Firefighters stopped what could have been a major fire Saturday, Jan. 9, at DSM Excavating in the 2900 block of Enterprise Avenue. Crews responded at 9:33 p.m., after the building’s fire alarms activated. According to Fire and EMS Director Mike Schutt, smoke was visible on the south side of the building when firefighters arrived and the automatic sprinkler system was already operating. Crews entered the building, which was filled with thick black smoke that allowed zero visibility. Inside, they found a dump truck on fire, which they extinguished.
The dump truck’s engine and cab were totally destroyed, with damage estimated at about $200,000. However, the fire could have been much worse, as there was other heavy equipment parked very close to the engulfed truck. Schutt credited the sprinkler system with saving the rest of the equipment and the building, which would have been a $4 million loss.
“While the firefighters did a fantastic job tonight, much credit goes to the automatic fire sprinkler system and the monitored fire alarm system,” Schutt wrote in an email the night of the fire. “As the fire grew in size, the automatic fire sprinkler system activated, keeping the fire contained to the dump truck and not allowing it to spread. Literally, other dump trucks and heavy equipment were parked within two feet of this fire and had no damage.”
Hastings firefighters were assisted by Hastings police and the Miesville Fire Department. The fire department, which also operates an ambulance service, also responded to two separate medical emergencies and one other fire response for downed electrical lines in Marshan Township while battling the Industrial Park fire. Investigation into the cause of the fire continues this week.
The Prescott Regional Communications Center received multiple notifications of smoke coming from a hotel room and the fire alarm sounding at the La Quinta Inn and Suites Conference Center, 4499 E. Highway 69, at around 10:15 p.m. on Friday Jan. 8, according to a press release from the Prescott Fire Department. It was the second hotel fire in Prescott within two days.
Prescott Fire Department and the Central Yavapai Fire District responded with three truck companies, an engine company, a battalion chief, a division chief, a utility truck and the Prescott Police Department, the release stated.
“Fire personnel made access to the second floor finding a wing that was being remodeled, to find moderate to heavy smoke but no flames,” the release stated. “Upon entering the involved room, they found the fire under control because an automatic fire sprinkler head was flowing water that had extinguished the fire, although there was still electrical arcing taking place in the area.”
Crews assured the fire was fully extinguished by checking wall and ceiling spaces around the fire, the release stated. They remained on the scene for two hours, evacuating water and assisting occupants with retrieving items from six rooms that were deemed unsafe to occupy. The occupants were relocated to another hotel, according to the release.
Investigative efforts determined that a wall heating and cooling unit was involved in the ignition and investigation is currently underway to determine the cause, the release stated. There were no injuries and there is no current estimate for the damage caused
Reporting on lives and property saved by fire sprinklers
