Tag Archives: Night (9pm-5am)

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McKinney, TX – (no media coverage) Structure fire kept in check by sprinkler system

*** No Media Coverage – Fire Department Reported *** The McKinney Fire Department received a report of a structure fire at approximately 10 p.m., on Friday, Feb. 22 at Wonderland Montessori, 3132 Hudson Crossing. A person passing by the building called 9-1-1 after hearing the alarm and seeing the flashing strobe lights. When firefighters got inside, they found that two fire sprinkler heads kept the flames from spreading. There was minor damage to a cabinet area. An investigation is underway into why the system did not notify the alarm company. The alarm company would then have called 911.

“This is exactly how fire sprinklers are supposed to work,” said McKinney Fire Marshal Mike Smith. “In this incident, the building was empty and the fire would have gotten much further if the sprinklers hadn’t kicked in.”

Fact: Fire sprinklers are activated by heat, so only the sprinklers closest to the flames will be activated. This limits water damage to the rest of the structure.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Waterloo, IL – Sprinkler system quickly knocks down fire at senior living community

The Waterloo Fire Department and Waterloo Police Department responded shortly after 9:20 p.m. Wednesday to a small fire at the Garden Place senior living community, 735 Columbia Avenue.

No injuries were reported in the incident, and fire officials praised an in-house sprinkler system for quickly knocking down the blaze.

Waterloo Fire Chief Aaron Shive said the fire was contained to one room of an assisted living apartment and was caused by an electric malfunction on a wall heating unit.

Other than the heating unit itself, there was no other fire damage, Shive said. There was water damage and small smoke damage as a result of the fire.

“The sprinkler system really did its job,” Shive said. “It sprayed so heavy that the fire was knocked down before it could spread anywhere.”

College/University (on campus), School / University

Madison, WI – Overnight fire at University of Wisconsin extinguished by sprinkler system

A fire in a room at Chamberlin Hall on the UW-Madison campus was extinguished by an automatic fire sprinkler Wednesday night, with nobody getting hurt in the fire. The fire was reported at 11:05 p.m. in the building at 1150 University Avenue that houses the Physics Department. People evacuating the building told arriving firefighters from Engine Co. 4 they could smell something like smoke.

“Firefighters made their way through the building to investigate the problem,” said Madison Fire Department spokeswoman Cynthia Schuster. “They found water on an upper-level floor and the smell of smoke became much more apparent.“

With the sound of an activated fire sprinkler being heard coming from a locked room, a full structure fire response was called for, with Ladder Co. 1, Engine Co. 1, Command Car 31 and other central city units responding. “Crews returned to the room in question and unlocked the door,” Schuster said. “That’s where they found evidence that a fire had taken place almost directly underneath an automatic fire sprinkler.“

The fire was extinguished by the sprinkler and smoke had dissipated. “The room was unoccupied at the time of the fire,” Schuster said. “The cause is under investigation.” Damage was confined to the point of origin and didn’t spread to other rooms.

Residential, Residential High Rise

Austin, TX – Kitchen fire at off-campus high rise apartment extinguished by sprinkler system

A stove fire that broke out Saturday night in a West Campus high-rise apartment building displaced six residents from two units, Austin fire officials said. Firefighters responded around 11 p.m. to a fire on the 15th floor at 1909 Rio Grande St.. They said the sprinkler system extinguished the fire, so crews helped mitigate smoke and water. The fire started after a tenant left a stove-top burner on, which ignited combustibles on the stove, according to fire officials. The displaced residents plan to stay with friends, officials said. No injuries were reported.

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

Normal, AL – Sprinkler system activates in overnight fire at university housing complex; No injuries reported

Note: On January 19, 2000, a fire in a dormitory at Seton Hall University tragically took the lives of three students and injured many more.  The residence hall did not have a sprinkler system.

The Foster Complex at Alabama A&M University has been reopened after a fire that started in a single room at 11:50 p.m. Monday. According to the university’s director of housing, Karla Miller, the fire activated sprinklers.

