Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant Seaside, CA – Sprinkler system keeps fire at In-N-Out Burger from spreading March 29, 2016 viking210 A fire broke out at the new In-N-Out Burger restaurant in Seaside about 11 a.m. Sunday. Firefighters said someone threw oil in a trash can containing paper towels before the oil had enough time to cool down. The restaurant is closed for the Easter holiday, so no one was inside when the fire started. The restaurant’s emergency sprinkler system put out the fire and alerted the fire department. Restaurant officials have not said whether the business will be open Monday. The burger joint opened Tuesday
Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant Richland, WA – Fire in storage room at hotel knocked down by sprinkler system March 29, 2016 viking210 Firefighters have extinguished a fire reported just before noon Easter day at the Shilo Inn in Richland. They arrived to find guests being evacuated, said Richland Battalion Chief Ron Duncan. A space heater in a second-floor maintenance room had malfunctioned and set fire to furniture and walls, he said. Two fire sprinklers activated to control the fire before firefighters arrived and Richland firefighters quickly put it out, he said. The water from the sprinkler system damaged the reception area on the first floor below the maintenance room, but the business remains open, he said. Far more damage could have been caused by the fire if the sprinklers had not activated, he said.
Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant Pinole, CA – Sprinkler system keeps fire at vacant restaurant from spreading to other businesses March 23, 2016 viking210 Commercial structures worth $4 million sustained only $75,000 in damage from a Friday morning fire in Pinole, according to the Pinole Fire Department. The fire was reported at 8:09 a.m. at 1570 Fitzgerald Drive at a recently closed HomeTown Buffet restaurant. The restaurant is part of a larger structure consisting of a Big 5 Sporting Goods store and an adjoining strip mall. When firefighters arrived, they found the restaurant’s sprinkler system on and smoke coming from the attic, fire officials said. Firefighters were able to contain the fire to the parapet area of the roof. They also ensured that water did not damage the sporting goods store’s merchandise. Fire officials said the cause of the fire was an electrical short. The short occurred where electrical work had been done to remove the restaurant’s sign. No one was injured and none of the other businesses sustained damage by fire or water. Big 5 Sporting Goods opened a couple of hours late as electricity had to be shut off as firefighters extinguished the fire, according to fire officials
Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse Edmonton, AB, Canada – Sprinkler system helps keep fire from spreading when stored cooking oil ignites March 22, 2016 viking210 More than forty firefighters battled a fire that broke out late Sunday morning at a storage warehouse in northwest Edmonton. Fire crews were called to the commercial warehouse in an industrial area near 148 Street and 128 Avenue just before noon. “When they arrived, there was black smoke coming out of the building,” Edmonton Fire Rescue spokeswoman Holly Budd said. “They forced entry and the sprinkler system had been activated in the building.” Edmonton Fire Rescue Services district chief Marc Zubick said the portion of the building that was engulfed stored edible oils. “It’s cooking oil that was the cause of the smoke but the cause of the heat that created the smoke on that oil has not been determined yet,” said Zubick. Zubick said the fire suppression system in the warehouse did a good job keeping the fire from spreading. As a precaution, firefighters called for more fire trucks at around 12:10 p.m., and a second alarm was called around 10 minutes later. Forty five firefighters fought the remainder of the blaze for two hours. The cause is still unknown.
Primary / Secondary School, School / University Columbia, MD – Dryer fire in high school locker room contained by sprinkler system March 16, 2016 viking210 Emergency crews responded to a Howard County school Tuesday morning after a fire broke out in a dryer in the locker room. According to Howard County Fire and EMS, they were told there was fire in the locker room at Oakland Mills High School around 7:30 a.m. The fire originated in the dryer and stayed confined to it after the sprinkler system was activated. Crews put out the fire by 8 a.m. Unites are currently ventilating the structure, restoring systems and making sure the school is safe for students to return. No injuries were reported and the fire is under investigation.
Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse Ashland, OH – Sprinkler system keeps warehouse fire in check March 16, 2016 viking210 A fire caused unknown damage to the warehouse of Gifts4You Wholesale Inc., at 1201 Jacobson Ave., Tuesday morning. Ashland Fire Department Assistant Chief Gabe Campbell said an electrical system showered sparks onto some pallets in the northeast corner of the building. He said the occupants had left and returned to find smoke coming from the building. Firefighters knocked the hot spots of the fire down; the sprinkler system had kept the fire in check and did what it was supposed to do, Campbell said. Campbell did not have an estimate of damage to the building or contents.
