Tag Archives: Night (9pm-5am)

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Montreal, QC, Canada – Arson fire at restaurant extinguished by sprinkler system

The Queue de Cheval steakhouse was the scene of an arson attack Wednesday morning.  Shortly after 4:00 a.m. someone tossed what is believed to be a Molotov cocktail into the entryway, smashing through a front door window.

Firefighters said the sprinkler system quickly took care of the fire. Most of the damage was caused by water.  The Montreal police arson squad has taken over the investigation. The street remained open to traffic throughout the morning.

The Queue de Cheval is located at 1181 de la Montagne St. near René-Lévesque Blvd.

Apartment Building, Residential High Rise

Orange, CA – Overnight high-rise apartment fire suppressed by sprinklers; potential disaster averted

(Blog Note: Please let us know what you think of this journalist’s focus on water damage rather than the lives and property saved by the sprinkler system in this overnight, high-rise fire).   Orange police and fire officials responded around 12:15 a.m. to reports of a structure fire at the Community Garden Towers in the 4000 block of West Garden Grove Boulevard, and found smoke coming from the fourth floor, officials said.

Authorities found a mattress on fire on the floor and the flames activated the sprinkler system in the building. Authorities said the building was evacuated and electricity may have been briefly turned off, but residents were able to re-enter the building shortly after the fire was extinguished.

Orange police initially detained a man who lives in the unit where the fire started on suspicion that he may have intentionally started it, Deputy Fire Marshal Casey Fieldhouse said.

But he was later released and not arrested, police Sgt. Phil McMullin.  Three people were displaced due to the damage and were assisted by local Red Cross officials. Authorities did not initially release the cause of the fire or damage estimates.

Other - Retail, Retail

Bixby, OK – Sprinklers contain fire at bicycle shop after truck crashes into building

Bixby crews were on the scene of a fire at Bixby Bicycles after a pickup truck crashed inside around 5 a.m. Saturday.  The deputy chief with Bixby fire told said the businesses at The Market Place Center were without water until just before 10 Saturday morning.

Crews blocked off the rear exit of Bixby Bicycles where the pickup truck crashed through the building near 111th and Memorial.   The deputy chief said that it was the sprinkler system that kept the fire from spreading to the other units.

The crash didn’t cause any structural damage to the strip mall.  The bicycle shop was supposed to open at 10 this morning, but the owner says they’re still open for business.  He says they have a warehouse on the other side of their bicycle shop that they can operate out of.  Police are searching for the driver who crashed into the building.

Other - Storage / Warehouse, Other Business

Pottstown, PA – Sprinkler system activates to help save auto restoration business from overnight fire

Seven fire companies responded to an early-morning alarm at the Eastwood Co. warehouse on Robinson Street Thursday for a blaze at the auto restoration supplier.  Pottstown Fire Chief Richard Lengel said the alarm sounded at 4:52 a.m. when the sprinkler system at the business  tripped.

The fire was caused by a malfunction in the conveyer system, although it’s not exactly clear how that happened, Lengel said. All four of Pottstown’s fire companies — Goodwill, Empire, North End and the Phillies — responded to the scene as did Sanatoga, West End and Limerick fire companies from neighboring communities, Lengel said.

New Hanover and Ringing Hill were on call while the fire was being fought. The fire itself was “not very big, it was under control by 5:21 a.m.,” Lengel said.  The primary problem for firefighters was finding the flames.  “The sprinkler did its job, so the place was filled with smoke and we had a hell of a time finding the actual fire,” Lengel said. 

Because of all the automotive restoration products in the building, and the chemicals they contain, Lengel said the firefighters used air masks for the first hour as a precaution.  Estimating the damage is difficult, Lengel said, because he does not know the value of the conveyer system, “which may be computerized, I couldn’t be sure” and because of the amount of water damage done to very specialized automotive products.

 “But without the sprinklers, we wouldn’t have a building, and we would still be there now, and tomorrow and maybe the next day,” Lengel told The Mercury Thursday evening. “I’m serious, that’s a high-rack warehouse in there and who knows how long some of that stuff might have burned.” 

Eastwood Co., a supplier of auto restoration materials started out in Philadelphia in 1978 and has since made its headquarters just off Shoemaker Road in Pottstown. 

Other - Retail, Retail

Portsmouth, NH – Sprinkler system limits damage in overnight fire at auto body shop

A radio likely sparked an early morning fire at an auto body shop that would have caused about $100,000 in damage, if not for a working sprinkler system, said Fire Chief Steve Achilles.  Firefighters responded to the Portsmouth Autobody Center at 4:36 a.m. Wednesday when an alarm sounded from the 700 Peverly Hill Road business, said the fire chief. When they arrived, it took firefighters about 15 minutes to locate the fire because it was in back of the main building, inside a separate 200-foot by 120-foot metal building, Achilles said.

