Hospital/Care Facility, Other - Hospital/Medical Brainerd, MN – Sprinklers activate to help control intentionally set fire at behavior health center June 19, 2015 viking210 A subject allegedly lit her bed on fire and ran away from the behavioral health inpatient unit – also known as the grace unit – at Essentia Health-St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Brainerd, leaving hospital staff scrambling to make sure patients were safe. Brainerd police and fire personnel were dispatched to a fire alarm at 7 p.m. Monday at the hospital, 523 North Third St., Brainerd. While en route to the alarm, it was reported a bed was lit on fire and it appeared the fire was intentionally set to facilitate an escape from the locked unit at the hospital. Dr. Pete Henry, chief medical officer of the central region and an emergency room physician at Essentia Health-St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Brainerd, said hospital staff immediately contained the fire and ensured patients’ safety. The locked unit was closed down and 12 patients were moved to other parts of the hospital. Thirteen patients on the telemetry unit and 13 patients from the surgery unit also were moved to different locations to ensure their safety. Henry said water from the sprinkler system damaged three floors below the behavioral health inpatient unit: the telemetry unit, inpatient surgery unit and the outpatient cardiovascular unit. Henry said the sprinkler system also was damaged during the incident and was repaired about an hour later. Henry did not know what the estimated cost was from the fire and water damage from the sprinkler system. “It’s too soon to tell,” he said. Henry said all the service areas damaged Monday night at the hospital are up and running, except the inpatient care in the grace unit. Henry hopes the unit will be up and running as soon as possible, but he could not say an exact date. Henry said the dozen patients were moved to another location at the hospital or to another mental health facility in the state. Essentia Health has two locations for its psychiatry patients, one on the fourth floor at the hospital and another at the Brainerd clinic. The clinic provides outpatient psychiatry services, including psychotherapy, medication management and electroconvulsive therapy services for children, adolescents and adults. “In the meantime we won’t be accepting any new patients,” Henry said of the behavioral health inpatient unit. Brainerd police received additional information about a suspect and learned the suspect and potentially two accomplices had fled the area in a vehicle. The information about the suspects and a vehicle description was sent out in a state-wide alert. At about 11 p.m., authorities learned police in Becker had located the vehicle and three occupants were taken into custody without incident. One of the parties involved was identified as a 17-year-old juvenile female from Brainerd. She was arrested and transported to a juvenile detention center in Grand Rapids. The two other individuals were identified as Raegan Sjolund, 18, and Jonathn Erickson, 24. Sjolund and Erickson were brought to the Sherburne County Jail where they are awaiting transfer to the Crow Wing County Jail. Brainerd police report the juvenile and Sjolund were each arrested for damaging property, escaping from custody and first-degree arson. Erickson was arrested for damaging property and first-degree arson. This incident will be referred to the Crow Wing County Attorney’s Office for review pending formal charges. The investigation remains ongoing and anyone with additional information regarding this incident is asked to contact the Brainerd Police Department at 218-829-2805.
Other - Residential, Residential St. Cloud, MN – Fire at veterans home contained by sprinkler system May 26, 2015 viking210 The St. Cloud Fire Department received a report of a fire at about 3:08 p.m. at a St. Cloud veterans home on the 800 block of 8th Avenue South. When firefighters arrived, the sprinkler system in the building had largely contained the fire. Authorities said the fire likely started because of a cigarette that was left on a mattress in one of the rooms. The residents affected by the fire were moved to different rooms within the facility until the clean-up can be finished. Fire officials said there were no injuries in the incident, but the facility suffered about $1,000 in damage.
Apartment Building, Residential Red Wing, MN – Apartment fire on seventh floor extinguished by sprinkler system May 12, 2015 viking210 Jordan Towers 1 in Red Wing was damaged early Sunday afternoon by a fire, and water that put it out. The Red Wing Fire Department said the fire alarm was reported at 12:48 p.m. When firefighters arrived two minutes later, they learned the fire was on the seventh floor. The found a stove fire that had gone into a wall had been put out by the sprinkler system. Fire damage was minimal but water has to be removed from several floors. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Apartment Building, Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential, Residential High Rise Hibbing, MN – Single sprinkler contains early morning fire at senior high rise apartment building May 5, 2015 viking210 A fire at Hibbing’s Androy Building Sunday morning drew a full response from the Hibbing and neighboring fire departments. But when they arrived, they found the fire had already been contained by a single sprinkler head. The Androy Building houses senior high-rise apartments, an Elks Club banquet center and an orthodontics clinic. According to the Hibbing Fire Department, firefighters arrived shortly before 6 a.m. when an automatic fire alarm was triggered. The found smoke coming from a vent near the kitchen of the Elks Club and tenants starting to to evacuate the building. Inside, crews found smoke in the Elks side of the building but the fire down to a smolder. Crews put out the remaining smoldering material and ventilated the smoke from the banquet room. By 7:10 a.m., it was deemed safe enough to allow tenants back in. Hibbing Fire Marshal Bryan Fagerstrom determined the case was accidental — a steam table had been left on which overheated and ignited the wood buffet table. He stressed the importance of having a properly maintained sprinkler system. “The sprinkler system in this fire was serviced and maintained per code and did exactly as it should by containing the fire and keeping it from spreading,” he said in the release.
