College/University (on campus), Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential, Residential High Rise Champaign, IL – Sprinklers control fire in campus high-rise apartment building June 29, 2015 viking210 Nobody was hurt in an apartment fire Sunday night at a campus high-rise. Champaign Fire Marshal John Koller said firefighters were called to a blaze at the Tower at Third, 302 E. John St. at 9:22 p.m. By the time firefighters arrived, the sprinkler system was already controlling the fire, which was limited to a single apartment on the third floor. However, smoke had spread throughout the floor. There was moderate smoke in the apartment and light smoke on the rest of the floor. The residents were evacuated to the lobby on the first floor while firefighters tackled the blaze. A resident of the apartment told firefighters he had had some problems with a refrigerator in the apartment, but it was too soon to determine a cause on Sunday night. Koller said investigators would be looking into the cause late Sunday night and early Monday morning. Koller said the fire was under control by 9:40 p.m.
Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant Chesterfield, VA – Sprinkler limit fire spread after suspicious explosion at hotel June 26, 2015 viking210 Investigators are trying to figure out what caused an explosion at a Chesterfield hotel early Tuesday morning. The call came in around 4:30 a.m. for a fire alarm at the InTown Suites in the 11500-block of Green Spring Road, between Koger Center Blvd and Robious Road. Chesterfield County Fire and EMS tell us they found signs of an explosion, and some residents report the building shook. Most people were asleep when it happened, but not Brendon Chandler. “Just a big explosion and then the window just ended up in the parking lot,” remembers Chandler. He was smoking a cigarette when all of a sudden in the room above his, “The window just shot right out!” And, that’s when guests say chaos erupted. “I just heard the fire alarm go off and I heard a whole bunch of people running outside. The next thing you know, I’m waking up and just everybody’s going outside,” says resident David Rivenbark. Chesterfield Fire says the explosion happened in a room on the third floor. The blown-out window and melted plastic from the fire was evident from the outside. That fire activated the room’s sprinkler system. Some second floor rooms sustained water damage from those sprinklers. A Hazmat team was brought in and tests found no hazardous materials in the room, but investigators are calling the situation “suspicious” and say the room’s occupant was no where to be found. One guest told NBC12, she heard footsteps before the fire alarm went off. “[Someone was] hightailing it down the hall. We’re right in front of the elevator near the stairwell, and I heard the stairwell door fly open and hit the wall,” she says. Now police want to talk to that person. No one was injured by the explosion, but two hotel guests were later taken to the hospital for unrelated injuries. Police and the Fire Marshal’s Office continue to investigate.
Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail Scranton, PA – Supermarket fire contained to storage area by sprinkler system June 26, 2015 viking210 Fire in the Gerrity’s Supermarket on Meadow Avenue in Scranton Monday night has the store closed today. A quick response from the Scranton Fire Department, and the automated sprinkler system are credited with keeping the fire contained to a small storage area. The damage to the building is minor, but the store is shut down as health inspectors look at food stored in the building. The store had from $500 thousand to a million dollars worth of merchandise inside when it broke out. Store officials expect they will have to throw out a lot of fruit, vegetables, baked goods and food from the deli. They are looking to reopen as soon as possible. Scranton Fire officials will search for the cause, but the owners tell Eyewitness News cleaning equipment may have sparked this fire.
Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant Falls Church, VA – Fire at bakery contained with help from sprinkler system June 20, 2015 viking210 The fire happened at Jenin Pastry at 5820 Seminary Road in Falls Church around 9:20 p.m., according to officials. When crews got to the scene fire was coming from the back of the two-story building. Firefighters conducted an aggressive fire attack and were able to put out the fire quickly. The sprinkler system went off, which helped the fire to stay in the kitchen area, Fairfax County officials said. The smoke alarm was also activated. Nobody was injured in the fire. The fire is still under investigation, however has been deemed as accidental. Officials say the hot stove cook top was too close to the shelf and caught on fire.
Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential Redmond, OR – Sprinkler system credited with containing fire at assisted living facility June 18, 2015 viking210 A southwest Redmond assisted living facility was hit by a smoky fire early Tuesday that prompted evacuation of over a dozen residents – but the situation could have been far worse, if not for the building’s fire alarm and sprinkler systems, officials said. Redmond Fire and Rescue was called out around 12:35 a.m. to a reported structure fire at The Heights Assisted Living, at 3000 SW 32nd Street, said Fire Marshal Traci Cooper. Crews arrived to find the first floor of the facility’s southern wing filled with smoke. The building is equipped with a fire alarm system that provided early detection and warning of the blaze, the fire marshal said. A fire sprinkler system activated, containing the fire to a mechanical room. Firefighters quickly finished putting out the blaze while staff and Redmond police officers evacuated the first and second floors of the south wing. Initially, 14 residents were evacuated to a neighboring nursing home, Cooper said. Residents from the second floor were allowed to return, while the seven from the first floor were to remain at the nursing home until repairs are made and resulting hazards are evaluated, Cooper said. There were no reported injuries, she said, thanks to the alarm and sprinkler systems and the quick response from staff and first responders. A damage estimate was being compiled. The fire was found to have been caused by storage of combustible items too close to a natural gas-fired water heater, the fire marshal said, urging everyone to make sure you keep three feet of clearance around heat sources and combustible items. Three engines, a medic and 10 career firefighters were involved in the incident, and Oregon State Police also provided mutual-aid assistance, Cooper said.
