Tag Archives: Night (9pm-5am)

Retail, Shopping Mall

Panama City, FL – Sprinklers help contain fire at Best Buy

A fire at Best Buy on 23rd street in Panama City Monday night has damaged the interior of the store.

The first call came in around 10:20 pm about smoke coming out of the building. When Panama City fire crews arrived on scene they saw a “good amount” of smoke and went into attack mode.

After getting inside, crews were able to put out the fire just after 10:45pm.

As of the time of this writing, 11PM, no cause of the fire had been determined, but smoke continues to pour from the building.

An investigator with PCFD is in route. It’s also unknown if the smoke from the blaze has damaged any adjacent businesses.

Investigators with the Panama City Fire Department and State Fire Marshall’s Office say the fire began due to a possible electrical short from a printer and has been ruled accidental.

Two properly working sprinkler heads are being credited with helping contain the fire to a small area. According to PCFD, none of the business next to Best Buy sustained any fire damage.

Apartment Building, Residential High Rise

Westboro, MA – Fire in trash chute of high rise apartment building controlled by sprinkler system; No injuries

Fountainhead Apartments residents who were displaced Friday night after sprinklers were set off by a fire in a trash chute will be allowed back into their units starting Saturday afternoon, according to management.

Danielle DeHart, regional property manager at the Fountainhead Apartments, said most of the displaced residents will be allowed back into their units, starting at 2 p.m. Saturday. “At 2 o’clock, we’ll start letting the building in slowly with the assistance of local police,” Ms. DeHart said.

Ms. DeHart said “well over 200 residents” from about 170 apartments were affected. She said the Fountainhead is asking the tenants of 11 units to allow additional drying time. “We were very fortunate that nobody was hurt and everybody responded very quickly from the management team and also the local police and fire personnel,” Ms. DeHart said. “It was the smoke, of course, that triggered that the sprinkler system. It wasn’t the fire itself.”

Ms. DeHart said the lesson to learn here is to be conscientious about what you throw away. She said estimates on the damages is not available yet.  “Right now, our focus is on the residents and getting everybody where they need to be, certainly, cold January time, so that’s our priority No. 1, and then we’re worry about the building after that.”

Residential, Townhouse / Condominium

Lawrence, NJ – Laundry fire at condominium complex doused by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Police are investigating a fire that broke out early Saturday in the laundry room of a condominium complex, according to the fire department.   Firefighters responded to the complex on Town Court South around 1:30 a.m. Saturday after getting a call about a fire in the laundry room, Lawrence Fire Chief Gary Wasko said.

When they arrived they found that everyone had evacuated the room and that the sprinkler system had extinguished much of the fire. They had the rest of the fire under control almost immediately and worked to deal with the smoke removal for a long time after that, Wasko said.  

The investigation into how the fire started was turned over to Lawrence police, who were not immediately available for contact Saturday evening.

Apartment Building, Residential

Grand Forks, ND – No injuries in New Year’s Eve apartment fire suppressed by sprinkler system

Residents of a Grand Forks apartment complex rang in the new year in the cold because a fire broke out inside a second floor unit on Garden View Drive shortly after 11:00. About two dozen people were inside at the time.  However, people living in the unit where the fire started were not home.

The fire was contained to the single unit, but several other units and the hallway sustained smoke and water damage. Everyone was allowed to return to their apartments last night except for the one where the fire started.

“The fire was pretty much extinguished by the sprinkler system, or at least contained by the sprinkler system, so there would have been minimal fire as I understand it by the fire crews that responded,” Grand Forks Fire Capt. Bob Kramer said. The fire marshall said the fire is accidental because of unattended cooking on the stove.

Residential, Townhouse / Condominium

Winston-Salem, NC – Overnight condominium fire extinguished by sprinkler system; Unattended cooking identified as cause

A stove fire Tuesday displaced five people in three condominium units at Ivy Glen Court in the southwestern part of the city, the Winston-Salem Fire Department said. A water flow alarm was received Tuesday from 333 Ivy Glen Court at about 11:30 p.m. On the way, firefighters learned that a fire on the stove had been extinguished by the sprinkler system.

