Tag Archives: Morning (7am-12pm)

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Hebron, OH – Sprinkler system helps extinguish fire in high school science lab; no injuries

A fire caused by a science experiment prompted Lakewood High School to release students early Tuesday, according to district officials.

District Superintendent Mary Kay Andrews said all students and faculty were unharmed in the incident and everyone did a great job of evacuating the building.”

“Everything was calm,” she said.

Students were released at about noon on Tuesday. Andrews said school will be in session Wednesday.

The district staff was in the process of assessing the damage Tuesday afternoon. Andrews said the fire didn’t cause much damage. However, there was water damage from the sprinkler system going off in the science lab and a few other classrooms.

Andrews said the school had not yet determined if the science lab would have to close for repairs.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Racine, WI – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire in commercial building; no injuries reported

About $3,000 damage resulted from a fire Tuesday morning at a commercial building in the Uptown area.

The fire, which was reported at about 9:15 a.m., originated on the second floor of the building at 1232 Washington Ave. on pallets holding folded cardboard, Racine Fire Department Lt. Mike Moss said.

A sprinkler system put out the fire, which produced a lot of smoke because of plastics and other materials involved, Moss said.

The building is used for storage by HFI Fluid Power Products, 1210 Washington Ave., Moss said.

The area was not occupied at the time of the fire and nearby workers were able to exit unharmed. No injuries were reported.

College/University (on campus), School / University

Salt Lake City, UT – Fire at University of Utah biology building extinguished by sprinkler system

A small fire ignited Saturday morning in the University of Utah’s biology building. The fire was extinguished by the sprinkler system before crews from the Salt Lake City Fire Department arrived on the scene. The cause of the fire was not yet known as of late Saturday morning, but an investigator was expected to examine the scene later in the day.

Manufacturing, Other - Manufacturing

Keene, NH – Fire in dust collector at metal fabricator controlled with help from sprinkler system

No one was injured in a fire at EVS Metal in Keene last Friday morning. A dust collector caught fire, according to Keene Deputy Fire Chief Jeff Chickering. Fire officials believe sparks from the work of nearby employees ignited the fire, he said.  Chickering did not know how many workers were in the building at the time of the fire, but all got out safely.  There was some heat damage within a 15-foot radius of the dust collector, and the fire set off two sprinkler heads, he said. Damage is estimated at $15,000, he said.  In addition to Keene, the Brattleboro, Spofford and Swanzey fire departments responded.  EVS Metal is a precision sheet metal fabricator.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Marriottsville, MD – Morning arson fire at high school extinguished by sprinkler system

Students, faculty and staff at Marriotts Ridge High School were dismissed early Friday morning after a paper towel holder was set on fire and triggered the building’s sprinkler system. Howard schools spokesman John White said the fire was caused by a student and that disciplinary actions will follow, using the school system’s Student Code of Conduct. On Monday, Howard police charged the 16-year-old juvenile, of Ellicott City, with arson, malicious burning and disturbing activities at school.  There was little damage by the fire and no one was injured. Students were allowed to return to the school Friday afternoon to retrieve their belongings.

Everyone at the high school was safely evacuated to nearby Mount View Middle School this morning, as Howard County Fire and Rescue arrived. Classes were dismissed for the day at 10:15 a.m. since smoke was throughout the building, White said. Kristy Gaigalas, a spokeswoman for the fire department, said officials received the call around 7:15 a.m. and found the fire was extinguished by the sprinklers. White said students who drove to school were immediately dismissed, while parents picked up other students at the middle school.  Marriotts Ridge senior Anthony Ellis said he smelled the smoke, which was coming from the men’s bathroom near the art room on the first floor.  “There really wasn’t much of a fire, just smoke,” Ellis said. “We all had to evacuate before school even began.”

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Nashua, NH – Grease fire at café controlled by sprinkler system

A Nashua cafe is set to reopen Friday after a fire this week. On Tuesday, a coffee roaster caught fire at the Riverwalk Cafe & Music Bar, fire officials said. No one was hurt.  The restaurant remained closed Thursday for cleanup. It will reopen Friday at 6 a.m., according to the owners.  The fire broke at about 11:45 a.m. Tuesday, triggering an overheard sprinkler that contained the flames, according to Nashua Deputy fire Chief Karl Gerhard. Workers used portable fire extinguishers, furthering containing the fire.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Jordan, MN – Welding fire knocked down by sprinkler system at transformer plant

Firefighters and Jordan Police Department officers were dispatched for a call of a commercial fire inside Jordan Transformer on the afternoon of Thursday, Jan. 26.

