Residential, Townhouse / Condominium Plymouth, MN – Garage fire is kept from spreading into townhome thanks to sprinkler system June 5, 2016 viking210 At 11:23 p.m. on Thursday, June 2, the Plymouth Fire Department responded to 16787 39th Avenue North for a house fire. The first units arrived and found a tuck-under attached garage fully engulfed with fire spreading to the house. All occupants were evacuated with no injuries. One firefighter sustained a foot laceration and was treated and released. There was significant damage to the garage, but thanks to a sprinkler system that activated, minor damage was caused to the living space. The adjoining townhouse units were cleared of smoke and those residents were allowed back inside their homes. Plymouth Police, Wayzata Fire, Golden Valley Fire, Loretto Fire, Maple Plain Fire, Minnetonka Fire and North Ambulance assisted. The cause of the fire is unknown at this time and is under investigation.
Apartment Building, Residential Rochester, MN – Early morning apartment fire suppressed by sprinkler system June 3, 2016 viking210 Around 7 a.m. Wednesday morning the Rochester Fire Department responded to a fire alarm at the Boulder Apartments in southeast Rochester. When crews arrived they found water running from under the doorway and could smell smoke. No one answered the door so firefighters broke through the locked door and discovered a small fire in the corner of the living room that had started moving up the wall and ceiling. The sprinkler system had activated, suppressing the fire. Firefighters were able to shut off the sprinkler system however there is extensive water damage to the third floor apartments as well as the apartments directly below on the 1st and 2nd floors. Damage is estimated at $20,000. The City of Rochester’s Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the fire, so far it appears to be unintentional. No one was in the apartment at the time of the fire but fire crews did rescue a young cat which they turned over to Animal Control until the occupant could be located and notified.
Apartment Building, Residential New Brighton, MN – Sprinklers prevent apartment blaze from spreading; No injuries May 27, 2016 viking210 The New Brighton Department of Public Safety responded to the report of a fire at an apartment building in New Brighton last week. Emergency responders were dispatched to the 600 block of Old Highway 8 N.W. after the building’s fire alarm sounded around 11:25 a.m. April 15. When the fire engines arrived, crews found the remnants of a fire in an apartment on the third floor. After gaining entry to the apartment, firefighters determined the building’s sprinkler system had controlled and nearly extinguished the fire completely and prevented the blaze from spreading further. “The presence of a working fire-suppression sprinkler along with a properly working building fire alarm system saved significant property damage and potentially saved many lives,” the public safety department said in a statement. According to the city officials, the cause of the fire is not believed to be suspicious. There were no injuries as a result of this incident. City fire crews added reminders to residents to clean out dryer vents routinely, and to make sure smoke detectors are functioning properly.
Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential Brainerd, MN – Sprinklers and staff praised for halting fire at senior assisted living facility April 13, 2016 viking210 The Brainerd Fire Department responded to a fire Friday at Carefree Living, an assisted living facility for seniors. Firefighters responded at 2:51 p.m. When they arrived on scene, the fire had been extinguished by the automatic fire sprinkler system and staff with a fire extinguisher, a BFD release said. Fire crews removed smoke from the building and worked to control the water from the fire sprinkler system. No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire was under investigation, the release said. There was minor damage to the room the fire was in. The cost of damage was still being estimated. Fire Chief Tim Holmes said staff and the sprinkler prevented the fire from spreading. “This is a great example of the value of an automatic fire sprinkler system and the well-trained staff,” Holmes said.
Residential St. Paul, MN – Sprinkler system credited with saving man in wheelchair from fire April 8, 2016 viking210 Officials say an indoor sprinkler system saved a man in a wheelchair after a fire started. The man, who’s in his 50s, had been sitting in his wheelchair, smoking and using an oxygen machine, the St. Paul Fire Department says in a Facebook post. He dozed off, and around 5:30 a.m. his oxygen tubing caught on fire. The blaze spread, igniting a nearby recliner. Fire alarms sounded, but the man was stuck, officials say. Without help, he could not escape. When responders arrived, they say the man was sitting right next to the burning recliner, unable to move. But right above the recliner was an indoor fire sprinkler – and it’s the reason the man is still alive. The St.Paul Fire Department says if it wasn’t for the nearby sprinkler keeping the fire from spreading, the man could have been seriously injured or killed. Thanks to the safety system, he got away with only “mild smoke inhalation.” According to the fire department, the sprinklers are 96 percent successful in controlling or extinguishing a fire.
