Tag Archives: Morning (7am-12pm)

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Marion, IA – Sprinkler system contains fire at indoor kids play center; No injuries reported

Leave a comment

The Marion Fire Department said a fire they responded to Wednesday morning is a good reminder of how fire alarm systems and sprinklers can save lives.

Crews were called to the 850 Twixt Town Road just after 10 a.m. for a commercial fire/water flow alarm and found moderate smoke and a fire in the kitchen.

However, the sprinkler system was able to keep the fire contained where it started and firefighters had the fire put out within minutes.

The building did suffer minor smoke and water damage, but the losses were limited and no one was injured.

Marion fire says it was an accident caused by materials that were inappropriately stored on a countertop stove.

The building used to be a Perfect Game facility. It now houses an indoor play place for kids called The Shell – Little Sports Torts Indoor Play Space.

Apartment Building, Residential

Midlothian, VA – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire at apartment building; No injuries reported

Chesterfield County Fire and EMS responded to an apartment fire Saturday morning that displaced three adults and three dogs.

A little before 10 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 26, Chesterfield fire crews responded to the 2500 block of Trotters Lane for a report of an apartment fire.

According to the fire department, the first crews to arrive on the scene located a kitchen fire that had been extinguished by the sprinkler system in the apartment.

There were no reported injuries. Damage from the fire was limited to only one apartment, but two other units had water damage.

Chesterfield fire crews confirmed three adults and three dogs are displaced and are currently being assisted by property management.

Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

Phoenix, AZ – Sprinkler system activated for fire at university; No injuries reported

An unknown number of Grand Canyon University students were displaced after a fire broke out at a mid-rise residential building near the school Sunday morning.

Cpt. Shaun DuBois, a spokesperson for Phoenix fire, said firefighters were dispatched to the six-story building at around 9:30 a.m. after a fire alarm went off on the building’s third floor. DuBois said firefighters who first arrived at the scene did not see any smoke or flames from the outside but quickly accessed the third floor where they saw smoke in the hallway.

DuBois added that the building’s fire sprinklers had activated and successfully kept the fire in check as firefighters fully extinguished the fire.

“The combination of fire sprinkler activation and quick actions by firefighters prevented further damage and fire extension into the structure,” DuBois said in a statement. “Occupants were alerted by fire alarms and had evacuated the building prior to fire department arrival.”

DuBois said there were no reported injuries related to the fire. Staff with the department’s community assistance program are working with GCU staff to support the students who would be temporarily displaced, although it was not immediately known how many students would be impacted or for how long.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Rosemont, IL – Sprinkler system activated for arson fire at Target

Charges have been filed in an arson at a Target store in northwest suburban Rosemont.

Flames broke out just before noon this past Thursday at the Target at 7000 Mannheim Rd. next to the Allstate Arena.

Store employees tried to put out the fire with a fire extinguisher before firefighters arrived, and multiple sprinkler heads started up.

The Rosemont Public Safety Department and several local fire departments responded to the scene, and found the fire near the diaper aisle. Everyone in the building left, and no one had to be hospitalized.

However, the store sustained major damage due to smoke, fire, and water used to put out the fire. Smoke damage extended beyond the area of the fire to include most of the store, police said.

Merchandise worth $1.5 million was lost, police said.

Mutual Aid Box Alarm System Division 20 Arson investigators, the Illinois State Fire Marshal’s office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Rosemont police detectives launched an investigation right away. A suspect was quickly identified and tracked down in Elk Grove Village, police said.

Denny Ellis, 56, of Nevada, was charged on Saturday with aggravated arson. He made his first court appearance on Sunday, and was being held by the Cook County Sheriff’s office.

The Target remained closed as of Sunday due to damage inside and cleanup.

On Sept. 28, 2023, a fire was set inside the Target store at 1 S. State St. in the Loop. Sprinklers put out the fire at the downtown Target.

