Tag Archives: Night (9pm-5am)

Apartment Building, Residential

Richmond, VA – No injuries reported in early morning apartment fire contained with help from sprinkler system

Residents in a downtown Richmond apartment building were evacuated shortly before 5 a.m. Saturday after a report that a couch had caught fire in one of the units.  The fire was reported in the Broadway Apartments, located above the Walgreens in the 300 block of East Broad Street, at 4:33 a.m. Saturday. The first crews were on scene about six minutes later, officials said.

Firefighters did not find a fire when they arrived, but the first and second floors were heavily enveloped by smoke, prompting the evacuation, said Lt. Chris Armstrong, spokesman for the fire department. A sprinkler system had activated in one of the apartments, he said.  The incident was marked under control at 4:53 a.m. after crews checked on all the residents.  No injuries were reported.

Apartment Building, Residential

Omaha, NE – Sprinkler system assists firefighters in controlling apartment fire

Authorities are investigating a fire at an apartment complex. It broke out around 10 o’clock Wednesday morning. It happened at the Park West Apartments near 108th and Jaynes Plaza, near Fort Street.  There were no reports of injuries but utility service was partly interrupted on a frigid morning.  Firefighters initially responded to an automatic fire alarm system. They arrived to find a small fire in a coat closet in a third floor apartment.   The fire was quickly brought under control but it triggered the sprinkler system resulting in damage to the first, second and third floor apartments.  Residents were allowed back into the building shortly before noon.

Apartment Building, College/University (on campus), Residential

Kelowna, BC, Canada – Overnight fire at university apartment complex doused by sprinkler system

An apartment building at UBCO was evacuated early Monday as the result of a fire. The fire was reported at around 12 a.m. in a unit at Discovery Avenue at UBCO.  “First in Engine reported smoke and sprinkler activation in a second floor unit at this location,” Platoon Captain Kelly Stephens said.  He said the cause of the fire was bedding and a mattress placed against a baseboard heater, and added that fire sprinklers had doused the fire before it could spread.  The lone occupant of the unit managed to escape unharmed.  Water damage was contained to the second floor unit and six units below.  All affected students have been allowed to return to their units.

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.