Other / Not Specified, Other Business Hastings, MN – Sprinklers contain dump truck fire at excavating business January 11, 2016 viking210 Firefighters stopped what could have been a major fire Saturday, Jan. 9, at DSM Excavating in the 2900 block of Enterprise Avenue. Crews responded at 9:33 p.m., after the building’s fire alarms activated. According to Fire and EMS Director Mike Schutt, smoke was visible on the south side of the building when firefighters arrived and the automatic sprinkler system was already operating. Crews entered the building, which was filled with thick black smoke that allowed zero visibility. Inside, they found a dump truck on fire, which they extinguished. The dump truck’s engine and cab were totally destroyed, with damage estimated at about $200,000. However, the fire could have been much worse, as there was other heavy equipment parked very close to the engulfed truck. Schutt credited the sprinkler system with saving the rest of the equipment and the building, which would have been a $4 million loss. “While the firefighters did a fantastic job tonight, much credit goes to the automatic fire sprinkler system and the monitored fire alarm system,” Schutt wrote in an email the night of the fire. “As the fire grew in size, the automatic fire sprinkler system activated, keeping the fire contained to the dump truck and not allowing it to spread. Literally, other dump trucks and heavy equipment were parked within two feet of this fire and had no damage.” Hastings firefighters were assisted by Hastings police and the Miesville Fire Department. The fire department, which also operates an ambulance service, also responded to two separate medical emergencies and one other fire response for downed electrical lines in Marshan Township while battling the Industrial Park fire. Investigation into the cause of the fire continues this week.
Apartment Building, Residential St. Cloud, MN – Sprinkler system douses overnight apartment fire; No injuries November 17, 2015 viking210 An apartment fire late Sunday caused about $6,000 damage at Empire Apartments, 54 Fourth Ave. N. The person who lived in the apartment left the apartment with the stove on, according to fire investigators. Items on the stove caught fire and burned the cabinetry above the stove. Two sprinkler heads activated and put the fire out. No injuries were reported.
Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential Hibbing, MN – Kitchen fire at community college dormitory suppressed by sprinkler system November 8, 2015 viking210 A dorm at the Hibbing Community College was evacuated Thursday due to a grease fire in one of the rooms. A student was reportedly cooking with oil on the stove when the pan caught fire around 4 p.m. When the fire wouldn’t burn out, the student placed the pan in the shower. Authorities say when water hit the oil there was a flash grease fire which set off the sprinkler system in the bathroom, suppressing the fire. The student received minor burns to his left hand and was treated and released from the Hibbing Hospital. The building sustained smoke and water damage estimated at $10,000. From 2009-2013 U.S. fire departments responded to almost 4,000 dormitory fires and 86% of them were kitchen fires, according to the Hibbing Fire Department. Fire crews are reminding people make sure to use a tight fitting lid when cooking with oil and to remember to never pour water on a grease fire.
Apartment Building, Residential Rochester, MN – Fire officials credit sprinkler system in extinguishing apartment blaze October 31, 2015 viking210 Officials with the Rochester Fire Department are crediting a “sprinkler save” with extinguishing a fire inside an unoccupied apartment Thursday evening. Firefighters were sent at 5:54 p.m. to 2804 Second St. SW in response to a sprinkler alarm — sent by facilities when the sprinklers have been activated. When they arrived, the apartment was full of smoke, said Deputy Chief Vance Swisher, but the flames had already been extinguished, thanks to the sprinklers. A preliminary investigation indicates a lamp that had been left on fell onto some combustible materials in a children’s bedroom, he said. The ensuing fire activated two sprinkler heads, putting out the fire before it could spread. “It could have been a significantly larger fire,” Swisher said, “and certainly done more damage to the building.” The residents of that apartment were unable to stay there because of the water damage, he said, and the apartment below it may have sustained some damage, too.
Residential, Residential High Rise Rochester, MN – Kitchen fire on 15th floor of residential high-rise doused by sprinkler system October 4, 2015 viking210 Deputy Fire Chief Steve Belau said a fire in a kitchen on the 15th floor of Park Towers set off the building’s sprinkler system, which put out most of it. Firefighters evacuated the 15th floor and then were blowing out water from the sprinklers from the balconies. Fortunately no one was hurt.
