Tag Archives: New York

Apartment Building, Residential

Harris Hill, NY – Sprinkler system assist firefighters in attacking apartment kitchen fire

Harris Hill Volunteer Fire Company responded to a building fire at 4155 Capstone Ct. last Sunday. Shortly after 2 p.m., Harris Hill fire crews arrived on location after Amherst Fire Control, a fire alarm monitoring company, reported a sprinkler activation. Harris Hill Chief Michael Schreiber reported fire in the kitchen area.

Fire crews advanced one hose line to extinguish the flames, while assisting crews from Main-Transit Fire Department, East Amherst Fire Department and Bowmansville Volunteer Fire Association provided standby coverage at the Harris Hill firehouse. The Erie County Sheriff’s Office and Clarence fire inspector are currently investigating the cause of the blaze. Reported damages to the property include $35,000 to the contents and $5,000 to the structure.

Apartment Building, Residential

Clarence, NY – Apartment kitchen fire doused by sprinkler system

A Clarence apartment building sustained about $40,000 in damage from a fire on Sunday afternoon, according to Amherst Fire Control. A fire alarm monitoring company at 2:12 p.m. reported sprinkler activation in the building at 4155 Capstone Circle, located behind The Dome golfing facility on Wehrle Drive. The fire in a kitchen area was contained by the sprinkler system and extinguished by firefighters, according to fire officials. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Manufacturing

Yorkville, NY – Fire at large printing company contained with help from sprinkler system

Firefighters Friday afternoon responded to a compressor unit fire at Vicks Lithograph and Printing on Commercial Drive.  Though there was some water damage to the interior of the building due to the sprinkler system, no injuries were reported by the New York Mills Fire Department.  “It was under control within 20 minutes,” said Mike Edwards, second assistant chief.

Firefighters at 2:45 p.m. were called to 5166 Commercial Drive. Arriving firefighters reported smoke visible. The depth of the snow deterred firefighters initially, but Edwards said everything was plowed out as it should have been. There was visible smoke in the building that would eventually dissipate, he said. However, the situation could have been worse.

“It was a good job by everybody involved,” Edwards said. “Other than the damage, it was a large manufacturing facility that could have been much worse if it wasn’t for the actions of the staff and the sprinkler system.” The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Yorkville Fire Department assisted on scene.

College/University (on campus), Residential, Residential High Rise

Ithaca, NY – Fire on 10th floor of on-campus residential high rise contained by sprinkler system

Firefighters from the Ithaca Fire Department were called to Ithaca College campus for a fire in a dorm room on the 10th floor of the East Tower high-rise. Fire officials credit a working sprinkler and fire alarm system for keeping the fire from spreading from the one dorm room.

Ithaca College Safety Personnel reported heavy smoke in the hallway and a sprinkler activation on the 10th floor at about 9 a.m., according to the Ithaca Fire Department. Students evacuated the building to the Towers parking lot.

Ithaca firefighters arrived and entered the building to search for anyone still inside, while others stretched hose lines to the fire. The fire was quickly knocked down.

No one was injured in the blaze and students were moved into the Towers dinning hall due temperatures in the teens, the fire department said. The fire caused significant damage to the the dorm room, but the fire was contained and did not spread to any other rooms, the department said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation at this time.

“Early notification and quick responses keep these potentially serious events, from turning tragic,” the fire department said on its Facebook page.

Other - Residential, Residential

Saratoga Springs, NY – Fire at multi-family residential structure put out quickly by sprinkler system

Volunteers from the Northeastern New York chapter of the American Red Cross provided shelter assistance, food and clothing for three people who were temporarily displaced by a fire at 170 Lake Ave. in Saratoga Springs. That fire was called in at about 5 p.m. at a multifamily residence, according to Saratoga Springs Assistant Fire Chief Pete Shaw.  “The fire was extremely minor and was a stove-top cooking fire,” he said. “There was no structural damage and barely any discoloration on the wall or ceiling.”  Shaw added that the fire was out quickly because of a sprinkler system in the unit.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Carmel, NY – Fire at multi-story senior living complex held in check by sprinkler system

A rapid response by area firefighters and the installation of sprinklers in a multi-story senior citizens complex in Carmel saved the day Saturday when a fire broke out in a third floor apartment.  Carmel firefighters arrived at the Hillcrest Commons off Route 52 adjacent to the Shop-Rite Plaza around 9 a.m. and found smoke and flames.

Chief Dave DiRienzo sounded a general alarm and requested mutual aid from the Lake Carmel, Brewster and Mahopac Fire Departments as well as the Carmel Volunteer Ambulance Corps and a paramedic from the EM STAR Ambulance Company.

The chief said the fire began when a woman residing in the apartment that caught fire extinguished a cigarette she had been smoking in an outside porch. “The butt was deposited into a wicker bin which went up in flames and ignited the side of the building. Thank God the sprinklers became activated which resulted in the sounding of an alarm.”

The chief said the sprinkler system kept the flames in check until firefighters who arrived attacked the blaze which was quickly extinguished without structural damage to the 30-unit building.

The resident in the apartment suffered smoke inhalation and was treated at the scene by EMS providers. Also assisting were Putnam Assistant Commissioner of Emergency Services Robert Lipton, Putnam Battalion 15 Coordinator Doug Casey, the Putnam Fire Investigation Team and Carmel Police. Fire crews returned to quarters two hours later.

