Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant Portage, MI – Fire at Pfizer manufacturing facility doused by sprinkler system; No injuries September 24, 2015 viking210 An “over-pressurization” event led to a fire Saturday that damaged equipment and a section of the Pfizer Inc. manufacturing complex on Portage Road, a Pfizer spokeswoman said Tuesday. Kim Bencker, head of communications for Pfizer Global Supply, previously said no one was injured in the incident, but she could not provide more details. The incident occurred about 10 a.m. Saturday in Building No. 335. “There appears to have been an over-pressurization event and a fire. The fire was immediately extinguished by the sprinkler in the area,” Bencker said Tuesday in an email response to questions. The fire damaged equipment and caused “limited building damage,” she said. “No employees were in the area of the building where the incident occurred.” “Most of the building is operating normally, and Pfizer is investigating the cause of the incident,” Bencker said. Kameron Jordan, Kalamazoo district coordinator for the Department of Environmental Quality, said a small fire in Building No. 335 was reported to the DEQ. “Because of the possibility that water used to suppress the fire could have resulted in runoff of manganese and/or acetone compounds, the retention pond was tested,” he said. “Neither substance was found to be in excess of background levels of those compounds. A final report will be prepared, and no further response is required.” Tanya Baker, of the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, said the incident was not reported to the state, but such reporting is not required in incidents when no employees were injured.
Primary / Secondary School, School / University Wilmington, DE – Morning fire at elementary school extinguished by sprinkler system September 23, 2015 viking210 Stubbs Elementary School in Wilmington was evacuated after a small fire Monday morning, but the site will reopen Tuesday. Principal Jeffers Brown “will be notifying parents and staff of this decision,” Christina School District Public Information Officer Wendy Lapham said. City fire crews were dispatched at 8:10 a.m. after sprinklers set off an automatic alarm, according to Battalion Chief James R. Jobes, the department’s public information officer. Firefighters found medium-heavy smoke on the second floor with water in the hallway, Jobes said. Crews that began searching the second floor with fire hoses found an activated sprinkler in one room, with the fire already out, he said. Nearly 330 students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade were relocated from their school in the 1100 block of N. Pine St. to the nearby Howard High School of Technology in the 400 block of E. 12th St., Lapham said. “Being right across the street, it worked out perfect,” she said. Since school doesn’t start until 9 a.m, only teachers and other staff members were in the building, Lapham said. Arriving buses were directed to the high school, she said, and students who walk were escorted there. Water from the sprinkler reached adjoining rooms and leaked through the floor to classrooms below, he said. The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Wilmington Fire Marshal’s Office. Parents and concerned citizens may call the school at (302) 429-4175 for more information. There was no immediate estimate of damage to the elementary school, built in 1953 and named for city native Dr. Frederick Douglass Stubbs, one of the country’s top thoracic surgeons.
Residential, Townhouse / Condominium Branson, MO – Balcony fire at condominium building contained by sprinkler system September 21, 2015 viking210 The Branson Fire Rescue responded to a structure fire last Friday morning. According to a press release, reports stated that heavy black smoke was coming from the back side of one of the Vineyard Condominiums located off Missouri 376. “Upon investigation we discovered a fire had started on the wood deck material and extended up the railing and exterior wall,” Fire Captain Scott Cizek said. “Our crews discovered one fire sprinkler head above the deck had contained the fire.” The fire sprinkler activated automatically, which initiated the fire alarm where occupants evacuated the building. The probable cause of the fire could have been due to cigarettes not being fully put out according to the press release. “Upon investigation it was discovered the fire had smoldered for quite some time causing deep charring on part of the wood deck and railing. We could not rule out cigarette smoking material as a possible cause,” Division Chief Randy Fogle said. The press release stated that “firefighters encourage those using cigarette materials to properly extinguish cigarettes and place them in fire-resistant containers.” According to Fire Chief Ted Martin, lit cigarette fires often occur on these types of properties. “Unfortunately in multi-family dwelling properties such as condos and apartments, we see a lot of cigarettes tossed over balcony railings to the ground level, accidentally dropped between the decking materials, or discarded inappropriately in containers as simple as plastic planter pots,” Martin said. The press release did not mention any injuries or people harmed.
Office Building, Other Business Decatur, IL – Sprinkler system controls laundry fire at downtown commercial building September 17, 2015 viking210 The Decatur Fire Department says firefighters responded to a small fire at a building in downtown Decatur Tuesday morning. The Decatur Fire Chief tells WAND News that crews responded to a fire in the laundry room on the basement floor of One Main Place. The fire chief says the building’s sprinkler system helped keep the fire under control until crews arrived, at which point the fire was extinguished. The fire chief also says smoke caused from the fire resulted in the evacuation of everyone in the building. West Main Street was also temporarily closed off while crews responded to the scene.
Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant Rantoul, IL – Fire in filtration system at manufacturing plant contained by sprinkler system September 16, 2015 viking210 Employees at a Rantoul industrial plant were evacuated from the building Monday morning when fire broke out in a filtration unit. One employee at the Eagle Wings plant in the industrial park complained of smoke inhalation but refused to be transported to a hospital, Rantoul Fire Chief Ken Waters said. He said embers in a filtration system caught filters on fire, filling the plant with smoke. The plant’s sprinkler system contained the fire, and employees were allowed to return to the plant. Firefighters used a high-velocity fan to pull the smoke out of the building. Waters said the fire damaged 64 filters. He said the plant’s head of maintenance indicated it will be five days before new filters can be brought in, but production will not be limited because filters from another part of the plant will be used. Firefighters received the call at 8:56 a.m. and cleared the scene about 90 minutes later. Eleven firefighters responded with a ladder truck, engine and rescue unit. No dollar estimate of damage was available.
