Tag Archives: Night (9pm-5am)

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Austin, TX – Sprinkler system stops fire outside hotel from entering building; No injuries reported

Austin Fire extinguished the flames at a hotel under construction on South Congress early Sunday morning.

AFD was on scene at 2510 South Congress Avenue at around 3:45 a.m.

Officials say the fire was exterior and that the sprinkler system stopped the flames from entering the building.

AFD says the call first came in as a grass fire but was later upgraded to a structure fire.

Firefighters were able to put out the flames in around five to ten minutes, according to a spokesperson with AFD. No injuries were reported.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation at this time. Investigators believe this fire was likely caused by a cigarette in mulch that extended to the deck and then the building.

Apartment Building, Residential

Burlington, IA – Accidental apartment cooking fire put out by fire sprinklers

The Burlington Fire Department says residents in a nine-story apartment building were evacuated due to a fire on Monday night.

According to a news release, the department responded at approximately 9:08 p.m. to the Burlington Apartments, located at 206 North 3rd Street in Burlington, for an automated sprinkler water flow alarm.

Shortly after receiving the alarm, the fire department says dispatchers with DESCOM started receiving 911 calls of a fire on the fourth floor of the nine-story apartment building.

Firefighters arrived at 9:11 p.m. and found fire alarms activating and the building being evacuated. When firefighters got to the fourth floor, they located one activated sprinkler head in one of the apartment unit kitchens.

An investigation revealed there had been an accidental cooking fire. It was extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system.

The fire department says the overall fire damage was minimal. Firefighters focused on shutting down the sprinkler system and controlling water damage.

The apartment building is owned by Historic Burlington, LLC and is insured. There were five apartments affected with six residents displaced.

The West Burlington Fire Department, Burlington Police Department, Alliant Energy and American Red Cross assisted at the scene.

Apartment Building, Residential

Fargo, ND – Apartment sprinkler system extinguishes fire

At 12:06 a.m. Sunday morning, Fargo firefighters were called to a report of a structure fire at 414 11th St N.  Upon arrival, firefighters found an apartment unit filled with smoke.  The building’s fire sprinkler system had activated and extinguished the fire.  The apartment’s occupant had safely evacuated before the fire department’s arrival.

The fire was contained to a mattress and bed coverings.  The sprinkler system prevented the fire from spreading to any other parts of the apartment unit or building.  Water from the extinguishment did effect several other units in the building.  The cause of the fire is still under investigation.  An initial damage estimate is not known at this time.

Government/Military, Prison / Jail

Sioux Falls, SD – Fire inside state penitentiary carpentry shop put out by fire sprinklers; No injuries reported

A portion of the South Dakota State penitentiary was damaged by a fire Friday night.

Authorities were called to the carpentry shop in the penitentiary at 10 p.m. after prison staff noticed the fire on security cameras, according to scanner traffic. 

Staff responding to the fire encountered smoke, and the fire department was called, according to a release from the Department of Corrections.

The Sioux Falls Fire Department and a sprinkler system extinguished the blaze by 10:45 p.m., the release said. No staff or inmates were in the shop at the time of the fire and there were no injuries. 

The carpentry shop suffered fire and smoke damage, but the amount of damage hasn’t been determined, the release stated.

The carpentry shop is part of Pheasantland Industries, which provides work opportunities and job skills for state prison inmates and makes road signs, customized wooden furniture and printed products.  

Adult Care/Rehab Center, Hospital/Care Facility

Rockland, ME – Fire sprinkler controls dryer fire at assisted living facility

Rockland’s fire chief said a fire that broke out Monday night at the Woodlands Memory Care facility shows the importance of a sprinkler and alarm system.

The fire at the Camden Street facility was one of two fire calls within five hours of each other early Sept. 29.

The first was at Woodlands, reported to the department at 1:21 a.m.

The caller reported a fire in one of the commercial dryers. Upon arrival, there was smoke coming from the laundry area in the rear of the building. The initial crew was able to rapidly determine the issue was contained to the laundry area and that the smoke and fire was not extending into the occupied portion of the facility, Chief Chris Whytock said.

The Woodlands staff moved all residents to their “shelter in place” areas.

The crew then made entry to the laundry and found a small fire in one of the gas-fired commercial dryers, which was being contained by the building sprinkler system. The fire was quickly extinguished and the sprinkler was shut down after determining the fire had not spread from the dryer. The smoke was then cleared from the affected portion of the building and all mutual aid units were sent back to their towns.

Rockland crews remained on scene for a short time removing water from the laundry room and restoring the building alarms systems.

The fire was determined to have been caused by oily cooking towels being in the dryer after washing had not removed all the oil

The chief said the on duty staff at the Woodlands did an excellent job rapidly notifying the fire department and moving their residents to pre-established safety areas.

The sprinkler system contained the fire to the dryer utilizing just one sprinkler head. This coupled with the fire alarm system releasing self-closing doors kept multiple barriers between the smoky fire area and the occupied section of the building just down the hall. Due to the staff, sprinklers, and alarm system no residents were displaced and the incident was concluded in less than one hour.

School / University

Oxnard, CA – Fire sprinklers keep fire from spreading in school district storage building

Early Saturday morning, Oxnard City Fire extinguished a fire that flared up inside a storage building belonging to the Oxnard School District.

Firefighters responded to a two-story building on the 1000 block of South A Street around 4:25 a.m. The building was found to be used for storage and the archiving of school property.

