Tag Archives: Minnesota

Apartment Building, Residential

Rochester, MN – Apartment kitchen fire is put out by sprinkler system; No injuries

The Rochester Fire Department says it was called to Oak Ridge Apartments on North Broadway around 5:22 pm Friday and found fire alarms sounding and light smoke coming from a second floor unit. The flames were put out by a sprinkler head in the apartment before firefighters arrived, but crews cleared out the smoke with ventilation fans and cleaned up the water to prevent any more damage.  No one was injured but heat and flames damaged kitchen cabinets, an exhaust hood, and a stove top.  The fire is being blamed on combustible material near the stovetop and is being called an accident.

Apartment Building, Residential

Albert Lea, MN – Apartment fire limited with help from sprinkler system; No injuries reported

A fire Friday night at St. John’s Lutheran Community’s Knutson Place Apartments reportedly caused $35,000 in damage. The fire caused a temporary evacuation of residents to other parts of the facility not impacted by the fire. Third-floor residents were taken to the first floor dining room in the nursing home while first responders were on scene. Upon arriving shortly at about 8 p.m. to the apartments, at 901 Luther Place, Albert Lea firefighters and police reportedly found light smoke in a third floor hallway. The fire was contained to one apartment, according to a city press release. The fire reportedly spread to nearby furniture, which activated the sprinkler system and minimized damage to the building.

St. John’s Administrator and CEO Scot Spates said most of the damage includes burnt and wet drywall and carpet and floor damage. Spates credited the facility’s sprinkler system and first responders for limiting the damage from the fire. No injuries were reported. The fire was caused by a lampshade coming into contact with a light bulb and igniting, according to the release. The building was turned back to facility staff, and first responders cleared the scene at 9:30 p.m. Spates said two tenants have not been able to return to their apartments. One lived where the fire alarm alerted first responders to the fire, while the second tenant lived below the apartment. They are living in empty on-site apartments while the two rooms are remodeled. Residential and commercial services firm ServiceMaster assisted on scene following the fire. An insurance adjuster is expected to evaluate the facility today.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Rochester, MN – High school fire held in check by sprinkler system, helping to limit damage; No injuries reported

Rochester Fire responded to a fire at Lourdes High School around 1:41 p.m. Sunday.  According to fire officials, the fire involved cardboard boxes underneath stairs near the auditorium in the high school. A student, David Poirier, used a portable fire extinguisher to try to extinguish the flames. Heat from the fire activated a sprinkler head, which officials say kept the fire in check.

Authorities say Engine Company 4 used extinguishers to completely extinguish the blaze. Crews had to evacuate the building to prevent smoke inhalation and ventilate smoke from the building. They say the sprinkler system limited damage and prevented injuries.

Fire officials say Lourdes High School is facing $5,000 in clean-up fees due to some water damage from the sprinkler system and limited smoke damage.  The cause of the fire is still under investigation. No one was injured in the incident.

PREVIOUS STORY:
ROCHESTER, Minn. – Rochester Fire Deptartment is on the scene of Lourdes High School, located at 2800 19th St NW.

Our reporter on scene said parents came up to her saying it’s really smoky inside, so officials cancellled today’s events.

Stay with KIMT as we learn more about this developing story.

College/University (on campus), School / University

St. Paul, MN – Sprinkler system halts arson fire at St. Catherine University; No injuries reported

Police arrested a 19-year-old former St. Catherine University student on Wednesday after eight small fires were set in seven buildings on the St. Paul campus.

No injuries were reported, and the St. Paul fire and police departments are investigating. Police had no immediate information about what the motive might have been.

All but one of the fires were in trash cans, mostly in women’s restrooms, said Assistant Fire Chief Mike Gaede. The largest fire was a chair that had been set ablaze in a lounge area, which activated a sprinkler system.

“That, by far, did the most damage to the building and the area,” Gaede said. The university said in a statement that the extent of the damage is being determined, but indicated it was not major.

The incident began when someone alerted St. Kate’s Public Safety to a fire in a basement bathroom in Derham Hall, an administrative building, which was followed by additional reports of fires, according to the university statement.

After a third fire was reported, “a pattern was noted, arson was suspected and university officials along with the St. Paul Police and Fire Departments were immediately alerted,” the statement said.

Officers responded to the campus at 11:40 a.m., along with firefighters, on a report of suspicious fires, according to police.

In addition to Derham Hall, the fires were found and quickly contained in Our Lady of Victory Chapel; Fontbonne and Mendel halls, which are classroom buildings; Butler Center, the fitness facility; St. Mary Hall, a dorm; and Coeur de Catherine, the student center, according to Sara Berhow, St. Kate’s spokeswoman. Two of the fires were set in Coeur de Catherine.

Campus public safety officers worked with the police and fire departments to review security footage and identified a suspect entering various buildings. At about 1:30 p.m., the suspect was found in a lounge in Crandall Hall, a dorm.

