Tag Archives: Night (9pm-5am)

Apartment Building, Residential

Nashua, NH – Fourth floor apartment fire contained by sprinkler system

Firefighters were called to a fire at the Laton House in Nashua’s Railroad Square late Sunday night.

The apartment building was evacuated, sending at least 50 people outside, officials said.

Officials said the building’s sprinkler system activated and held the fire in check while residents left the building.

Fire officials said two people were hospitalized with minor injuries.

The fire started on the fourth floor, but the cause is under investigation, officials said.

Other Business

New Kensington, PA – Fire at uniform business suppressed by sprinkler system; “Sprinklers worth their weight in gold,” Fire Chief says

A sprinkler system saved a New Kensington business from a potentially devastating blaze after a bin of overheated mop heads spontaneously combusted late Wednesday, according to firefighters.  The call came in for an automatic fire alarm at the UniFirst Corp., 1150 Second Ave., about 11:45 p.m.  UniFirst is a national company that supplies uniforms and workplace products to businesses.

All five volunteer fire companies from New Kensington responded along with ones from Arnold and Lower Burrell. The building was filled with smoke when New Kensington Assistant Fire Chief Ed Saliba Jr. arrived on scene. An estimated 100 mop heads had come out of a dryer and were a metal bin where they spontaneously combusted and burned in the bin directly under a sprinkler head, he said.  “Thank God that the sprinkler system activated and held the fire in check until the fire departments arrived,” Saliba said.  “Sprinkler systems are worth their weight in gold,” he said.  Firefighters remained on the scene for two hours to clear a substantial amount of smoke.

Apartment Building, Residential

Salem, MA – Early morning fire at low-income apartment block suppressed by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Recent upgrades to an apartment building on Dow Street ensured that a fire early Monday morning at the complex did not become a tragedy.  The fire, on a fourth-floor back porch at 52-60 Dow St. in Salem’s Point neighborhood, was reported at 3:41 a.m., according to the Salem Fire Department. No one was injured, firefighters said.

The four-story, 20-unit brick building is owned by the North Shore Community Development Coalition. The nonprofit renovated it in the last couple of years, not long after a 2014 fire damaged some of the units there. During the renovation, a fire sprinkler system was installed. Salem fire Deputy Chief Dennis Levasseur said the sprinklers helped keep the flames at bay Monday until firefighters arrived.  “No one was displaced, and the sprinkler system we put in last year put the fire out right away and didn’t allow it to spread to the rest of the building,” said Mickey Northcutt, North Shore CDC executive director.

No other units in the building were affected, since the fire took place outside, Levasseur said.  The North Shore CDC develops and rehabilitates low-income housing in distressed neighborhoods needing investment. The organization owns properties throughout the North Shore, several of which are in Salem. The organization didn’t own the 52-60 Dow St. building back in 2014 during the last fire, though it was under contract to operate it, according to Northcutt.  Further details on the fire, including the cause, remain under investigation. Ten people live in the apartment, including seven children, and Northcutt declined to discuss further details Monday afternoon, saying that the organization is “still assessing the situation.”

The unit wasn’t damaged by the fire to the point that it isn’t habitable, Levasseur said, but conditions there might otherwise make living in the unit a challenge.  “They had a bunch of trash and clothing and bags,” Levasseur said. “That’s kind of what the issue was on the porch. They have some other issues.”

Residential, Restaurant, Townhouse / Condominium

Rochester, NY – Sprinkler system limits spread of fire into condominium building; Fire started in outside patio

Rochester fire investigators are looking into the cause of an early morning fire Friday that caused damage to a business and nearby condominiums.  No injuries were reported in the second-alarm fire at about 1:30 a.m. at Side Bar located downtown at 242 South Avenue.  Firefighters responded after a resident at the Capron Street Condominiums felt the heat and saw the glow from the fire and pulled the fire alarm, said Capt. Ted Kuppinger of the Rochester Fire Department.  The condos, that are next to the building the bar is located in, also overlooks the outdoor patio where the fire started. No one was in the outdoor patio.

Condo residents felt the heat and saw the glow from the fire and pulled the fire alarm.  One to two condos aren’t inhabitable due to water damage after their sprinklers went off, Kuppinger said.  The interior of the bar also received water damage as well as smoke and heat damage.  “If it had not been for the sprinkler system we would have had a much bigger fire,” Kuppinger said.  The fire was under control in 20 minutes.

Uncategorized

Napa, CA – Fire in vacant building extinguished with help from sprinkler system

Firefighters responded to a suspicious fire at a vacant building at the end of Valle Verde Drive in Napa on Thursday night, according to Napa City Fire.

The small fire was mostly extinguished by a sprinkler inside the building, firefighters said. Firefighters were at the scene for about an hour turning the sprinkler head off and pushing out smoke.

