Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential Yarmouth, MA – Nursing home fire contained by sprinkler system; No injuries reported September 28, 2016 viking210 Fire broke out at the Mayflower Place nursing facility on Buck Island Road around 11 a.m. Smoke as reportedly pouring from one of the units when firefighters arrived. A sprinkler system contained the fire and crews quickly put it out. The occupant escaped and no injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is under investigation. A Hyannis engine assisted at the scene.
Apartment Building, Residential Manchester, NH – Sprinkler system helps limit damage in apartment fire; No injuries September 27, 2016 viking210 Thirty apartments were evacuated Sunday morning after a small fire broke out in a third-floor unit at 195 Eastern Avenue. Manchester firefighters received an automatic fire alarm at 10:58 a.m. Sunday at Hillview Apartments at 195 Eastern Ave. District Fire Chief Mike Gamache said upon arrival crews discovered water and smoke in a third floor apartment. Firefighters located a small fire, partially extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system. Gamache said firefighters extinguished the remainder of the fire, then assisted residents in apartments on the first and second floors, where water from the sprinkler system drained onto their possessions. Gamache said extensive salvage operations were performed to save the residents’ belongings. No injuries were reported. Gamache said fire and water from the sprinkler system caused an estimated $10,000 in damages. The property, which consists of four buildings, is owned by Eastern Avenue Associates LLC, with an assessed value of $8,643,200, according to the city’s website.
Other - Manufacturing, Paper Mill / Saw Mill Queensbury, NY – Fire at wood shaving plant contained with help from sprinkler system September 21, 2016 viking210 A wood-shavings plant caught fire Tuesday morning, two months after federal workplace safety officials cited the company for failing to correct “potential fire and explosion hazards.” Fire crews from four towns responded to reports of a structure fire about 7:15 a.m. at RWS Manufacturing, 22 Ferguson Lane. The blaze extended from an outside conveyor that moved wood shavings to an inside storage facility, Kingsbury Fire Chief Butch Chase said. “Something may have malfunctioned,” he said. Investigators do not consider the fire suspicious and no one was injured, Chase said. The fire was extinguished by 8 a.m. “It’s the nature of their business,” Chase said. RWS — which makes animal bedding from wood shavings for Quebec-based Royal Wood Shavings — said in July it would shut down if it is not successful in appealing $197,820 in fines from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration. OSHA claims the plant is exposing its employees to “potential fire and explosion hazards.” The equipment cited by OSHA was not involved in the blaze, Chase said. A county fire inspection of the plant last month did not identify any problems, he said. “They are on good order with us,” Chase said. He said he has toured the facility in the past and responded to three other fires on the property in the past six years. The wood shavings produced there smoke and smolder a lot, Chase said, “but seldom burst into flames.” The building itself was aflame Tuesday, he said. RWS was operating when the fire started. Staff had safely evacuated the building and started to suppress the fire with hose lines when firefighters arrived, Chase said. The buildings’ sprinkler system stayed on as the fire crews extinguished the blaze. “They have an extensive clean-up,” Chase said. RWS will undergo a town code inspection and fire chief walkthrough before opening again, he said. In July, OSHA cited RWS for half a dozen violations totaling about $50,000 and levied an additional $147,000 in penalties after the company failed to fix previously identified violations. The Queensbury plant, which operates in the Warren-Washington County Industrial Park, was cited for 28 violations in 2013 and fined more than $233,000 for workplace safety violations related to fire, fall and explosion risk. Two of those violations were deemed as “willful,” meaning the company ignored federal safety rules. “RWS Manufacturing has disregarded its employees’ safety in failing to correct an obvious fire and explosion hazard and in allowing the existence of new and recurring hazards,” said Robert Garvey, OSHA’s area director in Albany in a July press release. “Especially disturbing is the fact that, since OSHA’s last inspection, a significant fire occurred in the plant’s production area in December 2015.”
Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse Redlands, CA – Sprinklers keep large warehouse fire from spreading September 14, 2016 viking210 Redlands Fire crews responded to a commercial structure fire in the 9400 block of California Street at about 10:40 a.m. Sunday. Upon arrival crews discovered the large Lamps Plus warehouse to be filled with smoke. Reports from workers indicated that a propane powered floor sweeper was involved with fire. Crews initiated an aggressive fire attack and found the sweeper and adjacent storage racks to be well involved with fire. The building’s sprinkler system assisted in preventing the fire from spreading throughout the warehouse. The fire was extinguished within 15 minutes after the Fire Department’s arrival. There were no injuries reported. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Damage to property and contents exceeded $250,000. The property manager reported that more than $40,000,000 worth of product was saved. Redlands Firefighters were assisted by the Loma Linda Fire Department.
