Tag Archives: Night (9pm-5am)

Manufacturing, Other - Manufacturing

Waco, TX – Packaging plant fire held in check by fire sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Waco fire investigators estimate $1,000,000 damage to contents of a packaging plant facility in an early Monday morning fire.

Fire units were dispatched to the Sunoco Packaging plant at 6501 Texas Central Parkway at 1:49 a.m. after someone in the plant pulled a manual alarm.

Occupants of the building were evacuated as the fire was observed in one of the processing machines.

All employees were accounted for and there were no injuries.

The automatic sprinkler system in the plant did operate.

The report indicated the 100,000 square feet of open space and 25-foot ceilings made ventilating the building a challenge.

The initial written fire report indicated the cause of the fire appeared to be a leak in piping carrying solvent to the printing machines with the actual ignition of the solvent being either heat from the operating equipment or a spark from the associated electronics.

Apartment Building, Residential

Orange, TX – Sprinkler system activation controls apartment fire

Firefighters in Orange say a group of Samaritans forced entry into an apartment Sunday to extinguish a fire.

Orange Fire Department was dispatched to a fire at approximately 2 a.m. Sunday at the Velma Jeter Apartments, in the 5700 block of Velma Jeter Drive in Orange.

According to residents at the scene, they were awakened by the sounding fire alarm going off from the blaze. 

Several residents noticed the fire in the apartment and quickly grabbed nearby fire extinguishers to extinguish the blaze.  

One man broke the glass to retrieve an extinguisher stored in the complex’s sidewalk, kicked in the apartment door and extinguished the fire. The man had to be treated on the scene by fire responders due to smoke inhalations after he collapsed from going inside the burning unit. 

He did not require transport to a hospital.

When firefighters arrived, the fire was mostly out with heavy smoke coming from the unit. They did spend some time verifying the fire was out and that the damage was limited to the single unit.

The occupant of the apartment was not home at the time, and according to neighbors, the resident was seen moving out earlier in the day.

The fire could have been much worse had the sprinkler system not done its job and the residents had not teamed up and worked together according to firefighters.

Nine portable fire extinguishers were used by the neighbors before the fire department arrived.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the City of Orange Fire Marshal.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Morris, IL – Fire at Menards contained by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

The Morris Fire Department and several others responded to a fire at Menards in Morris around 4:00 a.m. on Sunday.  

Morris Fire Chief Tracy Steffes said the accidental fire was caused by a malfunctioning deep freeze that caused some racks of dry goods to catch fire.

The sprinkler system was activated containing the blaze until fire personnel could arrive. Steffes said this was an excellent example of where a fire suppression system saved a building from a multi-million dollar loss.

He also said a large amount of man power was needed to place fire attack lines into service due to size of the building. They also used the MABAS Division 10 large ventilation fan to clear smoke from building, which was filled with smoke from floor to ceiling. The fan came from the Lyons Fire Department.

The incident was investigated by the Illinois Fire Marshal’s Office, MABAS Division 15 Arson Investigators, Morris Police and Fire Departments. Estimated damages including loss of revenue due to being closed are at $1 million so far.

No injuries were reported and the business was closed on Sunday.

Apartment Building, Residential

Charlottesville, VA – Sprinkler systems puts out dryer fire, keeps fire from spreading to entire apartment complex

Some people living in an apartment complex near the University of Virginia Corner are without a home after an early morning fire.

Firefighters were called to the 200 block of 14th Street Northwest just after 2 a.m. Tuesday, June 4. When they got on scene, they found a dryer on fire on the fourth floor of the building.

Crews credit the sprinkler system for keeping the fire contained to just the dryer.

“One of the lessons of an incident like this is just how important it is to have a working sprinkler system and alarm system,” Charlottesville Fire Chief Andrew Baxter said. “That sprinkler system saved lives tonight, there’s no question about it.”

No one was inside the apartment at the time of the fire.

Baxter says people living inside two apartments have temporarily been displaced due to smoke and water damage throughout the building.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Valdosta, GA – Sprinkler system extinguishes kitchen fire on fourth floor of hotel

The Valdosta Fire Department responded to an early-morning fire Sunday at a four-story hotel.

Crews arrived to the hotel at 1003 North St. Augustine Street just after 4:30 a.m.

Upon arrival, firefighters found that the sprinkler system on the fourth floor of the building had extinguished the small kitchen fire. The cause of the fire was determined to be unattended cooking.

Fire crews remained on scene to assist water removal personnel.

Apartment Building, Residential

Rexburg, ID – Fire sprinkler controls fire after remote control battery catches on fire; No injuries reported

On Friday around 11 p.m., a fire broke out in the NorthPoint Men’s building.

