Tag Archives: Morning (7am-12pm)

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Oak Ridge, TN – Fire in dust filtration system at manufacturing facility is contained by sprinkler system

More than 20 employees were briefly evacuated when a fire alarm sounded in a manufacturing facility where products are made from depleted uranium, but there was no radiological release.  The fire occurred about 9:30 a.m. Monday when dust in a filter system at Manufacturing Sciences Corp., S. Illinois Avenue, ignited.

“All it takes is a spark to set it off,” Oak Ridge Fire Chief Darryl Kerley said.  There’s a built-in sprinkler system that was activated and quelled the blaze. Kerley said there is “negative pressure” in the building where air is always pulled into it and is filtered. “Everything was contained in the building,” he said.

Manufacturing Sciences is also involved in special metals handling.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Bridgeport, WV – Fire at TownePlace Suites hotel contained to 3-by-3 foot area by sprinkler system

The TownePlace Suites on Platinum Drive in Bridgeport caught fire Monday morning. Crews were dispatched to the hotel at approximately 9:20 a.m. after receiving a fire alarm activation notification and a call from the front desk advising there was something on fire on the fourth floor.

The Bridgeport Fire Department Chief said a candle left unattended in one of the rooms caught fire. The fire was contained in a 3-by-3 foot area on the fourth floor.  The third and fourth floor rooms are uninhabitable due to water damage. The fire chief said the sprinkler system kicked on as it should have, and the hotel is trying to get a water restoration company to come in and get the water cleaned up.

The Bridgeport Fire Department responded. The Anmoore, Nutter Fort, Clarksburg and Mount Clare Fire Departments, Harrison County EMS and Bridgeport Police assisted on scene.

Apartment Building, Residential

Berkeley, CA – Sprinkler extinguishes kitchen fire in fourth floor apartment; No injuries

The Berkeley Fire Department responded Monday to an apartment fire on University Avenue.  Interim Berkeley Fire Chief Avery Webb said the fire department received a report just before 10:40 a.m. of a water-flow alarm from the fire suppression system at 1122 University, just east of San Pablo Avenue.

The city dispatched a single-alarm assignment for a possible structure fire.

When firefighters got to the 5-story building — four stories of residential over ground-floor commercial — they found light smoke on the fourth floor, and water flowing from under an apartment door. 

Webb said firefighters used forcible entry to get into the apartment. They encountered heavy smoke inside the apartment and an activated fire sprinkler head.

The fire had occurred on the kitchen stove, Webb said, but was extinguished by the activated sprinkler.

The fire was confined to the stove top, and smoke affected a small portion of the building. But water from the fire sprinkler affected the fourth floor and all floors below it, causing the majority of the building damage, Webb said.

Webb said damage was estimated to be approximately $100,000. No injuries were reported.

Retail, Shopping Mall

Casa Grande, AZ – Electrical fire at Victoria’s Secret store extinguished by sprinkler system

The Victoria’s Secret store at The Promenade at Casa Grande has closed temporarily after a small fire erupted last Wednesday morning.  A store associate said it was an electrical fire.  The sprinklers had extinguished the fire by the time the Casa Grande Fire Department arrived at about 8 a.m. 

Signs posted in front of the store indicate the damage could take up to two weeks to repair. Much of the merchandise has been removed as some of the walls and flooring are renovated. The store is expected to undergo a “complete make-over,” according to the associate.

Security guards are monitoring the area 24/7 until the store opens again. Residents who call the store at 421-1372 will hear a pre-recorded message indicating the location is temporarily closed with no scheduled date to re-open.  

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Waterloo, IA – Fire at Ramada Hotel contained to housekeeping closet by sprinkler system

Authorities are continuing to investigate a fire that closed down a downtown hotel over the weekend. No injuries were reported when a fire started in a maid’s closet at the Ramada Hotel, 205 W. Fourth St., at 9:27 a.m. Sunday.

Smoke triggered a sprinkler in the closet, and water flowed all the way to the lobby, said Battalion Chief Marty Freshwater with Waterloo Fire Rescue. He said there also was smoke on other floors, and the smell could be detected on the ground floor.

Ramada was evacuated and remained closed for Sunday to allow for repairs and cleanup, Freshwater said. The cause hasn’t been determined, but investigators have ruled out electrical reasons and traditional causes.

Flames damaged boxes of paperwork that were stored in the closet but didn’t spread outside the room. Freshwater said the door and sprinkler kept the fire in check but didn’t put it out. Firefighters extinguished the blaze.

