The Willmar Fire Department was assisted by Willmar Police Department, CentraCare EMS- Willmar, CentraCare Security and staff.
Tag Archives: Night (9pm-5am)
Smyrna, DE – Laundry room fire contained by sprinkler system; No injuries reported
On March 4, 2026, shortly before 11:30 PM the Citizens Hose Company of Smyrna along with mutual aid fire companies were dispatched to the unit block of Malvern Lane, Sunnyside Village Apartments, in Smyrna for a reported multifamily dwelling fire. Fire fighters arrived to find a fire in the second-floor laundry room.
Investigators from the Delaware State Fire Marshal’s Office responded to the scene to investigate the origin and cause of the fire. Investigators determined that the fire originated within an operating clothes dryer, causing the contents to ignite. The building’s fire alarm and fire suppression system both activated. The fire was contained to the laundry room by a single sprinkler head until the fire department arrived and fully extinguished the remaining fire.
No injuries were reported and damage is estimated at $5000. The residents are being assisted by the American Red Cross.
St. Paul, AB, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for fire at school
On Feb. 25, St. Paul Education confirmed a fire had taken place at the Grade 6-9 school in St. Paul the night prior, mostly affecting the music room and cafeteria area.
“Cleanup is underway, and the school remains open. A few areas have been temporarily closed while restoration work is completed, and some classes were relocated,” says Bridget Severin, counselling and communications coordinator with St. Paul Education.
“We are grateful that our safety systems functioned exactly as intended, and we sincerely thank the École Racette School staff and division maintenance team for their quick response in addressing the aftermath. Their quick, coordinated efforts helped mitigate the damage and will support timely remediation,” explains Severin.
She noted that the cause of the fire is currently under investigation.
A letter was sent out by the school division to parents on Wednesday, notifying them of the fire.
The letter states, “The building’s sprinkler system was immediately activated, and the fire was quickly extinguished. The building was unoccupied at the time.”
The letter adds, “While the fire was contained, the activation of the sprinklers resulted in a buildup of water, primarily localized in the music room and cafeteria areas.” The school division’s maintenance team was on-site Wednesday, removing the excess water and beginning the clean-up process.
Music and physical education classes were being relocated until work has been complete.
Peoria, IL – Fire at McDonald’s held in check by sprinkler system; No injuries reported
Peoria firefighters were called around 10:20 p.m. Sunday to the fast food restaurant at 10701 N. Knoxville, finding a deep fryer fire being kept in check by the sprinkler system.
Firefighters turned off gas, electrical and the sprinklers before extinguishing the remaining fire with a fire extinguisher. The fire department said employees unsuccessfully attempted to extinguish the fire with towels before firefighters arrived.
The fire was contained to the fryer and surrounding vent system.
There was smoke damage throughout the kitchen and water damage throughout the restaurant.
The restaurant was open at the time of the fire. No injuries were reported.
The fire was brought under control within 10 minutes of firefighters arriving. They stayed on scene for around an hour to make sure the fire was out and to ventilate the building.
The McDonald’s will be closed until repairs are complete and the health department inspects the building.
Damage is estimated at $10,000. The cause of the fire was overheated grease in a deep fryer.
Holland, MI – Two separate fires contained by sprinkler systems; No injuries reported
The first fire was reported just before midnight on Feb. 8 at the Resthaven Farmstead, a senior living community in Holland. Crews were initially notified of a waterflow alarm, which was upgraded to a structure fire. Firefighters arrived to find that a bag of linens had caught fire in a kitchen storage area. The fire marshal’s investigation determined the cause was spontaneous combustion of products within the linens. The building’s sprinkler system had already extinguished the fire before crews arrived.
The second fire happened on the morning of Feb. 10 at the Hope College DeWitt Student and Cultural Center, located at 141 East 12th Street. At 7:02 a.m., Holland firefighters and police were dispatched following a waterflow alarm. Hope Campus Safety had been investigating the alarm and discovered smoke in the basement. When firefighters arrived at 7:08 a.m., they found that a fire had occurred in a basement office. The Holland Fire Marshal determined the fire likely started near a desktop light. Again, the building’s suppression system had done its job before firefighters got there.
No injuries were reported at either scene, and the Hope College fire had minimal impact on classes and normal building operations, the department said.
The Holland Fire Department credited proper maintenance of the sprinkler systems for the outcomes at both buildings and is urging all building owners with sprinkler systems and fire alarms to keep them maintained and functioning as designed.
The Holland Township Fire Department, Holland Police Department, and American Medical Response provided assistance at both fires.
Franklin, TN – Sprinkler system activated for fire at multi-level parking structure; No injuries reported
On Friday night, crews with the Franklin Fire Department were called to the McEwen Northside Apartments at 4015 Aspen Grove Drive just before 11 p.m.
While crews were en route, 911 callers reported smoke and a vehicle on fire on the third level of the parking garage.
When crews arrived, firefighters found a 2015 Honda Odyssey van on fire. The building’s automatic sprinkler system activated and helped contain the fire preventing extension to other vehicles, the parking structure and the nearby apartment building, according to the Franklin Fire Department.
No injuries were reported and the parking structure and apartment building sustained no damage. Officials said the cause of the fire is undetermined.
Crystal Lake, IL – Sprinkler system held fire in check at residential complex; No injuries reported
Battalion Chief Brian Tamason of the Crystal Lake Fire Rescue Department said firefighters were called to a 6-unit complex on Ambassador Circle for an activated fire alarm at 1:17 a.m. Thursday.
