Tag Archives: Night (9pm-5am)

Residential, Townhouse / Condominium

Park Ridge, IL – Single sprinkler head limits damage to condo; No injuries reported

Installation of sprinkler systems made a significant difference in containing a fire last weekend in a multi-family building at the Park Ridge Pointe subdivision, Park Ridge Fire Chief Jeff Sorensen says.

A fire alarm activated at 1705 Pavilion Way at 11:33 p.m. Friday (Sept. 6) and as Park Ridge firefighters responded, the RED Center was receiving calls of smoke in the ground level parking garage and on the third floor of the building.

One company, checking the garage, found a burning odor and water leaking through the ceiling.

Other companies went to the second floor and entered the residential unit above the garage ceiling leak. Inside there was a burning odor and smoky haze, Sorensen said, but there was no fire there or any active sprinkler heads releasing water.

The unit next door had water, and they found a bathroom fire there had been extinguished.

“The fire sprinkler system had activated (only one sprinkler head) and had prevented the fire from spreading throughout the structure,” Sorensen said. “Most importantly, no residents or fire personnel were injured.

“The successful activation of a fire sprinkler system limited the damage to the structure and its contents,” he added.

“While the fire sprinklers are designed with fire safety in mind, they typically use a fraction of the water that fire hoses do in order to contain a fire, thus protecting property as well. Since 2001, fire sprinklers have been a requirement in all new construction in Park Ridge, including single-family homes,” Sorensen added.

For information on residential fire sprinklers, visit the website www.firesprinklerassoc.org.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Jefferson, OH – Sprinkler system knocks down fire after plant explosion; No injuries reported

No one was injured in Friday night’s Worthington Industries cylinders plant explosion and fire, said Fire Chief Tom Lachey of the Jefferson Fire Department.

Employees evacuated the manufacturing plant, 863 Route 307, when a fire broke out at about 10:10 p.m. on the northwest wall and ceiling of the building.

“We feel (the cause of) it was propane-related in the heating units,” Lachey said. 

Everyone made it out safely, he said.

Area residents heard an explosion followed by sirens, making many wonder what happened.

East Jefferson Street resident Linda Masirovits said she was standing at her kitchen sink at about 10:15 p.m. when she heard a boom.

“It was a really loud, scary, long boom,” she said. “It shook our house and sounded like it was right above the roof.”

Her daughter, Wendy Stainfield, heard and felt the explosion several miles away on Webster Road in Lenox Township, she said.

Investigators believe the fire started in heating units that recirculate air throughout the plant.  

It took Jefferson Fire Department, assisted by Plymouth, Pierpont, Dorset, Austinburg and Ashtabula townships’ fire departments, about 20 minutes to extinguish the blaze. Firefighters stayed on the scene until about 1 a.m., Lachey said.

“The fire was contained; the sprinkler system went off and knocked down a lot of the fire,” he said. 

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Las Vegas, NV – Fire sprinklers put out fire started at hostel by ex-employee; No injuries reported

A man is in jail after he set fire to a hostel in downtown Las Vegas early Thursday morning and then tried to leave town on a bus, according to Las Vegas Fire and Rescue.

Arson investigators say 32-year-old Idriss Cherifi worked at the Hostel Cat at 1236 S. Las Vegas Boulevard and had been fired earlier in the day for allegedly getting into an altercation with guests.

Firefighters responded to the incident shortly before 4 a.m.

Guests told firefighters a person set fire to the room while four people were sleeping in two bunk beds.

Crews say everyone had evacuated the building and nobody was hurt during the incident.

The fire caused $2,000 damage to personal items and mattresses, but the building was not damaged. Crews say the fire sprinkler system had put most of the fire out.

Cherifi was located by authorities at the Greyhound bus depot downtown and arrested for arson. He had just purchased a ticket and was attempting to leave town, authorities say.

Cherifi is being held at Clark County Detention Center on $20,000 bail.

He is scheduled to appear in court on Friday.

Other - School / University, School / University

Flint Twp, MI – Maintenance office fire put out by fire sprinklers

A sprinkler put out a small fire Tuesday night inside the maintenance office at Carman-Ainsworth High School.

Firefighters with the Flint Township Fire Department were called out shortly before 11:45 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 3 to the high school, 1300 N. Linden Road, for a sprinkler activation in the building.

Flint Township Assistant Fire Chief Michael Burkley said the activation alerted the department to a water flow alarm.

Firefighters responding to the high school discovered water flowing out of the building in the loading dock area and some in the hallway.

After forcing entry into the building, Burkley said it was noticed the water was coming from the maintenance office where the sprinkler had been activated upon temperatures reaching 150 degrees.

“The sprinkler system contained the fire,” he said. “We just overhauled, shut the sprinkler system down.”

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but Burkley said there were electronics in the office, and it’s believed something plugged in led to the incident that caused “very little damage.”

Firefighters were on scene for approximately two hours.

Water also made its way into the school’s boiler room, but no damage took place to any equipment in the area.

Burkley said the sprinkler system can generate between 35-50 gallons of water flow a minute.

The Flint Township Police Department also responded to the scene to assist the fire department. The incident remains under investigation.

Classes were in session at the high school as scheduled Wednesday morning.

Carman-Ainsworth Community Schools Superintendent Eddie L. Kindle could not be immediately reached for comment Wednesday morning.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Wilkes-Barre, PA – Sprinkler system keeps kitchen fire under control at Caribbean restaurant

A kitchen fire damaged a Caribbean restaurant in downtown Wilkes-Barre late Saturday night, according to city fire Capt. Robert Smith.

Firefighters responded to an activated fire alarm at Hartman Jerk Center, 72 S. Main St., at about 10:10 p.m. Saturday, according to Smith.

