Tag Archives: Night (9pm-5am)

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Rome, GA – Overnight restaurant fire extinguished by sprinkler system; Damage minimized

Even though passersby saw smoke and flames at Ryan’s Restaurant, 2305 Shorter Ave., early Saturday morning, a fire official said that when his first engine company arrived, they got inside and saw that the sprinkler system had activated and the fire was out. According to Rome-Floyd County Fire Department Battalion Chief Roger Haggard:

The call came in just before 3 a.m. Saturday. The caller said they could see smoke and flames coming from the roof of the building. The investigation, he said, tentatively points to something sparking flames in the ductwork.  “It burned off dust and some of the ductwork and plastic grills in the ceiling,” Haggard said.  What triggered the fire could not be pinpointed.  “It smoked the building up pretty good,” Haggard said. “Some ceiling tiles did fall to the floor.”  Estimated damages to the structure itself were minimal.  A sign on the door of the restaurant simply indicates the restaurant will be closed indefinitely.

Hospital/Care Facility, Hospital/Medical Clinic

Rochester, NY – Electrical panel fire at hospital contained with help from sprinkler system

Firefighters say a major short in a power box is responsible for sparking a fire at Monroe Community Hospital early New Year’s Day.  Firefighters say an electric panel on the fourth floor caught fire around 2:30 a.m.   Crews got in quickly extinguished the fire.  The sprinkler system caused some water damage, but contained the fire was contained to the utility room.  Firefighters say no one occupies the section of the building where the fire started, however there was a power outage to part of the building.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

St. Charles, MD – Overnight fire at assisted living facility controlled with help from sprinkler system

Deputy State fire Marshals investigated an accidental fire that occurred at the Morningside House of St. Charles four-story assisted living facility at 70 Village Street in Waldorf, Charles County. The property is owned and operated by the Senior Lifestyle Corporation.  The 11:47 p.m. fire activated the smoke detection system and fire sprinkler system allowing occupants of forty apartments on the second and third floors to evacuate without injury. Occupants on the first and fourth floors were safely sheltered in place.  Nearly 50 firefighters from Charles and Prince George’s Counties assisted the Waldorf Volunteer Fire Department at the scene.

The fire was contained to the malfunctioning wall mounted heating and air conditioning appliance inside apartment #214. The damage to the structure and contents was confined to fire and smoke damage to the apartment of origin and water throughout the second floor.  Occupants of the second floor are being temporarily relocated elsewhere in the facility during clean-up.  Damage estimates were limited to $40,000 to the structure and contents. 

Residential fire sprinklers are effectively proven to save lives and reduce the costs associated when an uncontrolled fire develops. Fires occurring in unprotected structures of this type often are the result of significant injuries or worse to occupants along with a high dollar value loss and extended lengths of time for restoration of the building.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Bessemer, AL – Fire at high school caused by overloaded electrical cords is put out by sprinkler system

Bessemer fire officials say they responded to a small fire at Bessemer City High School Monday night.  Fire officials say they believe some electrical cords powering a fridge and a copier caught fire, triggering the sprinklers to go off.  Thankfully, the sprinkler system put out the fire.  They say the fire isn’t serious but residents may notice some crews on scene as they clean up the water and smoke damage.

Other - Retail, Retail

Hanford, CA – Arson fire at furniture store contained by sprinklers; Damage limited to few pieces of furniture

Police and fire officials are investigating after a Hanford furniture store was vandalized and set on fire early Thursday morning. The damage forced the Oak and Sofa Liquidators store at 295 N. Redington Street to close its doors for repairs.  Store owner Brandon Mason the total damage was not immediately clear, but he hopes to reopen the Hanford store as soon as possible. Mason said Oak and Sofa Liquidators has been notifying customers who have purchased furniture to pick up their orders at the store’s Visalia location.

“People want their stuff before Christmas, so we’ve got to get it to them,” Mason said. Around 2:55 a.m. Thursday, the Hanford Fire Department was called to a structure fire at the store, located in the 200 block of North Redington Street. The Hanford Police Department responded to a burglar alarm at the store at 2:52 a.m.  One of the windows at the northeast end of the building had a large hole through the holiday-themed paint job.  Battalion Chief Erik Brotemarkle said it appears that someone threw something flammable through the window. Brotemarkle said it appears the flammable substance started a fire inside, about 15 feet inside from the broken window.

Due to thick smoke, firefighters had to use a thermal imaging device to locate the fire. Brotemarkle said the building’s sprinkler system confined the fire to a few pieces of furniture. Other merchandise sustained water damage from the sprinklers. Brotemarkle said the fire was mostly extinguished by the time firefighters arrived. Firefighters used a ventilation fan to clear out the heavy smoke.  “The sprinkler system for this building did its job,” Brotemarkle said.

Mason said the sprinkler system was only activated in the area around the fire. A commercial cleaning and restoration company began cleaning other areas of the store Thursday morning. Fire investigator Capt. Frank Etulain said the fire appears to be the result of arson. Etulain said he could not disclose the exact cause due to the ongoing investigation, but evidence suggests something was likely thrown through the window from the outside. There were no signs that anyone had entered the store.  Etulain said firefighters were able to control the burning by moving items around under the sprinkler.  A total of 14 personnel responded to the fire. The Hanford Police Department, Kings County Sheriff’s Office and Kings County Fire Department assisted with the incident.  Hanford police Capt. Karl Anderson said police are aware of about a half-dozen incidents involving broken windows in the downtown area over the past few weeks. Those have included the Hanford Antique Emporium, Kings Christian Thrift Store and vacant storefronts in the 100 block of East Seventh Street and the 100 block of North Douty Street.  On Dec. 12, police responded to a burglary report at the International Church of God in the 500 block of East Seventh Street. Police said someone smashed a window and stole a computer and printer.

