Tag Archives: Morning (7am-12pm)

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Oxnard, CA – Sprinkler system assist firefighters in knocking down fire at manufacturing plant

A piece of equipment at an Oxnard manufacturing facility caught fire Saturday morning, summoning fire engines and two ladder trucks, officials said. The commercial structure fire was reported around 9:25 a.m. at 1400 Statham Parkway at a Haas Automation Inc. facility, authorities said. The street is in an industrial area off Statham Boulevard on the south side of Oxnard Boulevard. A sanding unit at the site caught fire, said Oxnard Fire Department Battalion Chief Steve McNaughten. A sprinkler system in the building was activated, he said. Employees evacuated the building and called 911, McNaughten said. No injuries were reported. Responding fire personnel found light smoke at the scene and were able to hold the fire to the sanding unit, he said. Six fire engines, two ladder trucks and a battalion chief, all from the Oxnard department, responded. Crews were able to knock down the fire within 15 minutes and had put it out by 9:55 a.m., McNaughten said. They remained on the scene for a time to recover smoke and remove water from the fire-suppression effort, he said.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Fort Smith, AR – Sprinkler system helps contain fire at chemical facility; Blaze confined to mixing container

First responders addressed a fire that arose in a chemical environment in west Fort Smith on Friday morning. The fire, which began around 9:15 a.m. Friday, occurred at Ashland Performance Materials, 5106 Wheeler Ave., on Friday. The blaze was confined to a mixing container used to combine chemicals for manufacturing purposes, Sebastian County Deputy Director of Emergency Management Travis Cooper said. ″(From) the effort of what they were trying to do on a daily basis, unfortunately, there was a fire,” Cooper said. Cooper said the operator who was mixing the chemicals left the area “very quickly” and activated the fire alarm and sprinkler system in the facility. Members of Emergency Management and the Fort Smith Fire Department responded to the scene. Cooper said “there were no composites or components left of that chemical” from the fire. Cooper could not give a damage cost estimate for the fire.

Apartment Building, Residential

Nashua, NH – Sprinkler system contains apartment grease fire on Easter Sunday

Crews were called to the Tara Heights Apartments at 10 Digital Dr. around 9 a.m. Sunday morning, where they found a grease fire on a stove that had spread to the cabinets and activated the sprinkler system.

The fire was quickly contained by the sprinkler system, but crews were still tied up for an hour ejecting smoke and doing salvage work in the apartment where the fire was and the apartment below it.

Hotel / Motel

Lake Placid, NY – Fire at Crowne Plaza Resort suppressed by sprinkler system; Overheated computer was cause

The Crowne Plaza Resort and Golf Club was evacuated after the fire broke out around 11:12 a.m last Thursday. “The evacuation plan went great,” Lussi said. “We had actually just had a fire drill about six week ago.” The fire was triggered by a guest’s overcharged computer, he said. The guest was not in the room when the blaze broke out. Flames were contained to the room and had been mostly extinguished by the hotel’s sprinkler system when firefighters arrived.

“Sometimes in small businesses we think of things like sprinkler systems as extremely costly,” Lussi said. “You have to pay to have them inspected and re-certified. “This is just a phenomenal example of why it’s worth doing these things.

“The safety boards or building inspectors should get a lot of credit because we didn’t use to have individual sprinkler in all rooms. It evolved in past 15 or 20 years. When the mandate came to put them in individual rooms, we were like, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s going to be really expensive.’ “Then you realize this was worth every penny we invested, and we encourage other people to do the same.”

Lussi credited the Lake Placid Volunteer Fire Department for a quick response and for suppressing the hotel’s sprinkler system, which could have drained its entire water supply, he said. “They were very thoughtful in not letting anyone back into the building until they knew the area had been contained and was safe.” Fire Chief Jim Wasson said bedding in the room had ignited. “There was a lot of smoke and a lot of water when we arrived,” he said. “Thank goodness for sprinkler systems. It did a good job of soaking it.” Seventeen members of the department responded. They were back in service by 12:40 p.m.

College/University (on campus), School / University

Thief River Falls, MN – Arson fire at college put out by sprinkler system

Two Northland College students are accused of setting fires in restrooms at the college on the same day. According to a news release from the Ashland Fire Department, both fires happened on March 19. A morning fire in a Wheeler Hall restroom was put out by a sprinkler system and an evening fire in a Fenenga Hall restroom extinguished itself. No one was injured in either fire. Damage estimates are not available. The fire department said two suspects, a 30-year-old woman from Ashland and an 18-year-old woman from the Twin Cities area, have been arrested to face possible charges of arson and recklessly endangering the safety of others. Investigators believe the suspects and fires are not connected.

