Tag Archives: Michigan

College/University (on campus), School / University

Ann Arbor, MI – Fire in mechanical room at University of Michigan contained by sprinkler system

A University of Michigan building was evacuated Friday afternoon when a fire in the mechanical room set off alarms and a sprinkler system inside.  The Ann Arbor Fire Department responded to the report of a fire in a mechanical room at Tisch Hall, 435 S. State St. at 12:20 p.m. Friday, March 1. The fire was out within 10 minutes, said Battalion Chief Derek Wiseley.  Tisch Hall is located on UM’s main campus and is connected to Angell and Haven Halls, according to its website. It is near the University of Michigan Museum of Art.

A fire in the cabinet of the mechanical room triggered the automatic sprinkler system, which contained the flames to the area until fire crews were able to respond, officials said. Wisely said fire crews helped ventilate the building and ensure the fire was out before clearing the scene at 1:07 p.m.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Warren, MI – Sprinkler system assists firefighters in controlling fire at Extended Stay America hotel

Warren Fire Department investigators believe an electrical problem in a bathroom vent fan may have sparked an early morning blaze Thursday at a city hotel that forced the evacuation of approximately 100 guests. Officials credited employees of the Extended Stay America, on Civic Center Drive, east of Van Dyke Avenue and north of 12 Mile Road, with helping patrons escape the burning building shortly after 3 a.m.

Flames in the ceiling of a third-floor unit spread into the upper portion of the three-story building and broke through the roof, Warren Fire Commissioner Wilburt McAdams said. Firefighters cut through a portion of the roof in order to determine whether flames had spread across other upper areas of the hotel. The fire triggered an internal alarm system, and employees who began checking the building noticed smoke on the third floor.

“They knew right away it was not a false alarm and not someone playing games, and immediately began knocking on doors telling people to get out,” McAdams said. All of the approximately 100 hotel guests got out safely without injury. Firefighters extinguished the flames in approximately 20 minutes, the commissioner said. No injuries were reported. The blaze caused severe damage to the bathroom where the fire started and the adjoining guest room, which had not been rented to a patron Wednesday night. The hotel sustained smoke damage and several rooms on the second floor had significant damage from water.

McAdams said the sprinkler system had activated in the bathroom where the fire began and smoke alarms in the building functioned properly. The hotel is located just south of the Warren Police Department and Warren City Hall. Most of the displaced guests were relocated to other hotels in the area. A Warren Fire inspector was still at the scene after 9 a.m. “The fire does not appear to be suspicious or arson. It appears to be electrical in nature,” McAdams said. “We’re very thankful that once again we avoided any kind of serious incident and that it was able to be brought under control in a few minutes,” he added.

Restaurant

Marquette, MI – Restaurant kitchen fire extinguished with assistance from sprinkler system

Minor injuries were reported after a small stove flare up at a Marquette restaurant Saturday afternoon. At 4:01 p.m., the Marquette City Fire Department was dispatched to the Border Grill restaurant at 800 North Third Street on a report of an explosion. As fire crews arrived to the scene, the building was being evacuated. Restaurant staff explained that a small explosion had occurred in the back kitchen area on top of a stove. The building’s sprinkler system, along with the stove’s Ansul system, quickly extinguished the fire that occurred as a result of the explosion. Fire crews secured the building and assisted the Border Grill staff with removing the water from the building to keep water damage to a minimum. Crews cleared the scene at 4:57 p.m. Two minor injuries were reported in the incident. The cause of the explosion and fire remain under investigation

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Marysville, MI – Sprinkler system holds fire at Burger King in check

No one was injured in a fire at the Marysville Burger King this afternoon.  Marysville Public Safety Director Tom Konik said the fire broke out in a fryer. He said the ventilation system kept smoke out of the area and the store’s sprinkler system was activated.  “It kept it in check, but it wasn’t able to put it out,” he said.  Konik said crews entered the building and were able to extinguish it.  Employees and customers had evacuated the building prior to the arrival of first responders.  The fire was reported about 2:30 p.m.

Government/Military, Other-Government/Military

Saginaw, MI – Sprinkler system limits damage at County Road Commission garage

Fire destroys a Saginaw County Road Commission truck, but the sprinkler system inside the garage prevented more damage.

Managing Director Dennis Borchard said the fire in the snow plow truck appears to be electrical, but it will be up to the insurance adjustor to finalize the cause.

The garage’s sprinkler system was activated around 3:45 p.m. Sunday, which automatically alerted Saginaw County Central Dispatch.

Borchard said the sprinklers kept the fire contained until the Saginaw Fire Department arrived and was able to stop the fire from spreading.

Only one other truck has some damage.

Borchard said the truck that caught fire was not used Sunday, it was last used on Saturday. No one was in the garage in the 3200 block of Sheridan Avenue when the fire started.

The building was not damaged, but the road commission has to deal smoke and water throughout the garage.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Gaylord, MI – Overnight fire at plastic parts manufacturer controlled by sprinkler system

The Otsego County Fire Department responded to a fire at a business in Gaylord. Crews were called to Mayfair Plastics on Dickerson Road at 11:57 p.m. Sunday. The fire was contained to an area of plastic car parts near an electrical panel on the equipment. The fire was detected by an automatic alarm. The sprinkler system controlled the fire until the fire department arrived. No one was hurt and the fire was contained to a small area. According to someone who works at Mayfair Plastics, business is operating as normal.

