A sprinkler system at an apartment building in the 400 block of Olympian Boulevard “likely saved lives,” a fire department Facebook post said. The sprinkler system prevented a fire in the common room from spreading further.
The fire started at around 11:20 p.m. on Tuesday. A couch in the common area caught fire from the careless use of smoking materials, but the fire was extinguished by the sprinkler system, with the blaze causing approximately $7,000 in damages, the department said
Bend Fire & Rescue crews were dispatched around 4 a.m. to the report of a possible structure fire at Broken Top Bottle Shop & Ale Café on NW Pence Avenue, Battalion Chief Trish Connolly reported.
Crews arriving on scene saw smoke in the building, forced entry into the business and found a small sprinkler-controlled fire in the dining area, Connolly said.
The sprinkler system also set off all alarms in the building, alerting occupants in the apartments above the business, who evacuated with the help of police as fire crews arrived on scene. They were able to return to their apartments within an hour, Connolly said.
Fire crews made sure the fire was out and ventilated the businesses to reduce smoke damage, Connolly said.
The sprinkler system put out the fire, which began in the dining room from kitchen rags placed on a table, in laundry bags. Connolly said the fire was caused by spontaneous combustion from laundered rags which still had kitchen oils on them and were not separated after being dried.
Because the linen rags were in laundry bags and were not separated, the heat from the rags rose high enough to ignite the bags of linen.
Connolly said it’s more likely to occur in restaurants, spas and businesses where linens are used to clean up combustible substances, such as oils.
“Laundering does not get out all the residual oil, especially when the rags are used over and over with oil substances, so the residual oil builds up over time,” Connolly said.
Suggested laundry safety guidelines say separating rags after being laundered is important to avoid such fires.
Damage was estimated at $5,000 to the restaurant and $2,500 to the contents.
Fire damage to the building was minimal due to the quick dousing of the fire by the sprinkler system. On average, Connolly said, fires are controlled by activation of one or two sprinkler heads, which not only put out the fire but keep water damage to a minimum.
A fire at a construction business in Warrenville has been ruled accidental, authorities said Monday.
The fire began about 10:30 p.m. Friday on the 30W200 block of Butterfield Road, when firefighters were alerted that something was wrong by an automatic alarm, Warrenville Fire Protection District Assistant Chief Andy Dina said in a news release.
The first crews made it to the scene six minutes after the alarm, then called in extra forces, Dina said.
Once a structure fire response team assembled, including personnel from the Warrenville fire district, West Chicago Fire Protection District, Wheaton Fire Department, Winfield Fire Protection District and Warrenville Police Department, crews brought a hose inside to extinguish the fire.
Dina said an automatic fire sprinkler system kept the blaze in check until firefighters arrived. He said crews put out the fire quickly, then ventilated the building and checked to ensure the flames hadn’t spread to adjoining units. No one was injured.
Investigators on Monday wrapped up their interviews and their probe into the cause of the fire, determining it was accidental, Dina said.
Crews were called to the 600 block of Franklin Street about 8:30 p.m. for a report of a fire alarm sounding from an apartment in a three-story building, the Mountain View Fire Department said in a news release. A smoldering box was found on top of the kitchen range.
The fire department said the blaze had been suppressed by the building’s sprinkler system.
Crews turned off the sprinkler system and made sure the fire was fully extinguished, the fire department said. No injuries were reported.
The fire department said a total of three residents from the apartment and one below it were displaced by the fire. Damage to then contents and structure was estimated at $50,000.
The precise cause of the fire is under investigation.
Crews responded to a fire alarm that activated overnight at Fallston Middle School.
At just after 4:15 a.m. on Thursday, crews from the Fallston Volunteer Fire and Ambulance Company were dispatched to the school, which is located at 2303 Carrs Mill Road, for an automatic fire alarm activation.
Upon entering the area indicated on the alarm panel, firefighters found a single automatic sprinkler had activated and there was light smoke in the room, which was a staff lounge area that also contained IT servers.
An electric floor fan had been placed in the room to maintain air flow to assist in cooling the room. The fan malfunctioned and ignited directly below a sprinkler head, which activated extinguishing the fire and activating the fire alarm, thereby limiting the damage to the school building.
The fire was extinguished and the scene was cleared by 5:30 a.m.
No injuries were reported.
A fire has damaged a strip mall in the Airways industrial area in northeast Calgary.
Fire crews were called to the area on 30 Ave. NE around 4:20 Monday morning.
When they arrived, crews found broken glass from windows that were shattered along with water flowing from sprinklers.
A small fire was eventually found and confined to the rear of the strip mall.
Damage to nearby shops was minor and mainly resulting from water and smoke.
Right now, there are no reports of any injuries.
Calgary police say fire investigators are now trying to determine the cause of the blaze.
Firefighter say a curling iron caused a fire and evacuation of an apartment complex near Downtown.
The fire started around 2:30 a.m. at The Baldwin at St. Paul Square on Center Street near Chestnut Street.
Firefighters say the fire was caused by a curling iron left too close to rolls of toilet paper. The smoke alarms alerted everyone to the fire and the building was evacuated.
The fire was contained to the one apartment and was put out by the building’s sprinkler system.
Estimated damages are $10,000 due to the smoke, water and fire damage.
All residents were able to return to their apartments except the unit with the fire.
The fire broke out at 175 Sample Flats Road just before 9:30 p.m.
The first units from Corry arrived to find light smoke pouring from the eaves of the sprawling two story metal structure.
The business is a lumber manufacturing facility, and a sawmill. It had been Thompson’s Maple Products. Information now shows it as Larix Inc.
The fire chief on the scene said the blaze began in a break room.
Firefighters were concerned about sawdust spreading the fire. They said a sprinkler system made a big difference.
At the height of the fire 40 firefighters were on the scene.
The volunteers of the Jasper Fire Department were dispatched to that location shortly before midnight when it was reported that smoke was coming from an apartment.
Firemen arrived to find that the apartment’s automatic fire sprinkler had already extinguished the blaze, which apparently began on a stove in the kitchen.
Firemen said no one was home when the fire broke out.
When firefighters arrived at the Walgreens at 2615 Burnsed Blvd. near the Sumter County Service Center in Wildwood, they discovered a small electrical fire that had triggered some of the sprinklers inside the store. The staff had evacuated into the parking lot and firefighters completed a thorough search and inspection of the building.
An employee said the store had remained open Wednesday after the incident was over and was able to reopen Thursday with normal business hours.
