Tag Archives: Morning (7am-12pm)

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Marshall Town, IA – Freezer fire at grocery store controlled with help from sprinkler system

Firefighters were sent to a grocery store on a report of a fire in a freezer Thursday. Crews were sent to the Aldi’s store at 2405 South Center Street at 9:20 a.m.  The store was evacuated as workers tried to track down which freezer the burning smell was coming from.  The fire was seen coming from the back side of a freezer.

By the time fire crews arrived, moderate smoke has filled the entire store, but no fire was visible from the entrance. As they started work, firefighters reported the sprinkler system activated. No injuries were reported.  The investigation found the cause of the fire to be electrical and damage is estimated at $75,000.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

South Berwick, ME – Fire in middle school utility room held in check by sprinkler system

Students and staff at Marshwood High School in South Berwick are being taken to Marshwood Middle School after a fire broke out Tuesday morning. The fire was reported in a utility room at 10:30 a.m., according to Regional School Unit 35 business manager Randy Stewart.

Officials said the fire started in a dryer in the room. The utility room is located behind the school gym on the first floor of the building.  The fire caused part of the building to fill with smoke, and it triggered the building’s sprinkler system.

The sprinklers knocked down the flames until firefighters could put out the blaze. Students and staff will remain at the middle school until fire officials give them the OK to return. Officials said it could take several hours to clear smoke from the building.

Students could be allowed to retrieve belongings Tuesday afternoon. No one was hurt. The Maine Fire Marshal’s Office will investigate the cause, which is standard protocol for a fire in a school.  School officials said all high school athletic games, practices, meets and activities have been postponed due to the fire.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Clearfield, UT – Sprinkler system suppresses fire at trailer manufacturer

 A destructive structure fire was avoided early Saturday morning due to a business’s water suppression system.  At 8:11 a.m., North Davis Fire District responded to a fire alarm at trailer manufacturer, Utility Trailer, in Clearfield, located at 1111 S. 1000 West. When crews arrived, water and smoke were coming from the east side of the building, according to a press release from North Davis Fire District.

About 500 employees working at the time, had already been evacuated and set up outside at meeting points designated by Utility Trailer.  Firefighters found a 40-foot trailer had been destroyed by the blaze. The release states the sprinkler system in the building kept the flames from expanding.

There was damage to two trailers: one by fire and the other by water from the sprinkler system, according to the release.  The cost of damage was estimated at $50,000.  “If not for the water suppression system working, this business could have been devastated and could possibly experienced loss of life,” the release states.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Hamden, CT – Sprinkler system keeps fire at high school from spreading

Hamden High School students were briefly evacuated Friday after fire broke out in the nursery/daycare room, fire officials said. No one was injured as a result of the fire, but one teacher did suffer a minor injury attempting to open a window to help clear smoke from the building, a fire official said.

The fire was reported at 7:41 a.m. in the south end of the building. The Hamden High School administration and staff had already started with an orderly evacuation of all students, assisted by both HHS security and Hamden Police Officers, fire officials said in a news release.

The evacuation was taking place as the first HFD apparatus arrived on scene. The entire student body was relocated to the football stadium away from fire department activity. Fire officials said an activated sprinkler head in the nursery helped contain the fire, which was extinguished at 7:53 a.m.

Water damage from the activated sprinkler and fire department suppression was limited to the room or origin and adjacent hallway. The structure was ventilated to remove smoke and the products of combustion.

The entire school was metered by HFD personnel to ensure the safety of the atmosphere, according to the news release. At 8:55 a.m. students were allowed back to class. Hamden Fire Marshal Brian Dolan concluded that the area of fire origin was the stove in the nursery/day care room.

During this event, a second but unrelated fire was reported in an electrical shed adjacent to the Louis Astorino Skating Rink located at 595 Mix Avenue (in the rear of Hamden High School).  This secondary alarm was reported at 8:04 a.m. by the Hamden Public Works Electrician working on scene, and was brought quickly under control by the responding units.

Deputy Fire Marshal Tim Lunn is investigating the fire, which appears to have originated in the electrical panel that controls the outdoor lighting at the facility. There were no injuries at this event.