Other Business

Schenectady, NY – Casino kitchen fire contained with help from sprinkler system; Operations resume quickly

Rivers Casino & Resort was evacuated for about an hour Sunday afternoon after a small kitchen fire.  Schenectady fire crews responded about 1:30 p.m. after a cooking fire at Mian restaurant set off the casino’s alarms and sprinkler systems, according to Deputy Fire Chief Don Mareno.  The casino was evacuated and patrons were able to return about 2:25 p.m. “Operations are normal at Rivers Casino today, following a minor kitchen fire that was quickly resolved,” a Rivers spokesman said in an email.

Office Building

New York, NY – High rise fire near Grand Central Station extinguished by sprinkler system

As reported by CBS 2 New York – Crowds gathered to observe firefighters tackle a fire in a high-rise building at 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue. The fire broke out on the mezzanine level of the 31-story Graybar Building next to the Grand Central Terminal at around 9:15 a.m. Wednesday morning. The blaze grew to two alarms, before the sprinkler system extinguished the flames a short time later.

Chief Roger Sackowich said the fire started in an electrical supply room. “All the wiring and boxes and things that were in that room – so you had a very strong, acidy smell due to the PVC coating of the electrical wires. And that — really the smoke was very difficult to breathe,” he said.

Six people were checked out after complaining of breathing problems. Three of them were taken to a hospital. The fire prompted some evacuations of the building and heavy smoke. The fire prompted some evacuations of the building and heavy smoke. “The smoke was thick and it smelled a little, like, electrical, someone mentioned it smelled like it was electrical, it didn’t smell good,” Harry Borque said.

“We left. We had to walk down through the smoke. It was all very orderly, very organized,” said a woman named Beth. “It was thick — you had to walk through thick smoke… I covered my mouth.” Workers were allowed back into their offices after about an hour and a half. Grand Central Terminal was not impacted.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Port Washington, NY – Sprinkler system assists firefighters in extinguishing fire at assisted living facility

A blaring fire alarm on Nov. 13 caused the evacuation of a number of residents from The Amsterdam at Harborside, a retirement community which has approximately 280 residents. According to a statement from Harborside, the alarm, which sounded at the Continuing Care Retirement Community, was activated by smoke in a resident’s apartment.

Harborside said that in addition to the alarm, an internal sprinkler system was activated and the staff responded to the scene, temporarily evacuating residents on two floors of the facility. The statement went on to say that affected residents were taken to an area hospital for evaluation and were subsequently released.

“No one was injured and no one else was taken to the hospital during this incident. As of 7 p.m., Amsterdam at Harborside residents are at dinner and have resumed their normal activities,” the facility said in its statement. “The leadership, staff and residents of the Amsterdam at Harborside are grateful for the rapid and professional response of local first responders.”

But in Harborside’s statement that the Nassau County Fire Marshall is “investigating the cause of the smoke,” Port Washington Fire Department (PWFD) Chief Brain Vogeley feels the retirement community’s officials are not telling the whole truth.

“I understand that the only information that was given to you was from the Amsterdam,” said Vogeley in an emailed statement to the Port Washington News. “We do not understand why they refuse to give the actual truth, but I feel it would be unjust to not give the facts. If you refer to the Facebook page of the Port Washington [Fire Department] you will see the actual account. There was an actual fire on the sixth floor in an apartment. Eleven fire departments along with many other agencies responded to the fire to help the PWFD. The fire was extinguished by fire department personnel while evacuating the entire sixth floor and part of the fifth.

As chief of the PWFD, I feel I would not be doing my job if I did not provide the entire story as these volunteers put their lives on the line to protect this great community and deserve the recognition.”

Following is the Port Washington Fire Department’s full account from Facebook of what occurred at Harborside on Nov. 13:

A fire broke out in a sixth floor apartment at the Amsterdam building at 300 East Overlook.  The Port Washington Fire Department was notified for an automatic waterflow alarm at 4:19 p.m.

Assistant Chief Thomas Golden and Fire Prevention Officer Patrick Saccoccia were the first units on scene. They were met by building maintenance personnel who stated there was smoke condition and possible fire on the sixth floor. Units made their way to the sixth floor and found fire in one apartment. Residents were evacuated from the sixth floor of the complex. The fire was extinguished and one person was transported to a local hospital.

Multiple Port Washington units responded along with mutual aid units from Roslyn Highlands Volunteer Fire Co., Glenwood H and L, E and H, Co., Inc., Manhasset-Lakeville Volunteer Fire Department, Great Neck Vigilant Fire Company, Williston Park Fire Department, Sea Cliff F.D. Engine & Hose Company, Garden City Park Fire Department, Port Washington Police, Nassau County Police, Nassau County Emergency Ambulance Bureau and Nassau County OEM responded to the scene. Mutual aid from Plandome Fire Department, Albertson Fire Company, New Hyde Park Fire Department and East Norwich Fire Department covered the district during the fire and responded to two calls.

The fire is currently under the investigation by the Nassau County Fire Marshals office. All operations were under the direction of Bryan Vogeley, chief of the Port Washington Fire Department.

Office Building, Other Business

East Northport, NY – Office building fire caused by oil soaked rags contained with help from sprinkler system

Firefighters responded to a fire alarm that went off in an office building that was undergoing renovations last Wednesday morning in East Northport. East Northport firefighters responded to Larkfield Plaza, located on the 200-block of Larkfield Road, for the report of smoke coming from a business that led to fire sprinkler activation at 7 a.m. Upon fire crew arrival, the fire had been extinguished by the fire sprinkler system. The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Town of Huntington Fire Marshall’s Office. Fire officials, however, believe the fire started in a plastic container filled with rags soaked in wood staining chemicals that had been used during the renovations. No injuries were reported. About 25 fire and EMS personnel responded to the scene with three engines, two ambulances and a paramedic unit. A Tower Ladder from the Northport Volunteer Fire Department was also called to the scene for assistance.