Firefighters had to force their way into the locked and smoke-filled building and one firefighter injured his hand while making entry, according to Achilles. He was treated at Portsmouth Regional Hospital and released, the chief said.  Once inside, firefighters “used a line to knock down the remaining fire,” said Achilles. An investigation concluded with a theory that a radio, or a wire to a radio, started the fire inside a storage cabinet, Achilles said. No vehicles or people were in the building at the time, he said.

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Charlottetown, PE, Canada – Sprinkler system contains storage fire at building supplies business

A fire at the Kent Buildings Supplies in Charlottetown last night was the result of halogen bulbs overheating from the emergency lighting, said Charlottetown fire inspector Winston Bryan after the investigation was concluded this morning.

The Charlottetown Fire Department responded to the call at 10:50 p.m. yesterday to the building on 65 Marsh Rd.  Pallets of inventory and cardboard were ignited from the emergency lighting, which was powered by halogen bulbs.

The halogen bulbs produced enough heat to cause ignition of a box, which then spread to other boxes on the shelving unit.

The fire was contained in the warehouse area and shelving units, said Bryan.  What contained the fire was the sprinkler system, said Bryan.

All clear was given at around 2 a.m. today with no injuries sustained Though this doesn’t happen often, it tends to happen more so in warehouses with the stacking of goods up against lights.

“Over time they will ignite,” said Bryan.

It boils down to training within the businesses to install lighting at proper heights.  “Take it into consideration what you are actually storing in your warehouse… should be designed around that.”

“The sprinkler system basically contained the fire to one particular area of the building,” he said. “So having your sprinkler system maintained and inspected on a year to year base, as per code, assisted in the suppression of the fire.”

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Huntington, WV – Sprinkler extinguishes overnight fire at Aldi grocery store

A sprinkler system likely saved a Huntington grocery store from sustaining more serious damage early morning Monday. Cabell County 911 received word of the fire at 4:39 a.m. at Aldi, a discount grocery store in the 400 block of Adams of Huntington. No injuries were reported.

Huntington Deputy Fire Chief Brian Grieco said crews believe boxes stacked against a light might have contributed to the small fire. A sprinkler activated and quickly extinguished the flames in a rear storage area.

Firefighters worked to clear smoke before leaving the store. Grieco said store officials were working with its alarm provider and another company to recharge the system and clean the store.

Residential, Sorority / Fraternity

Salt Lake City, UT – Suspected arson fire at University of Utah fraternity is contained by sprinkler system

Fires at two fraternity houses at University of Utah are being investigated as arson, Salt Lake City Fire officials said Friday morning.  At about 4:13 a.m., fire crews arrived on scene at the Pi Kappa Alpha house, 1431 E. 100 South, to find a fire on the third floor.

Firefighters extinguished the blaze and kept it contained to one area of the house, which caused damage in the game room, according to a press release from SLC Fire.  Just 18 minutes later, SLC Fire crews responded to the Beta Theta Pi house, 70 S. Wolcott St., on a report of a fire in the basement laundry room.

When firefighters arrived, they found the sprinkler system had kept the small fire under control, the release indicated. Crews then quickly extinguished the remaining flames. Officials say the fires are likely connected. Both fires are currently under investigation. No injuries were reported at either incident.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential High Rise

Pikeville, KY – Fire at residential high-rise for elderly and disabled extinguished by sprinkler system

A sprinkler system quickly extinguished a fire at the Myers Towers apartments on the 700 block of Hambley Boulevard.  The fire started sometime around 1:30 a.m. Friday on the 9th floor of the apartment building.  When the Pikeville Fire Department arrived, they found a small fire in one of the apartments but the sprinkler system had knocked it down.

PFD and Pikeville Police evacuated the apartment building, which houses the elderly and disabled in 200 units, while crews searched for the fire.  There were no injuries and the cause of the fire is under investigation

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Goodyear, AZ – Fire at Walgreens store put out by single sprinkler

Officials believe a photocopier is to blame for the fire that started at a Walgreens in Goodyear Wednesday morning, according to the Goodyear Fire Department.  Crews were dispatched to a fire at a Walgreens on Indian School and Litchfield roads at about 3:55 a.m. Wednesday, officials say. Firefighters originally reported smoke coming from an office in the back of the store, but a single sprinkler head from the automatic fire sprinkler system managed to put the fire out.

The fire did not extend to any part of the store and was under control by 4:09 a.m., according to officials.  Three employees and three customers were in the store when the fire broke out, but self evacuated after the building’s fire alarm warned them, according to Goodyear firefighters.

No one was hurt. Firefighters believe the fire originated from a photocopier in the office, but investigators are continuing the investigation at this time. Twenty-eight fire personnel responded to the incident, and crews remained on scene for about an hour to help with water and smoke removal, according to officials. It was not immediately clear when the store would reopen.