On arrival, firefighters discovered minor damage amounting to $1,200 to the structure and $600 to contents. The sprinkler system was shut off to prevent further damage. Power to three units affected by the water from the sprinkler was cut off. The fire department said those displaced are staying with friends and relatives.  The cause of the fire was unattended cooking, the fire department said

Hospital/Care Facility, Other - Hospital/Medical

Bend, OR – Sprinklers credited with saving medical radiology business from overnight fire

Bend Fire officials credit the sprinkler system for saving a northeast Bend business. Firefighters responded to an alarm at Central Oregon Radiology Associates (1460 NE Medical Center Dr.) just after 3 a.m., Friday. When crews arrived, they found that a garbage can had caught fire under the overhang of the building and had activated an exterior sprinkler head.

Investigators say the sprinkler activation prevented what could have been a very expensive fire, given the imaging systems inside the business. The cause of the fire is believed to be an improperly disposed of cigarette.

Dep. Fire Marshal Dan Derlacki says sprinkler heads react to heat; units not exposed to heat don’t activate, which allows minimal amounts of water to be applied to a small fire and keep it from growing. This minimal amount of water also prevents extensive water damage. When water started flowing, the alarm company notified 911.

He reminds business and building owners to keep sprinkler systems well maintained, especially during frigid temperatures. He says frozen systems render them inoperative and/or can result in broken pipes. Derlacki says most fire sprinkler systems that do freeze are the result of lack of maintenance

Apartment Building, Residential

Lakewood, NJ – Dryer fire in apartment building extinguished by sprinkler system

A dryer fire and subsequent sprinkler activation in a Lakewood apartment was cause for several families being displaced. At approximately 11 PM, residents woke up to their smoke alarm sounding, and found smoke billowing from their dryer.  The resident immediately called the Fire Department, and then opened the door to the dryer to try grabbing some of burning clothing articles to place them into a bathtub, but burned his hand in the process, officials confirm.

By this time, the apartment’s sprinkler system was activated, and extinguished the fire, but not before soaking the residence, and the apartments beneath, officials say. The fire department arrived, and ventilated the apartment.  The families from at least three apartments were displaced, sources told TLS.  The resident was treated at the scene by Lakewood First Aid.

Ocean County Fire Marshals determined the dryer was caused by being overloaded with clothing, officials say.

Government/Military, Prison / Jail

Mt Vernon, KY – Overnight fire at county jail suppressed by sprinkler system

A fire early Wednesday at the Rockcastle County jail caused 13 inmates and two jail employees to be sent to hospitals with smoke inhalation.  Police and fire officials were called about 3:20 a.m. to the jail, which housed 102 inmates at the time, Kentucky State Trooper Lloyd Cochran said.

Four jail employees were in the building at the time State police suspect arson, Cochran said. The investigation is open, and no arrests have been made. None of the injuries were thought to be life-threatening, and many of those hospitalized have been released, Cochran said. The injured were taken to hospitals in Rockcastle and Laurel counties.

The fire caused heavy smoke and water damage, Cochran said. It could be closed for several weeks.

All of the inmates were transported to the Laurel County Correctional Center, Cochran said. It was unclear whether the prisoners would be able to stay there until repairs are made to the Rockcastle County jail.

 

Jail employees told police that alarm and sprinkler systems worked as they are supposed to, Cochran said. State police will be able to confirm that alarms and sprinklers worked properly after the investigation is completed.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Palm Springs, CA – Sprinkler system successfully activates in hotel fire; No injuries

A hotel fire in Palm Springs caused the sprinklers to go off and evacuated guests about 9:30 p.m. Monday night. It happened at the Extended Stay Hotel on Tahquitz Canyon Way.

Firefighters believe the fire was started by one of the guests but aren’t saying how it started. There are no reports of injuries.  Sixteen guest rooms were affected by water damage.  Fire crews continued to mop-up the mess Monday night.  The hotel is working on finding new places for guests to stay.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Omaha, NE – Sprinkler system puts out overnight fire that started in school art room kiln

No one was injured when a kiln in an art room at Beadle Middle School in southwest Omaha sparked a fire overnight. Authorities said the fire activated the school’s fire alarm and sprinkler system. Officials say the sprinklers put out the fire before firefighters arrived. The fire was confined to the art room and no students were in the school at the time.