Apartment Building, Residential Keene, NH – Sprinkler system helps stop fire at multi-family building December 9, 2016 viking210 A second-alarm fire broke out at a multi-family building just northeast of downtown Keene Tuesday night. The first call for assistance came at 6:32 p.m. to battle a fire at the Beaver Brook Apartments at 543 Washington St., which is near the intersection of Cottage Street. The two-story structure has 24 apartments. Keene fire officials reported that the blaze in a second-story apartment took about 40 minutes to bring under control. Fire was limited to that one unit and there was smoke damage affecting about 25 percent of the building. The state chapter of American Red Cross reported that it was assisting one family with shelter after the blaze. The one occupant of the apartment was offered, but refused, medical transport for treatment, fire officials said. The building’s sprinkler assisted with controlling the blaze. At the height of the fire, there were eight public safety trucks on scene, according to the Southwestern New Hampshire Mutual Assistance Program. By 7:30 p.m., firefighters were bringing tenants back into the building to retrieve their belongings and their pets. First responders assisted to prevent the lower apartments from getting water damage. The origin and cause of the fire remain under investigation. Anyone with information related to the incident is asked to call the Keene Fire Department at 603-757-1863. Brattleboro, Vt., and Swanzey Fire assisted at the scene. Crews from the Marlborough, Spofford, Chesterfield, Peterborough and Walpole fire departments provided coverage to the two Keene Fire Stations.
Apartment Building, Residential Manchester, NH – Apartment fire held in check by sprinkler system; No injuries reported November 26, 2016 viking210 Two people were rescued from a fire inside an apartment above Caesarios Pizza Friday night. Just before 9:30 p.m. a box alarm sounded at 1061 Elm St. As firefighters were responding, dispatch received a call from an occupant of apartment 210 indicating that there was an emergency in their apartment and that they were trapped. Dispatchers could not get clarification from the occupant on what type of emergency that they were reporting. After further inquiry they reported a possible explosion. Fire crews from Central Station arrived several minutes after receiving the call and discovered a fire in apartment 210 with occupants still inside. Firefighters accessed the three-bedroom apartment through the only access available which led them into the living room that was on fire. Firefighters searched the two adjacent rooms for the known trapped occupants and rescued them, removing them to the exterior hall through a barricaded secondary egress, and then to the outside where they were evaluated by AMR ambulance personnel. Though shaken up they were not injured and refused transport to the hospital. Elm Street was closed to traffic during the emergency. Damage is estimated at $10,000.00. Caesario’s Pizza and Element Lounge both suffered water runoff from the sprinkler system. Manchester Health Department responded and met with representatives of both businesses. The 911 dispatcher kept the occupants on the phone (helping them stay calm) the whole time, until they were rescued. A working sprinkler system kept the fire in check until firefighters arrived and extinguished the remainder of the fire. Heavy smoke filled most of the second floor and the third and fourth floors had moderate smoke from the fire. The entire building was evacuated for approximately one hour, as were the two effected businesses. The fire was caused by careless disposal of smoking materials into a waste basket next to the recliner in the living room. This fire is classified as accidental. District Fire Chief Mike Gamache said he attributes the safe rescue of the two people trapped inside the apartment to a combination of a working sprinkler system, the calm professionalism of the 911 dispatch team and the rapid efficient response of the Manchester Fire Department.
Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant Hampton Beach, NH – Sprinkler system helps firefighters control fire at restaurant in historic building October 14, 2016 viking210 Firefighters battled a fire Wednesday morning at the Purple Urchin Seaside Cafe at Hampton Beach. The Purple Urchin is located on the second floor of 169 Ocean Blvd. The fire started just before 8 a.m. and took crews an hour to put out. The fire went to three alarms in the iconic building that has been a part of Hampton Beach since the early 1900s. In February 2010, a fire destroyed an entire block in Hampton Beach, and Fire Chief Jameson Ayotte said that fire was in their minds as they responded to the fire. Ayotte was the first person to spot the fire at the Purple Urchin. “I was driving into work and saw smoke coming from the building,” Ayotte said. “The smoke was coming from the roof just over the Purple Urchin.” Firefighters initially battled the fire from the front stairs. Authorities said sprinklers and the fire alarm system activated during the fire. Firefighters from 16 New Hampshire and Massachusetts towns joined in the fight. Ayotte said it appeared to have started on the second floor, but it didn’t stay there. “The fire was in the roof structure and started to run along the underside of the roof, so you can see they’re placing cuts in the roof and going after it under the shingles,” he said. The chief said the building was built in 1901, so firefighters had to deal with seasoned wood. But the building had a sprinkler system, which helped them get the fire under control. Donnie Miller, who owns a few businesses in the building, said that his reaction was immediate. “Panic, immediately,” he said. “You panic, and your mind thinks the worst, obviously. Your heart drops in your stomach, and you want to see what’s happening.” Eventually, he was able to get a look inside. “What I could see from where we’re at, it’s just smoke damage, not any water damage,” he said. Several adjacent businesses were damaged by water and smoke. Firefighters said the building was unoccupied at the time, as most of the seasonal businesses were closed for the winter season. Three firefighters suffered minor injuries and were treated and released. They are all expected to make a full recovery. Hampton fire officials, the state Fire Marshal’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco of Firearms investigated the cause of the fire. Officials said the cause was a beverage cooler, which had a power cord that short-circuited.
Apartment Building, Residential Manchester, NH – Sprinkler system helps limit damage in apartment fire; No injuries September 27, 2016 viking210 Thirty apartments were evacuated Sunday morning after a small fire broke out in a third-floor unit at 195 Eastern Avenue. Manchester firefighters received an automatic fire alarm at 10:58 a.m. Sunday at Hillview Apartments at 195 Eastern Ave. District Fire Chief Mike Gamache said upon arrival crews discovered water and smoke in a third floor apartment. Firefighters located a small fire, partially extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system. Gamache said firefighters extinguished the remainder of the fire, then assisted residents in apartments on the first and second floors, where water from the sprinkler system drained onto their possessions. Gamache said extensive salvage operations were performed to save the residents’ belongings. No injuries were reported. Gamache said fire and water from the sprinkler system caused an estimated $10,000 in damages. The property, which consists of four buildings, is owned by Eastern Avenue Associates LLC, with an assessed value of $8,643,200, according to the city’s website.
Apartment Building, Residential Manchester, NH – Apartment fire mostly extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries February 22, 2016 viking210 A sprinkler system quickly put out a fire in Manchester Sunday evening. Around 5:30 p.m., firefighters were called to a home on Harvell Street, where a second-floor apartment had caught on fire. No one was home, but firefighters said the front door was unlocked. The apartment’s sprinkler system put out most of the flames. “The first company on scene [saw] smoke showing from the second floor, so we had an initial attack lined to the second floor and knocked the rest of the fire down,” said District Fire Chief Hank Martineau. Firefighters don’t yet know how the fire started but said it appears to be accidental.
Other - Retail, Retail Laconia, NH – Early morning fire at salon extinguished by sprinkler system January 12, 2016 viking210 A salon in Laconia sustained smoke and water damage in a fire early Monday morning, according to authorities. Crews were called to Jerico’s Salon on Union Avenue around 3 a.m. Firefighters found heavy smoke inside, but the building’s sprinkler system extinguished the flames. Officials said the fire was located in the hair salon area. No one was there and no injuries were reported. Officials said the salon sustained smoke and water damage and will likely be closed for some time. The cause of the fire is under investigation, but it is not believed to be suspicious.
