Tag Archives: Night (9pm-5am)

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Washington, DC – Sprinkler system contains fire started in basement of scooter warehouse

The warehouse fire started in a bin full of lithium batteries in the basement on Tuesday night just before midnight, says D.C. Fire spokesperson Vito Maggiolo. Smoke from the fire triggered the basement sprinkler system, which contained the fire to the immediate area and automatically triggered a call to the fire department. The department has ruled it an accidental fire, Maggiolo says.

Skip said in a statement on Twitter that the fire was not a scooter fire, and was not a charging-related fire. “The storage bin contained batteries removed as a result of the proper operation of Skip’s quality control process,” the company wrote. “Our D.C. warehouse team is working with experts to expedite the disposal of used batteries and is fully cooperating in the investigation.”

The latest fire comes after a parked Skip scooter caught fire on a sidewalk in late May. The company suspended operations for a short time after that fire, too, though it said at the time that they had “no reason to believe this affects any other vehicles in our fleet.” Skip reportedly addressed some “risk factors” that made it more likely for a fire like this to happen again, DDOT told the Post, though the agency did not specify what those risk factors were. The company put tamper-resistant battery cages on the scooters. The company found the cause of the fire was likely to be some kind of damage to the scooter, reports the Post.

There have also been additional fires at the Skip warehouse. Maggiolo tells DCist that the department responded to a very similar fire in September 2018, in the same basement storage area. That time, a scooter in charging mode went up in flames and triggered the smoke alarms and the sprinkler system. That fire was also ruled accidental, and “the result of an unspecified electrical event.”

The Washington Post reports that there was yet another warehouse fire in October. DDOT reportedly learned about those additional fires on Wednesday and issued the suspension, according to the outlet.

Read full story https://dcist.com/story/19/06/20/city-suspends-skips-scooter-license-after-warehouse-fire/

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Ocean City, MD – Single fire sprinkler extinguishes fire at hotel restaurant, minimizing fire damage

A properly functioning sprinkler system is being credited this week for saving a restaurant in a beachfront hotel early Tuesday morning.

Around 4 a.m. on Tuesday, the Ocean City Fire Department (OCFD) was dispatched to a fire alarm activation indicating a fire sprinkler waterflow at the Castle in the Sand Hotel. While firefighters were responding to the initial call, a second call came in minutes later from hotel staff advising they had investigated the source of the fire alarm activation and could see fire burning in a restaurant in the basement of the lodging establishment.

When firefighters arrived, they found the alarm system sounding and the hotel occupants evacuating. Hotel staff directed OCFD responders to the basement where they found a single fire sprinkler had discharged and extinguished the fire, limiting damage to a small area in the rear of the restaurant. Ocean City Fire Marshal David Hartley credited the hotel’s working and updated fire suppression system for preventing further damage and potential injury.

“A properly functioning fire sprinkler system saved lives and property at the Caste in the Sand this morning,” he said on Tuesday. “The hotel’s diligence in servicing and maintaining its fire protection systems ensured that everything worked properly, which limited the damage and ensured the safe evacuation of hotel occupants.”

Once the fire was suppressed and safety was ensured, hotel occupants returned to their rooms within about 30 minutes of the initial call. The Beach House restaurant in the Castle in the Sand is expected to return to normal business following a brief cleanup.

Fire Marshal’s Office investigators have ruled the cause of the fire as accidental and attributed it to the spontaneous combustion of laundered, cooking oil-saturated cleaning rags, a scenario deemed fairly common in restaurants.

“This phenomenon is unfortunately a common occurrence in commercial kitchens,” said Hartley. We often see fires that begin due to cleaning towels that have soaked up vegetable-based cooking oils and spontaneously ignite, even after being properly washed and dried.”

As a result, the Ocean City Fire Marshal’s Office is encouraging restaurant employees to minimize the likelihood of a spontaneous ignition incident by ensuring dryer cooling and tumbling cycles are utilized, towels are spread out to minimize pile sizes and also by storing clean and dirty towels in non-combustible hampers or other containers.


Manufacturing, Paper Mill / Saw Mill

Penticton, BC, Canada – Fire caused by forklift contained by fire sprinklers

Penticton fire crews were called to a blaze at Greenwood Forest Products just after 4:30 a.m. on Monday.

Firefighters saw black smoke coming out of the middle and north end of the building when they arrived, fire department Deputy Chief Chris Forrester said.

When crews entered the building, they found one of the forklifts had caught fire, he added.

“When we were setting up to enter the building, there were two very loud pops, and my best guess is that those were the tires exploding on the forklift,” Forrester said.

The sprinkler system had turned on and extinguished most of the blaze, according to Forrester.

Any damage inside the building was likely due to smoke or water damage, not flames, he added.

Other Business

Wheeling, IL – Fire at commercial laundry facility held in check by fire sprinklers; No injuries reported

No injuries were reported in a fire Saturday night at a commercial laundry facility in Wheeling, fire officials said.

Crews responded about 8:30 p.m. to 45 W. Hintz Road for an activated alarm at Crothall Healthcare Laundry Systems, said Battalion Chief Mark Menzel of the Wheeling Fire Department. When they arrived, they found fire inside the business, which was closed and unoccupied.

