Tag Archives: Morning (7am-12pm)

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Las Vegas, NV – Fire sprinklers put out fire at pet grooming store; No injuries reported

A pet grooming store was damaged in a fire Wednesday morning, but the employee and dog inside escaped safely, the Las Vegas Fire Department said.

Fire crews were called about 7:15 a.m. Wednesday to the Critter Care Grooming Store, in a shopping center at 5611 N. Tenaya Way, the department said. An employee was about to give a dog a bath when the fire started, and the worker called to report smoke and flames coming from the ceiling.

The employee and the dog escaped the one-story building uninjured, the department said. When firefighters arrived, they found light smoke and water from the fire sprinkler system, but the fire was already out.

Investigators determined that the fire started above the ceiling, where wiring and an air conditioner were located. The flames were put out after the sprinkler system was triggered, and the department estimated that $15,000 in damage was caused.

The cause of the fire was undetermined Wednesday morning, but investigators “could not rule out the fire was electrical in origin,” the department said.

Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

Missoula, MT – Dorm hall fire sprinkler system puts out fire; No injuries reported

Officials with Flathead Valley Community College confirmed that a fire broke out in Founders Hall Sunday morning.

FVCC says no one was injured in the fire. They added that the building’s fire and sprinkler system worked properly, and the Kalispell Fire Department put the fire out.

Campus officials said some students were still living in the dorm. While only a few were affected by the fire, they say all of them were relocated to other rooms.

Authorities were not able to confirm the cause of the fire.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Cool Springs, TN – Sprinkler system slows spread of fire after restaurant fryer malfunctions; No injuries reported

A Cool Springs restaurant fire Saturday morning was caused by a cooking equipment malfunction, according to Franklin Fire Marshal Andy King.

The Franklin Fire Department was dispatched to Bricktops restaurant, located at 1576 W. McEwen Dr., just before 9 a.m. Firefighters arrived to find smoke showing and fire on the roof.

King said the restaurant had been closed due to the coronavirus but had reopened Saturday morning to prepare takeout and delivery orders for the Easter weekend. He said a fryer malfunctioned when it was re-started and ignited the fire.

According to King, employees attempted unsuccessfully to extinguish the fire, which spread through the hood system to the roof.

King credited the activation of the automatic fire sprinkler system with greatly reducing damage and slowing the spread of fire inside the building. He also credited the quick response of Franklin firefighters, as well as units from Brentwood Fire & Rescue, which were dispatched via the cities’ mutual aid agreement.

King estimated damage at $50,000. No one was injured.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Normal, IL – Hotel coffee and souvenir shop fire stopped by fire sprinklers; No injuries reported

A fire at the Marriott Hotel and Conference Center in Normal caused an evacuation and the closure of the coffee and souvenir shop Thursday morning.

The Normal Fire Department was called to the hotel just after 7:30 a.m. for a report of a fire in the Caffeina’s Marketplace Cafe.

Hotel operations were unaffected by the blaze.

Heavy damage was reported to the cafe itself and water damage throughout the lobby. A dollar estimate of damage was not available by Thursday afternoon.

No injuries were reported in the incident, according to the NFD.

An employee attempted to use a fire extinguisher but the hotel’s sprinkler system was activated to slow the spread of the fire, according to a release by the NFD.

An alarm sounded and hotel employees assisted guests to evacuate safely.

The NFD reported the atrium smoke evacuation system activated and began rapidly ventilating the smoke from the atrium while firefighters pulled hoses into the building to extinguish the fire.  The fire was deemed out in about 25 minutes.  Firefighters searched and extinguished hot spots and used tools to open up the ceiling space and some of the wall spaces within the café to look for fire hidden in the void spaces.   

The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Murray, KY – Fire at window plant out out by fire sprinklers; No injuries reported

Major issues were avoided Tuesday morning when a fire occurred inside the Pella Window and Doors plant on Murray’s north side.

Calloway County Emergency Management Director Chesley Thomas said no injuries resulted after the fire was reported at about 10:45 a.m. He said the entire area was evacuated and all workers managed to leave the building without any problems.

“An all clear was given and we had nobody hurt, so they were allowing everybody back into the building,” said Thomas, who arrived at the scene after the fire had been extinguished. He said the fire began in one of the work zones of the plant. “But the sprinkler system did its job.”

Calloway County Fire-Rescue Chief Tommy Morgan said he was the third person from CCFR to arrive on the scene, behind two firefighters who came in their personal vehicles ahead of heavy response units from multiple stations throughout the county. He said that it is believed a Milwaukee battery charger may have developed a short while placed on a shelf, eventually igniting other nearby materials.

“All of the damage was contained to the shelf,” Morgan said. “There also just happened to be a sprinkler head right above it, so when it built up enough heat, that sprinkler came on and pretty much put everything out. We just went in and cleaned everything up a bit and packed everything out. There was still some stuff like paper and cardboard that was still smoldering a little bit, but everything was good, thank goodness.

“It’s been quiet for a long time on the fire side for us, so I was afraid this was going to be a big one, the way (Calloway County Sheriff’s Office dispatch) came out and said they actually had smoke showing.”

Morgan said CCFR has not had an actual building fire since October or November of 2019, but he said it has responded to several brush and woods blazes, as well as wrecks in that time. Even those calls, he said, have become fewer and farther between since mid-March when the COVID-19 pandemic basically brought things to a halt locally.

He said this was very noticeable Tuesday as he responded with his vehicle’s siren and emergency lights activated to Pella.