The woman, identified in a police report as Tnuza Jamal Hassan, was removed from campus at 2:35 p.m. and police arrested her on suspicion of first-degree arson.

Hassan, of Minneapolis, was a St. Kate’s student during the fall semester, but was not enrolled for January term or the spring semester, according to Berhow.

“While this was an unfortunate and stressful event, I am thankful we are all safe and for the wonderful and fast response of our Public Safety team along with the local police and fire departments,” said St. Kate’s President Becky Roloff. “Their thorough and quick actions helped ensure we were kept informed and the situation was resolved as quickly as possible.”

St. Kate’s is in session for students taking four-week January-term classes. The university notified their community on Wednesday about the incident via email, their emergency alert system and social media, with messages going out every 15 minutes until police gave the all-clear, Berhow said.

Other - Retail, Other Business

Rochester, MN – Sprinkler system saves laundry business from further fire damage; Business remains open

Firefighters responded to flames at Mega Coin Laundry last Wednesday afternoon. Authorities say the fire began in a dryer and after the clothes were removed from the machine, the smoke set off the sprinkler system. Those with the Rochester Fire Department say they were able to shut down the sprinkler system after forcing entry on a door, but Mega Coin and two other businesses experienced an estimated $10,000 in water damage to floor and carpeting. No one was injured, and officials say Mega Coin Laundry will be able to remain open.

Other Business

Duluth, MN – Fire at convention center is put out by sprinkler system

The Duluth fire department responded to a call at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center on Tuesday night. Assistant Fire Chief Chris Martinson says crews arrived to smoke in the lower part of the DECC. It turned out to be just a small fire in a garbage can down in the wood shop. Martinson says it isn’t clear yet what started, but added that a sprinkler did get set off and that’s what extinguished the fire. There was no damage, just water on the floor to be mopped up.

Other - Retail, Retail

Rochester, MN – Single sprinkler extinguishes fire at beauty salon; No injuries reported

A sprinkler system saved an area business from going up in flames. The Rochester Fire Department responded to Sola Salon just before 6:00 p.m. Monday after for an automatic fire alarm. When crews arrived they found an activated sprinkler head had extinguished the fire. From there, crews ensured the fire was out, and ventilated the smoke out of the building. No one was injured. The business is looking at $10,000 for clean-up. The cause is under investigation.

Apartment Building, Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Prior Lake, MN – Sprinkler system stops fire at senior apartment building; No injuries reported

The Prior Lake Fire Department responded to a cooking fire at the Grainwood Apartments building Tuesday night. With temperatures dipping below zero degrees around 7:15 p.m., when firefighters responded to the scene, 5119 Gateway St. SE, Fire Chief Rick Steinhaus said he was happy that a sprinkler system within the building extinguished the fire almost immediately.

“It did what it was supposed to do,” he said.

The building was evacuated due to the fire and three units were displaced due to “extensive water damage” from the sprinkler system, Steinhaus said. There was very little fire damage, the chief said. Steinhaus said Tuesday night’s fire is a good example of why the state of Minnesota has been fighting for sprinkler systems in all commercial buildings. “It’s considered a sprinkler save,” he said of the fire.

The Grainwood Apartment complex held its grand opening in August. The building includes 168 living units plus community areas, which include a kitchen, craft room, salon, fitness area, theater and underground heated parking. The building is for adults age 55 and up.

Apartment Building, Residential

Duluth, MN – Apartment fire mostly extinguished by automatic sprinkler system

One person was being treated for smoke inhalation after a fire at Duluth’s Esmond building last Wednesday morning.  The fire was reported just after 7:30 a.m. in the apartment complex at 2001 W. Superior St., according to the Duluth Fire Department. The building, formerly known as the Seaway Hotel, sustained some damage, but no residents were displaced.  The fire department reported that the fire started in the kitchen of a third-floor apartment. The tenant was assisted out of the building before fire crews arrived, but was taken to a hospital for treatment.

Officials said the fire was mostly extinguished by an automatic sprinkler system, but smoke filled the third-floor hallway. The building was evacuated, and all residents were accounted for before being allowed to return to their rooms.  The fire department said five other units sustained water damage, which was estimated at $25,000 to the structure and $4,000 to contents. The American Red Cross was assisting affected residents. The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the fire marshal.

Apartment Building, Residential

Mankato, MN – Sprinkler extinguishes fire at off-campus apartment; No injuries

A sprinkler system is being credited for extinguishing an apartment fire near MSU’s campus.  Mankato Public Safety was called to 1801 Monks Avenue Thursday night just after 11 o’clock.  Firefighters found a stove top fire that had been put out by an active sprinkler. No one was injured.

They say there is no such thing as a perfect fire, but this is probably as close as you could come.  Mankato Fire Deputy Director Jeff Bengtson says, “Because of the sprinkler head location and function, it was able to extinguish the fire prior to our arrival. So instead of dealing the disasters of a fire…firefighters were able to focus on clean up and helping to handle water damage.”  Damage from the water extended to the apartment unit and the two floors below.