The blaze was being “held in check” by an automatic sprinkler system, Menzel said. Firefighters finished extinguishing the fire and ventilated smoke from the building.

The cause of the fire was not immediately known. An investigation is ongoing.

Apartment Building, Residential

Brockton, MA – Single sprinkler extinguishes fire at high rise building

A sprinkler system helped avert potential widespread damage Friday night by quickly extinguishing a fire.

Engine 2, Engine 4 and Ladder 2 of the Brockton Fire Department, along with a deputy chief, responded to the Campello High Rise, a Brockton Housing Authority property at 1380 Main St., about 8:57 p.m. The department had received a box alarm for the building.

There was no smoke coming from the building when firefighters arrived, but they quickly learned sprinklers had activated on the second floor. They determined there was a fire in the trash chute.

“Last evening, a fire in a trash chute was extinguished by a sprinkler at a 10-story high rise building,” the Brockton Fire Department wrote in a tweet on Saturday morning.

Apartment Building, Residential

Rochester, MN – Kitchen fire contained to one apartment by fire sprinkler system

The Rochester Fire Department was called to the 1700 block of Quarry Ridge Place Northwest around 11:44 pm. Firefighters say they arrived on scene to find residents evacuating and visual and audible alarms going off. Water was seen flowing from underneath an apartment door and crews forced their way to help a person inside get out of the building.

Firefighters say a small kitchen fire in the apartment had been put out by an activated sprinkler system. Crews shut off the sprinkler, ventilated the apartment, and then used vacuums and squeegees to remove the excess water.

One apartment resident was transported by Mayo Clinic Ambulance for evaluation and treatment. The Rochester Fire Department says the cause of the fire is not know but there was flame damage to the kitchen, water damage to the apartment and adjacent hallway, and smoke damage throughout the apartment.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Manassas, VA – Sprinkler system keeps laundry room fire under control

The first blaze, at Wyndham Garden Hotel on Vandor Lane, started in a laundry room about 12:55 a.m. Firefighters arrived to find smoke spreading through the building, Prince William County fire and rescue said in a news release.

A second alarm was initially requested due to the type of occupancy and smoke conditions. The fire was located and contained to the laundry room located in the hotel’s basement.

The fire had been kept under control by the building’s sprinkler system. Crews further controlled the scene and initiated smoke removal. The hotel was temporarily evacuated during the incident but occupants were allowed to return. Three occupants were evaluated on the scene but did not need to be hospitalized.

Fire damage was limited to the a dryer and was determined to be the cause of the fire as observed by the Fire Marshal’s Office.

Apartment Building, Residential

Venice, FL – Stove fire extinguished by fire sprinkler; No injuries reported

Just before 9 p.m. on Tuesday, June 4, Venice and Sarasota County Fire Departments responded to 221 Harbor Drive for a structure fire.

Upon arrival, firefighters found light gray smoke coming from unit two of the residence.

Crews entered the structure and found a fire sprinkler spraying water onto a stove fire.

Crews extinguished the fire and shut the water to the unit. The Salvation Army was contacted to assist a mother and child with relocation efforts. No injuries were reported.

Other - Residential, Residential

Visalia, CA – Dryer fire at homeless shelter stopped by fire sprinkler activation; No injuries reported

Visalia’s largest homeless shelter had a close call after a industrial-sized dryer caught fire early Tuesday morning, according to Visalia Fire Department.

Thankfully the damage was minimal but Visalia Rescue Mission (VRM) will be in the market for a new dryer and possibly a fresh coat of paint. 

At 1:07 a.m., firefighters responded to a reported fire at the rescue mission, located at 322 Northeast First Avenue. The fire was reported in a laundry room toward the back of the men’s facility.

VRM offers meals and laundry services to many Visalia families and residents. 

When the first crew arrived, they didn’t see smoke coming from the building. Eventually, fire crews found the fire coming from a dryer in the laundry room, according to Battalion Chief Darrin Hughes.

The fire was contained to the laundry room. The fire caused a sprinkler to activate which stop the spread of flames, Hughes said. 

Mission staff and Visalia police helped evacuate those who were in the building. It’s unknown how many people were inside the building when the fire was reported.

No injuries were reported, firefighters said. 

Utilities to the facility were left on so the mission could operate normally, Hughes said.

The cause was “undetermined,” Hughes added. The fire caused more than $5,000 in damage to the dryer. Water damage was minimal. 

The property is worth approximately $350,000.

Finance Director Shon Baldwin encouraged anyone looking to support the mission in light of Tuesday morning’s fire to donate through the nonprofit’s website. 

Apartment Building, Residential

Fort Bend County, TX – (No media coverage) One sprinkler head extinguishes apartment fire; No injuries reported

On June 1, 2019 at approximately 21:18 hours, Investigators from Fort Bend County Fire Marshal’s Office responded to an apartment fire located at 16731 Beechnut St. Houston TX 77083 (Greens at Brentford Apartments). Community Fire Department requested investigators from the Fort Bend County Fire Marshal’s Office respond. Upon arrival, investigators found that a small cooking fire had occurred in an apartment. One sprinkler head activated and extinguished the fire. The affected apartment had minor damage. No damage was reported to any other living units. No injuries were reported.