Residential, Townhouse / Condominium Hugo, MN – Sprinklers credited with containing fire to one room of townhome April 16, 2015 viking210 No one was injured after a fire broke out at a group of townhomes in Hugo on Thursday morning. The fire was reported at 4625 Victor Path when a woman awakened to the smell of smoke and called the fire department. Crews from Hugo, White Bear Lake and Forest Lake all responded. Firefighters say the fire started on the deck and moved into the unit. A sprinkler system is credited with confining the fire to one room of the house, which was the main living room. No other units were damaged. The woman was the only person home at the time and escaped uninjured.
Government Office, Government/Military Minneapolis, MN – Fire at City Hall extinguished by sprinklers April 15, 2015 viking210 A fire broke out at Minneapolis City Hall overnight, forcing 911 dispatchers to evacuate. The fire started in a Minneapolis police evidence room around 1 a.m. Monday. The city hall sprinkler system put out the fire, but also caused some water damage. City hall offices will be open for business as usual Monday, but the police evidence room will remain closed. The 911 dispatch center is located near the evidence room, so workers were moved to the third precinct headquarters to continue handling calls. By 5:30 a.m. Monday, all 911 staff returned to the call center at city hall, with services operating normally.
Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant Mankato, MN – Sprinkler system activates to help control lunch-time restaurant fire March 29, 2015 viking210 Investigators have determined the cause of Wednesday’s fire at Asiana Buffet in Mankato. Fire officials say the fire originated in a wok in the kitchen. The fire then spread to the restaurants ceiling. The fire started over the noon hour and officials say firefighters were notified of the fire by a sprinkler alarm. When firefighters arrived, lunch-hour diners and staff were still in the restaurant, most unaware that a fire was spreading in the ceiling and rafters. Staff was apparently trying to fight the fire and it eventually triggered a sprinkler system that alerted the fire department. Damages are estimated at $1.75 million.There were no injuries.
Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant Merrifield, MN – Sprinklers contain fire at metal stamping business to front entry March 25, 2015 viking210 Five fire departments quickly mobilized Tuesday night to tackle what could have been a commercial structure nightmare, but a sprinkler system did its work. Flames were visible out the front entrance of a two-story vestibule at Clow Stamping. The fire was reported at 9:04 p.m. Tuesday. Twyla Flaws, Clow Stamping personnel manager, said at least 70 employees were working in the plant at the time and evacuated without incident. The fire call came between shifts as another crew comes in for the 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. shift. Flaws said it’s not unusual for the 10 p.m. crew members to arrive early and she thought one of those early arrivals may have been the one to spot the fire.
Primary / Secondary School, School / University Minneapolis, MN – Overnight fire in high school chemistry lab contained by sprinkler system March 23, 2015 viking210 Patrick Henry High School in Minneapolis is expected to open again Friday after a fire early Thursday morning caused damage to parts of the building. The fire broke out just after 2 a.m. in a chemistry lab. School district officials say no injuries were reported. With help from the sprinkler system, the fire was contained to one classroom. The closure affects all Patrick Henry events, including community education classes, athletic events and extracurricular activities. All other district schools will remain open. Officials also asked Patrick Henry staff members not to report to work Thursday. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Other Business St. Cloud, MN – Sprinkler system controls fire at laundry business until crews arrive March 6, 2015 viking210 The St. Cloud Fire Department responded to a fire call at Ameripride early Friday morning. A fire was found in a pile of laundry. The fire was being controlled by the fire sprinkler system when crews arrived. A fire suppression systems alerted the department just after midnight at the textile rental services and supply company at 6500 Sauk View Drive, Battalion Chief Jerry Raymond said. Crews ventilated smoke from the building and extinguished the fire. Damage is estimated to be about $2,000 for the pile of linen and the smoke that filled the building. No one was in the building at the time and there were no injuries. The cause was determined to be accidental from overheating of a pile of cloths, according to the fire department. Crews were on the scene for about an hour and a half.
