Tag Archives: Morning (7am-12pm)

Vancouver, BC, Canada – Apartment building fire contained to single unit by sprinkler system

The sprinkler system installed at Isabella Court Apartments in Vancouver prevented a single-unit fire late Sunday morning from spreading, according to the Vancouver Fire Marshal.

The fire was reported at 11:14 a.m. at the large, four-story, 49-unit complex in the Bagley Downs neighborhood, according to dispatch records. The complex is owned by the Portland-based Reach Community Development nonprofit and opened last year, serving low income seniors.

Crews reported that the fire was extinguished in about 30 minutes.

Fire Marshal Heidi Scarpelli said a tenant was heating oil to cook french fries in their kitchen, and then they went to the bathroom.

The smoke alarm in the apartment began blaring, and the tenant returned to the kitchen to find the sprinkler system dousing a fire, Scarpelli said.

The sprinkler worked as intended, according to Scarpelli.

“We have similar buildings where systems haven’t been installed, and the outcome is dramatically different,” she said.

The cause of the fire was categorized as an unattended cooking incident.

There was significant damage to the third-story unit that caught fire, as well as some damage to a ventilation system.

Scarpelli said the monetary damage totals about $200,000. The building is worth $7.8 million, she said.

Lauren Schmidt, fundraising and public relations manager at Reach, said the two units below the fire’s origin were damaged by water. Three tenants have been displaced, she said. Two are staying in hotel rooms while the third moved to a vacant unit in the building.

There is no time estimate for when the units will be repaired.

Belle Haven, VA – Fire sprinkler system saves residents at high rise apartment building

Fairfax County Fire and Rescue determined a fire sprinkler saved residents and minimized damages at a Belle Haven apartment fire on Tuesday, July 31.  Fairfax County and Alexandria firefighters responded to the 5900 block of Richmond Highway around 10:02 a.m. at the 13-story high rise. By the time they arrived, the sprinkler system had already extinguished a fire in a fifth floor unit. There were no injuries.  The unit’s residents were not home at the time of the fire. Building residents were alerted by the fire alarm system.  Fire investigators determined unattended cooking on the stove started the fire. Initial damage estimates are $500. The two residents were displaced and declined Red Cross assistance.  The fire department reminds residents that sprinklers can save lives and their properties.

Ferdinand, IN – Sprinkler system extinguishes manufacturing fire that started in lacquer finishing booth

Units of the Ferdinand Volunteer Fire Department responded to an active fire Saturday morning at MasterBrand Cabinets’ 624 W. Third St. manufacturing complex.  Today was a scheduled down day, according to Fire Chief John Hoppenjans, so a limited number of employees were on hand when fire started in a finish room spray booth that was being cleaned.

Lacquer in the booth combusted but the plant’s sprinkler system activated and extinuished the fire, according to the chief.  The fire department was called at 9:29 a.m. and firefighters went about ensuring the fire was out. The department then ventilated smoke and assisted in the cleanup.  Employees had evacuated the building, Hoppenjans said, adding that the fire was contained to the spray booth.  He credited the operation of the plant’s sprinkler system with helping to limit damage to about $20,000.

Three individuals who had been in the vicinity of the fire were transported by ambulance to Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center as a precaution after complaining of breathing difficulties, according to Hoppenjans.  Six trucks and 24 firefighters were on the scene 90 minutes.  The Ferdinand Police Department and Memorial Hospital Emergency Medical Services assisted.

La Grange Park, IL – Fire in laser cutting area of manufacturing facility extinguished by single sprinkler

***Fire Department Release *** At 10:31 a.m. on Thursday morning, the La Grange Park Fire  Department was dispatched to an activated fire alarm at a manufacturing facility located at 1245 Barnsdale Rd. No call was received from the facility. Upon the fire department’s arrival at 10:37 a.m., the building’s fire alarm was sounding, the building was partially evacuated, and smoke was coming from overhead dock doors. Upon further investigation, it was noted that a fire had occurred in a laser cutting area. Employees in the area initially attempted to fight the fire with fire extinguishers, and then a single fire sprinkler operated and completely extinguished the fire. Firefighters checked for fire extension, cut electricity to the affected area, and shut down the fire sprinkler system. One employee who was in the area where the fire started and who helped to initially fight the fire, was treated by paramedics and transported to Adventist La Grange Hospital. The fire appears to have started when plastic being cut by a laser overheated, and plastic dust and hoses in the ventilation system ignited. The building and contents are valued at several million dollars, but damage at this time appears to be limited to $5,000.00. The employees should be commended for their initial actions, and the limited amount of damage to the overall business can be directly attributed to a properly operating fire sprinkler system,” according to Fire Chief Dean J. Maggos. Further damage to equipment in the immediate area is still being assessed. La Grange Firefighters assisted by La Grange Park Firefighters at the incident.

Fort Lauderdale, FL – Fifth floor hotel parking garage fire contained by sprinkler system

More than 100 guests were evacuated from a Fort Lauderdale hotel early Friday when a smoke and flames were seen in the parking garage, according to fire rescue officials.

A car caught fire about 7 a.m. on the fifth floor of the garage at the Conrad Fort Lauderdale Beach hotel, at 551 N. Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd., fire officials said.

“The sprinkler system had activated and the fire was contained to that one vehicle,” said Battalion Chief Steve Gollan. “The hotel staff had already started to evacuate the building.

The evacuated guests waited on the sidewalk across the street on the beach while firefighters ventilated any lingering smoke from the hotel and the garage.

The smoke and water affected the fourth, fifth and sixth floors of the parking garage but people reported smelling smoke inside the hotel, he said.

“One of the biggest challenges we have is it’s basically a high-rise fire,” Gollan said. “We have to get all the gear and [firefighters] up there and it’s an enclosed parking garage so we had some difficulties getting all of the smoke out of the building.”