At the time of the hotel fire, crews were busy fighting a garage fire, Freshwater said. A neighbor called in the garage fire at 621 Peek St. at about 8:53 a.m. Sunday.

 

The fire gutted the double-stall detached garage. No vehicles were inside, but heat damaged a Chevrolet Corvette parked next to it. The garage was a total loss, and the cause is under investigation. The garage was fitted with a wood burning stove, Freshwater said.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

St. Marys, OH – Fire at automotive parts manufacturer AAP put out with help from sprinkler system

The St. Marys Fire Department was called to AAP in St. Marys at about 11:20 this morning due to a ceiling fire in the plant. The department responded with two engines and a ladder track. The department also called in crews from the St. Marys Township Fire Department for assistance. In total, 16 firefighters responded.

Chief Ayres says the fire was put out in about an hour thanks in part to a sprinkler system at AAP. So far, no cause has been determined. Chief Ayres says the department is investigating if this fire is related to a fire at AAP earlier this month that resulted in heavy black smoke and flames shooting from the roof.

 

Apartment Building, Residential

Westford, MA – Sprinkler system puts out apartment fire before it can spread

A fire was reported at a three-story apartment building on 3000 Princeton Way in Westford at 11:46 a.m. on Oct. 20. “Our investigators are there, but there isn’t a cause yet,” said Westford Fire Department Shift Captain David O’Keefe.

The fire occurred in a second floor single bedroom, but the building’s sprinkler system put out the fire before it spread. The Westford Fire Department had to call for mutual aid from surrounding towns because the department’s ladder truck is out of service, according to O’Keefe.

“Unfortunately, our ladder truck is out for servicing, so we had to call the Chelmsford ladder truck,” O’Keefe said. However, the Chelmsford ladder truck was not needed before it even arrived. “At that point, the fire was already knocked down,” O’Keefe said. “The sprinklers put it out.”

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Akron, OH – Sprinklers help control fire and limit damage in fire at funeral home

Akron firefighters are investigating the cause of a Wednesday-morning fire at a South Main Street funeral home. The fire broke out about 9 a.m. at the Anthony Funeral Home in the 1900 block of South Main Street. A smoke alarm alerted firefighters.

Several employees were inside the building when the alarm sounded. No one was injured.

Akron Fire Department Capt. Don Klein said firefighters arrived and found smoke coming from the roof. Firefighters found the fire burning in the attic near the side of the building. Firefighters attacked the blaze from the inside first, then put the rest of the fire out from the outside, Klein said.

The fire was under control within about 10 minutes, and it took about 40 minutes to completely extinguish the blaze. “About 10 more minutes it would have been really bad,” Klein said. “These guys got here really quick and did a great job.”

Officials have no estimate of how much damage the fire caused. The attic sustained smoke and fire damage. Water from the firefighters and the building’s sprinkler system caused most of the damage, Klein said.

Fire investigators said it’s too early to tell the cause of the fire. They are investigating several possibilities, including an electrical problem or that the fire was started because of a new crematorium recently installed in the building.

Eric Anthony, an employee of the funeral home, said the fire would not interrupt business. He said they expected to reopen soon.No funerals will be affected by the fire, he said.

 

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Elgin, IL – Sprinkler system holds warehouse fire in check

A fire damaged the inventory Monday morning in an Elgin warehouse that sells shipping and storage boxes, fire officials said.

The fire started just after 9 a.m. at Boxpartners.com, 2650 Galvin Drive, in the northwest corner of the warehouse, Elgin fire officials said in a news release.

A  sprinkler system held the fire in check until firefighters arrived to extinguish it. Nobody was injured. The blaze caused about $25,000 in damage. It remains under investigation.

Apartment Building, Residential

Portland, OR – Sprinklers halt spread of fire caused by crafting heat gun

The fire caused by a crafting heat gun set on a hardwood floor by a resident damaged a Northwest Portland apartment building Sunday morning. No one was hurt in the fire, which was slowed by the building’s sprinkler system before firefighters arrived.

According to Portland Fire & Rescue, at approximately 8:40 a.m. on Oct. 11, Portland Fire Engine 3 was dispatched to the report of a fire alarm at 1420 N.W. Lovejoy St. When the engine arrived, a resident of one of the apartments met firefighters outside and reported that one of the units was on fire.

After circling the block to check out the building, firefighters noticed smoke coming from a second-story window. The commanding officer then upgraded the incident to an apartment fire, balancing the incident to the appropriate number of responders to handle it.

Once crews entered the building, they found that the alarm system had activated and the sprinkler system was flowing. Interior fire attack crews made entry into the apartment and reported that the sprinklers had slowed the forward progress of the fire.