Tag Archives: Night (9pm-5am)

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Minneapolis, MN – Sprinkler system activated for overnight arson fire at Target

Minneapolis police say a burglary suspect confessed to starting a fire inside the Target Express on Lake Street after breaking in to the store early Tuesday morning. 

Police spokesman Officer Garrett Parten says squads were dispatched to the store at 1300 West Lake Street around 3:40 a.m. after reports of a business burglary. Responding officers noticed a damaged door, went into the Target and found a suspect inside. While that man was being booked he reportedly told police he had started a fire inside a garbage can. 

Parten says the fire activated a sprinkler inside the store. 

Fire crews arrived about 5 minutes later, laid down water lines and extinguished what little remained of the fire and subsequent hot spots. The building sprinklers were then shut down. 

At this point there are no reports on the extent of water damage caused by the incident. 

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Kingstree, SC – Sprinkler system activated for plastic fire at warehouse

The Williamsburg County Fire Department responded to a large fire at the Solmax warehouse the morning of Jan. 21.

At 2:19 a.m., the fire department announced units were operating at a commercial fire at the manufacturer’s warehouse just outside of Kingstree. Over 100 large rolls of plastic were burning outside the main storage facility and there were several fires inside the storage facility.

The fires inside the warehouse were largely dosed by the facility’s sprinkler system, according to the fire department.

Fire officials said the outside fire was under control around 2:23 a.m., but they remained on scene to keep the flames down and clean up equipment. Mutual aid was provided by the Kingstree Fire Department and the South Lynches Fire Department.

The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Williamsburg County Sheriff’s Office and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), according to the Williamsburg County Fire Department.

Manufacturing, Other - Manufacturing

Lethbridge, AB, Canada – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire at processing plant

​At approximately 9:25 p.m. Saturday, January 14, five stations responded to 2200 block of 31 Street North after reports of a fire in a commercial processing plant. 

On arrival, crews found staff had exited the building and reported that the fire inside had been extinguished by the sprinkler system and staff. 

Two crews remained on scene to assist with smoke evacuation and sprinkler shut down.

The fire is under investigation and there is no estimate of damage at this time.

Other Business, Place of Worship

Shreveport, LA – Sprinkler system extinguishes arson fire at church

A Shreveport church is speaking out after it was discovered Friday morning that an individual broke in and attempted to set the building on fire.

“I pray for the individual, if he is able to see this, that you would come to know the Love of Jesus,” Pastor James McMenis at Word of God Ministries said.

About 4:30 a.m., a security camera at Word of God Ministries showed footage of a masked male hitting a door of the church with a bat and gaining entrance into the building. Cameras followed the suspect, who proceeded to douse the children’s area with gasoline.

The masked man then lit a fire. The sprinkler system extinguished the fire within a minute.

Shreveport firefighters and police were on the scene within minutes of the incident.

A Word of God Ministries spokesperson said that services will go ahead as scheduled Sunday.

This incident is under investigation.

Other - Retail, Retail

Asheville, NC – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire at shopping center outlet; No injuries reported

Asheville Fire Department had several crews at Asheville Outlets on Wednesday night, Jan. 11, 2023.

About six fire engines could be seen in the shopping center parking lot, where an alarm could be heard and firefighters could be seen heading to the roof.

Asheville Fire Department said the fire happened in a storage room near Restoration Hardware just before 11 p.m.

Officials tell News 13 that the sprinkler system put out the fire and no other businesses were damaged other than possible smoke damage.

No one was injured in the fire.

Residential, Single Family Home

Elkton, MD – Sprinkler system activated for fire inside home; No injuries reported

Investigators are crediting a smoke alarm and a fire sprinkler system for “saving the lives of a family” and for reducing significant property damage after a blaze broke out inside a home near Elkton early Sunday morning, according to the Maryland Office of the State Fire Marshal.

One of the three occupants called 911 shortly after 1 a.m. on Sunday after discovering the fire inside a bedroom at the home in the 200 block of Independence Drive, prompting area volunteer fire companies to respond, fire officials said. A smoke alarm inside that home had sounded an alert, allowing that resident to make the discovery, fire officials added.

“Upon arrival, the fire department determined the fire had been extinguished with one fire sprinkler that had activated,” an MOSFM spokesperson said, naming Singerly Volunteer Fire Company of Elkton as one of the volunteer fire companies that responded.

During their on-scene investigation, MOSFM detectives determined that a “malfunctioning oscillating fan” had triggered the blaze and then listed accidental as the cause of the fire, the spokesperson reported.

