Emergency crews evacuated a Nashville retirement home early Monday after a resident reportedly fell asleep while smoking and caught a chair on fire, a fire spokesman said. Fire crews responded about 1:15 a.m. to Trevecca Towers at 60 Lester Ave. for a report of smoke at the 16-story building, Nashville Fire Department spokesman Brian Haas said.
Arriving crews evacuated the tower and found several pieces of furniture on fire in a room on the second floor, Haas said. The building’s sprinklers put the fire out shortly after crews arrived, Haas said.
“We have a lot of residents whose families are concerned,” said Tyler Jones, the building’s manager. “Thankfully, the sprinkler system worked as designed, so we’re grateful no one was hurt.”
Nearly two dozen residents were displaced, Haas said, but some of them were able to be housed at vacant units in the same building. The American Red Cross was called in to contact families of the other displaced residents to find temporary homes until their units are repaired. The nonprofit agency also provided cots for a few other displaced residents.
Although the facility may also have to put some displaced residents in hotel rooms, Jones said he wants to assure families that the residents will be taken care of.
A fire apparently set on purpose at Carbondale’s Third Street Center early Wednesday may be linked to a fruitless bank break-in that also happened overnight. “The fire was suspicious in origin, and we don’t think it was accidental,” said Rob Goodwin, Carbondale and Rural Fire Protection District deputy chief.
Linda Taylor, executive director of the Center for Independence, based in Grand Junction, said officials told her that the fire at her organization’s Carbondale office was set on purpose.
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation was helping Carbondale fire and police officials with the investigation.
In a twist, Police Chief Gene Schilling said authorities think the fire may be related to a break-in at the ANB Bank at 409 Dolores Way.
Here’s how the night unfolded
Firefighters and police responded at 1:30 a.m. to the Third Street Center, 520 S. Third, to find smoke coming from a window on the east side of the building. Audible alarms and flashing lights were going off, and a neighbor had already extinguished the fire before firefighters arrived.
“It was pretty much out, but the building was full of smoke” when the Fire Department got there, Goodwin said.
A couple hours later, at 3:55 a.m., police responded to an alarm at ANB Bank to find glass broken in both sets of entry doors.
“It appears that a suspect entered the bank but did not take anything,” police said in a statement.
The break-in suspect is described as tall and thin and was wearing black clothing.
At the Third Street Center “there’s more water damage than fire damage,” Goodwin said.
“This fire reinforces the fact that fire sprinkler systems really do work,” he said. “Having a sprinkler system in place prevented the fire from spreading to other parts of the Third Street Center and causing further damage.”
The fire did not spread beyond the center’s office, but it was unknown when the nonprofit will be able to reopen.
No one was injured, and no loss amount had been determined.
Cannon Smoked Saloon caught fire and suffered smoke damage on Labor Day morning. The fire is not suspicious, according to Sunrise Beach Assistant Fire Chief Jeremy Criner.
Cannon Smoked Saloon owner Ron Duggan is already coordinating restoration and hopes the restaurant will be open within three to four weeks. Duggan, while waiting for the official investigation to conclude, is confident a cigarette butt was to blame for the blaze.
“We have cans outside for people to extinguish cigarette butts, but apparently someone used one of our barrel flower pots in front,” Duggan said. The cigarette likely smoldered overnight and caught the front of the building on fire sometime in the early morning.
“The area of the fire origin was in a planter in front of the building,” Asst. Chief Criner said. “But, we have not yet determined the exact ignition source, although we are leaning towards a cigarette butt. We have, however, determined there were no electrical issues in that portion of the outside of the building.”
The Sunrise Beach Fire Protection District received a 911 call from a passerby just after 7 a.m. Firefighters responded immediately bringing the fire under control within 10 minutes.
During the overhaul, firefighters found the fire extended into the attic. “Fortunately for us and the owners, Ron and Nichole Duggan, there were fire sprinklers in the attic that were activated and they put out the attic fire,” Assistant Fire Chief Criner said. “This is a shining example of what a fire suppression system can do as far as the ability to quickly extinguish fire. Had there not been fire sprinklers in the attic, the damage would have been much more extensive. Anytime you have sprinkler system in any building, whether it is residential or commercial, the ability to quickly suppress the fire brings huge benefits for all the occupants that could potentially be harmed.”
Once firefighters determined the fire was extinguished, they shut down the sprinkler system to eliminate further water damage. Most of the fire damage was to the exterior front side of the building and inside the attic. There was also water and smoke damage throughout the building.
This is the second time a restaurant of the same name has caught fire. In 2011, the Duggans lost the first Cannon Smoked Saloon in an accidental fire, along with many family antiques holding significant sentimental and monetary value. The restaurant, then located on Highway F in Sunrise Beach, was a total loss. Cannon Smoked quickly re-opened at the Indian Rock Golf Course while acquiring and remodeling the current building for a permanent home at the intersection of Highway 5 and Lake Road 5-39.
Reporting on lives and property saved by fire sprinklers
