Tag Archives: Morning (7am-12pm)

Apartment Building, Residential

Portland, OR – Sprinkler activates in apartment fire that started outdoors

Ten adults, four children and five pets were displaced from their apartments as the result of a two-alarm fire that damaged six units at a Northwest Portland complex Saturday morning.

No one was injured on the fire at the complex in the 18000 block of Northwest Chemeketa Lane.

Volunteers with the Cascades Region Disaster Action Team of the Red Cross responded to provided assistance for temporary lodging, assistance to address immediate basic needs, and information about recovery services and disaster health and mental health services.

According to Tualitan Valley Fire & Rescue, at 9:45 a.m. on April 9, firefighters responded to Westridge Meadows Apartments after multiple callers reported heavy black smoke on the outside of one of the first floor units.

By the time firefighters arrived, the fire had spread from the exterior of the twelve unit building to the interior, moving rapidly to the second and third floor.

First-arriving firefighters began an aggressive fire attack, quickly knocked down flames on the exterior of the building and then working their way floor by floor extinguishing the fire. Primary and secondary searches by crews confirmed that all occupants were able to get out.

Firefighters worked for nearly 45 minutes to ensure the fire was out by extinguishing hot spots from the roof and pulling ceiling from inside apartments.

All residents were able to exit the complex safely. One person was treated for a non-fire related medical need.

The Washington County Sherriff’s Office, Portland Fire & Rescue and the Hillsboro Fire Department all assisted on the fire.

A fire investigator has determined that the fire started on a balcony, but was unable to immediate learn how. The investigator will continue conducting witness interviews and the fire remains under investigation.

The complex was equipped with a fire sprinkler system, which was activated once the fire moved inside the building. According to TVF&R, when a fire sprinkler system is present, the likelihood of injuries and costly damage is dramatically reduced. More information about fire sprinkler systems can be found at: www.tvfr.com/index.aspx?nid=144

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Danbury, CT – Sprinkler system contains flames when man’s recliner catches fire

A man was brought to the hospital after his recliner caught fire at a Danbury apartment building Sunday.

A mix of volunteer and career firefighters from Danbury responded to the eight-story building at 25 Beaver Street around 11 a.m. The fire happened in an apartment on the second floor.

“The sprinkler system put most of the fire out and the crews finished the job,” said Assistant Fire Chief Mark Omasta. “It was extinguished quickly.”
 
The man, who has not been identified, was taken to Danbury Hospital for probable smoke inhalation, which Omasta said is precautionary. He said the man was alert and conscious when firefighters brought him out of the building at 25 Beaver Street.

Firefighters also rescued the man’s cat, which is being examined by a veterinarian, Omasta said.

The building is listed online as Putnam Towers and one of the five elderly properties the Housing Authority of the City of Danbury owns and manages. It has 54 units, according to the housing authority’s website.

Omasta said the man’s apartment has water and smoke damage but the other units are OK.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Apartment Building, Residential

Fargo, ND – Apartment kitchen fire quickly extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries

Firefighters here responded to a call at about 10:15 a.m. Friday, April 8, at The Fargoan building at 319 Broadway. Residents were evacuated as the Fire Department worked to clear smoke from the building, but no one was injured in the incident, according to Craig Nelson, battalion chief with the Fargo Fire Department.

Upon arrival, firefighters found a fire located in the kitchen area inside one of the units. Nelson said the building’s sprinkler system quickly put the fire in a second-floor unit of the building.  Firefighters used a hand line to extinguish the remaining fire.

No one was injured, including a number of pets reported to be in apartment units. That was a relief to Katie Perleberg, who anxiously watched from across the street as firefighters cleared smoke from the building and helped nearby businesses clean up water that had poured down from the floor above them.

Nelson said at about 10:25 a.m. that Broadway would likely be closed for about an hour as crews continued to clear the building of smoke and water. Water from the sprinkler system caused damage to the three businesses located on the lower level of the complex.  Crews helped those businesses contain the water and relocate some merchandise.

He said the cause of the fire wasn’t immediately known. The total cost of the fire loss is unknown at this time.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Doylestown, PA – Fire at high school quickly brought under control by sprinkler system

The Doylestown Fire Company responded to a small fire Wednesday morning at Central Bucks West. No injuries were reported. The Doylestown Fire Company responded to a small fire Wednesday morning at Central Bucks West, the fire company announced on Facebook. The fire was brought under control quickly by a sprinkler, the fire company said via Facebook. No injuries were reported. The fire caused minor damage.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Roanoke, VA – Fire that started in ceiling heater at distribution business extinguished by sprinkler system

Crews responded to a fire at a city business on Wednesday. Roanoke Fire-EMS responded at about 9:30 a.m. to a fire at Superior Distribution, in the 900 block of Rhodes Avenue. The building’s sprinkler system extinguished the fire that started in a ceiling heater, according to the fire department. No injuries were reported and the building was evacuated upon the fire department’s arrival.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Orland Park, IL – Fire at assisted living and retirement home limited by sprinkler system

A sprinkler system installed at the Lexington Health Care assisted and independent living retirement home, 14601 John Humphrey Drive, is being credited with saving lives and helping to significantly minimize damage caused by a small fire there this morning.

The fire started in the basement maintenance area of the assisted living home just after 8 am on Tuesday, April 5, 2016. Investigators identified the cause as a coffee maker that was located on a shelf above a desk.

The fire quickly spread to objects on and around the desk, and up the wall of the room when the water sprinkler system activated and suppressed the fire instantly.

The Orland Fire Protection District was alerted and responded to a fire alarm activation due to the sprinkler system operating. The initial crews reported a water flow alarm and investigated to find smoke in the basement with water flowing from a sprinkler head.