Apartment Building, Residential

Brick, NJ – Apartment fire kept from spreading by sprinkler system

A fire at the Forge Pond Apartments Monday night sparked by a woman burning loose threads off a sweater with a lighter was brought under control by the building’s sprinkler system before it got out of control, Brick Township’s fire chief said Tuesday.  Brick Fire Chief Kevin C. Batzel said the sprinkler system’s response doused the fire and prevented firefighters from having to evacuate the 101 tenants of the Chambersbridge Road building into the frigid outdoors.

Police, firefighters and Brick EMS responded to the fire about 6 p.m. and found a rack of clothing in a common area kitchen off the first floor of the B wing that had caught on fire, but was doused by the sprinkler, Batzel said.  The preliminary investigation showed the woman had been trying to burn loose threads from a sweater after leaving the laundry room and accidentally ignited the sweater. When the fire became too big, she tried to put the clothing in a sink to put out the smoldering clothing, catching more clothing on fire, Batzel said.

She suffered minor burns to her arm, but there were no other injuries, he said.  The tenants were moved to a safe location in the building while firefighters cleared the hallways and kitchen of smoke, Batzel said. Water damage was minimal and the sprinkler system was repaired and back in service later Monday evening, he said.

Responding were the Pioneer Hose, Breton Woods, and Laurelton fire companies, Brick Township police, Brick EMS, the Brick Office of Emergency Management and the Brick Bureau of Fire Safety. An investigator from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office also responded, Batzel said.  “Residents are reminded to be extremely careful with any open flame around combustible material including clothing, particularly synthetic items which tend to combust at a rapid rate,” he said.

“The rapid action of a single sprinkler head held the fire damage to a minimum. That, with the quick work of the fire department and emergency services, prevented the potential of extensive damage and full building evacuation from happening,” Batzel said.  The fire cause remains under investigation by the Bureau of Fire Safety.

Other Business, Place of Worship

Battle Ground, WA – Fire at Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses contained by sprinkler system

Fire sprinklers likely saved a Battle Ground-area church from more extensive damage after a food dehydrator sparked a fire Sunday night in its attached garage.  Around 9:20 p.m., crews from Clark County Fire & Rescue were dispatched to the Jehovah’s Witnesses Kingdom Hall north of Battle Ground, at 33209 N.E. Lewisville Highway, for a report of a structure fire.  Deputy Clark County Fire Marshal Curtis Eavenson said a fault in a food dehydrating device sparked a small fire in a garage attached to the church. The dehydrator appeared to be homemade.  The sprinkler system limited the damage to a roughly 3-square-foot area, causing about $4,000 to $5,000 in damage.  “The sprinkler system saved the day,” Eavenson said. “Once again, the value of fire sprinklers are very evident there.”  The dehydrator was being used to dry some fruit, he said.

Manufacturing, Paper Mill / Saw Mill

Kaukauna, WI – Fire in ventilation system at paper mill knocked down by sprinkler system

The Kaukauna fire department responded to a fire at a paper mill overnight. Fire crews were called around 3:30 a.m. Sunday to Expera Specialty Solutions on the 600 block of Thilmany Road.  When crews arrived, the sprinkler fire system had knocked down most of the fire.  Firefighters found fire and heavy smoke in the ventilation system and was able to extinguish the fire quickly. The fire started in the ventilation system, according to the Kaukauna Fire Department.  The fire was extinguished by 4 a.m.  There were no injuries. There is minimal damage to the building.

Apartment Building, Residential

League City, TX (No Media Coverage) – Fast response from fire service and sprinkler system save occupant from apartment fire

***FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTED – NO MEDIA COVERAGE*** Fire Alarm and Fire Sprinkler System Saves a Life of a League City, Texas Resident and His Pet

On December 11, 2016, at approximately 12:13 a.m., the League City Fire Department received a fire alarm call from League City Dispatchers to respond to the Fairway Apartments located at 3045 Marina Bay Drive. This fire alarm turned out to be anything but usual. Upon arrival, the Fire Department noticed a water flow alarm was also activated, thus indicating a possible triggering of the fire sprinkler system. Firefighters immediately responded to the reported apartment to find water flowing from underneath the entry door and an active audible fire alarm sounding. The Firefighters quickly attempted a forced entry into the apartment to begin search and rescue, but were met with resistance at the front door from the occupant.

The occupant apparently woke to the loud pounding noise from the forced entry tools and the displacement of the door frame, which the occupant thought that the firefighters were intruders. The firefighters immediately removed the confused occupant from the apartment and entered using Self Contained Breathing Apparatus. The confused occupant demonstrated signs of hypoxia, difficulty breathing, and was treated by EMS at the scene.

Once inside the apartment, firefighters and investigators noticed the occupant had fallen asleep while cooking. The unattended stove fire was contained by the fire sprinkler system with one fire sprinkler head activation eliminating a possible deadly situation by knocking out the fire. Due to the occupant’s obvious physical condition and hypoxic symptoms, it was apparent that the occupant only had a few more minutes of survival time inside the smoked filled apartment. If not for the notification of the fire alarm system and activation of the fire sprinkler system the occupant would have succumbed to the smoke and fire within the apartment unit. Another great save due to a proper working fire sprinkler system and an aggressive firefighting crew, which both eliminated the hazards before a life was lost.