Tag Archives: New York

Apartment Building, Residential

Schenectady, NY – Sprinklers activate; help contain overnight apartment fire

The fire, which broke out around 1 a.m. Saturday at 799 Albany St., left the 48-unit apartment building temporarily closed to about 25 tenants, according to the Red Cross.  Deputy Fire Chief Michael O’Clair said the hallway sprinkler system kicked on.   The fire damage was limited and confined to one apartment building.  

Residents were able to enter the building Saturday afternoon to retrieve some belongings, but the building is not expected to be habitable until Tuesday.  The cause of the fire had not been determined later Saturday.

Apartment Building, Residential

Syracuse, NY – Sprinkler system helps contain off-campus apartment fire at Syracuse University

A camp stove fire in an apartment on the corner of Euclid and Livingston avenues set off the sprinkler system in the apartment Sunday night. 

A senior in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications who asked not to be identified by name said he was experimenting with a new camp stove in preparation for a camping trip during Spring Break when the flame of the stove escalated beyond its intended height, setting off the sprinkler system. The fire, located in an apartment building at 320 Euclid Ave., was reported just after 9 p.m. Sunday night. The Syracuse Fire Department left the scene just before 9:50 p.m.

The student, who lives on the third floor of the apartment building, said nothing was burnt. He said that when he saw the flame rise, he went to the bathroom sink and extinguished the flame, but the sprinkler system went off.

Syracuse Fire Department District Chief Robert Whitehead said the sprinkler system did exactly what it was supposed to. There was still water in some light fixtures and some electricity was shut off in the building, but that “everything was handled,” he said.

A National Grid van came to the scene around 9:30 p.m. and remained at the scene past 10 p.m.  Chelcie Pellegrino, a senior communication and rhetorical studies major who lives in the apartment building, said she was inside when the fire started, but said she did not hear an alarm. Pellegrino said she heard fire trucks come to the scene and heard people running up the stairs of the building. She added that if she was not able to stay in her apartment tonight, she had friends who lived on Livingston.

Apartment Building, Residential

Brunswick, NY – Overnight apartment fire contained to one unit by sprinkler system

The fire started around 2 a.m. Monday morning at the enclave at Duncan Meadows Apartments. The fire chief tells NEWS10ABC the buildings sprinkler system contained the fire to one unit. Officials say no one was hurt and residents were allowed to return after crews finished their investigations.  Some residents to wait in their cars while the building was evacuated.

Government Office, Government/Military

Riverhead, NY – Sprinkler system activates; Helps control fire in records storage room

Riverhead firefighters found paper records burning in a second-floor records storage room at the county center when they responded to an automatic alarm this afternoon just before 1 o’clock.

There was a heavy smoke condition on the second floor when the first fire chief arrived. He immediately called for the department to respond to a working structure fire.  The fire activated the sprinkler system in that area of the building.

The chief called for the county fire marshal to respond and investigate. Firefighters quickly put the fire out. No one was injured in the incident.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Amherst, NY – Sprinkler system quickly contains Christmas night fire at nursing home

Three people are recovering Friday morning after a small fire at a nursing home in Amherst Thursday night.  Catholic Health officials said an overheated motor on an electric wheelchair sparked a small fire.Fire crews arrived at Saint Francis nursing home in Amherst around 9 p.m. Thursday.  They said smoke started pouring from a wheelchair in a vacant room.  The sprinkler system kicked in, and the fire was quickly contained. Neighboring fire companies were called to help move the patients.  Medical personnel checked out 45 people. Two patients and one worker were taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation. “Most of the residents were not affected by the smoke, but the ones in that area were moved to another part of the building,” JoAnn Cavanaugh, Catholic Health Director of Public Relations. “We have other empty beds in the facility that they will spend the night until we can clear out the rooms from the water and the smoke.”

Other Business

New York City, NY – Sprinkler system helps control fire at American Museum of Natural History

The blaze started when maintenance workers were using a blow torch to repair an AC unit on the outside of the building’s first floor around 3:30 p.m.  One of the unit’s filters caught fire, sending clouds of thick, black smoke circulating into the hall of Northwest Coast Indians, the FDNY said.

Several artifacts at the American Museum of Natural History suffered minor damage when a fire on the outside of the building sent smoke circulating inside, activating the emergency sprinkler system, officials said.

Schiralli said three or four thousand people self evacuated from the Museum while firefighters went to work extinguishing the blaze.

The extent of the damage to the artifacts was not immediately clear but museum staff insisted the they would be open for business as usual on Saturday.

 

 

Retail, Shopping Mall

Riverhead, NY – Sprinkler activates to help control fire at Tanger Outlet Mall

A fire broke out at Tanger Outlets on Sunday afternoon, prompting the evacuation of a handful of stores at the crowded shopping mall.

Riverhead firefighters responded to the alarm at about 2:40 p.m. and quickly contained and stopped the fire in the back room of the Charlotte Russe store in Tanger 2.  The fire triggered the store’s sprinkler system.

The Riverhead fire marshal was called to investigate the origin and cause of the fire. The investigation is ongoing at this time.

College/University (on campus), School / University

Albany, NY – Fire sprinkler activates to control fire at University of Albany

Husted Hall on the University at Albany’s downtown campus, was closed through Wednesday evening after a small fire at about 1:30 p.m., according to an advisory sent to students.

University police said a chair Room B-008 was found on fire but no other damage was reported. At 4:40 p.m., another chair in the same room was set on fire, causing the building’s sprinkler systems to activate, according to the advisory.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Fire at coffee shop doused by sprinklers, store expected to re-open tomorrow (Rochester, NY)

Firefighters were called to Spot Coffee, at the intersection of East Avenue and Matthews Street, around 10:15 p.m. At the scene, crews found some boxes in a storeroom had caught fire, but the sprinkler system had knocked down the flames. Workers, customers and some residents evacuated the building. No one was injured and the restaurant should be able to re-open tomorrow.