Office Building, Other Business San Luis Obispo, CA – Office building fire kept in check by sprinkler system; No injuries September 13, 2016 viking210 Firefighters responded to a fire that burned through the stairs in the back area of a San Luis Obispo office complex Sunday morning, said San Luis Obispo City fire Chief Garret Olson. Just after 11 a.m. firefighters responded to smoke in the area of the 1200 block of Higuera Street, Olson said. Firefighters arrived on scene at the two-story office complex and found a small fire in the back area that had burned through the stairs and down into the office area. A fire sprinkler overhead held the damage in check until firefighters arrived, Olson said. The fire damage appears to be confined to the stair area, and there is smoke damage throughout the building, he said. The cause of the fire is undetermined and appears to be accidental, San Luis Obispo City fire Engineer Mathew Polkow said. He added that the fire appears to have started inside of the staircase. No one was injured in the fire.
Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential Southbury, CT – Sprinkler system keeps fire from spreading at retirement community September 12, 2016 viking210 A resident of The Watermark at East Hill was treated at a hospital for minor smoke inhalation and released Tuesday following the 11:50 a.m. fire, C. Jill Hofer, Watermark’s director of communications said Tuesday. Hofer said the fire was “contained’ and may have been caused by microwaved popcorn. The alarm and sprinkler system activated and the fire was extinguished, Hofer said.
Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant Vineland, NJ – Sprinkler system contains building fire started by sparks from a grinder September 7, 2016 viking210 Just after 12:15 p.m. Wednesday, a 911 call summoned firefighters to Rudco Products Inc. for a reported building fire. Firefighters arrived to find smoke seeping from the plant, located at Oak Road and the Boulevard, and the employees evacuated. It appears sparks from a grinder ignited air filters on a nearby storage rack, according to fire reports. The building’s sprinkler system properly activated and contained the fire, which was deemed under control at 12:26 p.m. No injuries were reported. Fire stations 3, 4, and 6 responded to the call.
Apartment Building, Residential Old Orchard Beach, ME – Kitchen fire at apartment complex extinguished by sprinkler system September 6, 2016 viking210 A fire at an apartment complex in Old Orchard Beach damaged two units Monday and caused $100,000 in damage, the fire chief said. Alarms sounded about 10:30 a.m. after a kitchen stove fire triggered the building’s sprinkler system, said Old Orchard Beach Fire Chief Ed Dube. Fire crews responded to find smoke coming from the building at 18 Smithwheel Road, but the flames were already extinguished by the sprinkler, Dube said. No one was injured. Water damaged the third-floor unit where the fire began and damaged one below it.
Retail, Shopping Mall Oakville, ON, Canada – Sprinkler system knocks down fire at shopping mall caused by welding sparks September 5, 2016 viking210 The Oakville Fire Department says no one was injured after fire broke out at the Oakville Place shopping mall earlier this morning (Tuesday). Fire crews were called to the mall at around 9 a.m. Deputy Fire Chief George Birtig said the fire started at the building’s south side when sparks from welding, which was taking place on the roof in an area undergoing renovations, dropped down into a storage area on the second floor and ignited some products there. “That set off the sprinkler system,” said Birtig. “When we got there, there was still some flame left, but the sprinklers had knocked down the majority of the fire.” Firefighters quickly extinguished what was left of the blaze. Birtig said the mall was not open when the fire took place and so no shoppers were impacted. Oakville Place staff said they were hopeful the mall could be reopened around noon.
Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant Ocean City, MD – Restaurant fire extinguished by sprinkler system; Business reopens same day September 5, 2016 viking210 A mid-morning fire was quickly extinguished thanks to fire sprinklers and a kitchen extinguishing system yesterday. Just before 11:30 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 29, the Ocean City Fire Department was dispatched to an automatic fire alarm at The Crab Bag Restaurant located on 130th Street. Firefighters arrived and found the two story restaurant evacuated and the fire alarm system ringing. Upon entry into the building, firefighters discovered one single fire sprinkler actively flowing water near the propane oven. In the kitchen area and upstairs, crews found light smoke conditions and evidence of a fire that had been extinguished by the kitchen extinguishing hood and the fire sprinkler system. “There is no doubt in my mind that fire protection systems saved lives and property at The Crab Bag,” said Fire Marshal David W. Hartley. “This is one example why the Office of The Fire Marshal maintains our Fire Protection Quality Assurance Program, to ensure all fire protection systems work as intended during an emergency.” Because of the quick response of the fire sprinklers, employees of The Crab Bag, firefighters, and fire protection contractors, The Crab Bag was able to open for business the same day with an adjusted menu and is expected to be open for a full menu tomorrow. The on-scene investigation by the Ocean City Fire Marshal’s Office revealed that the fire started as the result of a propane line being damaged with an ignition source in the area. The fire is classified as accidental.
