Tag Archives: Night (9pm-5am)

Retail, Shopping Mall

Rehoboth Beach, MA – Fire at outlet mall caused by malfunctioning fluorescent light controlled by sprinkler system

A fire March 22 in the Ralph Lauren Polo outlet caused $5,000 in damage, officials say. Firefighters from Rehoboth Beach, Indian River and Lewes responded to the Midway Outlets at 4:19 a.m. for an automatic fire alarm and found a smoke-filled store, said Harry Miller, chief deputy state fire marshal. A sprinkler system was activated and kept flames under control, Miller said. No one was injured.  Miller said the fire was caused by a malfunction in a fluorescent light fixture which ignited combustible material nearby. He said damage was $5,000.

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Middletown, DE – Fire at Amazon fulfillment center put out by automatic sprinkler system

The Delaware Office of the State Fire Marshal has determined that last night’s Amazon fire in Middletown was accidental and caused minimal damage.  The Volunteer Hose Company of Middletown was called to the Amazon Fulfillment Center at 560 Merrimac Avenue at 9:30 pm for a reported fire inside the processing area. Upon arrival, it was learned that the fire sprinkler system had extinguished the fire. State fire investigators were called to the scene According to a release, the fire occurred at the mezzanine level when static electricity ignited leaking vapor from a container of assorted aerosol cans. The area where the fire began was protected by a fully automatic fire sprinkler system which put the fire out and prevented the blaze from spreading. Fire damage was confined to the stockpile of merchandise and was estimated at $1,000. There were no reported injuries, despite scanner news reports to the contrary on Tuesday night.

Other / Not Specified

Fargo, ND – Fire at FARGODOME indoor stadium doused by sprinkler system

A sprinkler did its job and put out a fire at the FARGODOME in north Fargo Monday night.  Firefighters got the call around 11 p.m. and discovered a dryer fire in a storage area on the lower level. They say a sprinkler head in the area had activated and had completely extinguished the flames, which kept damage to a minimum — about $3,000. The cause is under investigation, but is considered to be accidental.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Derby, VT – Motel room fire contained with help from sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Close to 11:30 Friday night, Vermont State Police say Derby Line Fire Department responded to a report of a fire in a room at the Border Motel.

Upon arrival, crews encountered a fire in an occupied room on the second floor of the motel.

The fire department was able to extinguish the flames and keep the fire contained to the room of origin, along with the help of the building’s fire suppression/sprinkler system.

State Police say there were no reported injuries from the fire, but another tenant was transported to North Country Hospital for an unrelated medical emergency.

After his initial scene examination, Chief Craig Ellam requested the assistance of the Department of Public Safety Fire Investigation Unit.

Investigators were able to confirm the fire originated on a couch in the room.

Police say the room sustained significant damage and is considered a total loss. Other nearby rooms sustained smoke and water damage, and several tenants had to be relocated within the motel.

According to a media release, the male occupant of the room, Romuld Kuczek, was placed into protective custody due his level of intoxication.

There are no criminal charges at this point, but police say the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Manufacturing, Power / Energy Facility

Albany, GA – Sprinkler system helps contain fire at Albany Green Energy biomass plant

Albany fire crews responded to a small fire at the Albany Green Energy biomass plant next to Procter and Gamble.

At least four fire trucks responded to the plant around 3 a.m. Thursday.

Batallion Chief Kelly Harcrow said there was a small fire in a hydraulic tank in the building. Crews quickly contained the fire and let it burn itself out, shortly after 7 a. m.  AFD put firefighters in the factory with a hose, ready to make sure everything went ok. 

Harcrow said the fire burned on the surface of the tank.

One fire truck and its crew will stay here for the day to monitor everything.

A spokesperson for the company said, “the fire resulted from an equipment failure.”

The sprinkler system inside the building helped in this emergency.

“It is not actually putting the fire out, but it is keeping it contained into the one area, which is an advantage to us and that allows the product to consume itself and not spread throughout the plant. So it’s doing what it was designed to do,” explained Harcrow.

One ambulance also responded, but Dougherty County EMS Supervisor Phillip Jackson said they have not had to transport anyone.

Harcrow said people were inside at the time but no one was injured and everyone made it out safely.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Houston, MS – Sprinkler system keeps arson fire at high school from spreading

One person is in custody after a break in and arson at Houston High School Friday morning. According to Houston Fire Captain Jonathan Blankenship, the call came in at 2:22 a.m. Houston Police Chief Billy Voyles confirmed there was a fire and water damage to the school, as well as extensive vandalism damage to parts of the school. Patrick Nichols, 20, has been arrested and faces felony charges. He’s a recent graduate of the school and was still inside the school when police arrived on the scene.

Some of the vandalism includes damage to the school’s technology, which school officials estimate to be in the tens of thousands of dollars. “There was water damage. The sprinklers went off. There was a fire set in the old home economics room, and lots of glass broken, lots of technology destroyed,” Houston School District Superintendent Tony Cook said.

Cook says the busted technology will not only cost the district a lot of money but could hurt school testing, which is coming up soon. “The fire was started in one of the back rooms. They had a stove in the room. The subject piled some books on top of the stove and apparently turned the stove on to start the fire,” said Blakenship. However, the school’s sprinkler system kept the fire from getting out of hand.

Voyles says Nichols met an officer at the front door of the school and was detained. “He opened the door for the officers, and the officer didn’t know if he was an employee or whatever it was,” Voyles said. The motive for the incident is still under investigation.

