Tag Archives: Michigan

Apartment Building, Residential

Brighton, MI – Single sprinkler controls apartment fire; Smoke alarms had been removed

** NO MEDIA COVERAGE – FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTED **

On February 15, 2015, the Brighton Area Fire Department was dispatched to a reported audible fire alarm in an apartment building with water leaking through to an apartment below. 

When fire personnel arrived there were no signs of fire, only an external water flow alarm activating.  There was a light haze of smoke in the common corridor.  Fire personnel stretched a hand line to the second floor of the apartment building and forced open one apartment on the second floor finding a single residential sprinkler activated and a thick white haze of smoke/steam in the apartment.  There was no active fire.  Fire crews conducted a quick search of the single bedroom apartment and found a male victim unconscious in a bed. 

The victim was removed from the apartment and turned over to EMS for care.  The 30 y/o male was transported to the ER and treated for smoke inhalation and fully recovered from the event.

Further investigation found that a fire had occurred between an upholstered chair and a table in the living room that was caused by careless discard of smoking materials.  The fire was completely extinguished by a single sprinkler system.  Further examination of the apartment found that both smoke alarms located inside the bedroom and just outside the bedroom had been disabled and removed for the ceiling preventing an early warning to the lone resident.

The NFPA 13R sprinkler system in this building fulfilled its intended purpose in this building by suppressing the fire and maintained a tenable and livable condition even though the smoke alarms had been removed.

Apartment Building, Residential, Residential High Rise

Grand Rapids, MI – Fire at high-rise apartment building contained with help from sprinkler system; No injuries

Emergency crews had to scramble Thursday afternoon in downtown Grand Rapids after fire broke out on the fifth floor of the Weston Apartments. At first, smoke could be seen pouring out a window, quickly followed by water from the fire hoses. Everyone in the building was evacuated, and investigators say the fire was contained to just one apartment.

“Our primary concern, right now, is to get 89 families that call this building home into their homes,” said Grand Rapids Fire Department deputy chief Kevin Sehlmeyer. “Many of them, in the process of leaving, left all their belongings behind — including cell phones. We have a mother that needs diapers.”

Fire officials say no one was injured, and the cause of the fire is still under investigation. There isn’t much room in downtown Grand Rapids to grow out, so the only option is up. Those taller buildings and provide more difficult challenges for fire fighters.

“All of our companies are trained in high rise operations which includes working off stairs I mean they had to hike up five floors before they even began work today,” says Grand Rapids Deputy Fire Chief Kevin Sehlmeyer.

This afternoon, their training allowed them to hold this fire at Weston Apartments to just one unit.  Crews learn how to climb stairs quickly and efficiently to get hose and water to the burning apartments, they learn to blow water from inside out to avoid spreading flames on the inside and deeper into the building. Out of the 96 units, only one had fire damage only two water damaged.

“We worked off of what is called a stand pipe. There’s a fire protection system in the building our crews hook to that then make their way onto the floor,” says Sehlmeyer.

Like any high rise, these buildings come with sprinkler systems, which help.The concrete construction of older buildings, like the Weston, help contain the damage. But time is still the enemy when these apartments are so stacked together. There’s no wiggle room to stop it from spreading.

“The faster we can get the water picked up the less damage to the units below so that’s the priority right now,” says Sehlmeyer.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Troy, MI – Sprinkler system extinguishes kitchen fire at preschool; no injuries

The Troy Fire Department was dispatched to the School Bell Early Childhood Education Center on Troy’s northeast side Saturday evening in response to a fire alarm that was activated at the school.

Upon arrival around 6:15 p.m., firefighters observed water from the sprinkler system coming out from around a closed window, the report said. After entering the building, which was unoccupied at the time, firefighters could see smoke coming from the school’s kitchen. The fire had already been extinguished by the sprinkler system, so firefighters shut the water off to the sprinklers and ventilated the smoke from the building, the report said.

Preliminary investigation showed that the fire occurred after the stove was accidentally turned on when produce items were delivered and placed on top of it several hours earlier.

Fire damage was limited to the stove top and cabinets above, and the preschool was able to open for classes on Monday. Fire personnel were on the scene for about 45 minutes.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Portage, MI – Fire at Pfizer manufacturing facility doused by sprinkler system; No injuries

An “over-pressurization” event led to a fire Saturday that damaged equipment and a section of the Pfizer Inc. manufacturing complex on Portage Road, a Pfizer spokeswoman said Tuesday. Kim Bencker, head of communications for Pfizer Global Supply, previously said no one was injured in the incident, but she could not provide more details.

The incident occurred about 10 a.m. Saturday in Building No. 335. “There appears to have been an over-pressurization event and a fire. The fire was immediately extinguished by the sprinkler in the area,” Bencker said Tuesday in an email response to questions.

The fire damaged equipment and caused “limited building damage,” she said. “No employees were in the area of the building where the incident occurred.” “Most of the building is operating normally, and Pfizer is investigating the cause of the incident,” Bencker said.