A sprinkler system in the restaurant’s kitchen had mostly extinguished the fire by the time firefighters arrived, Smith said.

The restaurant is closed for now until heat and water damage is cleaned up, according to Smith. He said he did not know how long the restaurant would need to remain closed.

The cause of the fire had not been determined as of Sunday night, but firefighters had no reason to believe it is suspicious, Smith said.

Residential, Townhouse / Condominium

Yuma, AZ – Condominium garage fire kept from spreading by fire sprinkler head; No injuries reported

On Wednesday August 28, 2019, at about 4:50 am, smoke was reported in a garage at a residence in the Eldorado Condominiums, 2239 South 35th Avenue. Yuma Fire Department personnel arrived to find a sprinkler head had activated in the garage and water was flowing. The water flow was stopped and it was found that a fire appeared to have been extinguished. Firefighters confirmed the fire was out and had not spread.

Firefighters located the area in the garage where the fire had originated and found what was left of a radio controlled car. The car was on an office type chair and had been left charging. Damage was limited to the radio controlled car and the chair. The chair had been directly under the sprinkler head and would have activated early in the fire. The homeowner had been home at the time the fire occurred and was able to reoccupy the residence. There were no injuries.

Fire sprinkler systems can keep fires from spreading and can also extinguish them. Fires spread quickly and can double in size every minute. Even small fires can cause significant damage to property and endanger those nearby. Contrary to many Hollywood portrayals, only sprinkler heads directly exposed to the heat activate, not those in the rest of the room, building, or complex. Sprinkler systems save lives and protect property.

Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

Cincinnati, OH – University dorm fire started by battery-operated skateboard kept in check by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Meredith Barckert said she was watching TV with her boyfriend in his fifth-floor dorm room at Calhoun Hall when the fire alarms went off.

“I looked down the hallway and smoke filled up the entire hall,” Barckert, 18, told WCPO. “I said, ‘Let’s get out.’ Everyone ran down the stairs. It was super crowded … Everyone got out, so it wasn’t too intense.”

A malfunction in a battery-operated skateboard caused a fire in a fifth-floor room, forcing hundreds of students to be evacuated from the 12-story University of Cincinnati dorm Tuesday night, officials said.

A student in the room that caught fire and everyone else in the building escaped without injury, according to a release from District Fire Chief Louis Arnold.

“Fortunately the sprinkler system was keeping the fire in check and most of the damage was from the water,” Arnold said.

Damage was estimated at $20,000, he said.

Barckert said the fire occurred a few doors away from her boyfriend’s room. She said a bed caught fire, though officials did not confirm that.

Forty-four firefighters responded to the dorm after the call came in around 10:15 p.m., according to Arnold.

“I think out of every dorm this would be the scariest one to have a fire,” Barckert said, commenting on the number of floors.

Two students were displaced, Arnold said. An announcement on UC’s Public Safety Notifications page said “affected residents will be given alternative housing.”

Barckert and other students waited outside while fire and UC crews cleaned up inside.

“They told us all to go inside the CCM (College-Conservatory of Music) auditorium and stay in there, but some people are finding friends to stay with,” she said.

Apartment Building, Residential

Cohoes, NY – Sprinkler system contains fire on 10th floor of apartment building

A section of the Cayuga Plaza Apartments were evacuated early Tuesday morning after a fire broke out.

Officials say the fire began around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday. The fire department evacuated a wing of the 10th floor, opening a nearby senior center to those who were displaced.

Many returned to their apartments by several hours later. Officials say everyone should be able to return to their apartments by the end of the day, except for those in the unit where the fire broke out. That apartment has smoke and water damage.

The cause of the fire is still unknown, but the apartment supervisor says the sprinkler system did go off. Some of that water has filtered down from the 10th to the first floor, where service crews are working to clean it up.

The Red Cross is at the scene assisting those residents still displaced from their apartments.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Fond du Lac, WI – Fire at local business quickly contained thanks to sprinkler system; No injuries reported

A sprinkler system saved a downtown Fond du Lac business from serious fire damage early this morning. According to a news release from Fond du Lac Fire and Rescue, firefighters were called to the business at 88 South Main Street around 1:30 AM for a report of a sprinkler system being activated. Fire crews found the sprinkler system flowing at one location inside the building – and the fire was quickly contained thanks to the system.

The fire did not extend to other areas of the building, and firefighters began ventilating smoke from the business. The release says the cause of the fire is unknown at this time, and Fond du Lac Police will conduct a follow up and continue the investigation into the cause. No injuries were reported as a result of the fire.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Owensboro, KY – Compressor fire at grocery store contained by fire sprinkler system

A Tuesday morning fire broke out at Price Less Foods on Scherm Road, which caused mostly heavy smoke and water damage.

The fire was reported at 3:19 a.m. by Owensboro police officers responding to a burglary alarm at the store, at 1731 Scherm Road. Steve Leonard, battalion chief for the Owensboro Fire Department, said the fire appears to have started in a compressor in one of the grocery store’s coolers.

The fire is believed to have smoldered for an hour or more before spreading to other coolers and activating four of the store’s sprinkler heads.

The sprinklers contained the fire to the area of the affected coolers. Leonard said falling ceiling tiles activated a motion alarm. When officers arrived, they found smoke and water coming out of the store and called for fire units, Leonard said.

Firefighters were at the store for about two and a half hours, Leonard said. The fire itself did minimal damage, but the building and contents sustained heavy smoke and some water damage, Leonard said.

“Had there not been sprinklers, it would have extended into the attic area,” and become a major fire, Leonard said. The cause of the fire has been ruled accidental.

“The compressor failed for some reason,” Leonard said. The store was closed Tuesday.