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.
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.
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.
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:
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.
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.
Firefighters were able to contain a fire at a storage facility in Fresno Monday morning.
Firefighters were called to the Dakota Park RV Storage on Dakota Avenue near Highway 99 for a fire alarm at the facility.
When firefighters arrived they found smoke coming from a commercial-sized storage unit and requested additional resources.
The storage unit contained a large amount of property including lithium-ion batteries, which are believed to have caused the fire.
With help from the fire sprinkler system, crews were able to keep the fire contained to the single storage unit.
About 20 other units were impacted by smoke.
Lithium-ion batteries provide power for devices like our smart phones and laptops, e-scooters, and e-bikes. The batteries store a lot of energy in a small amount of space. Fresno Fire public information officer
Josh Sellers says always keep safety in mind. “Always use the appropriate charging device tat came with the instrument. If you need a replacement get a replacement from the manufacturer,” Sellers said.
As a reminder, the National Fire Protection Association recommends removing lithium-ion batteries from their chargers once charging is complete and storing these batteries at room temperature whenever possible.
Ann Arbor Fire Department personnel arrive at the downtown highrise around 7:27 a.m. to find smoke and flowing water on the 7th floor.
Officials said the floor’s sprinkler system — activated by the on-fire plant — extinguished the fire. An elevator and several floors were damaged by the water but no one was injured.
Firefighters consider the incident suspicious.
Court House Square apartments are at 100 S. Fourth Ave.
Per the Wilmington Fire Department, firefighters responded to a business on S Front Street at around 11:15 a.m. The fire was contained by the sprinkler system, and nobody was injured.
As the businesses survey the damage, both The Husk and Yosake are closed.
“We are thankful for everyone who has already been a part of trying to get us back on our feet, and we will keep everyone posted as we move forward from this. We hope to see you soon,” a Yosake announcement states.
According to Fond du Lac Fire Rescue, crews were dispatched just before 11 a.m. Saturday for a commercial fire alarm and water flow alarm at 325 Winnebago Drive.
FDLFR said a single fire sprinkler head had been activated in the kitchen area of Fast Taco, located at 335 Winnebago Drive. The sprinkler put out the fire that had occurred on a two-burner cook top, resulting in minimal water and soot damage to Fast Taco and one adjacent business.
Officials say the fire was caused by unattended cooking. The fire sprinkler and fire alarm systems were restored. Business representatives and building owners are working to restore business operations.
