Tag Archives: Morning (7am-12pm)

Other - Manufacturing, Recycling / Waste Facility

Fountain Inn, SC – Sprinkler systems keep fire outside plastics business from spreading into structures

Dispatchers said the fire was reported at Ameri-Pak at 477 S. Woods Drive before noon last Tuesday.   The fire burned an area between buildings, but the side of several buildings was singed.

Fire Chief Ronnie Myers said the fire burned mostly outside where the business takes in scrap plastics.  The fire was out within a few hours, but crews were still monitoring hot spots late Tuesday afternoon.  Officials said the sprinkler system went off in both buildings, which helped to contain most of the fire outside.  Several fire departments including Oconee, Pickens, Anderson, Greenville, Spartanburg and Laurens assisted, Myers said.

“Once you get plastic burning, it’s very hot. It gets so hot, you can’t put it out with just water. You have to put foam on it to smother the fire. It was a very intense fire,” Fire Chief Ronnie Myers said.  Ameri-Pak is a packaging company. Its website says that the company services manufacturers including 3M, Sealed Air, Tape Logic, Rubbermaid and Ivex.

Other Business, Recycling / Waste Facility

Springfield, OR – Fire at recycling facility contained by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Employees evacuated as sprinklers and firefighters extinguished a fire in the recycling facility at International Paper in Springfield on Tuesday morning.

Fire crews responded to the 48th Street facility at 7:48 a.m.

“Crews arrived to find all employees safely evacuated outside and the building filled with smoke. Employees reported fire in a pile of general recyclable materials. The building is protected by an automatic fire sprinkler system. The sprinkler system activated keeping the fire in check until fire crews arrived to complete extinguishment and over haul.”

A Eugene-Springfield Fire Department official said firefighters initially sounded a second-alarm fire and that all available crews headed to the scene.

Officials say it appeared a second alarm was called because of a large amount of smoke in the recycling portion of the plant.

Quick response by fire crews, along with the sprinkler system in place, took care of the fire before it had a chance to grow, according to the fire department.

No injuries were reported and workers will be allowed to return before the day is over.

The cause has been deemed accidental.

Place of Worship

Federal Way, WA – Church fire cause by cigarette discarded in mulch controlled by sprinkler system

A Tuesday morning fire at Brooklake Church caused an estimated $150,000 worth of damage to the exterior of the building.  South King Fire & Rescue Captain Jeff Bellinghausen said there was no damage to the inside of the building, 629 S. 356th St.  The fire was most likely caused by a cigarette butt left on the bark outside the church, Bellinghausen said. The fire was determined to be accidental, he said.  The awning over the entrance to the church caught fire, and the sprinkler system was able to keep the fire contained until the firefighters could get there, Bellinghausen said.  The carpet inside may need to be replaced from possible smoke damage, and repairs are needed in the entrance area, but there was no severe fire damage inside, Bellinghausen said. The church is still in operation.

Apartment Building, Residential

Yakima, WA – Apartment fire caused by improperly disposed cigarette contained by sprinkler

Yakima firefighters say a fire sprinkler kept flames on a third-floor deck from spreading to the rest of an eastside apartment building. The fire at the East Beech Apartments, 1402 E. Beech St., was reported at 8:50 a.m. when smoke was seen coming from the third floor.  Someone on the deck placed a cigarette in a cardboard box believing it was out, said fire Capt. Jeff Pfaff. The burning cigarette caught the box on fire, which activated an automatic sprinkler system.  “The saving factor was the fire sprinkler,” Pfaff said.  Damage was estimated at $2,500, including a patio door that shattered when the sprinkler water hit the heated glass, Pfaff said.  Officials are calling the fire accidental.

Hotel / Motel

Las Vegas, NV – Trash chute fire at Marriott hotel suppressed by sprinkler system

(staff reported – confirmed sprinkler operation)  Guests at the Marriott Grand Chateau were evacuated on Tuesday morning after a person called the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department claiming that they heard gunfire going off inside the building. The initial reports were mistaken, however, and it turned out that a fire had broken out inside the building at around 8:50 a.m.

Ed Kinney, vice president for corporate affairs and communications at Marriott Vacation Club, said there was a small fire in the trash chute area of the resort, and that the building was evacuated as a precaution. Guests were coming back into the building as of 10:20 a.m., Kinney said. In a statement, Clark County Fire Deputy Chief Jeff Buchanan said crews arrived to find light smoke in the building and a fire that was out in the laundry chute. Two people were taken to a hospital for smoke inhalation, and one person was being evaluated for minor burns, according to Buchanan.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Fernandina Beach, FL – Hotel fire contained with help from sprinkler system

The Fernandina Beach and Nassau County Fire Rescue Departments put out a fire quickly at the Amelia Hotel and Suites on Fletcher Avenue Sunday morning.

