Tag Archives: Morning (7am-12pm)

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.

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.