had activated prior to the arrival of the firefighters.

En route, the department learned that all employees had evacuated the building. The firefighters observed steam coming from the roof on the northeast corner and light smoke inside of the building.

“Initially the incident commander, Captain Gary Gallo, was told by bystanders that flames were visible from the roof prior to our arrival,” Garden City Fire Chief Catherine Harman said. “They were met at the front of the building by a supervisor who reported a piece of equipment designed to burn off excess coating from their product was emitting heavy fire. He reported employees tried to extinguish it without success. He then turned off the ventilation units on the roof and to the machine that was on fire.”

Firefighters found the door to the equipment closed. When they opened it, they saw heavy smoke but no flames. Harman said that utility supply to the equipment was turned off and the unit was cooled with a hand line. After cooling it down, the firefighters re-checked and there was no excessive heat. The door to the equipment was closed, and firefighters continued to use the cooling heads inside of the unit, supplied by the water supply lines, to continue cooling the equipment.

The supervisor said that he and another worker noticed the fire and he shut down the power to the unit and attempted to extinguish the fire with extinguishers without success. He then turned off the ventilation system and exited the building. “We have advised the company to immediately contact the fire department anytime there is a fire before attempting to extinguish it,” Harman said. “We’d rather get there sooner than later.”

There were no injuries as a result of the fire and no one suffered any problems due to the extreme cold, Harman said.

Other - Retail, Retail

Owosso, MI – Sprinklers help limit damage to sporting goods store and adjoining businesses in fire

The fire broke out at Dunham’s sporting goods store in Corunna last Wednesday morning at around 7 a.m. located at 1435 East M-21. The building also houses Pets Supplies Plus and Tractor Supply Company but neither of them appeared to have sustained any damage. Corunna Fire Department believes it began near the front of the building in the shoe department.  The sprinkler system inside went off as it should for a fire, causing some water damage. The fire remains under investigation.

Apartment Building, Residential

Lansing, MI – Fire extinguished by sprinkler system at new apartment building

A tenant moving in to a new apartment building near downtown Lansing accidentally started a small fire that left 11 units uninhabitable due to water damage, Lansing firefighters said.

The fire at Marketplace, on Cedar Street near the Lansing City Market, started in a fifth-floor unit between 5 and 5:30 p.m. Friday, said Steve Mazurek, a public information officer for the city’s fire department.

The building’s sprinkler system extinguished the fire, which started on a stovetop that was turned on by accident and sparked a box or other material that had been placed there, Mazurek said. The fire was contained to a single unit, whose tenant had moved in the same day, he said.

Firefighters were called because water from the sprinkler system caused damage to surrounding and lower units, Mazurek said. No one was injured. Eleven of 79 units can’t be occupied until they’re repaired.

The $8.5 million Marketplace building opened last fall. It is owned by Lansing developer Pat Gillespie. Gillespie could not immediately be reached by phone.

His company, Gillespie Group, posted a message on its Facebook page this morning, saying a restoration company will be on site throughout the weekend to repair damaged units. Office staff are available to answer residents’ questions, the company said.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Ferndale, MI – Sprinkler system keeps fire from spreading at auction business

A fire at a large commercial building is being investigated by the Ferndale Fire Department and the county’s arson squad, but may have been started by a careless smoker.  The fire broke out early Monday afternoon at Assets Now Auction, 1450 Academy, south of Nine Mile Road near Wanda.

“It’s looking like a careless smoker may have started the fire,” said Ferndale Fire Chief Kevin Sullivan, “but we won’t know until we finish analyzing the surveillance video from the business.”  Fire broke out in the paper products area and firefighters were called to the building about 12:45 p.m.  Sullivan said the building has a sprinkler system that helped stop the fire from spreading into a large blaze.

Ferndale Fire Marshal Brian Batten said the building covers about 30,000 square feet. Fire officials estimate the fire caused about $20,000 in damage from smoke and water.  “There was no structural damage to the building,” Batten said.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Greenville, MI – Fire at plastics compounding business quickly extinguished with help from sprinkler system

Firefighters from the Greenville Department of Public Safety responded at 5:20 p.m. Thursday to a structure fire at West Michigan Compounding, located at 1300 Moore St. in Greenville.

According to Greenville Department of Public Safety Sgt. Brian Blomstrom, during routine cleaning, a hot ember escaped into the ventilation system, starting a fire that was quickly extinguished due to a combination of the company’s sprinkler system and a quick response time from fire fighters. No one was injured.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Fire in vacant building exinguished by sprinkler system, adjacent buildings saved (Brighton, MI)

Brighton fire and police officials are investigating a trash fire at a downtown building. “When they got there, it smelled like smoke,” Chief Michael O’Brian of the Brighton Area Fire Department said. “In this case, the sprinklers extinguished the fire.” Firefighters found “some trash” in a mechanical room had burned, the chief explained. O’Brian said had the sprinkler system not worked, the fire could have easily burned the building at 139 E. Grand River Ave., which once housed Kathleen’s Cookies, and surrounding buildings.