The hotel’s alarm system alerted firefighters to the fire. Firefighters made their way to the second floor and found the automatic sprinkler system had been activated. When entering the room, firefighters found heavy black smoke and a small fire on the floor involving the bed. 

All guests were evacuated from their rooms. Fernandina Fire Rescue says it took 15 minutes with the assistance from the sprinkler system to knock down the fire.

The hotel sustained water damage from the sprinkler activation. Fire officials say the fire is suspicious in nature and is being investigated by the State Fire Marshal’s Office along with the city Fire Marshal.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant, Retail, Shopping Mall

Ottumwa, IA – Sprinkler system extinguishes kitchen fire in strip mall

A fire alarm and the smell of smoke kicked the Ottumwa Fire Department into action. They arrived at about 7:30 a.m. Tuesday at 1111 N. Quincy Ave. in Quincy Plaza.

However, a press release from the city says that when firefighters arrived on scene, they found no active fire or smoke being emitted from the structure. Due to the age of the fire suppression system, it didn’t show exactly where the alarm was coming from.

Firefighters used their key system to gain access to the shops of the strip mall in attempts to locate the source of the smoke smell. That’s how they found the source, which was located at the Little Caesars Pizza section of the strip mall.

Yet the fire suppression system was sufficient to extinguish the fire by itself: Firefighters located an active sprinkler head which had suppressed a small fire in the kitchen area of the business.

According to the city statement, the damage to the entire complex would have been much greater without a properly working fire sprinkler system.

The business suffered water, smoke and fire damage.

The cause, the OFD says, looks to have been spontaneous combustion of oily rags kept in a container in the back of the kitchen.

The Ottumwa Fire Department was assisted by the Ottumwa Police Departments dispatchers to gain communications with the building owner and tenants.

Other Business

Sedona, AZ – Fire in self storage facility extinguished by automatic sprinkler system

*** Fire Department Reported – No Media Coverage ***  (May 31, 2018) – At 11:35 a.m. Sedona Fire District was dispatched to the Stormaster Storage Units located at 2300 Shelby Dr. for a storage unit on fire. Upon arrival crews discovered that the fire had been extinguished by the buildings fire sprinkler system. “When we arrived on scene, there was some residual smoke but the fire had been extinguished,” said Captain Ralph Kurtz, “It worked. The sprinkler system performed exactly like it should have and saved not only the entire building but most of the belongings inside the storage unit itself.” Firefighters spent the next hour moving salvageable belongings out of the unit and making sure that no fire remained in the items that had burned. Just one unit was involved and a neighboring storage unit had some items that received some slight water damage when water seeped under the wall. Damage is estimated to be under $5,000 to the building and contents, and no injuries were reported.

Fire investigators determined that the fire started when a renter lit an incense stick while cleaning out the unit. The renter left the site with the incense still burning inside the unit and returned to find firefighters on scene. “People often ask me about the value of sprinkler systems,” said Fire Marshal Jon Davis, “This incident really proves why they are being required in more and more properties. What could have been a major conflagration with losses into the hundreds of thousands or more was kept relatively small. Most importantly, my firefighters were not exposed to a large fire and all of the inherent dangers that are associated with it.”

Restaurant

Nashville, TN – Kitchen fire at downtown restaurant controlled with help from sprinkler system

Merchants in downtown Nashville is indefinitely closed due to a fire on Thursday morning.  The Nashville Fire Department responded to the Broadway establishment during the 8 a.m. hour to put out the fire.  The owners of Merchants said there was a small fire on the third floor kitchen caused by a smoker. The fire set off a sprinkler system and crews are busy at work cleaning all three floors and getting the building back in shape.  “The good news is, this building has seen much worse than this in the 100-plus-years that its been around, so we’ll be up and running in no time! We are trying to reopen for service tomorrow, June 1.” – Merchants  Currently, cause of the fire and extent of the damage has not been released.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Souris, PEI, Canada – Grease fire at school is extinguished with help from sprinkler system

A small grease fire at Souris Regional School sent students home on Wednesday.  The fire started around 11:15 a.m. in the home economics lab, says John Cummings, director of corporate services with the Public Schools Branch.  The fire was quickly extinguished before firefighters arrived.  Sprinklers were activated in the area of the fire leaving the need to clean up water and reset the sprinkler system, notes Cummings.  He says the extent of water damage is being assessed but is not expected to be significant. Roughly 500 students attend Souris Regional.