Kameron Jordan, Kalamazoo district coordinator for the Department of Environmental Quality, said a small fire in Building No. 335 was reported to the DEQ.

“Because of the possibility that water used to suppress the fire could have resulted in runoff of manganese and/or acetone compounds, the retention pond was tested,” he said. “Neither substance was found to be in excess of background levels of those compounds. A final report will be prepared, and no further response is required.”

Tanya Baker, of the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, said the incident was not reported to the state, but such reporting is not required in incidents when no employees were injured.

Apartment Building, Residential

Kalamazoo, MI – Sprinkler system assists firefighters in containing fire at large apartment building

The Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety received multiple 911 calls around 8:20 a.m. Friday morning regarding a fire at an apartment located in the 2700 block of W. Michigan Avenue. Police say the fire activated the sprinkler system which was able to contain the fire to the apartment where it started. No one was injured.

When officers arrived on scene, they saw smoke coming from a second floor apartment on the north side of the building and residents already evacuating. The fire was contained in about a half hour; however, due to the large number of apartments in the building, a second alarm was called which brought more emergency crews to the scene. A total of eight fire apparatus and about 35 firefighters responded.

Police closed W. Michigan Avenue near Howard Street while they were on scene, but everything has reopened. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Other - Retail, Retail

Benton Twp, MI – Arson fire at thrift store extinguished by sprinkler system

A thrift store fire in Benton Township has now been declared an arson. According to our reporting partners at Herald Palladium, the fire broke out just before 5 p.m. Sunday at the Valueland thrift store in the 1800 block of m-139.

Police now believe that the fire was set to the store to try and cover up a robbery after money was missing from the store office where the fire started. The fire was quickly put out by the store’s sprinkler system.

Adult Care/Rehab Center, Hospital/Care Facility

Howell, MI – Laundry fire at rehabilitation center controlled with help from sprinkler system

A sprinkler system and a fast-acting Livingston County Sheriff’s Department deputy contributed to containing a fire at a Howell Township rehabilitation center late Tuesday evening.

Chief Andy Pless of the Howell Area Fire Department said the fire in the laundry room of the White Pine Rehabilitation and Care Center of Howell at 3003 W. Grand River Ave. was reported just before 11 p.m. Tuesday.

“An on-duty sheriff’s deputy made entry into the basement and put it out with a fire extinguisher as we were arriving,” the fire chief noted. “We cleaned up the mess.”

Pless said the center’s sprinkler system also did its job, helping to contain the fire.  When the alarm first sounded, White Pine staff immediately began evacuating the center’s residents. Pless said they had nearly cleared the facility when the all-clear was given for the fire call.

“White Pine did a fantastic job in getting residents in and out of harms way,” Pless said. “We were in and out in less than an hour.”

White Pine administrator Jackie Jones said she could not comment and referred inquiries to the regional director, who did not return a message seeking comment.

According to its website, the more than 2,000-square-foot center “specializes in medically complex and short-term rehabilitation” and offers long-term care for those recovering from surgery or illness or need rehabilitation.

Other - Residential, Residential

Mount Clemens, MI – Fire at shelter for women and children extinguished with help from sprinkler system

*** To help Turning Point Shelter recover quickly from this fire, please consider donating at http://www.gofundme.com/y49hv48 ***
An accidental fire at the new Turning Point shelter in Mount Clemens on Sunday afternoon sent about 40 resident women and children scurrying outside for safety.  Nobody was hurt, as fire crews were able to quickly extinguish the blaze as the sprinkler system had activated.  

Residents will not be allowed back into the 52-bed facility for a couple of days, according to fire officials. “My main concern right now is getting these women and kids out of the heat and finding them some water so they don’t become dehydrated,” said Debbie McPeek, chief programming officer for the shelter. 

Fire crews were called to the three-story, 12,000-square-foot building about 2:30 p.m. after passers-by saw smoke coming from the roof.  Mount Clemens fire Capt. Joseph Stark said responding firefighters tracked the source of the smoke to a dryer fire in the laundry room. 

The interior had “minimal” water and smoke damage, which will take a few days to clean up before residents are allowed back in.  “We’ve notified the Salvation Army and the American Red Cross to try to find these people some temporary housing before they can get back in,” Stark said. 

Mount Clemens firefighters were assisted by crews from Clinton Township, Harrison Township and Selfridge Air National Guard Base. The $3 million shelter opened in 2013 for Turning Point, a Macomb County domestic violence and sexual assault shelter and protective housing facility. The facility typically aids hundreds of local women and children every year.

 McPeek and other shelter workers were busy identifying all of the residents as they sat in a rear parking lot until housing could be found for them. She hoped the damage would be cleaned up in a timely manner.  “It’s a relatively brand new building – go figure,” she said. “We want to get in there and see what happened and how we’re going to address it.”

Turning Point officials said anyone wanting to donate toiletries or other items to assist the women in their short-term stay out of the shelter could call 586-463-4430 or visit turningpointmacomb.org.

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.”