No injuries were reported and no witnesses were at the scene.

Uncategorized

Columbia, MD – Sprinkler system contains fire while crews arrive

A small fire drew firefighters to Oakland Mills on Thursday evening, officials said. Crews credited a sprinkler with containing the situation.

At 9:25 p.m., the Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services reported its personnel were in the 5700 block of Stevens Forest Road, where smoke was showing.

While a small fire was at the scene, officials said a sprinkler had activated and kept the blaze under control.

This was the second fire in Columbia on Thursday that Howard County firefighters handled.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Tysons Corner, VA – Sprinkler system extinguishes kitchen fire in restaurant; No injuries reported

Sprinklers prevented a fire from doing much damage at a Tysons Corner Center restaurant Tuesday.

When Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Units arrived to the restaurant in the 1900 block of Chain Bridge Road around 12:07 a.m., the fire had already been put out.

The restaurant was closed at the time, but one employee was present and found the fire. The employee unsuccessfully tried to put out the blaze with a fire extinguisher. The fire had been extinguished when three fire sprinkler heads activated. No one was injured.

Fire investigators determined that the fire started in the kitchen due to a plastic food storage cart being too close to a stove burner. The restaurant was closed pending a health department inspection, which is routine after fires. Red Cross services were not required with damage estimates around $300.

A spokesperson for Fairfax County Fire and Rescue did not specify which restaurant the fire occurred at.

Apartment Building, Residential

Albemarle, NC – Sprinkler system keeps apartment fire from spreading; Saves occupant’s life according to Fire Chief

An Albemarle Fire Department official says a sprinkler saved a life May 19, but he urged residents about the dangers of unattended food left cooking.  Albemarle fire units were sent to an alarm at 3:24 a.m. Saturday at 219 E. North St. in the Central School Apartments. “Our units arrived on the scene to find a sprinkler head that activated and extinguished a fire in the kitchen area of one of the apartments,” said Fire Chief Shawn Oke.

“The fire was started from unattended grease left on the stove,” Oke added. “One of the occupants discovered the fire on the stove and moved the burning pan to the sink before the sprinkler activated and controlled the fire. The fire was controlled by the activation of one sprinkler head. Thanks to the sprinkler activation the fire damage was contained to the apartment where the fire originated.”

Oke said damage to the apartment and its contents is estimated at $30,000.  The fire chief reminded everyone to not leave anything on the stove unattended.  “If you have to leave the kitchen, remove the item on the stove from the burner,” Oke said. “It only takes a short period of time for an unattended pot to start a fire, especially if the pot contains cooking oil.

“It is also recommended that you don’t ever store anything on top of your burners as the knobs can be bumped and accidently turned on resulting in a fire.”

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Morganfield, KY – Sprinkler system helps extinguish overnight fire at Walmart

The Walmart in Morganfield will be closed for at least Monday due a overnight fire at the business.

At 2:14 a.m., Union County Dispatch sent Morganfield Fire Department, Union County Fire Department, Waverly Fire Department and Sturgis Fire Department to a fire at Walmart in Morganfield.

According to the Morganfield Fire Chief, Rick Millikan, upon arrival the store had been evacuated and units encountered heavy smoke in the store. The sprinkler system was activated.

Firefighters from MFD located and attacked the fire in the fabric section of the store . Other units arrived on scene, including Union County Fire and Sturgis Fire Department. They entered the loading dock area of the store, and interior crews extinguished the fire. 

The store did suffer smoke and water damage. Millikan said the cause of the fire is still under investigation at this time.

Walmart Morganfield Facebook page states the following: 

“We apologize to our customers but our Morganfield Walmart location will be unable to open today due to fire damage. We have a team en route to get us cleaned up.”

Other Business

Victoria, BC, Canada – Fire in electrical room at historic theater doused by sprinkler system

Victoria Fire Department crews responded to a minor fire in an electrical room in the basement of the Belfry Theater on Friday night.  Alarms went off around 9:50 p.m., fire crews arrived and smelled smoke at the heritage building on Gladstone Avenue in Fernwood.  They say the sprinkler system was activated and had extinguished the flames before they could spread any further.

“The sprinklers were very effective at putting out the fire,” said Battalion Chief Doug Carey.  A fire investigator has been called in to try to determine the cause. There were no performances on Friday night but a fundraiser and silent auction for Peers Victoria is scheduled for Saturday evening. “There is some water damage down there so I have to see how bad it is,” said Ivan Habel, Executive Director at the Belfry Theatre.

“There is the smell of smoke so we need to see how quickly it will clear out.” The Belfry Theatre is housed in a former Baptist Church completed in 1892. Renovations were completed in 2000 with the restoration of the exterior. The building is listed in the heritage registry and has won a number of awards for its restoration.