Jerome Saintjones with the university says the fire was caused by an electrical outlet, and the major factor impacting the need to temporarily reassign rooms was the triggering of the sprinkler system. He says the first and second floors of the women’s side of the structure were especially affected by this. University officials say they are using an incremental move-in approach, and the students who were reassigned after the fire have been notified of the move-in schedule. Students have been scheduled to return to the building by Friday, February 22, or have been reassigned to other residence halls. Male students have been allowed to return to the Foster Complex, and times were scheduled for all female students to pick up personal items. Female students who live on the first and second floors have been advised by the university to pack enough items for the rest of the week, during which they will remain displaced. Female students on the third, fourth and fifth floors will be able to return to the building on Wednesday. Officials say the university has and will continue to provide toiletries, blankets and hygiene items to the students that were displaced, and these are available at the 500-bed, five-story Foster Complex.

Hospital/Care Facility, Hospital/Medical Clinic

Canton, OH – Sprinkler system extinguished fire at hospital; No injuries reported

Canton Firefighters were called about 11 p.m. Wednesday to Aultman Hospital’s Bedford Building in response to a fire.

Jason Clevenger of corporate communications at Aultman said the fire occurred on the first floor in the office area.

Clevenger said no patients or staff members were injured.

The hospital issued the following statement Thursday:

“Around 11 p.m. last night, the fire alarm system was activated by a fire in a first floor Bedford building office area. The sprinkler system activated, extinguishing the fire, and the Canton Fire Department quickly arrived at the scene. No patients or staff were injured, and no services were affected.”

Adult Care/Rehab Center, Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Davenport, IA – Overnight fire at memory care center put out by sprinkler system

A fire was sparked inside a resident’s room at the Country Manor Memory Care in Davenport on West 46th Street. It happened around 12:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 14, Fire Chief Paul Hartman said. The fire was contained and put out quickly by the building’s sprinkler system. Everyone in the building is safe. It’s unclear what started the fire.

Residential, Residential High Rise

Tysons, VA – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire in 19-story high-rise building; No injuries reported

There was a fire earlier this week at the 8200 block of Crestwood Heights Drive in Tysons, but even before Fairfax Fire & Rescue arrived it was doused by the building’s sprinkler system.

The fire started just after midnight in an upper-floor apartment of a 19-story high-rise building. There were no injuries and $200 in damages.

Bill Delaney, a public affairs officer for Fairfax County Fire and Rescue, said fires being taken out by sprinklers before firefighters arrive is uncommon, given that sprinklers are only typical in newer high rise buildings.

“Sprinklers are mostly located in high-rise buildings, condos, apartments,” said Delaney. “Also a variety of commercial type buildings and businesses. Older types of those buildings do not have fire sprinklers as it was not a requirement at the time they were built.”

Delaney said the fire was caused by improperly discarded smoking materials. Delaney noted that this was the sixth fire in 2019 caused by discarded cigarettes or other smoking devices. One last week caused significant damage to a home after cigarettes were thrown into the trash.

Fairfax County Fire and Rescue offered a few suggestions for safely disposing of cigarettes.

Food Processing, Manufacturing

Beloit, WI – Cooker fire at Kettle Foods contained by sprinkler system

A cooker fire was reported early this morning at Kettle Foods in the 3100 block of Kettle Way, and no injuries were reported, according to the Beloit Fire Department.

The fire was reported shortly after 3 a.m. and all employees were evacuated prior to the department arriving on scene. Crews observed light smoking from the smoke stacks, and the fire was contained to the cooking area. A sprinkler system was activated and helped contain the small blaze.

A damage estimate wasn’t available as of press time, but the department said it’s expected to “be a significant dollar amount due to the piece of equipment” that caught fire, according to a department Facebook post.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. Employees returned to work at around 6 a.m.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Quincy, IL – Electrical fire maintained by sprinkler system until fire crews arrived

Tri-Township fire crews responded to a fire alarm on 1400 North 30th Thursday night.

Officials say they saw smoke coming from inside the building and arrived on scene at about 10:30 pm.

Fire lieutenant Andrew Wittler says an electrical conduit sparked the fire, which triggered the building’s sprinkler system.

Wittler says the sprinkler system was effective in preventing the fire from growing, and helped crews extinguish it quicker.

Wittler says the building was unoccupied at the time and reported no injuries.