Tag Archives: New Jersey

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Somers Point, NJ – Sprinkler system assist firefighters in controlling blaze at boat storage facility

The fire inside the boat rack building at Waterfront Marine at the base of the Route 52 causeway Wednesday could have been much worse, Fire Chief Michael Sweeney said.  Had the boats there caught fire, the melting fiberglass would have created hazardous conditions, Sweeney said. When the call came into the Fire Department at 5:34 p.m. of smoke inside the building on Goll Avenue near the bay, Sweeney called for fire crews from Scullville, Bargaintown, Ocean City and Linwood to assist and for Cardiff to provide coverage for the fire companies at the scene. The Marmora Volunteer Fire Company did both.

Sweeney and other firefighters arrived within minutes. A large industrial forklift was on fire inside the building, he said.  “I saw heavy black smoke coming out of the rear. The doors are down, but it’s pushing out of the rear of the building, and smoke (was) coming out of the side of the garage doors,” said Sweeney, who added there was zero visibility inside the building when he arrived. “One hose team stretched a line inside the side door, and the second crew went to the rear and used power saws to cut through the rolled-up (garage) door, and they stretched a line in through the back.”

Firefighters took about 10 minutes to extinguish the forklift fire and ventilate the building, Sweeney said.  An Atlantic County Emergency Services Hazmat team kept water runoff — and the mixture of leaking oil from the forklift and water from the sprinkler system — from entering the bay, Sweeney said By 8:14 p.m., only Somers Point firefighters were left.  Had the boats themselves caught fire, firefighters could have been on the scene until Thursday morning, Sweeney said.  No one was injured in the fire, officials said.

Restaurant

Stone Harbor, NJ – Kitchen fire at Jersey Shore restaurant knocked down by sprinkler system

A late night fire damaged a Japanese restaurant at the Jersey Shore.  Investigators say this could have been a lot worse.  The fire sprinkler activated, helping knock down a kitchen fire at Water Lily in Stone Harbor.  The restaurant is located on the 9700 block of 3rd Avenue.  Firefighters from several departments eventually put out the fire.  The restaurant was not open when the fire started.  No injuries were reported.

Restaurant

Clifton, NJ – Sprinkler system hold early morning restaurant fire in check

A Lexington Avenue restaurant’s sprinkler system kept an early Wednesday morning fire in check until firefighters arrived and extinguished it, officials said.  Firefighters found smoke coming from Ya Hala restaurant on Lexington Avenue upon arrival at 4:39 a.m., said Deputy Chief Frank Prezioso  Firefighters investigated a hissing sound at first believing it to be a gas leak, Prezioso said. The hissing was coming from the sprinkler system, he said.  Sprinklers limited the fire to the kitchen area, Prezioso said.  The fire took a while to extinguish as it had worked its way above the drop ceiling, Prezioso said.  The deputy chief also said fire crews searched the property for possible victims but found none.  The fire was out by 6:30 a.m. Paterson and Passaic, assisted.

Athletic Club/Sports Facility, Other Business

Wayne, NJ – Laundry fire at 24-Hour Fitness is kept from spreading by sprinkler system

A fire broke out in the laundry room of the 24-Hour Fitness on Route 23 in Wayne on Thursday morning.  The two-alarm fire was contained to separate laundry baskets and was mostly kept at bay by the sprinkler system, said Wayne Fire Chief John Gabriel.  “It was a very easy fire,” Gabriel said. “It was knocked down in less than five minutes.”  No injuries were reported to firefighters or customers.

Apartment Building, Residential

Bridgeton, NJ – Sprinkler system knocks down fire on 10th floor of city housing complex

A propane tank explosion and fire last weekend on the 10th floor of a city housing authority complex forced the evacuation of residents, authorities said Friday.  Battalion Chief Kevin Scarlato said firefighters responded at 6:34 p.m. Saturday to 110 East Commerce St. A fire broke out after the explosion, with visible smoke coming from the building. A second alarm was called, with the Gouldtown, Cedarville and Millville fire departments responding to assist, he said.  Scarlato said the building’s fire-suppression sprinkler system activated, knocking down much of the fire. Firefighters then evacuated residents.

Three apartments on the 10th floor were damaged. No cost estimate of the damage was given.  Scarlato said crews were on the scene until 11:23 p.m. All residents were allowed back into their homes, except those in the affected rooms. No injuries were reported and the cause of the explosion and fire is under investigation by the city fire inspector.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Lacey Township, NJ – Fire at middle school knocked down by sprinkler system; Terrarium possible cause

Firefighters and other first responders put out a fire at Lacey Township Middle School Tuesday. Nobody was hurt, according to school officials, and police said students had not even arrived at school when the fire broke out.

“The Middle School experienced an isolated small fire this morning in a second-floor classroom while the building was unoccupied activating the fire suppression system,” according to a Facebook post from the township public school district.

Township police issued a statement later in the day.  The fire “may have started in a terrarium within the classroom,” wrote police Capt. Patrick Ganley.

Firefighters from the Forked River and Lanoka Harbor volunteer fire companies knocked down the fire, and “minimal fire and smoke damage was reported, however as a result of the sprinkler system activation, there was a significant amount of water in the classroom and the surrounding areas that needed to be cleaned,” Ganley said

Staff and students from the middle school instead reported to the gymnasium at the Lacey Township High School on the same campus, according to police and school officials. Middle school students were dismissed early.