A tarp caught on fire as an employee was welding inside a plant welding shop.

The call came in at 11:37 a.m. and the Jordan Fire Department responded with 17 firefighters, according to Gregg Pekarna, fire chief for Jordan Fire Department.

Jordan Police provided backup, and when the officers arrived on scene, heavy smoke was billowing out from the plant building. Officers provided traffic control and assisted the Jordan Fire Department, Jordan Police Chief Brett Empey said.

By the time firefighters arrived on scene, the fire was mostly extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system, Pekarna said.

“There was nothing suspicious about it — the tarp caught on fire — the sprinkler did the job and knocked out the fire, and we mopped up after that,” Pekarna said.

At the fire location was a nearby adjoining wall that had a rack of welding gas that the fire fortunately did not touch, Pekarna said.

The Jordan Fire Department remained on scene for two hours during cleanup and to make sure the fire remained completely extinguished.“

The team (Jordan Fire) did a great job responding and containing it after the sprinklers,” Pekarna said.

Jordan Transformer staff were all evacuated from the building as a precautionary measure, the fire chief reported. No one was seriously injured, although one individual was treated at the scene for possible burns and smoke inhalation, Pekarna reported.

The estimated loss is not known at this time.

Jordan Transformer declined to comment on the fire.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Tucson, AZ – No injuries as sprinkler system contains hotel fire started by prayer candle

Fire officials say a prayer candle caused a fire in a Tucson hotel room on Monday, Jan. 30.

According to a news release from the Tucson Fire Department, fire crews were dispatched to the hotel in the 700 block of W. Starr Pass Boulevard, near I-10 shortly after 8:30 a.m. and the fire was under control by 8:44 a.m.

The surrounding area was evacuated as firefighters extinguished the fire in a ground-floor room.

The fire department credits the hotel’s sprinkler system with keeping the fire from spreading before the firefighters arrived.

There was no one in the room, which is used by hotel staff, when the fire started.

No injuries were reported.

Fire damage was contained to the one room and Code Enforcement is working with the hotel to determine whether other rooms were affected. Damage estimates have not yet been determined.

Other Business, Recycling / Waste Facility

DeKalb, IL – Sprinkler system activates to help contain recycling center fire

Recycling materials inside Waste Management’s DeKalb facility caught fire recently and caused an estimated $150,000 in damage to the building, according to a DeKalb Fire Department news release. The department responded at 10:17 a.m. Saturday to a reported fire in the facility at 115 Simonds Ave.  DeKalb Fire Chief Eric Hicks said the fire started in the recycling sorting area inside the building. The cause of the fire is not yet known.  The fire was deeply seated in the recycling materials, which take up one-third of the building, according to the release.

“It’s a recycling center, so anything you can think of that’s recyclable is in there, paper, cardboard,” Hicks said. The building’s sprinklers were activated when firefighters arrived, but piles of the recycling materials had to be taken apart and wet down with a hose line for the fire to be extinguished, according to the release.  A special fan from Mutual Aid Box Alarm System Division 8 was used to remove the dense smoke from the building.  Hicks said the department does not have to use the ventilation fans often, but they are available to departments around the state for warehouse-type fires in larger buildings.  The fire was under control within five hours, and no one was injured. Sycamore, Cortland, Malta, Hinckley, Maple Park, Waterman and Genoa-Kingston fire departments assisted.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Kiln, MS – Sprinkler system keeps fire from spreading at middle school; Classes canceled two days

Hancock Middle School will resume class as normal Wednesday morning, Assistant Superintendent Donnie Gholston said. School officials had canceled classes because a fire Monday morning set off sprinklers and flooded classrooms.  Maintenance company ServPro and the school’s custodial staff worked Monday and Tuesday to mop up the water and sanitize the school.  Hancock County Emergency Management Director Brian Adam, who is the county’s fire marshal, is leading the investigation into the origin of the fire.