The evacuation lasted about 90 minutes but there were no reports of any injuries. The cause of the car fire is under investigation, he said.

Loveland, CO – Sprinkler system doused flames at a sushi restaurant

A fire struck the Sushi JOOA restaurant at 198 E. 29th St. on Tuesday night, although the sprinkler system doused the flames before they threatened adjacent businesses in the Palmer Gardens shopping center.

The Loveland Fire Rescue Authority was dispatched to the restaurant at 11:19 p.m. after being alerted by an automatic fire alarm, according to operations chief Greg Ward.

Loveland Fire’s first engine arrived on scene at 11:25 p.m.

The alarm was upgraded to a structure fire when firefighters saw smoke and sprinkler flow within the restaurant, he said.

Just after midnight, firefighters located the area of the extinguished fire in the space above the ceiling, Ward said Wednesday.

By Wednesday morning, crews had left Sushi JOOA, which will need clearance from the building and health departments before opening its doors to customers.

The Marine Corps Career Center adjacent to the restaurant suffered minor water damage, Ward said.

Dozens of businesses and offices in Palmer Gardens were unaffected and open for business, according to Loveland Fire Capt. Carie Dann, thanks to the single sprinkler head that contained the flames.

That sprinkler head activated when the air around it reached 160 degrees, she said.

“The whole building is going to be safe now,” Dann said. “People have jobs; the entire rest of the building remained open (Wednesday).”

Dann said even Sushi JOOA would be able to clean up and reopen “in a pretty rapid manner.”

That may not have been the case if the sprinkler system hadn’t been installed throughout the building when it was erected years ago.

“It could’ve been closed down for months,” Dann said. She said Loveland Fire encourages the owners of new buildings to install sprinkler systems for that very reason.

“A lot of times, people are hesitant to install sprinklers because they think there will be an accidental activation of the system,” she said, noting that accidental activation is extremely unlikely. “It’s not like in the movies, when every single sprinkler head goes off.”

Dann said Tuesday night’s fire was a good example of the value of sprinkler systems.

“You can always dry things out,” she said, “but you can’t unburn them.”

Norwalk, OH – Sprinkler system keeps large bakery fire controlled while fire crews arrive

A fire at New Horizons bakery caused about $55,000-worth of damage on the business.

The Norwalk Fire Department received a call reporting the bakery’s “large fire” at 8:01 a.m. Sunday. Firefighters saw “moderate smoke” coming from the building and its roof once they arrived and found the fire had started in the muffin line machine, a multi-million dollar machine, according to fire chief John Soisson.

According to firefighters’ estimations, New Horizons lost about $25,000 in property damages and another $30,000 in destroyed contents. 

“It looked like some of the muffins had caught fire then … one of the machines caught fire that makes their buns and muffins and then it extended into their exhaust system,” Soisson said. “It was an exhaust fire. Whenever you’re baking, you’re baking at high temperatures. That’s just a risk that comes with their business, I guess.” 

The report said the fire also extended outside the upper ventilation trunk and ignited the roof area assembly as well.

Firefighters used a ladder truck to put out the blaze and then checked to make sure there were no hot spots remaining.

It took the 16 firefighters in their five trucks about two hours to extinguish the fire. It could have been worse, though, the chief said, adding the business’ precautionary measures are what saved it. 

“New Horizons does a good job with their production and the sprinkler system worked as it was designed,” Soisson said. “Only four sprinkler heads came on and controlled the fire until we got there and were able to finish extinguishing the fire.

“My big point for this is that fire codes are important. New Horizons is a company that’s very good to work with and they have very good fire suppression system within there and that was able to keep the fire relatively small and contained until we got there and were able to get it extinguished. That’s why sprinklers in building are so important within the city.”

Soisson said he hopes other businesses will learn from the experience too.

“Nobody likes fire codes because it costs money to do that stuff, but this is the benefit,” he said. “Their system worked really well and damage was pretty minor because of that.”

New Horizons was able to keep production going and was fully operational later on Sunday. 

Las Vegas, NV – Kitchen fire at Hilton Grand Vacations on the Strip controlled with help from sprinkler system

A kitchen fire in one of the rooms at the Hilton Grand Vacations on Las Vegas Boulevard caused evacuations on three stories of the resort Saturday afternoon.  The fire began around 11:40 a.m. on the 16th floor. Firefighters with the Clark County Fire Department ordered evacuations on the 15th, 16th, and 17th floors. Guests had to stay in the lobby.  Firefighters knocked out the fire, and some guests were allowed to return to their rooms. Investigators are now assessing the water damage caused by the sprinkler system.  This is a developing story. Please check back later for updates.

Stroudsburg, PA – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire in public library’s bookmobile

A small fire temporarily closed the Eastern Monroe Public Library on Wednesday. No one was injured, according to a series of statements on the library’s Facebook page.

“The fire was contained to the bookmobile and there is no damage to the Hughes Library Building,” it said in an 11:30 a.m. revision to an earlier statement. “We need to recharge our sprinkler system before reopening and a crew is on the way to complete that work. We hope to reopen this afternoon.”

The bookmobile was parked inside the library garage when the fire began, according to the same statement. The building’s sprinkler system extinguished the flames before the fire could spread.

“Rest assured everyone is fine,” the library page posted in a response to comments. “No one was in the building at the time and there is no damage to the building.”

“Yes, we intend to open this afternoon once the sprinkler system is reset. Thank you for your support.”

The building had reopened by 2:16 p.m., according to a later post.

“The Hughes Library has reopened and we will be open until the regular closing time of 9 p.m. today,” it said. “Thanks to the Stroud Township Fire Department and the Harrel Sprinkler Company for helping us to reopen quickly.”