No one was injured and damage to the home was “limited to an estimated $10,000,” according to the spokesperson, who commented, “The investigation determined that the activation of only one automatic fire sprinkler prevented the fire from spreading from the bedroom into the remainder of the home.”

The spokesperson further reported that relatives are providing temporary assistance to the residents, whom he identified as one adult and two children, ages 15 and 8.

In the wake of Sunday morning’s house fire, State Fire Marshal Brian S. Geraci issued this statement: “Residential fire sprinklers are proven to save lives, prevent injuries and protect property and valuables. The best home fire safety practice is combining a smoke alarm, an escape plan, and a residential fire sprinkler. Today we saw the effects of this winning combination.”

Under state law, a residential fire sprinkler is required in all new one-family and two-family homes in Maryland, MOSFM officials said. In addition, Maryland law prohibits local governments from “weakening the sprinkler requirement in their jurisdiction’s building codes,” they added.

Office Building, Other Business

Yakima, WA – Sprinkler system activated for fire at office building; No injuries reported

Yakima fire officials say a fire at a North Sixth Street building caused $100,000 damage New Years’ Day.

Crews were called to the Costco Member Services Center in the 1700 block of North Sixth Street at 4:30 a.m. A fire started in a cubicle in the building and spread to a 900-square-foot area, according to a fire department post on social media. The fire also activated multiple sprinkler heads in the building, firefighters said.

Investigators traced the cause of the fire to a malfunctioning power strip.

Nobody was injured in the fire, officials said.

Apartment Building, Residential

Ann Arbor, MI – Sprinkler system activated for fire at apartment complex

Fire crews in Ann Arbor are crediting a sprinkler system preventing a fire from causing significant damage.

According to authorities, the fire happened Saturday night at an apartment complex on Lyndenglen Drive. The Ann Arbor Fire Department said the fire was caused by hot ashes being placed on a wood pile on an outside balcony.

The damage to the apartment complex is estimated to be $5,000. Authorities said without the sprinkler, the fire would have made it into the attic before fire crews arrived.

The Ann Arbor Fire Department said any ash removed from a fireplace should be placed in a steel container with a lid and cooled for at least 24 hours. The container should never be inside, on a wooden porch, deck or balcony and needs to be placed at least 10 feet away from any structure to cool.

Apartment Building, Residential

Exeter, NH – Sprinkler system activated for vehicle fire in parking garage; No injuries reported

A sprinkler system is being credited with stopping the spread of a vehicle fire in the parking garage at the bottom of an Exeter apartment building Sunday morning.

The fire started just before 3 a.m. in Building A on Willey Creek Road inside the Ray Farm community off Route 27 in Exeter, according to Exeter Fire Chief Eric Wilking. Residents of four story building were evacuated for about an hour as firefighters put out the blaze and remained on scene to remove smoke and remove the smell of smoke and gasoline from the garage, stairways and hallways.

“This fire certainly had the potential to spread, but the sprinkler system and quick work of our crews kept it at bay. The incident is a good reminder about the effectiveness of a working sprinkler system,” Fire Chief Eric Wilking said in a statement.

No one was injured in the fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Apartment Building, Residential

Columbus, IN – Fire in apartment complex garage extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Columbus firefighters were sent to Westwood Pines Apartments at 4851 Pine Ridge Drive about a garage fire at 10:52 p.m. Tuesday.

Firefighters arrived on the scene of a three-story apartment complex and found an activated sprinkler head discharging water in a ground-level attached garage, said Capt. Mike Wilson, Columbus Fire Department spokesman.

Firefighters entered the garage and found evidence that a small fire had occurred within the garage. No flames where located during the initial investigation.

During the ongoing investigation, firefighters located several cardboard boxes that presented evidence of fire damage. The boxes contained various new home appliance items and new home décor materials. Firefighters learned that the garage unit was used as a storage and maintenance garage for the apartment complex. Some of the items were damaged as result of the fire, Wilson said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation at this time. Investigators believe that a small fire occurred near the boxed items which lead to an increase in heat within the garage unit. The sprinkler head that activated was located in close proximity to where investigators believe to be the area of origin. Investigators said that the sprinkler system worked as designed and played a significant role in reducing fire extension to the structure as well as limiting property damage. No structural damage resulted from the fire. Damages to the contents of the garage are estimated at $3,000.

No injuries were reported at the scene. Agencies that assisted at the scene include the Columbus Police Department and the Columbus Regional Health Emergency Medical Service. No occupants were displaced as a result of the fire.