Tag Archives: Michigan

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Birch Run, MI – Fire sprinkler extinguishes fire caused by discarded cigarette in women’s bathroom at Emagine Theatre; No injuries reported

The Emagine Theatre posted on its Facebook page they will open Tuesday at 4p.m.

The Emagine Theatre in Birch Run was evacuated Monday night due to a report of a fire in a bathroom.

A firefighter tells Mid-Michigan NOW there was a fire in the women’s bathroom.

A sprinkler put the fire out and caused some water damage.

“No guests were harmed in the incident. A patron was smoking in the restroom, threw the cigarette into the trash and it caught on fire. Staff reacted immediately and the fire was extinguished. Emagine is expected to be open for business as usual tomorrow,” said Emagine Entertainment CEO Anthony LaVerde.

Government/Military, Public Library

Charlevoix, MI – Fire sprinklers contain electrical fire on second floor of Library

Fire suppression sprinklers at the Charlevoix Public Library played a key part in containing an electrical fire on the building’s second floor early Saturday, but did cause water damage on both the library’s upper and lower levels.

The library remained closed through Monday for cleanup following the fire, and reopened with regular operating hours on Tuesday.

Charlevoix Township Fire Department Fire Chief Dan Thorp said that if it was not for the library’s sprinkler system — and given the time of day that it started — “the entire library could have burned down and they would probably have had to build a whole new library.”

“It would have been a good half-hour before anyone even noticed it burning. It is an old building with all the books — it would have had to be rebuilt,” Thorp said.

Thorp commended the library for its maintenance of fire suppression equipment, noting that “the library has done an outstanding job in keeping their equipment up to date.”

The fire chief said his department got called to the library for a fire alarm activation at 12:30 a.m. on Saturday.

“We were there until about 1:40 a.m.,” he said.

Thorp added, “By the time we got there and got into the building we heard water running and saw smoke that was coming out the front door.”

The fire chief said the sprinkler system had already put the fire out by the time firefighters entered the building.

“As we investigated, we saw that on the second floor in the director’s office area they had two humidifiers and the one on the lower level, powered by electricity, had some malfunction that we are not quite clear of,” said Thorp. “That malfunction caught on fire and there was a sprinkler head in that room which then was activated and put the fire out.

“The fire department did not have to spray any water to put out the fire.”

When firefighters walked into the building, only the sprinklers in the mechanical closet in the director’s office on the second floor were activated.

Thorp said, “Wherever the fire is, it reaches a certain temperature and sets the sprinklers off in that location.”

Charlevoix library director Ryan Deery said none of the technology or book collections were damaged. The only fire damage occurred in the maintenance closet and water damage occurred in the hallways on the first and second floors, said Deery, also stating about an inch of water flooded both floors in those areas.

Deery said clean-up company Serv Pro was on scene immediately the following morning and set up dehumidifies, heaters and other equipment which ran all day Saturday, Sunday  and Monday.

“Most of the items do not need to be replaced.” said Deery.  However, “some of the walls may still have water in them”.  Serv Pro will be assessing the scene on Feb. 19 to determine if further steps need to be taken to rid the walls of moisture. 

On Facebook, the library noted that Servpro was helping with the fire follow-up, and indicated: “We are confident that all the collections are safe and did not sustain any damage.”

A Sunday post on the library’s Facebook page read, “Thanks again to all of your support and offers of help. We are incredibly thankful both that the damage was not worse and that we are able to continue functioning as the hub and heart of the community so quickly.”

Deery said he is heartened by the outpouring of support from the community.

Apartment Building, Residential

Escanaba, MI – Laundry room fire at apartment building contained by fire sprinklers; No injuries reported

The Escanaba Public Safety Department says deputies responded to the report of a fire in the laundry room of Northwood’s Place at 2:39 a.m. Thursday morning.

Upon arrival, officers found the laundry room filled with smoke and the automated sprinkler system had been activated.

The sprinkler system was able to contain the fire to a dryer, which officers were then able to extinguish. The building sustained heavy smoke and water damage as a result of the incident.

Officers were on stand-by to assist with the evacuation of residents, which was not needed due to the sprinkler system containing the flames. No injuries were reported from the incident.

The Public Safety Department was assisted at the scene by the Delta County Sheriff’s Department and Rampart EMS.

Hospital/Care Facility, Hospital/Medical Clinic

Detroit, MI – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire in hospital operating room

Detroit Receiving Hospital, part of Detroit Medical Center, will receive funding from the state of Michigan to repair damage caused by a fire and its sprinkler system, according to the Detroit News.