Other Business Rollinsford, NH – Fire in 160-year-old mill building limited by sprinkler system December 5, 2015 viking210 The initial call for smoke in a second floor suite came in at 7:28 a.m., Rollinsford Fire Chief Mark Rutherford said. Fire crews arrived to find heavy smoke coming from a woodworking shop in Suite 208 of the 160-year-old mill building, and about 15 people had to be evacuated. No one was injured. Rutherford credited an updated sprinkler system from preventing the two-alarm blaze from spreading. Firefighters also were able to respond quickly to knock down the flames. Smoke damage was limited to the room of origin and the hallway, and both the studio and the studio below it on the second floor sustained water damaged. “You need a system like this in these old buildings to keep fires from spreading,” Rutherford said. “How this system was designed probably saved this building, because once a fire spreads in a building like this, you’re here for a while.” Grenier said he was led to believe the fire started as a result of an oily rag being left out overnight. He wants those responsible for leaving the rag out will be held responsible. “The biggest thing right now is, I need someone from an insurance company to come in and tell me everything’s going to be OK and give me money,” Grenier said with a chuckle. Responders included fire departments from Rollinsford, South Berwick, Maine, Berwick, Maine, Somersworth and Dover and York Ambulance Association. Fire departments from Rochester and Eliot, Maine, provided station coverage. Kent Scovill, who operates PKS Woodworks, said his business was not damaged. “It was scary coming in this morning and seeing all the fire trucks,” Scovill said. “I was pretty shocked. I ran downstairs and I ran in through the back, which I probably shouldn’t have done. I made sure everything was all right.” Painter Shaune McCarthy of Madbury, who has a studio at the mill, said she heard about the fire early Friday morning after getting a call from a friend. McCarthy said she was glad the damage was not more extensive. “She said, ‘Guess what, the mill’s on fire.’ I was scared to death,” McCarthy said. “There’s always been big mill fires you hear about in history. It’s scary but I’m glad it was just a small thing.” Gregory McCrone of Dover, an “eclectic collector” of art, coins and family heirlooms, rents a work space at the mill, which he calls “part museum and part living room.” After his morning swim, McCrone drove to the mill to find half a dozen fire trucks in the parking lot. “I didn’t see the building going up (in flames) so I wasn’t quite as worried,” he said. “They wouldn’t let anyone in at first. I have a lot of stuff up here.”
Apartment Building, Residential Manchester, NH – Sprinkler system controls apartment fire started by careless disposal of cigarette November 29, 2015 viking210 The careless disposal of smoking materials sparked a trash can fire that caused an estimated $7,500 in damage to a West Side apartment building Thursday, authorities said. Fire crews discovered smoke and water coming from under a closed door to Apartment 346 at The Lofts at Mill West, 195 McGregor St., just before 7 p.m., according to the fire department. Firefighters discovered a fire in a trash can in an unoccupied apartment. The automatic sprinkler system held the fire in check until firefighters extinguished the remaining flames. The resident who lived there was in another section of the building at the time, authorities said. Smoke was beginning to fill the corridors and people were evacuating the building. Brady Sullivan Properties owns the building, which recently had been refurbished into upscale apartments.
Other - Retail, Retail Portsmouth, NH – Sprinkler system limits damage in overnight fire at auto body shop July 9, 2015 viking210 A radio likely sparked an early morning fire at an auto body shop that would have caused about $100,000 in damage, if not for a working sprinkler system, said Fire Chief Steve Achilles. Firefighters responded to the Portsmouth Autobody Center at 4:36 a.m. Wednesday when an alarm sounded from the 700 Peverly Hill Road business, said the fire chief. When they arrived, it took firefighters about 15 minutes to locate the fire because it was in back of the main building, inside a separate 200-foot by 120-foot metal building, Achilles said. Firefighters had to force their way into the locked and smoke-filled building and one firefighter injured his hand while making entry, according to Achilles. He was treated at Portsmouth Regional Hospital and released, the chief said. Once inside, firefighters “used a line to knock down the remaining fire,” said Achilles. An investigation concluded with a theory that a radio, or a wire to a radio, started the fire inside a storage cabinet, Achilles said. No vehicles or people were in the building at the time, he said.
Other - Retail, Retail West Lebanon, NH – Overnight fire at furniture store extinguished by sprinkler system June 2, 2015 viking210 The Lebanon Fire Department is investigating a fire that took place in the early morning on Sunday inside a West Lebanon furniture store. Firefighters went to Defelice Furniture at 35 Main St. in West Lebanon at 3:39 a.m. Sunday, when a passerby reported the water motor for the building’s sprinkler system was ringing, Lebanon Fire Chief Chris Christopoulos said in a news release Sunday. After seeing water flowing from the sprinkler system, firefighters forced entry into the building and found evidence of a fire occurred on a desk on the showroom floor. The fire had been extinguished by the fire sprinkler system before firefighters arrived. Though not considered suspicious, the fire is under investigation.