Manufacturing, Power / Energy Facility

Albany, GA – Early morning fire at biomass energy plant contained by sprinkler system

Albany fire crews responded to a small fire at the Albany Green Energy biomass plant next to Procter and Gamble. At least four fire trucks responded to the plant around 3 a.m. Thursday. Batallion Chief Kelly Harcrow said there was a small fire in a hydraulic tank in the building. Crews quickly contained the fire and let it burn itself out, shortly after 7 a. m. AFD put firefighters in the factory with a hose, ready to make sure everything went ok.

Harcrow said the fire burned on the surface of the tank. One fire truck and its crew will stay here for the day to monitor everything. A spokesperson for the company said, “the fire resulted from an equipment failure.”

The sprinkler system inside the building helped in this emergency. “It is not actually putting the fire out, but it is keeping it contained into the one area, which is an advantage to us and that allows the product to consume itself and not spread throughout the plant. So it’s doing what it was designed to do,” explained Harcrow.

One ambulance also responded, but Dougherty County EMS Supervisor Phillip Jackson said they have not had to transport anyone. Harcrow said people were inside at the time but no one was injured and everyone made it out safely.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Nanaimo, BC, Canada – Intentionally-set fire at credit union knocked down by sprinkler system

A man is in psychiatric care after being arrested in Nanaimo yesterday.

Police responded to a break-in alarm at the Island Savings Credit Union branch at Cedar Village Square, 1840 Cedar Rd., shortly before 2 a.m. Wednesday.

Police are not identifying the suspect other than to say that he is 54 years old and from the B.C. Interior, but allege he broke windows and lit a fire which led to his arrest.

“He lit a fire in the cardboard recycling area of the receiving bay of the 49th Parallel Grocery store,” said Const. Gary O’Brien, Nanaimo RCMP spokesman. “He also threw a brick through one of the … windows at the credit union and he also broke a passenger side window to a car.”

O’Brien said there was a warrant for the man’s arrest under Canada’s mental health act.

“He offered no resistance. He was arrested immediately.” O’Brien said. “It was apparent to the members that were mental health issues at play and he was taken for a psych exam.”

The man remains in care at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital.

Percy Tipping, North Cedar Fire Rescue chief, said the fire, that was started in cardboard, spread to some shipping pallets. The heat from the fire triggered the building’s automatic sprinkler system.

“Which was good because it could have been a lot more serious … the sprinkler system took care of the bulk of it for us,” Tipping said.

O’Brien said police are looking at recommending charges, but also are taking into consideration the man’s mental health issues.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Oakland, CA – Fire on 10th floor of senior care home suppressed by sprinkler system

Firefighters were called at 2:27 a.m. to the Northgate Terrace senior homes, located at 550 24th St. between Northgate and Telegraph avenues and a block east of I-980. The blaze was contained to one residence on the 10th floor of the 12-story building, Paganelli said.  “It certainly had to be scary for the residents waking up in the middle of the night with the place filled with smoke,” Paganelli said.

As a precaution, the 10th floor was evacuated, and about two dozen people could be seen on the ground floor of the building. A sprinkler system inside the apartment unit primarily extinguished the blaze and kept the flames from spreading, officials said.  Firefighters used stairways to get to the floor because the elevators stopped working when fire alarms sounded. It was fully under control in about 20 minutes. The high-rise level response brought more than three dozen firefighters to the scene, including Chief Darin White.

One resident was injured early Saturday after a fire broke out on the 10th floor of a senior care home near Interstate 980, a fire official said.  The injured woman was taken to a hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation, according to Oakland Fire Department Acting Battalion Chief Tracy Paganelli.

Fire investigator Javon Smith said the cause was accidental. Units on the 10th floor and adjacent floors suffered water and smoke damage, and some of those residents received assistance from the Red Cross. The damage figure was not released.  The building is home to more than 200 residents, ranging in age from 62 to their 90s, according to on-site manager Alicia Zhao.

Food Processing, Manufacturing

Pocatello, ID – Sprinkler system helps firefighters control blaze at food processing plant

Firefighters responded to a fire at the Amy’s Kitchen food processing plant on the city’s north side early Wednesday morning.

The fire was reported around 3 a.m. and triggered a massive response by the Pocatello Fire Department.

The fire was declared to be out around 4:10 a.m. and firefighters said the plant’s sprinkler system helped them gain the upper hand on the blaze. There were no injuries.

The blaze started in the plant’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning system and caused minor damage to the facility, the Fire Department reported. Smoke flowed from the plant’s roof but no flames were visible from outside the plant.

The fire also resulted in the plant’s evacuation.

The Fire Department said that because of dangerously high carbon monoxide levels in the plant caused by the fire, the plant’s workers were not allowed back into facility until approximately 8:30 a.m.

The firefighters focused their efforts on the portion of the Amy’s Kitchen plant nearest to West Quinn Road and a Fire Department ladder truck provided firefighters access to the plant’s roof in this area.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the cost of the damage caused by the blaze was not known.

The Fire Department said the exact cause of the fire is still under investigation but the blaze was definitely unintentional.

In response to the fire, Amy’s Kitchen issued a statement saying the company is grateful that no one was hurt during the fire. The company also thanked the firefighters who responded to the scene.

“We would like to express our deepest gratitude to our team in Pocatello and the local fire department for their quick response and help in evacuating everyone safely out of the building,” the statement read.