Other Business, Recycling / Waste Facility

Royal Oak, MI – Sprinkler system helps minimize fire damage at recycling center

Firefighters extinguished a blaze at Royal Oak Recycling after officials say a fire broke out there Wednesday afternoon and workers were evacuated.

Royal Oak firefighters were called to the recycling facility about 12:50 p.m.

“They had a fire inside one of the machines,” said Fire Chief Dave Cummins. “It doesn’t look as though there was any structural damage from the fire.”

Cummins said firefighters were screening workers at the facility at 414 E. Hudson to see whether any of them needed to be taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation they may have suffered while they were in the building.

Other than possible smoke inhalation there were no reported injuries.

The fire reportedly broke out on a conveyor machine at the recycling plant.

Though smoke spread and a sprinkler system about the machine was activated, Cummins said it was a relatively small fire.

“We’ve had similar fires at the building in the past,” he said.

Less than a year ago, about 20 people at Royal Oak Recycling were evacuated and the plant closed for the day after a machine caught fire in November 2016. No one was injured.

Manufacturing, Paper Mill / Saw Mill

Kalamazoo, MI – (No Media Coverage) Fire damage minimized at paper plant thanks to sprinkler system

***No Media Coverage – Fire Department Reported*** On Friday October 6, 2017 a sprinkler activated and successfully kept a paper manufacturing plant operational.

Paper from recycling collection points had been compacted into bales. The bales were awaiting to be made into pulp and were in transitional storage. A fire started within the bales. The sprinkler system activated and kept the fire minimized while employees of the Fire Brigade and Kalamazoo Public Safety arrived and overhauled the bales.

Due to the sprinkler system the plant remained in operation and the employees are still working making paper.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Clinton Township, MI – Sprinkler system helps put out fire at manufacturing plant

An Aug. 9 oil spill in Clinton Township was caused by a recent fire at a nearby business, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality determined after a weeklong investigation.

Clinton Township homeowners noticed a funny smell and an unusual sheen on the Teske Drain on Aug. 9 and reported it to emergency responders. Environmental Protection Agency employees spent much of Thursday at the site near Maybury Street, directing the cleanup.

The documentation provided to the DEQ from the environmental cleanup company indicated that the spill consisted of hydraulic oil, said Melinda Steffler, Michigan DEQ senior environmental quality analyst.

The source of the oil is believed to be from Complete Prototype Services, a Fraser company working with fixtures, metals and plastics that reported a fire on Aug. 4.

During the fire, the water from the indoor sprinkler system filled a machine pit inside the building, which overflowed and made its way outdoors, where it entered a storm sewer catch basin, Steffler said.

“The water carried with it oil from the machine pit, which then made its way through the storm sewer system and out into the Teske Drain,” Steffler said.

A representative from Complete Prototype Services told The Detroit News the company was unable to comment on what caused the fire.

Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice Miller said none of the 6,000 gallons of oil flowed into the Clinton River or the lake, but was contained in the drain. “We have a zero tolerance for contaminants in our drains … and we are very appreciative of the citizens alerting us,” Miller said. “The company is a great corporate citizen and cares deeply about our waterways. The fire was not their fault.”

Miller said a local company vacuumed the area to remove the oil for nearly a week. As of Wednesday, Miller said, “I think we’ve got it all. We’re in good shape.”

Ryan Schwarb, senior environmental quality analyst at the southeast Michigan DEQ, said the oil traveled in the Teske Drain about 1,000 feet north of 15 Mile.

“Macomb County has been overseeing the cleanup activities but it was reported to me (Wednesday) that the bulk of the cleanup appears to be complete,” Steffler said.

The monitoring booms will continue to capture any remaining oil in the enclosed portion of the drain.

Tom Tailford and Ingrid Horodko, who live on the Clinton River, notified emergency officials Wednesday night after they smelled oil.

Tailford collected a sample and found it was nearly clear.

“The crew I talked to said it was a significant amount of oil they pumped,” Tailford said on Friday. “I also found out that the Coast Guard also had shown up here to evaluate the risk of the oil entering Lake St. Clair.”

Residents along the Teske Drain were advised to refrain from pumping surface water for lawn irrigation or other uses while cleanup had been ongoing.

College/University (on campus), School / University

Marquette, MI – Storage room fire in university science building extinguished with help from sprinkler system

The Marquette Fire Department was on scene at Northern Michigan University for about 3.5 hours today after being dispatched to a report of a fire on the third floor of the West Science Building. On arrival, NMU Public Safety confirmed a small fire in a third-floor storage room. The Marquette Fire Department supplemented the building standpipe system that had one sprinkler head activated. The fire suppression team made entry to office and quickly extinguished container involved. A third alarm page was called for manpower, and efforts to minimize water damage in the building started. After the scene was stabilized, NMU Public Safety and Maintenance Staff could enter the building to continue the work. The cause is under investigation.

MARQUETTE — Due to a fire that started in a chemistry storage room, the NMU New Science Building was evacuated, and has been shut down until further notice.

Around 8:30 this morning, a fire alarm located near the chemistry storage room went off. Though the Marquette Fire Department responded promptly, NMU spokesperson Derek Hall says that the fire suppression system installed in the building put out the fire very quickly.

Hall estimated between 50-60 students, staff, and faculty in the building at the time of the fire. Thankfully, everyone was evacuated safely.

Currently, fire officials are still securing the building before they can turn it back over to begin cleanup.

The fire department believes that the fire started in a garbage can in the chemical storage room.

Hall says that they have not yet been able to assess the damages, but are hoping to have the building back open by tomorrow.