Tag Archives: Morning (7am-12pm)

Retail, Shopping Mall

Honolulu, HI – Sprinkler system activated for electrical fire at shopping center; No injuries reported

Honolulu firefighters responded to a fire at Ala Moana Shopping Center on Tuesday morning after a security guard noticed smoke coming from a loading dock area.

Officials said the two-alarm fire started around 8:10 a.m. in a basement storage room belonging to the Longs Drugs at the mall.

HFD said an electrical panel in the room had shorted and sparked a fire which spread to flammable items nearby.

Firefighters said the storage room, located directly below the store was full of boxes and merchandise, which hindered fire suppression. HFD said fortunately, the sprinkler system was activated and confined flames to an area about 20 feet by 20 feet.

However, officials said the fire was not fully extinguished and that crews had to sift through the room, despite poor visibility and little ventilation, to ensure nothing was smoldering.

HFD said the blaze was extinguished just before 9:30 a.m.

Officials said no injuries were reported.

The estimated cost of damages is unknown at this time and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Calgary, AB, Canada – Sprinkler system extinguishes hotel fire; No injuries reported

The Calgary Fire Department responded to a fire at a hotel early Saturday morning.

Officials say crews were called to the Riviera Hotel at 3535 26 Ave. N.E. just before 7 a.m., finding smouldering furniture in a storage area.

The fire was knocked down by the hotel’s sprinkler system.

The hotel was evacuated as a precaution as crews ventilated the area and Calgary Transit buses provided shelter for the roughly 100 people forced out of their rooms.

No injuries resulted from the small fire and the hotel’s guests have since returned to their rooms.

The cause of the fire remains unknown at this time and investigators remain on scene.

Athletic Club/Sports Facility, Other Business

Lancaster, OH – Sprinkler system activated for commercial dryer fire at YMCA; No injuries reported

With two fires dispatched within five minutes of each other, cooperation between the Lancaster Fire Department and county departments kept damage to a minimum.

The first units to arrive at the YMCA fire were from the Pleasant Township and Greenfield Township fire departments, Schultz said.

“Our firefighters were already on their way to the Second Street fire, and when the call came through for the Y, mutual aid units took care of that one. It appears a commercial dryer caught fire at the Y, and luckily the sprinkler system helped contain the fire to the laundry room until mutual aid could arrive,” Schultz said. “Because the building’s rotunda is connected to the laundry room, there was smoke damage to the first and second floors, and some water damage due to the sprinkler system’s activation.”

He added there were no injuries reported, and the YMCA was closed Wednesday. Cole Reinschell, administrative director with the YMCA, said the building will likely be closed Thursday, and any updates will be posted on the organization’s Facebook page.

“First and foremost, I’m thankful that everyone is okay, the health and safety of our staff and patrons are our number one priority. The Sixth Avenue facility will be closed Thursday, but our River Valley campus will be open, and we will have childcare available,” Reinschell said.

He said the fire was caused by a dryer malfunction. Staff reported a burning smell and responded quickly, even using a fire extinguisher. Reinschell said he was proud of the staff for reacting quickly and evacuating clients from the building.

“I just want to say over the past year with COVID-19, we’ve overcome a lot of adversity. I wanted to thank all the firefighters that reported and helped us, and our members and staff for their work today,” he said.

He thanked the Tree Church for offering shelter to YMCA members and childcare program during the evacuation.

Reinschell added the YMCA would appreciate any charitable donations from the community. Checks should be made payable to the Robert K. Fox Family YMCA, address 465 W Sixth Ave, Lancaster, OH, 43130. Questions can be directed to Reinschell: contact him at 740-654-0616, extension 245.

Along with the Greenfield and Pleasant townships’ fire departments, firefighters from Hocking Township, Bloom Township and Amanda Township fire departments also responded. The fire was contained by about 9:30, Schultz said.

“We’re grateful for the assistance from everyone. Mutual aid is critical, and, today definitely proves that, every community should help one another. We were able to handle both fires with the assistance of every fire department that arrived,” Schultz said. “We appreciate that they could come to the city to help.”

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Cedar Rapids, IA – Sprinkler system activated for fire at restaurant; No injuries reported

Firefighters responded to an alarm at a restaurant at 305 2nd Avenue Southeast in downtown Cedar Rapids early Tuesday morning.

The small fire was found in the second floor kitchen at White Star Ale House, but officials said it was being held in check by the sprinkler system. No one was at the restaurant when the fire occurred.

In a release, officials said a bag of rags ignited due to animal fat from the grease and heat from being laundered earlier in the night by staff.

Officials said the building suffered minor damage.

Firefighters encouraged residents and businesses to spread out laundered clothing or towels after removing from the dryer to allow them to cool.

