Tag Archives: Morning (7am-12pm)

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

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Seaside, CA – Sprinkler system keeps fire at In-N-Out Burger from spreading

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

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

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

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.