In that incident, Ronald Langley was charged with aggravated arson. According to court records, Langley was caught on video taking a can of WD-40 and lighting a blanket on fire on the second floor of the store.

Residential, Single Family Home

Libertyville, IL – Sprinkler system activated for garage fire at residence

Libertyville Fire Department officials said a recently installed sprinkler system at a house on the 400 block of Butterfield Lane kept a garage fire from spreading to the interior of the home Tuesday morning.

Firefighters were alerted by the residents at about 9 a.m. after they discovered smoke in a back room of their attached garage.

The home’s sprinkler system extinguished the fire and kept it from spreading to other parts of the home, officials said.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. The residents were allowed to return to the house.

No damage estimate was available.

Hospital/Care Facility, Hospital/Medical Clinic

Michigan City, IN – Sprinkler system activated for fire in administrative section of hospital; No injuries reported

A fire broke out in an administrative section of a hospital in Michigan City on Wednesday morning.

Because of the fire, there could be a disruption in services at Franciscan Health Michigan City, which is located just outside Michigan City.

The damage wasn’t enough to close the hospital in the area of U.S. 421 and Interstate 94.

“We ask for patience and understanding as some outpatient appointments or procedures may be rescheduled or transferred to other Franciscan locations as we continue to assess the situation and clean up,” said Dean Mazzoni, President and CEO of Franciscan Health Michigan City.

Just after 4 a.m. CST, Michigan City firefighters were first to arrive and later assisted by members of the Coolspring Township Volunteer Fire Department.

Coolspring Township Assistant Fire Chief Warren Smith said the fire was out in about 10 to 15 minutes with help from an automatic overhead sprinkler system.

Smith said a desk with a surface made of wood caught fire in an office on the 5th floor on the east side of the building.

Mazzoni said that area of the hospital is an administrative area of the outpatient tower.

The flames spread to other furnishings like a metal filing cabinet and chair.

Smith said extinguishers were used to put out the flames but not until water gushing from the sprinkler heads ran down to the fourth and third floors where some of the ceiling tiles absorbing the moisture were sagging

“Those sprinklers can put out a lot of water,” he said.

Mazzoni described the smoke and water damage to the outpatient tower as “significant.”

No structure damage was reported.

Smith said the cause of the fire is not yet known but it could be electrical since there were computers and other electrical devices on and near the desk.

Despite the hospital being outside the city limits in Coolspring Township, Michigan City firefighters also respond to calls from the hospital since they can get there quicker from being a full-time, constantly manned department, according to Smith

Smith said the faster response made a difference in limiting the damage.

“They’re probably there 15 minutes before we can get there,” he said.

Mazzoni said no patients were injured or evacuated as a result of the fire.

Apartment Building, Residential

Winnipeg, MB, Canada – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire at apartment building

At 11:36 a.m. on Wednesday, September 4, the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service received reports of fire at a two-storey apartment building in the 300 block of Ross Avenue.

When crews arrived on scene, they entered the structure and found smoke inside the building. When they located the fire, the sprinkler system was activated and had already knocked it down.

The building was evacuated because water from the sprinkler system caused damage to the structure. Firefighters helped some residents out of the building, while others self-evacuated.

The City of Winnipeg’s Emergency Social Services team was called to help approximately 44 displaced residents find temporary accommodations. A Winnipeg Transit bus was also deployed to provide shelter for residents.

Paramedics assessed one person at the scene and transported them to hospital in stable condition.

Damage estimates are not available at this time. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Apartment Building, Residential

Portland, OR – Sprinkler system activated for lithium-ion battery fire at apartment complex; No injuries reported

A scooter caused an early morning fire in an apartment complex in Northwest Portland on Monday.

Fire crews were dispatched to the scene around 8:00 a.m. on the report of an explosion and an internal fire protection sprinkler was activated.

When Portland Fire and Rescue arrived, they said light smoke was coming from a window on the backside of the structure. After crews surveyed this inside of the complex, they discovered an electric scooter stored in a primary egress route that had caught fire.