Apartment Building, Residential

Duluth, MN – Sprinkler system activated for second-floor apartment fire; No injuries reported

All tenants at the Burke Apartments in Duluth are temporarily displaced due to water damage from a sprinkler system responding to the fire. The apartment building provides affordable housing to adults with disabilities.

A fire was reported around 9:30 a.m. Monday in a second-floor unit at Burke Apartments, 720 Maple Grove Road, Duluth. It triggered a sprinkler system to activate, causing water damage to nearly all 21 units in the building. A news release from the Duluth Fire Department said the sprinkler system kept the flames in check and no one was injured.

Of the 21 units in the two-story apartment building, 16 were occupied at the time of the fire. Tenants evacuated the building prior to the firefighters’ arrival. According to the Duluth Fire Marshal’s Office, the cause of the fire was accidental.

All tenants are temporarily displaced due to the water damage. Fire and water damage is estimated at $55,000, according to the Duluth Police Department. Property manager Accessible Space is providing tenants with assistance until they can return to the building. The Burke Apartments provide affordable housing for adults with disabilities.

Fire crews from Duluth Heights, Spirit Valley and Duluth Fire Headquarters used vacuums and other equipment to attempt to remove water from the affected units. A local damage mitigation company will assist in the cleanup.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Chilliwack, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for fire at resource society; No injuries reported

Just after 7: 20 AM Saturday morning, 20 firefighters from Chilliwack firehalls 1 and 4 responded to a fire alarm and sprinkler activation in a 2 storey supportive housing building located in the 45000 block of Hocking Avenue.

This is with PCRS and formally known as the Contact Centre.

Fire crews accessed the vacant first floor unit to find a single sprinkler head had activated, extinguishing the fire that originated on the bedroom night table.

Firefighters confirmed the fire was out, ventilated the smoke and shut off the sprinkler system.

There was minor fire, smoke and water damage in the unit.

There were no civilian or firefighter injuries.

Cause of the fire appears to be accidental and continues to be investigated by the Chilliwack Fire Department.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

North Myrtle Beach, SC – Sprinkler system activated for fire at resort; No injuries reported

Crews were on the scene of a fire at a North Myrtle Beach resort Sunday morning.

City spokesperson Pat Dowling said firefighters were called to the Beach Cove Resort on 4800 South Ocean Boulevard for reports of the blaze.

Dowling also said the fire was confined to the third floor and the sprinkler system was activated.

No injuries were reported.

Residential, Residential High Rise

Houston, TX – Sprinkler system activated for high-rise apartment building fire; No injuries reported

WHAT: High-rise apartment building fire

WHEN: November 9, 2021 at 11:27 a.m.

WHERE: 7575 Bellaire, 77036

INJURIES: No reported injuries.

PROPERTY SAVED: $45 thousand in estimated property saved.

DAMAGE: $5 thousand in estimated damage.

CAUSE: Unintentional – heat source too close to combustible.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Firefighters arrived on scene within six minutes to find a fire near a trash chute in the maintenance area on the sixth floor of a high-rise apartment building. Paper goods were placed near an electrical plug which appeared to have started the fire. The fire was kept in-check by a fire sprinkler head until HFD arrived on scene. Firefighters from Stations 21, 28, 68, 83, 10, 60, 73, 51, 37 and 57 responded to this incident.

Apartment Building, Residential

Jackson, WY – Sprinkler system activated for fire at apartment complex

At 10:40 a.m. this morning, Jackson Hole Fire/EMS responded to a structure fire at the Blair Place Apartment Complex.

Upon arrival, first responders observed flames coming from the third floor of apartment building 245. 

After arriving on the scene, firefighters were able to successfully control the fire which was contained to the third floor and roof, causing fire damage to two apartments according to Battalion Chief Mike Moyer. Other units on the first and second floors experienced water damage. 

The fire alarm and sprinkler systems were activated and responsible for effectively alerting residents of the  14-unit building and for helping to control the fire.  

“This is a good reminder to make sure your fire alarms and sprinkler systems are in working condition because they do make a difference,” Moyer said.  

While all residents were able to evacuate without injury and several pets were able to be evacuated. Residents will not be able to return to their apartments at least through tonight as the fire department will conduct its investigation and property managers will assess the damage to fire alarm and suppression systems.

Manufacturing, Other - Manufacturing

Bowling Green, KY – Sprinkler system activated for fire at metal forming business

Around 8:30 this morning, fire crews were called to Magna Bowling Green Metalforming after a scrubber caught fire in the middle of the building. Employees were evacuated safely during the fire. The Bowling Green Fire Department says the plant’s sprinkler system helped to keep the fire under control until crews arrived and put it out completely. Fortunately there were no injuries.