“I know a lot of people are still going and doing things, but I didn’t have near the trouble you normally do when you go out Fourth Street (in downtown Murray). That’s usually like a madhouse when you’re trying to go out on a call,” Morgan said. “I met like two or three cars. Normally, like I said, it’s a madhouse trying to get up there between meeting people and getting around people. It seems like people are staying in like they should be.”

Morgan said calls to respond to Pella happen every now and then and the vast majority are for false alarms. He said the last time he remembers a call being for an actual fire was in the early 2010s, shortly after he became chief, when an air conditioning unit on top of a warehouse building ignited, with CCFR units  extinguishing that fire.

Morgan said he believes seven or eight CCFR trucks did reach Pella Tuesday, with four or five others that responded, but were called back to their stations after it was determined that enough units were already on the scene. He said 25 to 30 firefighters responded to the call.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Baton Rouge, LA – Sprinkler system at nursing home controls fire caused by air conditioning unit

The Baton Rouge Fire Department responded to a local nursing home early Saturday morning.

After arriving at the Sterling Place Nursing Home, BRFD says “they were directed to the second floor of the building where a window air condition unit was on fire.”

A sprinkler activated in the room where the air conditioner was on fire and prevented more damage from occurring.

Eight total units, four pumpers and two ladders were required to put the fire out.

The cause of this fire was most likely a bird nest caught in the AC unit.

At the time of the fire, there were 144 people and around 20 workers residing in the nursing home.

According to the Baton Rouge Fire Department, “the second floor where the fire was is vacant, with no one living on that floor.”

That floor did sustain smoke and heavy water damage.

BRPD and EMS assisted the Baton Rouge Fire Department at the scene.

Sterling Place Nursing Home is located at 3888 North Blvd.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Wayne, NJ – Fire sprinklers contain fire in manufacturing area of business

On Sunday morning, March 22, Wayne Fire Companies #1 and #2 were dispatched to Mane USA on Demarest Drive in response to smoke and water flow alarms. Mane USA is a global flavor and fragrance manufacturer with a facility in Wayne.

“When the units entered the building, they encountered a moderate smoke condition,” said Wayne Fire Commissioner Bob Minarick. “At that point fire command requested a second alarm which brought Company #5 to the scene.”

Further investigation found a fire in the manufacturing area that was contained by the sprinkler system. Firefighters extinguished the remaining fire and requested Fire Inspection to the scene.

“The fire was contained to a pallet of supplies and also a commercial storage rack that contained production items,” said Minarick. “After viewing security footage, the fire was deemed accidental. Oil and chemical soaked rags and gloves that were stored in a large closed bucket spontaneously ignited and spread to the pallet and rack before the sprinklers held the fire in check.”

Firefighters overhauled the fire area to make sure that all embedded fire was extinguished. Multiple smoke ejectors and the building’s in-house ventilation system were used to clear smoke from the warehouse.

According to Minarick, five fire engines responded to the call with twenty firefighters. The fire was declared under control in 30 minutes.  All units cleared the scene by 10:30am.

“I’d like to thank the Wane Police Department for providing scene and roadway control,” said Minarick. “Also, thanks to the Wayne First Aid Squad for standing by on scene ready to render assistance should one of my firefighters get injured or need medical treatment,”

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Danville, VA – Machine fire contained by fire sprinkler system; No injuries reported

A piece of machinery caught fire inside Unarco Industries in Danville Friday morning.

The Danville Fire Department responded to the business along Stinson Drive at 8:04 a.m.

The machine had caught fire during maintenance and was contained by an overhead sprinkler until crews arrived to extinguish it.

There was no damage to the building, Battalion Chief Brian Alderson said.

There was a large amount of smoke inside the work area of the building, so crews spent the next hour clearing the smoke, before workers returned.

No one was injured.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Bullhead City, AZ – Sprinkler system limits damage to restaurant after fire starts on range; No injuries reported

A properly working fire suppression system is being credited for limited the damage at a Bullhead City restaurant Wednesday morning.

Units from the Bullhead City Fire Department were called to the Hibachi Buffet, in the 2200 block of Highway 95, around 11:18 a.m. Arriving crews found smoke coming from the rooftop and an audible fire alarm sounding.

According to a news release from the Bullhead City Fire Department, firefighters confirmed that all employees and diners had left the building before gaining access to the roof. Additional firefighters went inside, going to the kitchen area

“Fortunately, this building is equipped with a fire sprinkler system that properly activated when the fire broke out, keeping the blaze contained with minimal damage,” the news release said.

No injuries were reported.

Investigators determined the fire started on the cooktop range, activating the hood extinguishment system and one sprinkler head, confining the damage to the immediate area.

“Contrary to many movie portrayals, only sprinkler heads directly exposed to the heat activate,” the release said. “Having a fire sprinkler system can keep a fire from spreading and aid with extinguishment. Fire spreads quickly and can double in size every minute. Even small fires can cause significant damages to property and endanger those nearby.”

Office Building, Other Business

Durham, NC – Sprinkler system contains sixth floor fire at downtown plaza; No injuries reported

Firetrucks blocked most of CCB Plaza on Thursday morning as firefighters worked to put out a fire that erupted on the sixth floor of One City Center. So far, no injuries had been reported.

“It’s a large building, so we’re still going through it and trying to determine the extent of the damage,” said assistant chief Andy Sannipoli. The building’s sprinkler system managed to keep the fire in check.

The One City Center is the site of B.Good, Pokeworks, and Bulldega Urban Market, as well as five levels of office space and 21 stories of apartments. There’s no word on whether or how the fire affected the retail space.

Sannipoli says firefighters rescued a dog that had been left during the evacuation of the sixth floor, but the dog was fine and has been returned to its owners. People will most likely be able to return to the building by 1:00 p.m.