Tag Archives: Morning (7am-12pm)

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Portland, OR – Intentionally-set fires at high school kept in check by sprinklers

Students at Portland’s James Madison High School got quite a scare Monday morning.

“Today we had a fire alarm this morning at 10 a.m.,” said Christine Miles, Spokesperson for Portland Public Schools.

She explained that a fire had been intentionally ignited in the boys restroom.  Shortly after, another fire was set in a school storage closet that was used for donated food.

“Inside, there is a sprinkler fire system that was activated by the heat which then kept that fire in check and kept it from extending further into the building,” said Lt. Rich Tyler with Portland Fire & Rescue.

But the two fires at Madison High on Monday weren’t the first to be set at the school recently.

“So far we have four fires that were set here. The 16th, the 17th and then two today,” said Tyler.

Three of the fires started in boys restrooms and investigators said all of them were believed to be arson.

“We do know that it is a student and we are interviewing the students to determine who the individual or individuals are,” Tyler said.

At this point, school is still on for Tuesday but Portland Public School officials want everyone to be on watch.

“We’re telling our community: ‘Please step forward if you know something so we can make an arrest or put an end to this as soon as possible,’” said Miles.

The principal also posted a letter to parents on the front page of the Madison High School website.

No students have been hurt in any of the fires.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Quincy, IL – Sprinklers put out mattress fire at Chaddock School; No injuries

Emergency crews responded to a mattress fire Wednesday morning at Chaddock School, according to Asst. Fire Chief Bernie Vahlkamp.

The Quincy Fire Department says crews responded to the fire at 205 S. 24th St., in one of the cottages. Vahlkamp said the fire was out by the time firefighters arrived and that Quincy police are handling the situation.

“The sprinkler system put out the fire,” Vahlkamp said. “But, smoke did fill the room and hallway.”

Vahlkamp said there were no injuries.

Other - Retail, Retail

Everett, WA – Sprinkler system activates to help control Black Friday fire at Toys R Us store

The Everett Mall Toys R Us store was closed by a smoky fire on Friday morning. Store employees called 911 and safely evacuated all customers from the building after seeing flames in a stockroom. The fire activated a sprinkler and workers tried to put out the fire with extinguishers but were unsuccessful.

When firefighters arrived at about 7:45 a.m., they found heavy smoke inside the store. After the fire was extinguished, fans were brought in to remove the smoke.  The cause of the fire is under investigation, but it is not considered suspicious.  Managers had not decided whether to try and reopen the store later on Black Friday.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Adairsville, GA – Fire caused by malfunctioning boiler in manufacturing plant contained by sprinklers

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A fire that broke out at a LG Hausys plant on Monday was determined to be caused by an internal malfunction on a boiler inside the plant.  Gordon County Fire and Rescue responded to the plant, located at 310 LG Drive, after calls for a fire were made around 10:30 a.m. on Nov. 23. Upon arrival, firefighters noted smoke showing on the backside of a large manufacturing building.

According to the incident report, maintenance personnel for the facility told fire officials that the area on fire was in a thermal boiler room, and upon further review, officials reported that there was obvious sprinkler activation, which had contained the fire to the area and prevented extension into the main facility.

Utilities were terminated in the area for salvage and overhaul to begin. Crews reported that it appeared a boiler had malfunctioned, causing the fire.  Portions of the wall and exhaust system were then removed to ensure fire damage had not escaped the boiler room.

Upon investigation, it was determined that the boiler had an internal malfunction that caused an oil line to fail, causing the fire around the ductwork of the boiler.  The boiler was leaking heavy oil and mitigation efforts were taken to minimize the spread of the oil into a runoff.  Further inspection revealed the roof had been compromised with thermal damage.

Fire Protection Services were then contacted to repair and reroute the protection systems to the manufacturing facility. Once completed, the facility was turned over to maintenance and management. According to the report, the fire caused approximately $14,000 of damage. No injuries were reported during the accident.

Manufacturing, Other - Manufacturing

Lyndhurst, NJ – Sprinklers control fire in adjacent building after recycling plant fire jumps road

Two firefighters were treated for heat exhaustion and a third suffered a minor leg injury after they responded to a stubborn blaze that tore through a paper recycling plant on Page Avenue on Thursday, authorities said.

A skeleton crew of two workers was inside the NYNJ Recycling plant at 800 Page Ave. when the fire started but escaped without injury, said Chief Paul Haggerty of the Lyndhurst Fire Department.  A firefighter is taken away from the fire in Lyndhurst on a stretcher Thursday, Nov. 26, 2015.

The fire was reported around 11:30 a.m. and quickly went to a third alarm. At one point, the flames jumped across Page Avenue and caused minor damage to a plastics company in the industrial area, but a sprinkler system kept the fire in check and firefighters managed to save that building, Haggerty said.

Part of the large, flat-roofed brick building that housed the recycling company collapsed during the fire. About 50 firefighters from Lyndhurst and surrounding communities battled the blaze, Haggerty said.  Smoke from the fire billowed out of the structure and spread through much of the township. A Bergen County hazmat team tested air samples but found no harm to the public, the fire chief said.

Haggerty said he was out on a coffee run for his family just before the fire was called in. Although he couldn’t join his family on time for Thanksgiving dinner, his wife, Corrine, brought the food to him and his crew at the scene. She handed him a heated container filled with turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and corn. “I packed extra forks for the guys, just in case they’re hungry,” she said.

The cause of the fire remained under investigation late Thursday afternoon.