Residential, Townhouse / Condominium Abingdon, MD – Sprinkler contains townhouse fire to room of origin March 14, 2016 viking210 A smoke alarm and sprinkler system helped contain fire in Abingdon last Monday morning, authorities said. An extension cord accidentally sparked a fire Monday morning in Abingdon that displaced four people, according to the Office of the State Fire Marshal. A smoke alarm and sprinkler system helped minimize the damage and allow the man who found the fire to escape safely, authorities said. Two adults and two children lived in the middle-of-the-group townhouse in the 500 block of June Apple Court, the fire marshal reported; all have been displaced. Home alone Monday morning, the boyfriend of one tenant awoke to the sound of the smoke alarm going off and discovered that there was a fire in the second-floor bedroom at 9:56 a.m., officials said. A sprinkler contained the blaze to that room, according to the fire marshal. Approximately 20 firefighters responded and brought the fire under control within 10 minutes, officials reported.
Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant Iowa City, IA – Sprinkler system helps contain fire at auto parts plant March 11, 2016 viking210 A structure fire damaged an Iowa City automotive parts plant and temporarily shut down operations Thursday morning, but no one was hurt, officials said. Iowa City Fire Department Battalion Chief Brian Platz said crews were dispatched to the fire at 11:07 a.m. for a report of smoke coming from the east side of the International Automotive Components building at 2500 Highway 6 in Iowa City. Platz said a fire began in a paint booth in the building and was transmitted through a smokestack to the roof. The fire in the booth itself was contained by the building’s sprinkler system, he said. “Their system extinguished the fire in the booth itself, but it didn’t cover anything above the booth,” Platz said. Crews then used water to extinguish the fire on the roof and in the smokestack, making sure that it would not spread, and Platz said firefighters were able to bring the flames under control using very little water. Thirteen personnel responded to the incident and had the blaze under control within about 40 minutes, according to Platz. And the building’s management was able to evacuate all employees and confirm their safety “very quickly,” he said.
Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant Dallas, OR – Sprinklers prevent fire at RV manufacturing plant from spreading March 8, 2016 viking210 The investigation into the cause of today’s fire at Forest River in Dallas is ongoing, but fire officials know one thing for sure: the RV manufacturing plant’s interior sprinklers saved the day. “The sprinkler system, it worked perfectly,” said Fred Hertel, Dallas fire chief. Firefighters were called to the plant, at 1429 SE Uglow Ave., at about 11:55 a.m. By the time fire crews arrived, Forest River’s workers had been evacuated. According to firefighters on scene, the fire appears to have started on the outside of the building – though that hasn’t been officially confirmed yet – and traveled up the wall. The blaze triggered the sprinkler system, which knocked down the fire that had spread to the inside of the building. Hertel said given the size of the building, without the sprinkler system, the fire could have easily gotten out of control. Thankfully, the blaze was contained to one section of the wall on the backside at the plant. “It’s just a little fire,” Hertel said. “The sprinkler system prevented this from getting beyond our capabilities.” NW Natural, Pacific Power, and Polk No. 1 assisted Dallas Fire and EMS on the scene. The Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Office is conducting the investigation
Residential, Townhouse / Condominium Leesburg, MD – Townhouse fire held in check by sprinkler system; No injuries March 7, 2016 viking210 A potentially devastating townhouse fire in Leesburg was held in check by automatic sprinkler system until firefighters arrived. On March 1 at 11:18 a.m., the Loudoun County Emergency Communications Center received a call for an automatic fire alarm at 19278 Harlow Square. A fire engine from Lansdowne responded. Upon arrival the firefighters met the homeowner, who let them know there was a fire in the garage. The crew requested additional resources, bringing fire and rescue units from Ashburn, Leesburg and Kincora. Firefighters located a small fire in the garage being contained by an automatic sprinkler system. Crews rapidly extinguished the remaining fire and ventilated the residence. There were no injuries to public safety personnel or civilians. The Fire Marshal’s Office conducted an investigation and determined the fire to be accidental in nature, causing $25,000 in damages. “The sprinkler activation was undoubtedly responsible for preventing the fire from spreading into the rest of the home,” said Chief Fire Marshal Linda Hale in a prepared statement. “The damages were limited to an area of the garage and the residents were not displaced because of the early warning and intervention of the fire alarm and sprinkler systems.” According to Loudoun County Fire and Rescue, home fire sprinklers can contain and may even extinguish a fire in less time than it would take the fire department to arrive on the scene. Installing both working smoke alarms and a fire sprinkler system reduces the risk of death in a home fire by 82 percent.
