Tag Archives: Morning (7am-12pm)

Restaurant

Lexington, KY – Sprinkler system aids firefighters in controlling blaze at popular bar

A beloved Lexington bar was damaged in a fire Friday morning.  The fire broke out at Belle’s Cocktail House in the 100-block of Market Street. The damage is mostly contained to the roof.  The sprinkler system was working and that helped firefighters contain the flames quickly. Investigators believe the fire broke out in the building’s mechanical room.  A firefighter did sustain a hand injury. The lower floors of the building received smoke and water damage. No one was in the building when the fire sparked. Police have shut down the area around Market Street. Blocked intersections include Market at Short, Church at Lime, Main at Lime and Upper at Church.  Owner Justin Thompson credits Lexington Fire for their quick response for saving his business.

 

Retail

Tulsa, OK – Sprinkler system helps control intentionally set fire during armed robbery, stand-off with police

Police are questioning a man they arrested after a three-hour standoff at the Dollar General near Admiral and Harvard.
Investigators say Treveon Vaughn also confessed to several other robberies this year.  Police said around 8:00 Friday morning, a man armed with a gun and dressed in black went into the store to rob it. The employees were able to escape, leaving the suspect inside the store alone.

Police also believe a getaway driver left Vaughn at the scene. Tactical teams got in place, guns were drawn, and the police chopper flew above as Tulsa’s Special Operations Team worked to get the robbery suspect out of the store.  “You don’t have to rob, steal and kill from people just to get what you want. There’s help out there,” witness Crystal Turner said.  She said her cousin was one of the cashiers who was inside when it happened.

“I don’t know why people can’t get jobs instead of robbing, stealing and killing from people. It’s sad,” Turner said.  During the three-hour standoff, police said Vaughn started a fire, activating the store’s sprinkler system, so police called in the fire department.  “We see cops up here about two to three times a week just for Dollar General,” witness Fred Lollis said.  Lollis and his wife couldn’t help but wondered what the commotion was.

“I do know that there’s a lot of stuff that happens at the Dollar General, and the store manager is always having to come out and chase people down almost daily,” he said.

Vaughn eventually surrendered peacefully.  “He did come out of the store peacefully which is what we wanted to happen,” Officer Jeanne Mackenzie said. “We wanted him to come out. We didn’t want anybody hurt or injured. We didn’t want the officers hurt or injured, so it was a very successful operation for us.”  Police are still looking for the get-away driver.

Residential, Residential High Rise

Meriden, CT – Fire at high rise apartment complex extinguished by sprinkler system

The fire department responded to a call after a smoke alarm was tripped at at a high-rise complex Tuesday afternoon. This was related stove fire that activated a sprinkler system at the 55 Willow St. complex. The fire was extinguished by the sprinkler system. Crews remained on scene for about one hour evacuating residents, removing water from apartments on floors 1-4 and checking for associated hazards.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Eunice, LA – Sprinkler system activates to help control classroom fire at elementary school

Officials with the St. Landry Parish School Board have announced that Eunice Elementary will be closed tomorrow Wednesday, August 15 due to this morning’s fire.  The school board says that safety assessment procedures will be ongoing tomorrow at the school. All 12-month employees will be required to report to work and the principal will contact staff members to let them know when or if they should report to work on Wednesday.  The closure only affects Eunice Elementary. All other schools will report as normal tomorrow.

Officials say the cause of this morning’s fire at Eunice Elementary School is still under investigation. The fire caused the school to be closed on Tuesday to all students and teachers. The school board noted that all 12-month employees should report to work as usual today.  One custodian was in the school at the time of the fire and noticed flames coming from the classroom. That individual was able to exit the building safely.  One classroom and a majority of the supplies inside are a complete loss, according to Principal Mary Dupre.  Flooding caused by the sprinkler system has also damaged the building where the fire took place.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Providence, RI – Sprinkler system assists firefighters in controlling elementary classroom fire

A classroom at Vartan Gregorian Elementary School on Wickenden Street sustained major damage in a fire Wednesday morning, officials said.  Providence fire officials said no civilians or firefighters were hurt in the blaze, which came in at about 9:35 a.m. Five staff members were in the building, but were unharmed, fire officials said.  The fire, which is not considered suspicious, took about 45 minutes to get under control, according to fire officials. The sprinkler system was going off in the room when firefighters arrived.  The classroom where the fire took place was badly damaged, and other rooms had some smoke and water damage, according to fire officials.  School district administrators have told fire officials that the incident shouldn’t affect the start of the school year.

Apartment Building, Residential

Hickory, NC – Sprinkler system keeps dryer fire in apartment building contained until fire crews arrive

The Hickory Fire Department responded to a fire at the Estates at Legends apartment complex on Wednesday.

Battalion Chief J.L. Barger said a dryer was a source of the fire. Sprinkler systems kept the fire contained until firefighters could ensure it was out.

The building has no fire damage but the sprinkler system has flooded several apartments, Barger said. No one was hurt, but several people will be displaced.

Barger said that the fire department is asking owners of the complex to find temporary housing for those displaced. If units aren’t available they will seek assistance from the Red Cross, Barger said. The complex sits behind AMC Hickory 15 movie theater.

Catawba County Emergency Medical Services were also present as a precaution. 

Mildred Barbitta lives on the ground floor a couple floors below where the fire occurred.

“Just everything’s wet, really,” Barbitta said after taking a look in her apartment. “There is some water damage, I guess, on the ceiling. Things happen.”

Barbitta estimated the fire happened between 11:30 a.m. and noon.

Devon Payne was in her apartment on the floor just above where the fire occurred.

“I was microwaving something and I thought, ‘Oh no,’ and then I realized it was the fire alarm,” Payne said.

Payne left her apartment with her two children and dog.

Apartment Building, Residential

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.

Residential, Residential High Rise

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.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

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.