Tag Archives: Morning (7am-12pm)

Apartment Building, Residential

New Haven, CT – Sprinklers contain ‘potential disaster’ fire at apartment building

Sprinklers likely kept a kitchen fire in a second-floor unit from spreading throughout the Bella Vista Apartments Thursday morning.

Several fire trucks converged shortly before 9:30 a.m. on 315 Eastern St., Building D. The fire was contained in the kitchen by the sprinklers. Crews arrived and checked on whether the fire had spread, and left a short time later.

“It turned a potential disaster into a minor incident,” Battalion Chief William Gould said at the scene.

Gould said no injuries were reported.

College/University (on campus), School / University

Salt Lake City, UT – Sprinklers douse fire in University of Utah chemistry lab

Authorities say a small explosion at a University of Utah chemistry building was caused by a chemical reaction inside a storage cabinet.

Salt Lake City firefighters say the Thursday morning explosion was contained inside a sheet metal cabinet but emitted hazardous chemicals into the air.

Salt Lake City fire department spokesman Jasen Asay says firefighters evacuated the building to clear chemical residue from the air and vent smoke.

Asay says the explosion caused a small fire, but sprinklers doused it before crews arrived.

Classes were canceled and the building is expected to remain closed for hours.

Firefighters are investigating what chemicals were stored in the room.

Residential, Townhouse / Condominium

Hugo, MN – Sprinklers credited with containing fire to one room of townhome

No one was injured after a fire broke out at a group of townhomes in Hugo on Thursday morning.

The fire was reported at 4625 Victor Path when a woman awakened to the smell of smoke and called the fire department.

Crews from Hugo, White Bear Lake and Forest Lake all responded.

Firefighters say the fire started on the deck and moved into the unit. A sprinkler system is credited with confining the fire to one room of the house, which was the main living room.

No other units were damaged.

The woman was the only person home at the time and escaped uninjured.

Manufacturing, Paper Mill / Saw Mill

Old Town, ME – Mill fire doused by sprinkler system; no injuries

Fire crews from four towns battled a fire at the Expera Mill in Old Town today.

Flames broke out in the number-four turbine area just after 10 this morning.

Firefighters arrived to find heavy smoke between the first and second floors.

We’re told oil and debris caught fire.

“We sent two crews in, one to the bottom floor, one to the top floor. We worked our way down to it, and the sprinkler system had gone off and that extinguished most of it. And we just continued with extinguishing the hot spots and making sure that everything was all right. And it was turned back over to mill personnel, probably within a half an hour, 45 minutes,” said Captain Mike HIldreth of Old Town Fire Department.

Hildreth says damage doesn’t appear to be too extensive.

No word on a cause yet.

No one was hurt.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Weaverville, CA – Sprinkler douses fire at senior apartment building

A fire in a room at the Weaver Creek Senior Apartments on Browns Ranch Road in Weaverville caused minor injuries to the occupant but was doused by water from a sprinkler head that activated Tuesday morning, March 31, Fire Chief Scott Alvord said.

The woman doesn’t remember exactly what happened, but she was wet when firefighters arrived and it is likely that she was smoking in bed and fell asleep, Alvord said. The resident used oxygen and it appears the bedding caught fire — but the blaze was put out by the sprinkler, which also woke the occupant, he said.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Elmhurst, IL – Fire in middle school science lab doused by sprinkler system

A “chemical reaction” caused a small fire in a science classroom at a west suburban middle school Wednesday morning, causing a lot of smoke, but no injuries.

The Elmhurst Fire Department was called about 9:45 a.m. to an activated fire alarm at Sandburg Middle School at 345 E. St. Charles Rd., a statement from the department said.

Firefighters found “heavy smoke coming from a science classroom located on the lower level,” though the fire had already been doused by the school’s sprinkler system, the statement said.

All students and staff were evacuated from the building as firefighters ventilated the area, replaced a sprinkler head and cleaned up.

A fire department investigation showed a chemical reaction had triggered the fire, though no students were present in the classroom at the time.  No injuries were reported.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Beaumont, TX – Sprinkler douses fire at Candlewood Suites; Guests return to rooms within the hour

At approximately 8:00 AM, Beaumont Fire Rescue units responded to KJP Hospitality Hotel located at 5355 Clearwater Court.   When firefighters arrived, they found a fire in a room on the first floor.  The sprinkler system had activated and controlled the fire, confining it to a small area of one room but there was smoke throughout the first floor.

The manager reported there were 30 rooms occupied at the time of the fire.   All occupants were able to evacuate without injury. The fire appears to have been caused by a heating unit attached to a massage bed.   The smoke was cleared and occupants were allowed to return to their rooms within the hour.

Other-Government/Military

Agawam, MA – Sprinklers help put out fire at Department of Public Works garage

A fire broke out Saturday morning at the Department of Public Works building on Suffield Street.  Agawam Fire Chief Alan Sirois told WGGB that one of the trucks caught fire, but firefighters extinguished the blaze within 15 minutes.  Sirois said damage to the building at 1000 Suffield Street was minimal.

Sirois told the news station that the building’s sprinkler system averted what could have amounted to millions of dollars in damage. The truck was a total loss, he added.  The cause of the fire is still under investigation but the building will be open on Monday morning.

Office Building, Other Business

North Hollywood, CA – Fire on ninth floor of high-rise office building extinguished by sprinkler system

A small fire on the ninth floor of an office building in the North Hollywood area last Wednesday was quickly extinguished by sprinklers,  authorities said.  The fire in the 4600 block of Lankershim Boulevard was reported about 7:30 a.m. and was already out when firefighters arrived, said Brian Humphrey of the Los Angeles Fire Department. No injuries were reported.

Other - Retail, Retail

Atwater, CA – Sprinklers protect neighboring businesses, help limit damage in fire at candle store

Flames were reported around 7:15 a.m. last Sunday at the business in the 1100 block of Bellevue Road, Battalion Chief Jeremy Rahn said. Rahn said the fire apparently ignited when at least one candle was left burning overnight at the store. 

Fire-suppression sprinklers managed to keep the fire at bay, Rahn said, allowing firefighters to prevent it from spreading to neighboring businesses in the strip mall. Rahn said the suppression system helped save about $750,000 in property threatened by the fire in the complex. “It’s a good example of how those sprinklers can help,” Rahn said. 

Fourteen firefighters responded to the scene and were at the store for several hours. No injuries were reported.