 

The plant was formerly operated by Jem Sanitation Corp., a company that had ties to organized crime, according to a 2011 report by the state Commission of Investigation.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Chambersburg, PA – Sprinkler system controls fire at La Quinta Inn until fire crews arrive

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The fire broke out around 8:20 a.m. Wednesday at the La Quinta Inn and Suites in the 100 block of Walker Road in the borough, said Chambersburg Deputy Fire Chief Dustin Ulrich in a news release.  A sprinkler system helped control the blaze until crews were in place, and the fire was under control around 10:25 a.m., Ulrich said.

Fire crews arrived to find that a mulch fire had extended to the building, Ulrich said. The fire quickly spread to the third floor of the building and the attic before a second alarm was requested around 8:50 a.m.

The state police fire marshal ruled the fire accidental. No estimate was immediately available as to the amount of damage, Ulrich said, adding that the building was uninhabitable until repairs can be made.

No injuries were reported to either firefighters or to the 25 families occupying the hotel. Crews from the Franklin Fire Department, Fayetteville Fire and EMS, Marion Fire Department, Letter Kenny Fire Department, New Franklin Fire Department, Waynesboro Fire Department, Greencastle Fire Department, West End Fire and Rescue, Mont Alto Fire Department, Cumberland Valley Hose Company, Vigilant Hose Company and Holy Sprit EMS responded to the fire.

Apartment Building, Residential

Shreveport, LA – Sprinkler system activates in apartment fire caused by cigarette dropped down trash chute

Residents of Fairmont Towers in the 700 block of Cotton Street were able to return to their apartments after smoke forced them from the building early Sunday morning.  The fire was reported at approximately 8:21 Sunday morning after the sprinkler system in the apartment building went off.

Firefighters arrived on the scene to find smoke through the building.  Occupants of the downtown Shreveport apartment building were evacuated shortly after firefighters arrived.

One person was treated on the scene from smoke inhalation.  Firefighters believe the cause of the fire to be a cigarette dropped down the trash chute within the building. This has yet to be confirmed by investigators.

Apartment Building, Residential

Peoria, AZ – Apartment kitchen fire controlled by single automatic sprinkler; No injuries reported

Peoria firefighters said a sprinkler system in an apartment prevented a stove fire from causing more damage than it did.  Peoria-Fire Medical crews responded to a fire at approximately 11:45 a.m. Thursday at the Rancho Del Sol Apartments.  Crews found a home filled with smoke and a stove fire being controlled by a single fire sprinkler head.

The fire damaged the stove and microwave with some damage to the cabinets and drywall, officials said, and there was also water damage from the sprinkler head.  The homeowner said a pan of oil on the stove was unattended for less than a minute.

“This fire . . . could have been significantly worse without the presence of a fire sprinkler system,” Peoria-Fire Medical officials stated in a release. “Flames from a grease fire can quickly spread and engulf a kitchen. In this case, the fire was being controlled by the sprinkler system until fire crews could arrive.”

Everyone was able to evacuate safely with no injuries, officials said.  According to fire investigator Mike Brune, a similar stove fire in a Peoria apartment complex without sprinklers did significantly more damage and left the apartment

Fire crews stayed on scene to clear away the standing water so that the homeowner could get back in the home more quickly.  “With Thanksgiving right around the corner, this is an important reminder that kitchen fires are the No. 1 cause of home fires. Always stay in the kitchen while cooking on the stove, and keep a fire extinguisher nearby,” the release stated.

Other - Retail, Retail

Asheville, NC – Sprinkler system credited with extinguishing fire at hardwood flooring business

A sprinkler system at a commercial building on Riverside Drive is being credited with averting a fire Thursday morning.  Asheville Fire Department crews were dispatched to Asheville Hardwood Center, 554 Riverside Drive, shortly after 7:30 a.m. for the report of a structure fire, said spokeswoman Kelley Klope.

Smoke was showing but crews who entered the building found the fire had been completely extinguished by the sprinkler system, Klope said.  Firefighters helped with turning off the water flow of the sprinklers and with ventilation of smoke.

Nearby businesses were evacuated as precautionary measures. No injuries were reported. The fire was ruled accidental. Fire sprinkler systems, which can also be used in residential structures, are known to drastically reduce heat, flames and smoke in the event of a fire.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Biloxi, MS – Fire at assisted living facility held in check by sprinkler system; No injuries

The grounds surrounding the Pillars were filled with emergency vehicles and crews throughout the morning on Wednesday, after flames forced residents and staff at the Pillars Medical Residences in Biloxi to evacuate.

Fire Chief, Joe Boney says the fire wasn’t as involved as others he’s seen, but it was still a dangerous situation. “Anytime you have a fire like this, it doesn’t take a lot of fire. The smoke is what gets people. Especially when you have many residents in a close area like this,” said Boney.

Chief Boney says the sprinkler system also did its job. “It did stop the fire. It held the fire until we could get to it to put it out,” said Boney.

According to Boney, only one staff member had to be treated for smoke inhalation, and no residents were injured. The staff at the facility had already started the evacuations when the fire department arrived.

“They did exactly what they were supposed to do, they made sure their residents were safe,” said Rhonda Nettles, administrator of a sister facility to the Pillars.

According to Nettles, the staff members practice several fire drills a month to make sure they are prepared for any incident. Since the fire was contained to one room, the residents were simply moved to a safer area of the building.

In addition to the building’s safety features, all agencies involved were on top of their game. AMR operations manager, Gregory Doyle, says that teamwork is a product of proper training.

“When you train all the time together. Go to the same meetings, go to the same planning sessions, it helps out a lot,” said Doyle. Although one wing of the facility had a bit of water damage, officials hoped to have the residents back to their rooms by the end of the day.