College/University (on campus), School / University Cambridge, MA – Sprinkler system activates in laboratory fire at MIT; No injuries reported January 14, 2019 viking210 A small explosion in a basement lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology prompted a large emergency response last Thursday morning, officials said. The explosion went off at 25 Ames St. around 10:30 a.m., prompting the sprinklers to turn on, according to the Cambridge Fire Department. No injuries have been reported. Officials say the situation is stable. No additional information was immediately available.
Hospital/Care Facility, Hospital/Medical Clinic Middletown, NY – Fire in hospital’s kitchen extinguished by sprinkler system January 9, 2019 viking210 One employee was hurt by an explosion while attempting to light a stove in the kitchen at Orange Regional Medical Center Thursday morning. Dominick Guardino, chief of special operations for the Mechanicstown Fire Department, said the explosion was followed by a small fireball, but the fire was quickly contained by the hospital’s sprinkler system. “We just shut off the gas and electric when we got there,” Guardino said. Several mutual aid companies who were responding to the scene were canceled because they were not needed. The injured employee was taken to the emergency room at ORMC. Guardino referred questions about the employee’s condition to the Town of Wallkill Police Department, which is investigating the fire. No one at the police department could be reached immediately.
Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant Morganton, NC – Sprinkler system activated at Molded Fiberglass plant January 8, 2019 viking210 The Morganton Department of Public Safety responded Wednesday (January 2) to a fire at the Molded Fiberglass plant at 213 Reep Drive. Firefighters were dispatched at 9:07 a.m. Wednesday, upon arrival, responding units were met with smoke and flames coming from the roof and around one of the ovens inside the plant. All employees had evacuated after trying initially to knock down the flames with a fire extinguisher. The sprinkler system activated when the fire blew out the top of an oven used to mold fiberglass vehicle parts and ignited dust and resin collected on the building’s structural beams above. The fire spread to the ceiling and through a wall to the roof quickly. There were no injuries and property damage was confined to one section of the roof and a vent system. Morganton fire units were on the scene for over two hours extinguishing the blaze and checking for fire extension. Burke County EMS responded to assist Morganton with any medical issues or injuries. The damage to the building was minimal and plant operations resumed as soon as the fire equipment and personnel were removed from the roof and oven room. A news release says the fire does not appear to be suspicious.
Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant Poway, CA – Grease fire at Panda Express extinguished by sprinkler system January 7, 2019 viking210 A small grease fire Wednesday morning at a Poway restaurant caused a minor injury and resulted in the closure of the business. Firefighters were called to Panda Express, 13624 Poway Road about 11:35 a.m. and found that a sprinkler had put the fire out. An employee suffered a minor hand burn but declined to be transported for medical attention, according to Mark Sanchez, the city’s director of safety services. The restaurant will be closed until its reopening is authorized by the county health department, Sanchez said.
Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential White Bear Lake, MN – Electrical fire at senior apartment building contained by sprinkler system January 5, 2019 viking210 Ten seniors had to be evacuated from The Waters after an electrical cord apparently shorted in one resident’s apartment the morning of Dec. 29. “It was the cord leading to an alarm clock,” said White Bear Lake Fire Chief Greg Peterson. The fire on the third floor was controlled by the apartment buildings sprinkler system. Firefighters arrived and extinguished the fire. Four other fire departments assisted at the scene. Three people had minor injuries — burns and smoke inhalation, Peterson said. They were taken to local hospitals.
Residential, Single Family Home Manchester, MD – Residential sprinkler system contained house fire to one bedroom December 29, 2018 viking210 Damage was confined to one area of the house. A sprinkler installed in a home in Manchester helped minimize the damage from a house fire. The State Fire Marshal’s Office says Philip Gray, 85, and his son, Thomas, were moving into a home at 3175 Main Street. Philip Stone was alone in the house late Wednesday morning at around 11:47 when he discovered a fire in a bedroom of the two-story home. He tried to put it out, but the residential sprinkler system was activated. The flames were contained to the bedroom when fire fighters from the Manchester Volunteer Fire Company responded. Personnel used a minimal amount of water to extinguish the remainder of the fire. Damage is estimated at $35,000 to the home and its contents, and was contained to the bedroom. . The sprinkler activation is crediting with keeping the small fire contained to its area of origin, according to the Fire Marsha’s Office. Mister Gray refused treatment after sustaining a minor injury to his leg. Investigators say the cause of the fire was improperly discarded smoking materials. Officials say the home will be unoccupied for a temporary period of time so that repairs and clean up can take place.
Athletic Club/Sports Facility, Other Business Kent, WA – Electrical fire at ice rink extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries reported December 28, 2018 viking210 The Kent Valley Ice Centre has reopened after a day after it was shut down by an electrical fire. Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority responded to a sprinkler alarm at the popular ice rink at 11:30 a.m. Sunday. The report was upgraded to a commercial building fire after reports of smoke coming from the compressor room used for the ammonia-based cooling system. Staff safely evacuated everyone from the building and there were no injuries, according to Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority. Firefighters found a large electrical panel that had caught fire and activated the sprinkler system. The fire was quickly extinguished and there was no danger of an ammonia leak. The damage has now been repaired and the ice rink has reopened, according to managers. The fire is considered accidental, according to the investigator.
Other Business Sioux Falls, SD – Sprinkler system contains fire in building’s air handling equipment December 26, 2018 viking210 No one was injured in a structure fire last Thursday morning in north Sioux Falls, according to a news release. Crews responded to a sprinkler system activation around 7:05 a.m. Thursday in the WestRock building at 100 E. Benson Road. A small fire was in the air handling equipment on the roof. Crews used an aerial ladder to access the roof and knock out the fire with a hose and control it within 10 minutes. The fire was started by an overheated electric motor on the air handling unit, according to the release. The fire damaged several hundred square feet of roofing material and caused light smoke inside the building. Activated sprinkler heads contained the fire until fire personnel arrived on scene. Workers were allowed back into the building within an hour of crews arriving on scene.
Office Building Columbus, OH – Fire in server room at office tower put out with help from sprinkler system December 22, 2018 viking210 A small fire in a computer server room was quickly contained Wednesday morning at the Rhodes Tower. More than a dozen fire crews responded to the officer tower around 10 a.m. Wednesday on a report of a fire alarm. Columbus Fire Battalion Chief Steve Martin said there was a small fire in a server room on the 36th floor of the building. A sprinkler system helped put the fire out before most of the firefighters arrived on the scene, Martin said. No injuries were reported and the building is open. East Broad Street was closed for a short time as fire crews needed access to the street.
Apartment Building, Residential Washington, TX – Boiler room fire in apartment building held in check by sprinkler system December 21, 2018 viking210 A small fire was quickly extinguished Sunday in an apartment building. The fire started in the boiler room of the five-family apartment on Calhoun Street just before 10 a.m. Sunday, Fire Marshal Tom Osborne said. The room’s sprinkler system kept the fire contained until the Washington Volunteer Fire Department and Northville Volunteer Fire Department arrived. No one displaced, and the room suffered little damage. “There was some (damage), but not much,” Osborne said. “The fire department got their quick and the sprinkler did a good job of holding it.” Fire departments left the building by 12:15 p.m.
