Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant Vancouver, BC, Canada – Sprinklers hold fire in check at packaging manufacturer June 1, 2015 viking210 City firefighters responded to the fire at around 11:30 a.m. on Thursday at CKF Inc. on Production Way, said City Fire Chief Rory Thompson. In total, eight engines, several other vehicles, and 52 firefighters were deployed to deal with the fire. The actual fire didn’t do too much damage to the building. “We were fortunate because the sprinkler system really held the fire in check for us,” said Thompson. “There was a considerable amount of smoke,” he said of the fire near Fraser Highway. The fire was in the back of the large industrial building, and the complexity and size of the fire quickly led the City to go to three alarms. That brought in some Township crews to lend a hand. However, the building was full of pallets of thousands of cardboard egg cartons. The fire had gotten into the cartons and the pallets. Between the fire and the water, the cartons were destroyed, and the pallets collapsed, leaving piles of debris five to six feet high. Firefighters had to fight their way through the mess to lay hose lines and get at the last remnants of the fire. Two firefighters were hospitalized, with a City firefighter falling and injuring his shoulder, and a Township firefighter who hurt his knee. Firefighters brought a lot of bottled water for crews and had to work in shifts, taking breaks to hydrate after fighting the fire on a day when temperatures hit the high 20s. “Pretty tired, that’s for sure,” Thompson said of how the crews felt after the fire was out. Fire crews didn’t leave the scene until 4 a.m. on Friday. Investigators were looking through the scene Friday to try to determine the cause. City firefighters have had training with what are called “large box” fires, and they recently did a command and control training exercise in concert with the Langley Township firefighters. Township and City firefighters frequently work together on larger fires or cover for one another when crews are very busy.
Other - Retail, Retail Winston-Salem, NC – Sprinkler system contains storage room fire at furniture store May 30, 2015 viking210 The fire started about 10 a.m. in a rack storage area at the rear of the Colfax Furniture and Mattress store at 801 Silas Creek Parkway, said Battalion Chief Jeff Henley of the Winston-Salem Fire Department. No one was injured. The building’s sprinkler system helped contain the fire, Henley said. It took 31 firefighters about 30 minutes to put out the fire. The store’s employees and its customers left the store safely after the fire began, Henley said. Investigators are trying to determine how the fire started, Henley said. He didn’t have an estimate of how much damage the fire caused. The store’s warehouse manager first heard a muffled explosion or some type of loud noise shortly after the store opened at 10 a.m., said Jackson Braswell, the store’s manager. That employee then saw a rug burning, Braswell said. The sprinkler system was activated, and someone called 911. “The most important thing is that everyone got out safe,” Braswell said. “The sprinklers did their job.” Braswell didn’t immediately know how soon the store will reopen. “We will be back up and running as soon as we can,” Braswell said.
Manufacturing, Other - Manufacturing Doraville, GA – Sprinklers control fire at ceramics manufacturer; Equipment malfunction apparent cause May 26, 2015 viking210 An equipment malfunction was the apparent cause of a business fire Saturday in Gwinnett County. Gwinnett Fire said Applied Ceramics, located at 5555 Pleasantdale Road, reported the fire around 9:45 a.m. Saturday. Employees were alerted to the danger by smoke alarms and the activation of the sprinkler system. The building is located in unincorporated Atlanta in Gwinnett County, not far from the city limits of Peachtree Corners and Norcross. “When fire crews arrived on scene they found moderate smoke showing, and employees evacuating the structure,” Lt. Jerrod Barrett said in the email. “First-arriving Engine crew investigated the fire and found a machine had caught fire which was held in check by an overhead sprinkler system. Crews advanced attack hand lines into the business to extinguish the fire.” No one was injured in the blaze.
Primary / Secondary School, School / University Oswego, IL – Sprinkler system controls fire caused by high school science experiment May 20, 2015 viking210 The Oswego Fire Protection District was called to Oswego East High School on a waterflow alarm this morning after a science experiment involving a bunsen burner and alcohol caused a small fire. The fire caused the system sprinkler to activate and the school was evacuated. Crews found no fire upon arrival and the water sprinkler system was shut down. The building alarm was going off and several attempts to reset the alarm were unsuccessful. The students were out of the building for approximately 50 minutes while attempts to reset the alarm were unsuccessful. The OFPD found the alarm system to have a mechanical issue. This was the cause for the extended time for the staff and students being out of the building for such a long period of time. After the alarm problem was identified and corrected the students and staff were allowed to resume the normal school day.