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Pleasantville, NJ – Warehouse fire contained by sprinkler system; Firefighters finish the job

Firefighters extinguished a fire Saturday in a commercial building in the 700 block of West Delilah Road.  Firefighters were dispatched to the ABC Supply Co. for a report of activated fire and water flow alarms at 4:10 p.m.  Fire crews smelled smoke, forced a door and found heavy smoke in the warehouse, Battalion Chief Scott Trythall said, and found materials inside the warehouse on fire.  “The sprinkler system was activated and contained the fire until we were able to locate the seat of the fire and extinguish it all the way,” Trythall said.  The incident was under control within 45 minutes, he said.  The Farmington and West Atlantic City volunteer fire companies covered the Pleasantville station while the South Jersey Airport Fire Department’s Station 1 and Northfield and Absecon companies responded to the scene, Trythall said. Pleasantville police also responded and Tricare EMS provided rehab, he said.  There were no injuries, Trythall said.

Office Building, Other Business

Trenton, NJ – Sprinkler system helps control fire after SUV crashes into building

A woman was injured after her vehicle crashed into a Trenton building that is home to the state’s Motor Vehicle Commission headquarters. The crash took place at 10:10 a.m. last Tuesday at 225 East State Street, said Trooper Alejandro Goez, a spokesman with the New Jersey State Police. A Honda CRV driven by 40-year-old Jennifer Rosa of Plainsboro crashed into the building. Trenton Fire Battalion Chief Todd Willever said the vehicle caught fire after crashing through the plate glass window and was partially extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system. Firefighters took care of the rest.

The building is also home to Blimpie Subs & Salads and The Renaissance Grill, among other offices and businesses. Rosa was taken to a local hospital with injuries that weren’t considered life-threatening, Goez said. No other injuries were reported.

The building was briefly evacuated, Willever said. The driver was removed from behind the wheel by good Samaritans, before first responders arrived. Mairin Bellack, a spokeswoman with the MVC, said operations at field offices around the state were not interrupted Tuesday. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

College/University (on campus), School / University

Princeton, NJ – Fire at Princeton University chemistry lab contained to storage room by sprinkler system

Firefighters were called to campus early Friday morning to extinguish a fire that broke out in a third-floor storage room in the Frick Chemistry Laboratory. The building’s sprinkler system was activated and contained the flames to the storage room, where a firefighter was able to put them out with a fire extinguisher.

The cause was traced to a light fixture in the supply room that failed and ignited boxes of supplies on a storage rack, which held vials, pipes, and other chemical laboratory supplies but no hazardous materials, according to Assistant Vice President for Communications Dan Day.

A graduate student noticed the fire and called the Department of Public Safety at 1:39 a.m. Firefighters arrived on campus from the town of Princeton, Princeton Junction, the Princeton Plasma Plasma Physics Laboratory, Plainsboro, and Rocky Hill, according to a University statement.The building was briefly closed while firefighters were on scene but has now reopened.

According to Day, there is “a lingering odor in the area of the storage room” that cleanup crews are taking care of.

Water from the sprinkler system dripped from the third to the second floor, getting some papers and computers wet, but a University Facilities crew mopped up the water early in the morning. There was no significant structural or equipment damage in the building from the fire or from smoke, Day said.

Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

Union, NJ – Residence hall fire put out by sprinkler system; No injuries

A lit candle caused a fire on Jan. 17 in Upperclassman Residence Hall and triggered the sprinkler system causing water damage to parts of the building, according to University spokesperson, Margaret McCorry.

The candle fire broke out in a student’s bedroom on the seventh floor of the Upperclassman Residence Hall. The fire was quickly put out by the building’s sprinkler system, keeping the fire from stretching beyond the bedroom. No injuries were sustained in response to the fire.

“The safety of our students is our top priority,” said Maximina Rivera, Assistant Vice President of the Office of Residential Student Services. “We thank our first responders and others who helped ensure our students were safe during this incident.”

Water from the sprinkler system flowed into the hallway of the seventh floor, as well as into rooms on the sixth floor, fifth floor, and the dining hall kitchen area. This resulted in saturated carpets and damage to personal property, according to Rivera in an email sent to Upperclassman Hall residents.

“It sucked because we couldn’t get to our rooms till two in the morning,” said Andrea Antall, junior and Upperclassman Hall resident, in reference to the night of the fire. “ I didn’t have anything to do. I had full day of classes the next day and I couldn’t really sleep. It was just a real shitty night.”

On the night of the fire, the students were mostly lingering around outside the dorms. Antall said it was about three or four hours before they finally got back to the room. She couldn’t remember if there was an official notice sent out to let them know they could return to their dorms. She just remembers people yelling they can go back inside of the building.

“It was really cold,” said Antall. “We actually went to Freshman Residence Hall because my teammates were living in there. So we stayed with them for a few hours until we were let back in the rooms.”

Antall lives on the fifth floor of Upperclassman Residence Hall. It did not just affect her night, but also her week. Antall was unable to get food from the dining hall due to maintenance from the water damage. She had to find food from other places on campus. Cougar’s Den had extended its hours to assist those inconvenienced by the water damaged dining hall, according to Antall.

According to Kean’s 2017- 2018 Resident Student Handbook under violations two, setting or fueling a fire of any size and/or possession of highly flammable materials inside the residence halls, including gasoline, gas can or container ( whether containing fuel or empty), gas-powered vehicles, kerosene, fireworks, candles or incense, live Christmas trees, neon signs, and string of lights are prohibited.

Those who commit violations for the first time receive a warning. After the second time, they are placed on House probation which can last for up to a year. If they receive another violation, the students residence hall contract is terminated. They will have to vacate after 48 hours, they will no longer be allowed to trespass on to the residence hall and a period of termination is placed. If further University disciplinary action is necessary, a written notification to the Office of Community Standards and Student Contact is sent.

“We also thank our students for their patience while we assessed the damage,” said Rivera. “This incident shows how important it is for students to follow policies that strictly prohibit candles in the residence halls.”