A fire extinguisher was used to completely extinguish the smoldering material. The smoke that was confined to the basement and workshop area was removed by firefighters using power fans.

Because the fire was controlled quickly no residents had to be moved or evacuated and normal operations were maintained throughout the incident. All floors were evaluated for hazards and deemed safe. Fire damage was limited to the desk and items on the shelves above.

“Every year at our Open House, we demonstrate how important fire sprinkler systems can for businesses, properties like assisted living centers and even in private homes in saving lives, and fighting and preventing damage caused by fires,” Orland Fire Protection District Fire Chief Michael Schofield said.

“This was a perfect example of how the sprinkler system quickly prevented the fire from spreading throughout the property, and minimized the intrusion on the lives of the residents in the home. We didn’t have to evacuate the property or disrupt the healthcare services there. We made the property safe and completely extinguished what could have been a far worse fire.”

Schofield also credited the fast response of the District’s firefighting teams. Orland Fire personnel were assisted by a fire truck and team from neighboring Tinley Park.

Other - Residential

Waterville, ME – Fire at assisted living home suppressed by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Five people were displaced from a residential assisted living home on Pleasant Street Sunday morning when a small fire broke out in a bedroom. The fire, reported at 7:56 a.m., was mostly extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system, according to a news release from the Waterville Fire Department.

The home is operated by Motivational Services Inc., an Augusta-based organization that provides services and programs for individuals with mental illnesses, according to their website. The five residents who were displaced have been moved to other area programs run by the organization, Executive Director Michael Provencher said.

Firefighters arrived at the scene at 8:01 a.m. and completely extinguished the fire by 8:06 a.m. Firefighters worked quickly to ensure that the fire had not spread, which they determined by 8:17 a.m., according to Captain Shawn Esler. Since the home is a licensed health care facility, it is protocol for the fire department to call the state fire marshal’s office.

Investigators from the fire marshal’s office cleared the scene around 1:30 p.m. Sunday after completing safety inspections in the home. Ken MacMaster, an investigator with the fire marshal’s office, said the investigation is ongoing and could not comment on the cause of the fire, though he said it had been determined. He also could not say whether it was believed to be of suspicious origin.

No additional information will be available from the fire marshal’s office until Monday, MacMaster said. Provencher could not comment in regards to the individuals who lived in the home, stating their conditions are “confidential.” He said that once minor repairs and alarm checks were completed the individuals would be able to return to the home.

Twenty-one firefighters from the Waterville Fire Department responded to the call. Mutual aide from the Winslow Fire Department and the Fairfield Fire Department were dispatched to the scene but were released once the fire was under control, the news release said.

Storage / Warehouse

Omaha, NE – Warehouse fire contained by sprinkler system; Portions of business re-open same day

The Nebraska Furniture Mart is open for business with some restricted access in the aftermath of a Sunday morning fire.  A Mart spokesperson tells WOWT 6 News that the flooring warehouse is closed. That’s where people pick up flooring.

All main roads were opened at 10 a.m. Sunday.  Gordman’s shares some of the space involved. The full extent of the damage is still being tallied.  All of this follows a small fire in the Furniture Mart warehouse Sunday morning.

It happened just after seven o’clock Sunday inside the wood and tile warehouse at NFM and took about 40 minutes to contain, according to an Omaha Fire Department official.

Batallion Chief Kathy Bossman said crews were initially called to NFM for a “water flow alarm” which typically indicates that the sprinkler system has been activated. Crews noticed smoke and then observed that it began to change colors, becoming a darker gray. She said crews then discovered that wooden pallets inside the warehouse caught fire.

“There was a little bit of delay because the pallets were beginning to crumble a little bit so we had to move pallets to really get all of the fire extinguished,” said Chief Bossman.

Bossman said wood flooring in addition to the wood pallets burned. No one was inside the building at the time, and there were no injuries. Chief Bossman said there was no structural damage to the building but there was some damage to contents inside.

Omaha fire eventually turned the scene over to Furniture Mart personnel for clean-up. They removed burned debris from the building and stacked it in the parking lot.

Other - Retail, Retail

Salem, VA – Storage room fire at Big Lots store doused by sprinkler system

On Saturday, the Salem Fire & EMS Department responded to a fire at the Big Lots retail store located at 1227 West Main Street. According to authorities, it happened at approximately 10:39 a.m.. The fire was contained to a storage room in the back of the building, however, the store did sustain some smoke damage.

Officials said the first units arrived within four minutes of receiving the call and found heavy smoke in the back of the structure. The majority of the fire had been extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system. Crews were able to bring the fire under control within five minutes of arrival, officials said.

It took crews approximately 30 minutes to remove the smoke from the building. Approximately 17 personnel from the Salem Fire & EMS Department (Engine 1, Engine 2, Engine 3, Tower 1, Medic 802, Medic 803 & Command 1) responded to the call. The fire remains under investigation by the Salem Fire & EMS Fire Marshal’s Office, and there is no damage estimate at this time.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Germantown, WI – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire at popular Mexican restaurant

A popular Mexican restaurant is closed over the lunch rush today after a small kitchen fire earlier this morning.  The Germantown Fire Department responded to a call at about 8 a.m. reporting a fire on a stove in the kitchen, according to Germantown Fire Chief Gary Weiss. The fire was extinguished by the sprinkler system prior to the arrival of firefighters, Weiss said.

As of about 1 p.m., restaurant manager Michele Roitburd said they hope to reopen later this afternoon, “hopefully by 3 or 4 p.m.”  In the meantime, Roitburd said they are experiencing what she referred to as “technical difficulties” that need to be resolved prior the restaurant reopening. No further information was immediately available