Other-Government/Military, Restaurant Montrose, CO – Fire at airport restaurant put out with help from sprinkler system September 14, 2015 viking210 A small fire broke out at the Montrose Regional Airport Wednesday morning. The airport’s Director of Aviation tells us it happened early Wednesday morning in the kitchen of a restaurant inside the terminal. No one was inside the kitchen at the time of the fire and the sprinkler system helped put it out. The airport is still operating as normal. There was minimal damage to property and no threat to public safety. Airport operations were not impacted and cleanup is underway. County Manager Ken Norris says they hope to have the restaurant back open by Saturday for their Tribute to Aviation event.
Manufacturing, Paper Mill / Saw Mill Port Townsend, WA – Sprinkler system handles small fire at paper mill September 14, 2015 viking210 Emergency personnel responded to a fire around 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 8, at the Port Townsend Paper Corp. No one was injured. There was minor damage to equipment and the machine was expected to be back up and running Tuesday night. General Manager Carr Tyndall, on vacation in South Carolina, said Tuesday afternoon that sprinklers had gone off when a fire started in a dryer section on Paper Machine No. 2. East Jefferson Fire Rescue (EJFR) was called as a precaution. Kevin Scott, director of sustainability at the mill, and Bill Beezley, public information officer at EJFR, confirmed that firefighters and medics arrived as support. Beezley said that crews were dispatched to “heavy black smoke near the northernmost smoke stack.” Responding crews reported that fire had broken out in dust on top of the second paper machine and that the mill’s sprinkler system had extinguished it by the time the crew arrived. “EJFR firefighters spent some time hitting hot spots and mopping up before departing 45 minutes later,” Beezley said. “Paper Machine No. 2 is down for now. And it’s probably going to be another three hours for cleaning,” Tyndall said of being told there was no significant damage. He said the sprinkler heads would need to be replaced. Tyndall said it would not surprise him if paper dust in the third dryer section caught on fire. He said that was common. Flames were initially reported being visible from a roof, then only black smoke was visible, as of 10:10 a.m. The flames had been “knocked down” as of 10:14 a.m., according to responder traffic heard on JeffCom dispatch. The mill has two machines that produce kraft paper products.
Nursing Home/Senior Living Plano, TX – Sprinkler system assists firefighters in controlling nursing home fire; No injuries reported September 10, 2015 viking210 Firefighters responded to a Plano nursing home Saturday morning after receiving a call about smoke from an employee at Life Care Center of Plano, in the 3800 block of W. Park Boulevard. The employee called 911 at 8:47 a.m. to report that fire alarms were sounding and that senior residents were being removed from the property. When Plano Fire-Rescue crews arrived, they discovered a haze of smoke in one of the main hallways and a lot of smoke inside a glassed-in laundry room, according to Capt. Peggy Harrell, department spokeswoman. It is believed that the fire started in a clothes dryer. “This is what we call a high-occupancy load, where there are lots of people in a building and in a place where there are lots of seniors who might not be able to evacuate themselves,” she said. “We took extra precautions.” Harrell said the nursing home had good evacuation procedures in place, but once investigators located the fire and determined how far it was from the residential hallways, no evacuation had to take place and residents were able to return to their rooms. “We were able to close the fire doors and keep the room where the fire was isolated,” she said. “A sprinkler head kept the fire in check, and firefighters brought in the handline to put the remaining fire out.” Harrell said investigators discovered an armload of clothes on fire in the affected dryer, but the exact cause of the fire has not been determined. No injuries were reported, but Harrell said a rescue squad was on the scene to check out anyone who may have come close to the smoke.
Apartment Building, Residential Kalamazoo, MI – Sprinkler system assists firefighters in containing fire at large apartment building September 5, 2015 viking210 The Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety received multiple 911 calls around 8:20 a.m. Friday morning regarding a fire at an apartment located in the 2700 block of W. Michigan Avenue. Police say the fire activated the sprinkler system which was able to contain the fire to the apartment where it started. No one was injured. When officers arrived on scene, they saw smoke coming from a second floor apartment on the north side of the building and residents already evacuating. The fire was contained in about a half hour; however, due to the large number of apartments in the building, a second alarm was called which brought more emergency crews to the scene. A total of eight fire apparatus and about 35 firefighters responded. Police closed W. Michigan Avenue near Howard Street while they were on scene, but everything has reopened. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant Chester, VA – Recent hotel cooking fire contained by sprinkler system; No injuries September 3, 2015 viking210 A cooking-related fire prompted the evacuation of a residential hotel in Chester last month. On Aug. 18 at 11 a.m., county firefighters were dispatched for a fire alarm activation at the InTown Suites hotel at 2601 Perdue Springs Drive, just north of the intersection of U.S. Route 1 and State Route 10. On arrival, they found water flowing from a sprinkler head that had activated near the stove in a second-floor room but no active fire. The hotel’s management was in the process of evacuating the building. A pot was in the sink, and both the nearby cabinets and microwave had sustained smoke damage. But the fire sprinkler system did its job and contained the fire to the stovetop; as a result, all residents escaped the hotel safely, and there were no injuries.
