Tag Archives: Night (9pm-5am)

Apartment Building, Residential

Yuma, AZ – Apartment fire extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries reported and fire damage limited

The Yuma Fire Department responded to an apartment fire Tuesday morning that was extinguished by a fire sprinkler. YFD said just before 10 a.m. firefighters arrived to find an extinguished fire that started on the stove top due to an unattended pan of oil. YFD said the sprinkler head was shut down by YFD personnel who also confirmed the fire was extinguished and had not spread. Firefighters worked quickly to vent the heat/smoke from the apartment and remove the water that had been released during the activation. Most house fires start in the kitchen and the stove top is the most common place for these fires to start. Due to the sprinkler system quickly extinguishing this fire, the fire damage was limited to soot stains on the wall behind the stove and heat damage to hood above the stove, according to YFD.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Nashua, NH – Factory fire held in check by sprinkler system; Firefighters extinguish blaze

Fire officials credited the sprinkler system in a large Crown Street factory with holding a smoky fire at bay until firefighters were able to get inside and attack the source of the flames late Saturday night. Capt. Karl Gerhard said crews responded shortly after 10 p.m. to Greenerd Press & Machine Co., 41 Crown St., after an activated sprinkler head triggered the building’s fire alarm system. At first, Gerhard said, firefighters found no indication of smoke or fire on three sides of the building. However, upon entering a secured fenced-off portion of the property and checking the fourth side, they cold see heavy smoke inside and water flowing from the sprinkler.

Crews forced their way in, and were met with “a heavy smoke condition” that caused “near-zero visibility,” Gerhard said. Due in large part to the size of the building, Gerhard said officials called for a working-fire response, which brought an additional engine and ladder truck to the scene. Meanwhile, firefighters, operating a hose line, made their way to the fire, which, Gerhard said, was being kept in check by water from the sprinkler.

Crews promptly extinguished the fire, which was declared under control 19 minutes after the first dispatch. Gerhard said crews spent an hour setting up large fans to remove smoke from the building. Nobody was inside at the time of the fire, and no injuries were reported. Gerhard said it appears the fire damage is minor, and that Greenerd employees will be able to conduct business as usual.

He said fire officials, after investigating the scene, ruled the fire accidental. Its likely cause, Gerhard said, was the improper disposal of rags containing chemicals used for staining, which resulted in spontaneous combustion. He pointed out the importance of reading and following manufacturers’ instructions regarding the proper disposal of cleaning rags, and cloths and rags used to apply finishing products.

Restaurant

Cross Plains, WI – Overnight fire at tavern knocked down by sprinkler system

A kitchen fire at a Cross Plains tavern has caused it to close Tuesday, according to employees at Coach’s Club Bar and Restaurant. Fire crews were called to the scene on Highway 14 at about 12:45 a.m. Tuesday. Officials said the sprinkler system was able to knock down the flames in the kitchen, but the building suffered smoke and water damage. No word on what caused the fire. An employee at Coach’s told 27 News they plan to have the bar and restaurant open again on Wednesday.

CROSS PLAINS (WKOW) — Crews responded to a fire at a restaurant in Cross Plains early Tuesday morning. The eastbound lane of Highway 14 was blocked while firefighters worked to make sure the flames were out at Coach’s Club Sports Bar and Restaurant. A fire official on the scene told 27 News they were called to the “small kitchen fire” at about 12:45 a.m. They said no one was in the building when it started and the sprinkler system was able to knock down the flames. The scene was cleared at about 2:20 a.m. No word on the extent of damage at this time.

College/University (on campus), Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

New Haven, CT – Overnight fire in university residence hall contained with help from sprinkler system

Two people suffered smoke inhalation after crews responded to a fire at a Southern Connecticut State University residence hall in New Haven early Tuesday morning. The New Haven Fire Department tweeted that at around 2 a.m., fire crews responded to the West Campus Residence Complex at 160 Wintergreen Avenue after a sprinkler head was activated.

Fire officials say that the fire broke out on the second floor and they believe that it started in a trash can. Two people were treated for smoke inhalation but both refused to go to the hospital.

Firefighters were able to contain the fire to one room but students were evacuated from the building. Most of the students have since been allowed back into the dorm. Officials say that the sprinklers going off helped to put out the flames so smoke was more of an issue as it filled up the second floor. The incident remains under investigation.

Apartment Building, Residential

Los Angeles, CA – Fire in suspected illegal drug lab in apartment building is put out by sprinkler system

An explosion inside a Koreatown apartment building prompted the evacuation of the all residents and left one man injured and in custody Tuesday morning. Firefighters responded about 12:30 a.m. to reports of a small explosion inside a building in the 800 block of South Ardmore Street, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The explosion occurred as the suspect was trying to make a type of narcotic and sparked a fire inside the apartment that was extinguished by a fire sprinkler system, NBC4 reported. All residents were evacuated but were later allowed back into their apartments. The man suffered a minor injury to a leg and was later arrested, NBC4 reported. No other injuries were reported. The Los Angeles Fire Department was investigating the cause of the explosion, the LAPD said.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Farmers Branch, TX – (no media) Hotel laundry room fire suppressed by single sprinkler

*** Fire Department Reported — No Media Coverage *** On March 21, 2019, at approximately 11:03 pm, Farmers Branch Fire Department was dispatched to an automatic fire alarm call at 2645 LBJ, Wyndham Garden Dallas North Hotel. Quint 133 arrived on scene and discovered smoke in the laundry room and upgraded the response to a structure fire. After further investigation, the fire was suppressed by an automatic sprinkler system (1 sprinkler head). Fire investigators determined the cause of the fire was spontaneous ignition of cloth rags in a laundry cart located in laundry room. Fire was isolated to the laundry cart and contents, causing no structural damage.