Witnesses said a remote control car battery ignited in an apartment, prompting residents to call 911. The Madison Fire Department and Rexburg Police Department rushed to the scene.

“My roommate bought a charger for an RC car, and I guess that one of them blew up,” said James Raney, a junior studying communication. “I guess there was a flame in his room. I opened the door and I just saw smoke everywhere.”

Witnesses said flames reached the ceiling.

“The battery caught on fire,” said Logan Wright, a freshman studying mechanical engineering. “We were outside and the water (from the fire sprinkler system) would not stop. I was sitting on the couch and I could hear the thing burning, it sounded like the space shuttle. The flame was up to the ceiling.”

Wright called the 911 to report the fire before evacuating.

“We were dispatched here for smoke in a room,” said Ben Williams, a firefighter for the Madison Fire Department.

Firefighters said they extinguished the fire before it spread. The building was evacuated and no injuries were reported.

Crowds gathered outside questioning why the alarms had gone off. Some guessed it was the result of burnt food, as has happened earlier in the semester.

“This is the third time that this has happened this semester,” claims Jared Davey, a sophomore studying psychology. “The last few time it was because someone actually burned their food and…(had to) air out their apartment.”

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Green Bay, WI – Commercial dryer fire kept in check by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

People inside the Hilton Garden Inn on Lombardi Avenue were briefly evacuated because of a fire inside the hotel early Sunday morning.

Firefighters said it happened around one in the morning and the small fire started inside a commercial dryer.

The Green Bay Metro Fire Department said the fire was kept in check by the activated sprinkler system.

No one was hurt, and people were eventually able to go back inside the hotel.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Ocala, FL – Attic fire at assisted living home extinguished by fire sprinklers

Swift actions by the staff at an Ocala assisted living facility, coupled with fire suppression from a sprinkler system, diffused what could’ve been a tragic situation early Thursday morning.

Ocala Fire Rescue responded at 4:42 a.m. to reports of a commercial structure fire alarm at Ocala Cluster Facility, located in the 3200 block of SE 17 Street. While en route, firefighters were told that residents were being evacuated because light smoke was evident inside the facility, an Ocala Fire Rescue report states.

Upon arrival at the single-story, multi-unit residential structure, fire crews found moderate smoke showing. After making entry into the building, firefighters identified an active sprinkler head in the attic. Pulling ceiling tiles, crews gained access to the sprinkler head and verified the fire had been extinguished, the report says, adding that firefighters also ventilated the building to remove the smoke.

“The urgency with which the facility’s staff evacuated residents was essential to minimizing the effects of this fire call,” Battalion Chief Richie Lietz said. “Thanks to their prompt action, not only were multiple bedridden residents out of harm’s way before our arrival, but they avoided smoke inhalation and trauma from experiencing a fire.”

A building inspector was called to the scene to assess the integrity of the structure. No other injuries were reported. And Marion County Fire Rescue also responded to offer assistance, the report says.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Clovis, CA – Fire at senior living facility extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

A senior living facility was evacuated for the second time this month as a fire broke out in a residential unit Sunday night.

The fire was put out by the sprinkler system at Solstice Senior Living at Fowler and Shaw avenues around 11 p.m.

The second alarm was called because Clovis Fire officials needed additional resources to evacuate residents who may not be able to get out on their own.

There were no injuries reported.

Fire crews are checking units for any water damage from the sprinkler system.

The first fire that officials responded to on May 10 was for a fire that sparked from a blanket set on a heater. No one was injured in that fire.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Nantucket, MA – Landfill fire held in check by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

It took Nantucket firefighters about two and a half hours early Saturday morning to extinguish a blaze that started in a pile of debris in the construction and demolition waste building at the Madaket landfill.

No one was injured and no equipment damaged in the fire, which was reported via alarm at about 4 a.m., fire chief Steve Murphy said.

“The duty crew was already attending to an ambulance call and fire alarm (at the time),” Murphy said. “Deputy chief Robert Bates responded, finding heavy smoke in the C&D building with sprinkler-system activation. After clearing the previous fire alarm the duty crew responded with the engine, as well as off-duty personnel responding from home. Crews extinguished the remaining fire with the help of machinery on site used to pull the pile apart to reach the buried fire.”

Firefighters were on the scene until approximately 6:30 a.m. The fire is believed to be accidental in origin, Murphy said. The three-headed sprinkler system inside the building activated and worked as intended to hold the fire in check until their crew could respond, he added.

“No equipment was damaged and the building appeared to sustain only minor damage,” Murphy said. “We are very grateful the sprinkler system did its job.”

Landfill operations will not be impacted by the fire.