All eight operating rooms of the hospital suffered water damage after the sprinkler system was set off to extinguish the fire. 

The fire itself ignited in a single unoccupied operating room last weekend, according to the report.

“Fortunately, no patients were in surgery in any OR,” Brian Taylor, a spokesman for the Detroit Medical Center, told the News. “Our staff responded quickly, and the fire was extinguished in minutes. Three patients in pre and postop areas were safely evacuated. We are working collaboratively with [state officials] to address the area impacted.”

The hospital filed an emergency certificate of need request for $100,000 with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

Apartment Building, Residential

Portage, MI – Arson fire in apartment basement extinguished by fire sprinklers

Police arrested a 48-year-old Portage accused of starting a fire in an apartment building basement on Christmas Eve.

Robert Warren O’Brochta faces up to 40 years in prison for felony arson of a building and up to 12 years and six months in prison for felony first-degree recklessly endangering safety.

He is also charged with felony arson of property other than a building, which carries a maximum prison sentence of three years and six months.

According to the criminal complaint, Portage police responded to a fire alarm at the apartment building at 544 E. Slifer St. at 8:25 p.m., Dec. 24. Upon their arrival, they spoke to a resident who said he heard the alarm go off and went to the basement to see if anything was on fire. The witness saw flames in one of the storage units and ran back upstairs for a fire extinguisher. He returned to put out the fire and called 911.

The complaint states that police observed smoke throughout the bottom level of the building. An officer knocked on all of the apartment doors to make sure all the tenants were clear of the building. He opened the door to the basement and observed a large cloud of smoke, unable to tell if there was an active fire or not.

At the scene O’Brochta reportedly told an officer that he was the person who set the fire and the roommate of the person who called 911. O’Brochta admitted he had gone into the basement and set items on fire to get back at his roommate for antagonizing him. Officers obtained consent from the roommate to search the apartment and found the Bic lighter that O’Brochta said he used to set the fire.

Prior to admitting he set the fire, O’Brochta had approached an officer at the scene, dropped to his knees and placed his hands behind his head in a “surrender” position, according to the complaint. O’Brochta, who showed signs of intoxication, yelled for police to take him to jail and said he was the person they were looking for.

The complaint states the fire caused damage to an electrical wiring harness that ultimately cut power to four of the apartment units. The fire inspector determined two sprinkler heads went off and had extinguished the fire. The inspector said if the sprinklers were not activated, the fire would have done significant structural damage to one of the apartment units and possibly to much more of the building.

Property damaged in the storage unit reportedly included plastic chairs, a pop-up canvas canopy, a black hard case suitcase and possibly two bike tires.

O’Brochta, free after posting a $500 cash bond, has a pretrial conference scheduled for Jan. 21 in Columbia County Circuit Court.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Grand Rapids, MI – Kitchen grease fire at downtown restaurant quickly extinguished by fire sprinklers; No injuries reported

A kitchen grease fire at The B.O.B. in downtown Grand Rapids caused minor damage late Tuesday, Nov. 26.

The fire happened at about 8:20 p.m. and caused a sprinkler system to activate, Grand Rapids fire officials said.

The fire, on the first floor, was quickly extinguished and no one was injured. Firefighters also quickly shut off the sprinkler system.

It wasn’t immediately clear if any operations at The B.O.B. would be disrupted because of the fire.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Mt. Pleasant, MI – Hotel sprinkler system extinguishes fire in guest room before firefighters arrived; No injuries reported

The Mt. Pleasant Fire Department (MPFD) was dispatched on November 15th, at 7:29 p.m., to a structure fire at the Fairfield Inn on 2525 S. University Park Drive.

Firefighters arrived on the scene and observed heavy smoke coming from a heating unit in Room 218. The room was unoccupied at the time and the sprinkler system within the room extinguished the fire before the firefighters arrived.

The entire building evacuated the premises after the building’s fire alarm went off. There are no reported injuries among the hotel guests, staff, or firefighters.

The MPFD escorted hotel guests to gather their belongings and all guests are being relocated to other properties.

The building’s lobby suffered water damage and Room 218 suffered extensive fire and smoke damage. The cause of the fire remains under investigation at this time.

The Mt Pleasant Fire Department was assisted by the Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Fire Department, the Shepherd Tri-Township Fire Department and Mobile Medical Response.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Flint, MI – Single sprinkler head extinguishes maintenance room fire at high school

A sprinkler system extinguished a fire in the maintenance office at Carman-Ainsworth High School Tuesday night.

