Tag Archives: Minnesota

School / University

Sprinklers saves lives and property in high school fire (Owatonna, MN)

June 5, 2014 viking210

Staff and students at a high school were evacuated when a fire broke out on Wednesday afternoon. The fire began around 12:30 p.m. in the school’s auditorium, and when fire crews responded to the scene, they found that the fire had been contained to the stage area. 

 

“Sprinkler systems are huge,” Owatonna Fire Chief Mike Johnson said. “In this case, the sprinkler saved the school.”

The state marshal is investigating the fire’s cause; no one was injured in the incident.

Apartment Building, Residential

Sprinklers save property and lives in apartment fire (Fergus Falls, MN)

May 2, 2014 viking210

At about 4:20 p.m. on Thursday, a grease fire began in the kitchen of an apartment. The residents, a mother and her two children, were able to evacuate without injury as the fire sprinkler activated and squelched the fire. 

Fire Chief Mark Hovland said about the incident, “The fire sprinkler did its job. It could’ve been a lot worse if that sprinkler head would not have been in there.”

Apartment Building, Residential

Sprinklers keep damage minimal in apartment fire (St. Cloud, MN)

April 22, 2014 viking210

On Monday evening, a fire was reported on the second floor of an apartment building. An improperly disposed cigarette ignited the fire, which began on the deck of one of the units. The fire sprinkler system installed in the building ensured that the fire remained on the exterior of the building. Residents were evacuated safely with no injuries reported.

St. Cloud Battalion Chief Leon Faust said, “The sprinklers are what kept damage to a minimum.”

Department Store, Retail

Sprinklers limit damage at department store fire (Rochester, MN)

April 21, 2014 viking210

Shoppers in a department store were safely evacuated Saturday morning when dense smoke came in from the west side of the building. The fire’s source was discovered in the area of the trash compactor and dumpster, and the building’s fire sprinkler controlled the fire until fire crews arrived. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

College/University (on campus), School / University

College fire extinguished by sprinkler system (Red Wing, MN)

April 1, 2014 viking210

A late night fire the morning of Saturday, March 29 at a technical college, called the attention of fire crews. Though they arrived within seven minutes of their call, fire crews found the the building’s fire sprinklers had effectively put out the flames. 

According to the Red Wing Fire Department, “The presence of a working sprinkler system and alarm system made what may have been a tragedy into a moderate inconvenience.”

No injuries were reported.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Fire sprinklers help put out fire at bowling alley (Minneapolis, MN)

March 18, 2014 viking210

Early Monday morning, a fire was reported at a bowling alley; fire crews arrived to find that the fire behind the pin racking machine. While the exact cause of the fire remains under investigation, fire crews agree that the facility’s fire sprinkler system helped to quickly eliminate the flames. No injuries were reported.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Restaurant fire squelched by sprinkler system (Crookston, MN)

January 15, 2014 viking210

When a fire broke out in a restaurant kitchen on Monday morning, the restaurant’s fire sprinkler put out the flames. Investigators believe the fire began when an overheated aerosol cooking spray and exploded, and that the fire quickly started near the kitchen’s exhaust system. No injuries were reported.

Other - Retail, Retail

Thrift store fire put out by sprinkler system (St. Cloud, MN)

November 25, 2013 viking210

The cause of a fire at a St. Cloud thrift shop is under investigation.  The blaze started about 5 p.m. … The fire started in the merchandise storage area, said Greg Newinski, battalion chief at the St. Cloud Fire Department. The sprinkler system put it out. The damage to the store is estimated to be about $10,000; the merchandise, about $5,000, although that number could be significantly higher.

Apartment Building, Residential

Sprinklers make the difference in apartment fire (Woodbury, MN)

August 5, 2013 viking210

A fire broke out in the kitchen of an apartment, and the building’s fire sprinkler activated, containing the flames to the one apartment unit. Fire crews are giving the credit to the unit’s fire sprinklers for keeping the fire from destroying other units.

“It could have been ugly,” Woodbury fire department Cmdr. John Wallgren said.

No injuries were reported.

Apartment Building, Residential

Sprinkler System Extinguishes Fire at Apartment Building (Edina, MN)

July 30, 2013 viking210

An apartment fire last Thursday on the 7200 block of York Avenue was swiftly extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system.  As Edina’s fire department blog pointed out, the incident came a little more than a year after a 2012 apartment fire, in a sprinkler-less building, caused major damage and injured three.