Manufacturing, Other - Manufacturing Eau Claire, WI – Firefighters say sprinklers helped reduce damage in uniform company fire June 17, 2015 viking210 Firefighters are crediting sprinklers for reducing the amount of damage caused by an overnight fire at an Eau Claire uniform company. When crews arrived to the 3600 block of White Avenue early Tuesday morning, smoke was pouring from the large commercial building. They responded to Huebsch Linen Services just after 2:00 a.m. The business is off Melby Street, near the airport. According to the fire department, uniforms and rags were burning inside. Firefighters say the sprinkler system kept the fire small. They’re estimating damage at $20,000. Huebsch makes work uniforms, floor matting and facility supplies.
Manufacturing, Other - Manufacturing Shelton, CT – Sprinklers contain arson fire at packaging manufacturer June 14, 2015 viking210 A criminal investigation is under way into a late-night fire at a Shelton company that specializes in corrugated cardboard packaging. An initial investigation “determined [the fire] was incendiary in nature, which means arson,” said Shelton Fire Marshal James Tortora. The arson determination was made with the help of Shelton police detectives, the city Fire Marshal’s Office, the State Police, and the state Fire Marshal’s Office, including the use of a state-provided K-9 dog with specialized training. Shelton Police Det. Christopher Nugent confirmed the fire was being looked into but declined to offer any details about the police investigation or case at this time. “The fire is currently under investigation,” Nugent said. The fire occurred in an office at Honey Cell manufacturing facility at Bridgeport Avenue and Long Hill Cross Road. The plant’s address is 600 Bridgeport Ave., but it is actually accessed from Long Hill Cross Road. Tortora said the fire call came in at about 12:30 a.m. on Tuesday, June 10. Upon arrival, firefighters found a fire in an office at the factory, “but the sprinkler system had it under control and kept it contained to the office,” he said. Firefighters were able to extinguish the remaining fire soon after their arrival, Tortora said. “First arriving units reported light smoke showing from the building,” according to an Echo Hose Fire posting. “A fire was found in one of the offices with the sprinkler system in operation. Based on the company website, Honey Cell is a part of Valley Container. Different divisions of the parent company specialize in different kinds of packaging. Valley Container has a factory and its headquarters in Bridgeport, as well as facilities in Massachusetts and Ohio.
Office Building, Other Business Dayton, OH – Sprinkler system suppresses overnight fire at Standard Register Co. June 11, 2015 viking210 1 Comment Passers-by saw smoke coming from the Standard Register Co. complex on Albany Street and alerted authorities, Dayton District Chief Joe Meyer said.Crews forced their way inside Building No. 2 and found fire on the second floor in a graphic arts storage area where papers, some ink products and other items were burning, he said. The sprinkler system suppressed the fire and did most of the work for fire crews and kept the damage to a minimum, Meyer said. Meyer could not estimate a dollar amount for the damage. He said he doesn’t believe the fire was suspicious, but note that an arson investigator called in would have to determine the official cause of the fire.
Other Business, Place of Worship Murfreesboro, TN – Sprinklers activate and control suspected arson fire at church June 10, 2015 viking210 Two small fires damaged a Murfreesboro church and a beer brewery late Monday night. According to the Murfreesboro Fire and Rescue Department spokeswoman Ashley McDonald, crews responded to a fire alarm call in the 500 block of Old Salem Road around 11:45 p.m. While on their way to the scene personnel learned the burglar alarm was also going off. The front doors of the building were not secure and the sprinkler system had been activated in the front corridor, which is shared by Experience Community Church and Mayday Brewery, according to McDonald. Fire crews found two small fires that had been reportedly set in what appeared to be donation bins in that corridor, and a gas can was nearby. McDonald said an abandoned pick-up truck was found in the parking lot. The doors were unlocked and there were slashes in the back tires. The sprinkler system kept the fire damage to a minimum, however the church did receive water and smoke damage while the brewery appeared to have very minimal water damage, according to the acting shift commander. The Fire Marshal’s Office is now investigating the case. It wasn’t clear if it would be ruled an arson.
Residential, Residential High Rise Ocean City, MD – High-rise condominium fire extinguished by sprinkler system June 9, 2015 viking210 A potential disaster was averted on Sunday evening when a sprinkler quickly extinguished a kitchen fire at a 25th-floor unit in a north-end high-rise condominium. Shortly before 11 p.m. on Sunday, the Ocean City Fire Department responded to a fire alarm activation resulting from a fire in a unit at the Century I condominium building. When firefighters arrived, there was smoke reported from a unit on the 25th floor. The fire department response was quickly upgraded to a structure fire in a high-rise structure. The fire, which originated in the unit’s kitchen, was suppressed by one fire sprinkler upon arrival of the fire department. Firefighters on scene worked immediately to remove smoke throughout the 25th floor. OCFD officials said the fire at the high-rise structure illustrated the importance of working fire sprinkler systems. “Fire sprinklers respond quickly and effectively to fire, often extinguishing the fire before the fire department arrives,” said Ocean City Fire Marshal David Hartley. “This is a perfect example of how an automatic sprinkler reacted quickly, reduced the heat and flames and prevented injuries to those inside the building.” The unit was unoccupied at the time of the fire and no injuries were reported. The fire damage was limited to the unit in which it originated. The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Ocean City Fire Marshal’s Office.