Assistant Fire Chief Michael Burkley said the Flint Township Fire Department was alerted to a sprinkler activation at about 10:41 p.m. inside the building at 1300 N. Linden Road. The sprinkler set off a water flow alarm at the department.

Burkley said when firefighters arrived, they found water flowing out of the building in the loading dock and swimming pool areas and could see smoke in the hallway near the swimming pool. Firefighters forced their way into the building and saw the water was coming from the maintenance office.

“Luckily, there was a single sprinkler head in that office that put out the fire,” Burkley said. “They’re designed to go off when temperatures get to over 150 degrees. The fire was contained to a desk that had electronic items on it. You could see where it burned up the wall. If there had been no sprinkler there, it would have been much worse.”

Burkley said a sprinkler system can put out about 35 to 50 gallons of water a minute. Once firefighters determined the fire was extinguished, they shut down the sprinkler system and remained on the scene until about midnight sweeping water from the building and setting up ventilation fans to rid the building of smoke.

Burkley said there was no one in the building at the time of the fire. He said school administration and maintenance staff quickly showed up after being alerted by a monitoring company and Genesee County 911. He said an employee of the sprinkler company also came to the scene to install a new sprinkler head and reset the system.

Water also ran into the boiler room, but no damage was caused to the equipment there.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Classes were being held at the high school Wednesday morning.

The Flint Township Police Department assisted at the scene.

Other - School / University, School / University

Flint Twp, MI – Maintenance office fire put out by fire sprinklers

A sprinkler put out a small fire Tuesday night inside the maintenance office at Carman-Ainsworth High School.

Firefighters with the Flint Township Fire Department were called out shortly before 11:45 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 3 to the high school, 1300 N. Linden Road, for a sprinkler activation in the building.

Flint Township Assistant Fire Chief Michael Burkley said the activation alerted the department to a water flow alarm.

Firefighters responding to the high school discovered water flowing out of the building in the loading dock area and some in the hallway.

After forcing entry into the building, Burkley said it was noticed the water was coming from the maintenance office where the sprinkler had been activated upon temperatures reaching 150 degrees.

“The sprinkler system contained the fire,” he said. “We just overhauled, shut the sprinkler system down.”

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but Burkley said there were electronics in the office, and it’s believed something plugged in led to the incident that caused “very little damage.”

Firefighters were on scene for approximately two hours.

Water also made its way into the school’s boiler room, but no damage took place to any equipment in the area.

Burkley said the sprinkler system can generate between 35-50 gallons of water flow a minute.

The Flint Township Police Department also responded to the scene to assist the fire department. The incident remains under investigation.

Classes were in session at the high school as scheduled Wednesday morning.

Carman-Ainsworth Community Schools Superintendent Eddie L. Kindle could not be immediately reached for comment Wednesday morning.

Other - Residential, Residential

Bloomfield Hills, MI – Fire sprinkler systems controls fire in attic until crews arrived; No injuries reported

For the second time in just a few months, a fire broke out at the historical Manresa Jesuit Retreat House early July 31, according to police.

According to Sgt. Steve Splan, of the Bloomfield Hills Public Safety Department, an alarm at the retreat’s main house, 1390 Quarton Road, was activated at 5:44 a.m. July 31. Upon arrival, first responders said they could smell smoke, and they circled the unoccupied building to find the source.

“We repositioned to the north side of the building and we could see smoke coming from what appeared to be the attic area,” Splan said. 

The attic of the facility had been undergoing renovations and reportedly hadn’t been used in some time. With the help of firefighters from Bloomfield Township and Troy, the flames were extinguished from the attic — a space Splan said is notoriously tough for firefighters — and the damage was contained to an about 20-by-20-foot space.

“The sprinkler system did a fantastic job. It did exactly what it was supposed to do and hold the fire back until our crews were able to fully extinguish it,” he said. “It was lucky for the sprinklers — actually, probably not lucky: good preparation.”

Splan said that the cause of the fire is still under investigation, but as of now there is “zero suspicion of foul play.” There were no injuries.

The Eagle could not reach anyone at Manresa for comment before press time. The phone lines were disconnected, likely due to the department cutting off power to one of the buildings as a precaution, Splan said. 

Just a little over three months ago, public safety personnel responded to another fire at the facility, on April 10, when a fire broke out in a large historical barn on the property. While the barn, one of three,  was burned down completely, there were no injuries, and at that time, Steve Raymond, the associate director of Manresa, said the incident wouldn’t affect daily activities. 

The cause of that fire has yet to be released by investigators.