Apartment Building, Residential

Rome, NY – Apartment kitchen fire put out by sprinkler system

No one was injured after food left on a stove resulted in a fire at Liberty Gardens Wednesday morning.  Fire officials said the residents of Apartment 711 accidentally left food unattended on the stove shortly before 8:30 a.m.

The flames spread from the stove top to the oven hood and the upper exhaust hood before the apartment’s sprinkler system put it out, the Rome fire officials added. The fire was out by the time crews arrived on the scene.

The firefighters checked to make sure the fire hadn’t spread further, and helped to clear the water out of the apartment.

 

Manufacturing, Other - Manufacturing

Riverside, CA – Sprinkler system controls fire in paint booth

Sprinklers successfully doused a commercial paint booth fire, but paint and lacquer contaminated the water, which flowed into a storm drain and created a hazardous materials incident, say Riverside Fire Department officials.

(Blog Editor Note: Sprinkler systems use a small fraction of water compared to fire department hoses.  By controlling the fire as early as possible, sprinkler systems limit the amount of run-off and toxins released into the air)

The blaze was reported at 8:50 am. Monday, April 25, along the 11600 block of Sterling Avenue, just south of Hwy. 91 and across the street from two sets of railroad tracks and a flood control channel.

The trouble started when the tenant used a power saw to cut wood in the paint booth, Battalion Chief Tony Perna said in a written statement. The saw blade hit a screw, sparking the fire.

The heat-activated sprinkler system snuffed the flames. But about 500 gallons of contaminated water ran down a storm drain.

Firefighters diked the storm drain entrance to halt further contamination. And they alerted environmental agencies, sewer and storm drain workers, county flood control authorities, and even federal and state fish and wildlife officers.

The tenant and a worker suffered minor smoke inhalation and were treated at the scene.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Council Bluffs, IA – Attic sprinkler system controls hotel fire caused by lightning strike; No injuries

Investigators in Council Bluffs were sent to a hotel fire that was believed to be caused by lightning on Sunday morning. The fire happened at the Value Place hotel and added the building’s fire alarms were not working so guests had to tell each other to evacuate.

86 of the 113 rooms were occupied at the time of the fire, but no one was hurt. There was little damage to the hotel due to a working sprinkler in the attic.  However, the hotel will be closed for several weeks because of water and electrical damage.

Manufacturing, Other - Manufacturing

Redding, CA – Fire at silk-screening business put out by single sprinkler

An automatic sprinkler system extinguished a fire in a silk-screening business Saturday morning in the 17800 block of Construction Way.  Redding firefighters responded to a water-flow alarm at 10:10 a.m. When crews arrived, they found a single fire sprinkler head already had put out the flames.

The owner left the business at 9:45 p.m. Friday night and forgot to turn off a high-wattage heating lamp that’s used to dry silk-screening products, firefighters said. The lamp started a fire in material on a plastic, roll-away cart. Damage was estimated at less than $5,000.

The sprinkler saved thousands of dollars’ worth of equipment, inventory and the building, firefighters said.

Other - Retail, Retail

West Linn, OR – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire at nail salon; Neighboring business spared

Several fire crews responded to a 2 alarm fire at the West Linn Central Village shopping complex at 8:45 a.m. Friday. The fire started at Aqua Nails Bar, a salon that is not yet open. Sprinkler systems extinguished the flames and fire crews called the second alarm to help clear out a large amount of smoke. Neighboring businesses evacuated and had minor smoke damage. There were no injuries. A Tualitin Valley Fire and Rescue investigator is still looking for a cause for the fire.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Durham, NC – Fire in smoker at BBQ restaurant extinguished by sprinkler system

Durham firefighters were called to The Pit restaurant at 321 Geer Street Friday, but damage was minimal and the restaurant remained open Friday evening. Firefighters were dispatched to the restaurant at 11:33 a.m. and arrived to find smoke visible and that a fire had been extinguished by the sprinkler system in the rear pig cooker/smoker area. Food caught fire in the cooker/smoker and extended to the wall and ceiling when the door of the cooker/smoker was opened.