Other / Not Specified

San Mateo, CA – Sprinkler system helps keep arson fire from spreading inside building

San Mateo police are asking for help identifying two people seen in an alley where burning garbage cans threatened a building early Thursday morning. Police and firefighters were sent at 3:23 a.m. to the first block of Second Avenue, near South El Camino Real, and determined that a group of garbage cans were burning next to a building. Officer Michael Haobsh said the building sustained damage when the fire melted a window a bit and set off the building’s sprinkler system. The fires were deemed suspicious and an arson investigation was begun. Police said some businesses are providing surveillance video of the area and anyone else who has video they can provide is asked to get in touch with police right away.

Retail

Fort Lauderdale, FL – Firefighters credit sprinkler system with saving Habitat for Humanity store after late night dumpster fire

Fire investigators are trying to figure out the cause of a fire that nearly destroyed a Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Fort Lauderdale. Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue said the fire started in a dumpster and spread to a City Furniture trailer outside the store near Southwest Fifth Avenue and Broward Boulevard, around 12:12 a.m., Monday. Firefighters said the sprinkler system that was triggered by the fire may have saved the store from any damage.

Surveillance cameras captured a man surveying the area where the fire would later break out before knocking out the security camera, Sunday afternoon. However, officials have not yet confirmed a connection.

“When you have that much fire load, and then you have the flames now coming up the building as well as the smoke and everything else, it’s more than just a dumpster fire. It becomes a commercial structure fire,” said Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue Chief Stephen Gollan. The store almost went up in smoke after the dumpster fire.

“They were smelling a lot of smoke. They had to open all the doors and put big fans to get the smoke out of here,” said manager Pana Geullier.

The store sells used, donated and refurbished furniture to finance charitable projects, such as homes that are built from scratch for people in need.

“My sister is a Habitat homeowner, so I know the feeling. I know what we do,” said Geullier.

Officials said there was no structural damage to the building and that merchandise was not affected.

“Fortunately, this was outside. It was in an overhang area where we had sprinkler heads, so the sprinkler system went off,” said general manager Casey Huber.

Fire investigators will now determine if the fire was an accident or otherwise.

Huber said the fire would have affected more than just one store if someone started it deliberately.

“Really shocked and flabbergasted that somebody would do this, particularly to an organization like ours,” said Huber.

A business across the street from the store said they have surveillance video that showed a man crawling under a dumpster shortly before it erupted in flames.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Palatine, IL – Fire at plating company controlled with help from automatic sprinkler system

An automatic sprinkler helped control a fire that broke out Wednesday night at a manufacturing plant in Palatine, authorities said Thursday. Firefighters were dispatched to the Arlington Plating Co., 600 S. Vermont St., at 10:43 p.m. and upon arrival found smoke from the fire as well as water from an automatic sprinkler that had activated, according to a news release. The fire was declared under control at 11:01 p.m., officials said. Crews stayed on scene into the early morning hours to ventilate the building and perform salvage, overhaul and investigative activities.

One employee suffered non-life-threatening injuries, and was taken to Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights. It was the second fire in less than a week in Palatine that was controlled by an automatic sprinkler, authorities said. A sprinkler was activated in a downtown condominium fire March 14. The fire Wednesday night was contained to the area where it started, though a cost estimate of damages wasn’t available. Authorities said the cause remains under investigation.

Manufacturing, Paper Mill / Saw Mill

Glen Falls, NY – Fire at tissue paper mill contained with help from sprinkler system

Firefighters from several local departments responded to a fire at the Essity Tissue mill in South Glens Falls late Sunday and early Monday, but the mill was up and running as of Monday morning. The fire was initially reported as a fire in a conveyor. No injuries were reported.

No exterior damage was evident from the blaze, which was reported around 10 p.m. Sunday. Firefighters from South Glens Falls, Hudson Falls and West Glens Falls were called to the scene, and remained there until 1 a.m. or so. Calls to the mill and the South Glens Falls Fire Department were not immediately returned Monday morning.

A public relations company emailed a statement later Monday that reported no part of the building was damaged, and the plant’s sprinkler system was triggered by a fire caused by an electrical issue. “No part of the building was damaged. An electrical junction box shorted and the arc caused a fire along the tray just below the roof. The facility was evacuated as a precaution,” plant manager Steve Duell was quoted in the statement as saying. The mill has had a history of small machine fires, with six between 2007 and 2012.