Upon arrival, fire crews rapidly identified the activated fire alarm in building 406 and observed smoke showing from an east-side garage door.
Building 406 is a large two-story multifamily residence where units are side-by-side.
Battalion 3 established command and upgraded the response to a working fire while fire crews quickly located a small fire in a garage, Tamason said.
Fire crews noted the small fire was being held in check by an operating residential sprinkler system, which prevented further fire growth and extension.
Fire crews quickly extinguished the fire, Tamason said, reporting the fire was out at 1:36 a.m.
Smoke, fire, and water damage were isolated to the single two-car garage, Tamason said. The estimated loss to the property is $5,000.
No civilian or firefighter injuries were reported.
Tamason said all residential units at this location remain habitable and no residents were displaced because of the blaze.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Tamason said the fire serves as a powerful example of the life-saving importance of fire sprinkler systems.
Nationally, fire sprinklers are estimated to control or extinguish approximately 52,800 fires each year, he said, Tamason said.
In this incident, the fire was held in check by the building’s sprinkler system, resulting in minimal damage and no civilian injuries.
Because the fire was contained, Tamason said the resident was able to safely return home without being displaced.
Area fire departments, including Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Fire Protection District, Cary Fire Protection District, Huntley Fire Protection District, McHenry Township Fire Protection District, Nunda Rural Fire Protection District, and Wauconda Fire District, were dispatched to the scene to assist.
Carpentersville Fire Department and the Woodstock Fire and Rescue Districts worked to handle change of quarters duties for the Crystal Lake Fire Rescue Department.
Levittown, PA – Sprinkler system contains warehouse fire
Firefighters were dispatched to a business in the 5000 block of Bristol-Emilie Road shortly after 2 a.m. for a water flow alarm activation, according to Levittown Fire Company No. 2.
Crews used a key from a Knox box to enter the unoccupied industrial building.
Once inside the building, they encountered heavy smoke and an active sprinkler system that had successfully contained a blaze involving two pallets of wood pallets, the fire company said.
Bristol Township Fire Marshal Kevin Dippolito said an investigation determined the wood had been slowly burning for some time.
According to Dippolito, the wood caught fire after being placed in a kiln. Company staff pulled out the wood, didn’t see any signs of fire, and left the facility around 1 a.m.
The wood ignited after the staff left and led to the fire call, Dippolito said.
Firefighters extinguished the remaining hot spots and ventilated the warehouse.
Levittown Fire Company No. 2 was assisted at the scene by the Edgely and Third District fire companies.
Caribou, ME – Sprinkler system activated for fire at apartment complex
Initial crews arrived to find smoke conditions in one wing of the building and an activated sprinkler head. A partial evacuation was already underway, and firefighters immediately completed evacuation of the remaining residents. The fire was determined to be out prior to fire department arrival due to the sprinkler activation and the quick actions of a resident who used a fire extinguisher. The source of the fire was identified as a malfunctioned battery powered string lights device, located in a decorative item in the hallway.
A total of 36 residents were displaced from their apartments. The Caribou Fire Department says the area of origin sustained extensive water damage as a result of the sprinkler activation. RSU 39 provided a heated school bus for affected residents to remain warm during below-zero temperatures until fire department operations were completed.
The Caribou Fire Department says properly working smoke detectors and sprinkler systems played a critical role in preventing the fire from spreading beyond its area of origin.
Assistance was provided by the Caribou Police Department, the Caribou School Department and the Presque Isle Fire Department for providing station coverage during the incident.
Harrisonburg, VA – Sprinkler system activated for fire at Walmart; No injuries reported
According to a release, Harrisonburg firefighters were called to the Walmart on Burgess Road at approximately 4 AM with what was initially dispatched as an automatic fire alarm. The incident was upgraded by the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Emergency Communications Center when they received a 9-1-1 call from the store reporting a fire in the warehouse area.
Upon arrival, firefighters confirmed the presence of a fire and an activated sprinkler system actively containing the fire. A second-alarm assignment was requested, bringing a total of approximately 40 firefighters to the scene. The fire was contained within 15 minutes and completely extinguished within 30 minutes. Personnel remained on location for an extended period of time clearing smoke from the 207,000-square-foot facility.
The cause of the fire has been determined to be accidental as a result of button-cell (or coin-cell) lithium-ion batteries that ignited inside combustible packaging within a heavy-duty wire framed storage unit.
“The presence of a properly functioning fire sprinkler system contained what could have otherwise been a catastrophic fire,” HFD Fire Chief Matthew Tobia said. “Lithium-Ion batteries, even properly stored, have the potential to fail, causing a fire. As we are seeing globally, these batteries are posing new challenges for firefighters in an ever-evolving technologically driven marketplace. Firefighters did an outstanding job of completing extinguishment, preventing further damage.”
The building was evacuated prior to the arrival of firefighters, and there were no injuries to employees, community members or responders. A damage estimate has not been set while clean-up and recovery efforts are underway. HFD was assisted at the scene by units from Rockingham County Fire Rescue, Harrisonburg Rescue Squad, Harrisonburg Police Department and the Merck facility (located in Elkton).
The majority of fire department personnel cleared the scene by 7:30 AM, and the last fire department unit left the scene at approximately 8:45 AM.