Apartment Building, Residential Longmont, CO – Automatic sprinkler system douses apartment fire; No injuries March 5, 2016 viking210 1 Comment One person was displaced after a fire Sunday at a Longmont apartment complex at 630 Peck Drive, according to the Red Cross. Longmont fire went out on a report of a fire alarm around 11 a.m. and found an automatic sprinkler system had doused a fire in an apartment on the second floor, said Longmont Fire Department spokeswoman Molly Crop. She said no one was home at the time, except a dog in the bedroom that wasn’t injured, but there was significant smoke and water damage. “The sprinklers did their job,” she said. The Red Cross is providing emergency lodging for the resident.
Primary / Secondary School, School / University Merritt, BC, Canada – Suspicious fire at elementary school extinguished by sprinkler system February 25, 2016 viking210 A small fire that sparked in an office at Merritt Secondary School was quickly extinguished by the sprinkler system before the fire department arrived. The fire started just before 10 a.m. in a room that is adjacent to the main office on the ground floor. It was contained to that particular room, Merritt Fire Rescue Department Fire Chief Dave Tomkinson told the Herald. Tomkinson said the fire was deemed suspicious and RCMP are investigating. The fire department cannot release any information pertaining to what burned, or the fire’s area of origin. “There was a fair amount of water damage [to the room],” Tomkinson said. School District 58 superintendent Steve McNiven said the office where the fire sparked is a meeting room in the counselling area of the school. McNiven said he’s not sure how the fire was discovered, and doesn’t know if anyone was using it at the time of the fire. The fire triggered the alarm and the school was evacuated. Students were allowed back in the building at about 1 p.m. About 16 firefighters responded to the fire. Tomkinsoin said firefighters assisted the school board staff in salvaging efforts and cleaning up. McNiven said he was pleased with how students and staff responded to the fire, noting that everyone evacuated the school appropriately and handled themselves well. No injuries were reported in this incident.
Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential Roseburg, OR – Kitchen fire at retirement home is contained by sprinkler system February 25, 2016 viking210 A fire broke out at a Roseburg retirement home Monday morning, Roseburg Fire Department officials said. Around 7:30 a.m. Monday firefighters were dispatched to Linus Oakes Retirement Village on NW Van Pelt Blvd where they found the fire had been contained to the kitchen area of apartment #23 and extinguished by the building’s automatic sprinkler system. Officials say a wheelchair-bound resident fled the apartment before the sprinklers activated. Firefighters located the resident’s cat, which they removed to safety. Investigators say the fire was likely caused by the apartment’s 82-year-old resident, who was trying to remove a piece of bread that was stuck in her energized toaster. While probing the interior of the toaster with a fork she saw flames develop and spread to the wall of the kitchen, officials said. She initially tried to extinguish it by smothering it. Failing that, she left her apartment to alert management. Roseburg Fire Dept. reminds citizens to unplug appliances before working on them or contact a professional to investigate the cause of the problem. Energized toasters and other appliances pose a significant risk of electric shock and fire hazard if damaged or used improperly. Officials also noted the automatic sprinkler system in the apartment worked as designed, containing the fire damage to the kitchen area with the activation of just one sprinkler head. Although the apartment sustained some water damage from the sprinkler, the smoke and fire damage throughout the rest of the building was minimized substantially, officials said, saving both the structure and lives.
Residential, Single Family Home Mountain View, CA – House fire held in check by sprinkler system; No injuries reported February 24, 2016 viking210 Mountain View firefighters on Sunday extinguished a house fire in the 200 block of Mariposa Avenue. The blaze started in the kitchen when all of the residents were out. The fire was first reported at 11:10 a.m. on Sunday when people passing by began to notice smoke billowing out of the two-story house. By this time, the house’s fire sprinkler system had triggered and began suppressing the blaze. Fire crews arrived on the scene within minutes and had the fire fully extinguished by 11:22 a.m. Exactly what sparked the fire remains unclear, and fire officials said Monday that they are still investigating the incident. Damage from the fire was limited to the kitchen area. “This did demonstrate that a sprinkler system will hold a fire in check,” said fire spokesman Lynn Brown. “It was a happy ending. Shortly afterward the family arrived home, and searched for their cat. The missing feline was eventually found, Brown said.