Other Business

Wheeling, IL – Fire at commercial laundry business controlled by sprinkler system

A fire at Crothall Laundry in Wheeling was put out within 15 minutes of starting at around 9:01 a.m. Wednesday. Wheeling Fire Chief Keith MacIsaac said there were no injuries sustained, no damage to the building and minimal damage to equipment at the business. However, Hintz Road was shut down for about 30 minutes while hoses were connected to a nearby fire hydrant. According to MacIsaac, the fire was contained to a large, industrial clothes dryer about the size of a semi-trailer. Crothall, located at 45 W. Hintz Rd., serves several local hospitals washing and dying linens and other materials by the ton.

“We’ve had a lot of fires over there,” said MacIsaac. Due to housekeeping issues related to the large machinery, the department responds to similar fires several times a year, he added. Before crews arrived at 9:05 a.m. to battle heavy smoke from the flames, the building’s sprinkler system kept the blaze controlled. All employees were safely evacuated. Damage estimates were not immediately available Wednesday morning

Apartment Building, Residential

Harris County, TX – (no media coverage) Apartment balcony fire contained by sprinkler system; Assists firefighters with extinguishing blaze

*** FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTED – No Media Coverage *** On Sunday, March 18 at approximately 8:17 am, HCFMO was requested by Cy-Fair Fire Department to assist with an apartment fire. Upon arrival, investigators noted the fire was contained to an exterior balcony because of the activation of one sprinkler head. The total loss due to fire and water damage was $5,300, with pre-incident value at $510,000.

Apartment Building, Residential

Fitchburg, MA – Apartment kitchen fire extinguished by automatic sprinkler system

A small kitchen fire at the Riverside Commons apartment complex left two units water-damaged Wednesday morning.  According to apartment manager Lisa Chaves, the fire started when a tenant was cooking on their stove top at about 10:30 a.m.  She said that no one was injured in the fire and that flames were extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system. However, Chaves said two apartments were damaged by the water from the sprinklers.

Apartment Building, Residential

Spring Township, PA – Sprinkler system holds apartment hallway fire in check; Firefighters extinguish blaze

Ten apartments at a Spring Township complex were evacuated Monday because of a fire that started in the second-floor hallway of the building.  Spring Township Fire & Rescue crews responded about 9:50 a.m. to an on-site fire alarm at Penns Crossing, 1400 W. Wyomissing Court, near West Wyomissing Boulevard and Route 724. Crews found fire around a hallway light fixture, Chief Colin Hackman said. The fire-suppression sprinkler system had activated and that kept the flames from spreading beyond that portion of the ceiling, he said.

Firefighters put out the rest of the flames and declared the fire under control within six minutes. Fire personnel assisted the facilities staff in accounting for the residents, who were taken to a common room on the first floor, Hackman said. The number of tenants affected was unavailable. Crews remained at the scene for a couple of hours, helping to contain water runoff so it wouldn’t damage the units below. The complex is next to Lincoln Park Apartments & Townhomes. All the tenants except one returned to their units by noon. The one could not return because of water damage and was staying with relatives, Hackman said. The township fire marshal is investigating the cause. A damage estimate was unavailable.

Apartment Building, Residential

Bend, OR – Sprinkler system credited with halting apartment fire; No injuries reported

A fire broke out in a southeast Bend apartment Friday morning, but a sprinkler system confined it to one room and doused the blaze before firefighters arrived, officials said.

The fire was reported around 10 a.m. in one unit of a three-story complex at the Seasons at Farmington Reserve apartments on Southeast Aaron Way.

Five engine crews and two medic units arrived to find light smoke coming from the one apartment and that residents of nearby units had evacuated properly, Bend Fire Department Capt. Scott Wyman said.

“We were prepared to pull hoses, but by the time we got here, there was no need to put any of our water on it — the sprinkler had done its job,” Wyman said. 

While the fire was confined to one room in the apartment, with smoke and water damage, Wyman said crews performed overhaul for some water that made into the units lower in the building.

The cause of the fire was under investigation. The American Red Cross was called in to assist the apartment’s resident, Wyman said.