Crews quickly put out the fire with a handheld water extinguisher. Officials say there were no injuries reported and no one was displaced.

The scooter used a lithium-ion battery that entered a state fire official label as a “Thermal Runaway.”

A thermal runaway is a phenomenon in which the lithium-ion cell enters an uncontrollable, self-heating state. Fire officials say it can result in extremely high temperatures, violent cell venting, smoke, and fire.

PF&R says a similar fire incident happened about three and a half months ago, and it can be prevented. Portland Fire & Rescue officials remind people that lithium-ion batteries store a large amount of energy and can pose a threat if not treated properly.

These batteries are found in electric bikes and scooters, cars, laptops, tablets, phones, and common household devices. According to officials, some of these batteries can be defective and can overheat, catch fire, or explode.

If using any devices powered by lithium-ion batteries:

  • Be sure any equipment has the Underwriter Laboratories (UL) mark.
  • Follow manufacturers’ instructions for charging and storage.
  • Do not charge a device under your pillow, on your bed, or on a couch.
  • Keep batteries/devices stored at room temperature. Do not place it in direct sunlight.
  • Store batteries away from anything flammable.
  • Do not charge or store battery-operated devices or scooters in stairways/stairwells, exit pathways, or in front of exit doors. We recommend actively charging this equipment only while you are home.
  • If a battery overheats or you notice an odor, change in shape/color, cracks, leaking, or odd noises coming from a device, discontinue use immediately. If safe to do so, move the device away from anything that can catch fire and call 911.
  • Inspect all lithium-ion battery-powered equipment and chargers for frayed or cracked cords and replace if necessary.
Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Salisbury, MD – Sprinkler system activated for accidental fire at middle school

Salisbury Fire officials were called to Wicomico Middle School early Saturday morning for an automatic fire alarm. Officials say there was a smoke alarm that was activated and a sprinkler system which activated as well.

State Fire Marshal investigation found the fire was accidental and began in a janitorial closet after the spontaneous combustion of rags used for cleaning.

Damage was estimated at about $2000.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Vancouver, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system contains arson fire at Walmart; No injuries reported

The Walmart near the Vancouver-Burnaby border is closed until further notice after a suspicious fire.

Brad Hesse, assistant chief of operations for Vancouver Fire Rescue Services, said an emergency call came in around 10 a.m. Saturday.

He said it’s too early to confirm the fire was arson, but it was “strange” that videos from customers’ phones showed it appeared to spark on a sofa in the store’s furniture department.

Hesse said the store was quickly evacuated and there are no reports anyone was injured.

Firefighters had trouble pinpointing the source of the blaze because of the thick black smoke emanating from the furniture department.

He said the sprinkler system helped keep the fire contained to that section and that crews were able to fully douse it after about 45 minutes.

However, the store in the 3500-block of Grandview Highway has extensive smoke and water damage. Hesse said it’s likely a lot of the product in the store is compromised by the thick smoke that circulated during the fire.

Hesse said about 40 firefighters and nine fire trucks were called in to the second-alarm blaze.

Vancouver police are also investigating to determine the cause of the blaze.

“We urge anyone who witnessed anything unusual in the store around the time of the fire to contact investigators immediately,” said Const. Tania Visintin, in a news release on Sunday afternoon.

The company released a statement to media that said the fire was set deliberately.

“This appears to be a criminal act of arson that will unfortunately and unfairly impact our customers, associates and the local community who rely on the store,” Walmart said.

“Setting a fire in a public setting is shocking, dangerous, and shameful.”

The store will re-open as soon as the necessary clean-up and repairs are complete.

“We will do everything we can to ensure the arsonist is identified and held accountable, including assessing our legal options to seek compensation from the arsonist for the damages caused by this act,” reads the statement.

Damages are estimated to be in the millions.

Though Walmart has over a dozen outlets around Metro Vancouver, the Grandview location is the only one in the city proper.