Other - Residential, Residential Olympia, WA – Sprinkler system controls fire at homeless shelter May 18, 2015 viking210 A Sunday morning fire in Olympia was largely controlled by an automatic sprinkler system according to the Olympia Fire Department. About 10 a.m. Sunday, Olympia fire crews were dispatched to the homeless shelter operated by Family Support Services in the 800 block of Seventh Avenue Southeast. Once there, fire crews contained the fire to one apartment. They also evaluated two patients — one for a minor burn and the other for smoke inhalation. Both refused aid and were released at the scene, according to a news release. One firefighter at the scene also suffered a minor laceration. The cause of the fire appeared to be accidental, according to the news release.
Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential Oklahoma City, OK – Sprinklers quickly extinguish fire at retirement community; No injuries May 12, 2015 viking210 A kitchen fire Monday at a retirement community in north Oklahoma City caused an evacuation of the residents after smoke filled the building, fire department officials reported. The fire started about 10:25 a.m. in a third-floor kitchen at Town Village, 13000 N May Avenue. A sprinkler system inside the building extinguished the fire within minutes, Oklahoma City fire Battalion Chief Brian Stanaland said. No injuries were reported. Crews remain on the scene to deal with the smoke problem.
Department Store, Retail Germantown, MD – Fire at Bed, Bath and Beyond store controlled by sprinkler system May 7, 2015 viking210 Montgomery County firefighters say an electrical short in a light fixture sparked a fire on Tuesday morning at the Bed, Bath and Beyond store on Middlebrook Road in Germantown. Fire and Rescue Spokesperson Pete Piringer said workers discovered the blaze and called 9-1-1. He said the fire was controlled by the building’s sprinkler system. According to Piringer, the store’s employees evacuated the building and there were no injuries
Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant Paia, HI – Firefighters credit sprinkler system in controlling restaurant blaze May 4, 2015 viking210 Maui fire officials credit fire sprinklers for keeping a fire from spreading at a year-old Paia restaurant last Friday. At 11:11 a.m., firefighters responded to a reported structure fire at the Rock & Brews restaurant, at 120 Hana Highway. Firefighters were on scene two minutes later and saw light smoke coming from the restaurant, according to fire officials. Employees reported hearing a loud pop then saw smoke in the air, and workers and patrons were evacuated. Investigation found that the fire sprinklers had been activated in the attic space above the restaurant. Fire crews quickly entered the ceiling area and had the fire extinguished by 11:27 p.m, officials said. Fire Capt., Ben Bland, said “It’s a true testament that fire sprinklers really do work and can make a difference to extinguish or slow a fire until fire department arrival. Fire sprinklers effectively prevented this fire from spreading throughout the attic and to the rest of the building.” The fire was determined to be accidental and caused by a fault in electrical wiring. Damages were estimated at $10,000 to structure, $10,000 to contents. No injuries were reported.
Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant Napa, CA – Sprinkler puts out fire in hotel caused by unattended candle May 4, 2015 viking210 A lit candle on Friday morning ignited a hand towel in a guest room at the River Terrace Inn on Soscol Avenue, according to the Napa Fire Department. The hotel was evacuated. There were no reported injuries. Firefighters, who responded to the fire at 11:17 a.m., found an operating fire sprinkler-head in the bathroom of an occupied room on the third floor, said Fire Marshal Darren Drake. The sprinkler put out the fire, he said. One room was damaged, and 74 out of 105 rooms were rented when the fire broke Friday morning, Drake said.
Apartment Building, Residential Phoenix, AZ – Sprinkler system helps control fire in three-story apartment building April 20, 2015 viking210 An apartment fire in North Phoenix left six residents displaced on Saturday morning, according to Captain Aaron Ernsberger with the Phoenix Fire Department. The fire happened on the third floor of a three-story apartment building near Tatum Boulevard and Union Hills Drive. Crews from the Phoenix Fire Department quickly got the fire under control, and immediately began trying to stop the water flow to the sprinkler system from damaging the lower units. The Phoenix Fire Department is assisting the residents on all three floors that were displaced because of the water damage. The cause of the fire is unknown and is under investigation.