Upon arriving, firefighters forced the first-floor door open and found the area to be filled with smoke. They used heat imaging cameras to locate the sources of the fire and extinguish them. Fortunately, City Fire reported, the building’s sprinkler system had activated which helped keep the fire from spreading through the rest of the building.

Once the fire was out around 4:51 a.m., crews determined that only supplies had burned rather than the building itself.

Investigators discovered that a window had been broken out on the first floor and one person was seen leaving the area around the time of the fire.

While it is unclear if this is an arsonist situation, police are looking for the subject for questioning on how the fire may have started.

Crews will continue working on water and smoke damage inside the building until it is fully functional.Ventura County

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Sault Ste Marie, ON, Canada – Hotel sprinkler system helps control fire

Shortly after 1 a.m., Sault Fire Services responded to a small fire at the Days Inn Hotel on Bay Street in the city’s downtown.

The fire was contained to an area with the assistance of the fire department and the building’s sprinkler system.

Damage is unknown at this time, there were several individuals outside the building after evacuation.

Sault Online/ONNtv will update the story if more information becomes available. Stay with ONNtv for all your breaking news updates.

Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

Glassboro, NJ – Fire sprinklers contain dorm fire after hoverboard catches fire

Rowan’s Emergency Medical Services and the Glassboro Fire Department responded to a reported fire at Holly Pointe Commons on Wednesday, Sept. 9, and transported one person for injuries due to the incident, according to Vernon Howery, the chief of Rowan University EMS.

According to Michael Kantner, the assistant vice president of public safety and office of emergency management, the fire occurred early in the morning around 1-2 a.m.

Vice President for University Relations Joe Cardona said the fire source was a hoverboard (self-balancing scooter). The Glassboro Fire Marshal’s Office is currently investigating the situation, as they do for every alarm; however, they wouldn’t comment on the definitive reason for the hoverboard’s fire. 

“[The hoverboard] is the crux of their investigation. They are looking at all avenues, and there haven’t been any determinations yet,” Kantner said.

Hoverboards are no stranger to fire departments around the United States. Since 2015, there have been many incidents involving their combustion. They are prohibited on school property by Rowan’s Housing Policy regarding engines. The United States International Trade Commission also prohibits them.

According to the Federal Register, in 2016 the International Trade Commission issued a ban on various hoverboard manufacturers due to patent claims made by Segway Inc. Many of the manufacturers listed are internationally based in countries that lack strict regulations on their products’ safety.

Purdue University’s school newspaper, The Exponent, documented a similar hoverboard fire on Sept. 14, 2020 inside one of their dorms Shreve Hall. Both Rowan and Purdue’s incidents occurred early in the morning. 

The sprinkler system in Holly Pointe caused water damage to the surrounding areas in the first floor B-pod. 

“Thank goodness for the sprinkler system, that fire was basically knocked down by the time the fire department showed up,” Kantner said. “They did sustain some water damage in the hallway of B-pod and in rooms adjacent to the incident location.” 

Currently there are no reports on the number of students and dorms affected by water damage. Rowan EMS reported only one individual requiring medical attention due to the fire, and their condition is unknown.

An update will be available at thewhitonline.com when and if appropriate.

Apartment Building, Residential

Boise, ID – Sprinkler system puts out apartment fire after firework is lit inside apartment

One person was injured and a Boise apartment was damaged by people playing with fireworks early Friday morning, according to investigators.

Just after 1:30 a.m., officers responded to an apartment fire on the 1000 block to West Royal Boulevard to assist the Boise Fire Department with their investigation.  

When they arrived, a fire in a second floor apartment had already filled the building with smoke and forced residents to evacuate for about an hour.

According to a preliminary investigation, three men were playing a game when they lit a firework inside the apartment. That activated the sprinkler system which put out the fire before it could spread. However, the apartment did sustain fire and water damage.

Police say the men could face first-degree arson charges. The case has been forwarded to the Ada County Prosecutor’s Office for review.

Boise Police and Boise Fire would like to remind the public of the dangers and criminal charges that can result from playing with or misusing fireworks.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Camden, NY – Fire at assisted living facility contained to one bedroom thanks to fire sprinklers; No injuries reported

Thirty-three residents were displaced from Valehaven Community Residence, an assisted living facility, on Main Street after a fire and subsequent smoke and water damage — severely damaged the facility Friday night.

Camden Fire Department received a call for 128 Main St. at about 9:30 p.m.

On arrival, Camden Chief Brian Christmas said there was a working fire visible from a second-story bedroom of the three-story structure. Christmas said initial reports indicated that there were two people missing from the second floor, but they were later located and brought to safety.

Florence, McConnellsville, and Taberg volunteer fire companies responded with mutual aid at 9:38 p.m., with North Bay coming to the scene approximately four minutes later. Camden Ambulance remained on stand-by.

The chief said between 45-50 firefighters total battled the blaze through an interior attack, which took about 45 minutes before it was deemed under control.

“There was a sprinkler system that had activated, which really helped the firefighting efforts,” Christmas said.

State Emergency Medical Services and the county fire coordinator also assisted at the scene, the chief said.

No injuries were reported.

“There was a lot of water damage” as well as smoke damage throughout the building, Christmas said, which led to the displacement of the residents. “Fire damage was contained to the one bedroom, but there was quite a bit of damage there.”

Cause of the blaze remains under investigation.

The chief said the American Red Cross responded to assist and set up temporary cots for the displaced residents at a neighboring church in the village.