Residential, Residential High Rise Chicago, IL – Fire on 50th floor of Trump Tower put out by sprinkler system February 19, 2016 viking210 Firefighters responded to reports of a fire at Chicago’s Trump Tower Thursday morning. Around 9 a.m., crews were dispatched to 401 N. Wabash in the city’s River North neighborhood after receiving a call on a still and box alarm fire in a trash compactor on the hotel’s 50th floor. An EMS Plan one was called to the scene with multiple ambulances, officials said, but the small fire was quickly put out by the hotel’s sprinkler system. Chicago Fire Department District Chief Tim Sampey said the fire “was minor” but firefighters spent extra time going through the 98-floor high-rise to ensure the smoke did not build. No injuries were reported. Fire officials said the hotel received minimal damage and moderate smoke damage from the incident. The cause of the fire is still unknown.
Office Building, Other Business Columbia, MO – Fire at office building controlled by sprinkler system; No injuries February 18, 2016 viking210 No one was injured Wednesday morning after a fire broke out at a commercial building in south Columbia. Columbia Fire Department crews responded at about 9 a.m. to Building 5 of the Woodrail Centre, 1000 W. Nifong Blvd., to find smoke coming from the eaves, according to a news release. Firefighters saw water coming from Suite 120 in the building, then entered the suite to find light smoke and an activated sprinkler head. The crews turned off the sprinkler system to prevent further water damage. The sprinkler was enough to bring the fire under control, the release said. A fire marshal was investigating the cause of the fire, and a damage estimate was not available. Crews remained at the scene after the fire was extinguished to clean up water in the building.
Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential Lexington Park, MD – Fire at senior apartment building suppressed by sprinkler system February 11, 2016 viking210 Deputy State Fire Marshals investigated a room and contents fire today at the Lexington Park Senior Apartments located at 21895 Pegg Road in Lexington Park. The 72-year-old female occupant in Apartment 119 awoke to a small fire on her bed at approximately 11:30 a.m. this morning. As she evacuated the bedroom the fire grew large enough to activate the smoke detection system and the fire sprinkler located inside her room. As a result of the quick acting fire sprinkler, fire damage was contained to the bedroom and the estimated loss was limited to $1,500. The victim received mild smoke inhalation injuries and was treated and released at the scene. Nearly 15 firefighters responded from Bay District, Hollywood and Patuxent River Fire Departments and placed the situation under control within one minute after arrival. Investigators determined the fire was caused by discarded smoking materials. No other injuries were reported during the incident. The victim is being relocated temporarily while the apartment is properly cleaned
Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant Columbia, MO – Sprinklers suppress fire at rubber products manufacturer; Damage minimized, No injuries February 8, 2016 viking210 The Columbia Fire Department responded to a structure fire at Gates Rubber Corporation Saturday morning at about 10:30. When crews got to the scene, they found that the fire had already been put out by the sprinkler system. Fire officials say the fire was contained to a small area and didn’t cause much damage. Nobody was injured in the fire. The assistant fire marshal was able to determine that the fire was caused by friction on some hand tools. He believes the damages are about $2,000.
Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant Fayetteville, NC – Sprinklers contain hotel fire started by unattended cigarette February 6, 2016 viking210 The Fayetteville Fire Department responded to the Red Roof Inn on Bordeaux Park Drive Thursday morning for a fire alarm call. Cleaning crews saw black smoke coming from a room after the fire alarm was activated. According to Battalion Chief Richard Whiteside, fire crews arrived shortly after 11:00 a.m. to find around twelve guests and workers evacuating the four-story hotel. When firefighters entered the hotel, they found smoke throughout the third floor hallway. Investigators determined a hotel guest checked out, but left an unattended cigarette behind. Whiteside said the sprinkler system contained the fire to one room. No injuries were reported. The Fayetteville Fire and Emergency Management Department was assisted by the Cumberland Road Fire Department.
Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant Salina, KS – Compressor fire at cabinet manufacturer put out by sprinkler system February 4, 2016 viking210 A fire in the compressor room at Crestwood caused employees to be evacuated Monday morning and shut down the cabinet-making plant for half the day.Capt. Roger Soldan said firefighters with Rural Fire Department No. 2 responded to the call about 9:10 a.m. at the plant at 601 E. Water Well. Crestwood president Mike Junk said the bearings in the motor of one of three air compressors went out, sparking the fire, which was put out right away by an automatic sprinkler system. Junk said firefighters came through to check for flames and hot spots, and the electricity was shut off while the system was assessed for damage. Junk said the plant was back up and running Monday afternoon, with just the other two air compressors. He said parts have been ordered to repair the third compressor
