Tag Archives: North Carolina

Apartment Building, Residential

Whiteville, NC – Fire sprinklers contain fire started by electric wheelchair

A lifesaving rescue was carried out by firefighters Saturday night. The Whiteville Fire Department was called out to the Covey Reserve Apartments and were able to save a man from dying.

Captain Kyle McDaniel was one of the firemen on the call.

“We searched each room and JD made contact with him and roused him up,” said McDaniel. “That’s when we realized we had a victim in the room.”

McDaniel said they weren’t able to see their hands in front of their face; that’s how much smoke had filled the apartment.

However, it could’ve been a lot worse if the sprinkler system didn’t go off.

“95-percent of the fire was out when we made entry,” said McDaniel.

The cause of the fire was an electric wheelchair. It belonged to Stacey Todd, who was asleep in the next room.

“Oh man, I tell you what. It’s a scary thing; it’s scary,” said Todd. “But things happen in life, sometimes you can’t help it.”

Todd says he lost everything in the fire, losses that come particularly hard this time of year with the holidays just around the corner.

But he is keeping his spirits up.

“I thank God; that’s all I know,” said Todd. “Because I didn’t know anything. I want to thank the fire department because if they wouldn’t have come, I wouldn’t be here.”

For Captain McDaniel, he says being able to save a life just gives him more reason to do what he loves.

And as for Stacey Todd he’s staying in a motel until he can find some place else to stay or his apartment gets restored.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Wake Forest, NC – Sprinkler system contains fire at retirement community; No injuries reported

Multiple people were forced to evacuate after a fire at a Wake Forest retirement community.

Town of Wake Forest officials say the fire broke out at The Lodge at Wake Forest located on 1151 S. Main St. Firefighters say it started in a unit on the ground floor just after 8 p.m. Thursday night.

Officials say the sprinkler system in the facility contained most of the fire before firefighters extinguished the rest.

Between six and nine units suffered smoke damage, officials say.

A resident who evacuated told CBS 17 that she heard the fire alarms go off, but didn’t think anything of it because of recent false alarms. She says when she went to check on her neighbor, she saw smoke and flames.

“She tried to push her button, we all wear buttons around here. She could raise anybody so I called 911…. the smoke had got down to maybe about hip level, the smoke was that far down and thick I couldn’t breathe, I was coughing. So I just came back in and shut the door and went outside,” said Sheila Brantley.

Officials say there were no serious injuries and nobody had to be taken to the hospital.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Brevard, NC – Assisted living facility laundry room fire contained thanks to fire sprinklers; No injuries reported

Fire crews spent their early morning tackling a fire that broke out in a Brevard assisted living facility’s laundry room early Sunday morning.

A press release posted by Connestee Fire Rescue to Facebook on Saturday said crews responded to The Cedar Mountain House facility on Sherwood Ridge Road at 4:20 a.m., responding to a reported structure fire. Within minutes, CFR says they were on scene, with facility staff already in the process of evacuating residents. CFR said the working fire was within the laundry wing of the facility, and that crew members did additional searches of the facility to ensure all residents and staff were out safely.

Just before 4:30 a.m., fire suppression efforts began, and the sprinkler system activated. CFR notes this kept the fire contained to a commercial gas dryer in the room, and helped CFR personnel in putting out the flames.

35 residents were evacuated with help from other departments. Those departments also helped with salvage and overhaul operations. Fire, Rescue, EMS, and Emergency Management personnel aided with patient care and resident assistance throughout the incident.

While the residents were going to be moved to a different facility, fire personnel and building maintenance removed a large amount of water from the facility, along with removing smoke from the first floor of the structure. The sprinkler system was back online, and residents were able to be moved back in.

CFR and the Transylvania County Fire Marshal’s Office investigated, and believe an unknown issue with the dryer caused the fire. For now, The Cedar Mountain House will not be able to use the laundry wing until repairs are made. 

No injuries were reported. 

Agencies that provided mutual aid included City of Brevard Fire Department, Cedar Mountain Fire Rescue, Rosman Fire Rescue, Little River Fire Department, North Transylvania Fire Department, Transylvania County Rescue Squad, Transylvania County EMS, Transylvania County Emergency Management, Transylvania County Fire Marshals Office, Transylvania County Sheriff’s Office, Transylvania County Code Enforcement and Transylvania County Department of Public Health. Asheville Fire Rescue and Prisma Health EMS were on standby with multi-patient transport ambulance busses if residents needed to be taken to another facility.

Apartment Building, Residential

Chapel Hill, NC – Sprinkler system contains apartment grease fire

The Chapel Hill Fire Department responded at 5:22 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 4, to an automatic fire alarm at 201 S. Elliott Road, the Berkshire Chapel Hill Apartments.

A resident was cooking when grease in a pot on the stove ignited. The fire triggered the sprinkler system and automatic fire alarm. The resident was treated at the scene by Orange County EMS.

The response consisted of 11 fire personnel from Chapel Hill on two Engines, one Ladder, and two Battalion Chiefs. Chapel Hill Police assisted with scene safety and security.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Chapel Hill, NC – Kitchen fire at senior living facility controlled by fire sprinkler system; No injuries reported

A structure fire damaged a Chapel Hill senior living facility Tuesday night and displaced several residents.

According to a release from the town, the Chapel Hill Fire Department responded to a report of a fire at The Cedars of Chapel Hill at 6:03 p.m. When fire personnel arrived on the scene, 513 Cedar Berry Lane, they confirmed a working fire on the building’s first floor.

The fire, which originated in the kitchen of one of the residential units, was under control as of 6:23 p.m. The town said it caused damage to three additional units beyond the originating one, with eight total residents displaced. The residents of the unit where the fire originated were treated on the scene and did not need to be transported for additional treatment, according to Tuesday’s release. No other injuries were reported.

A sprinkler system in the senior living facility reportedly kicked into action with the start of the fire. While the sprinklers did not extinguish the fire, according to the town’s release, officials believed it gave residents time to safely evacuate.

Chapel Hill said the personnel response to The Cedars consisted of 23 Chapel Hill firefighters, including four engines. One Durham fire engine with three firefighters also responded as automatic aid.

The town’s release said the cause of the fire is under investigation, but it also gave advice on safety practices while in the kitchen. Chapel Hill Fire officials say it’s important to never leave stoves unattended and to keep flammable items away from stove units.

Staff for The Cedars will work with the displaced residents to find alternate living arrangements, according to Tuesday’s release.

Apartment Building, Residential

Winston-Salem, NC – Sprinkler system keeps stove fire from spreading throughout apartment

Four adults and three children were displaced after an apartment fire on Wednesday night.

Firefighters arrived on the scene at 185 Willow Oaks Drive at 10:22 p.m. and had the fire under control by 10:26 p.m.

One minor injury was reported.

The Winston-Salem Fire Department said a cooking fire got out of control.

A sprinkler system and stovetop countermeasures kept the fire from spreading to other apartments.

Office Building, Other Business

Durham, NC – Sprinkler system contains sixth floor fire at downtown plaza; No injuries reported

Firetrucks blocked most of CCB Plaza on Thursday morning as firefighters worked to put out a fire that erupted on the sixth floor of One City Center. So far, no injuries had been reported.

“It’s a large building, so we’re still going through it and trying to determine the extent of the damage,” said assistant chief Andy Sannipoli. The building’s sprinkler system managed to keep the fire in check.

The One City Center is the site of B.Good, Pokeworks, and Bulldega Urban Market, as well as five levels of office space and 21 stories of apartments. There’s no word on whether or how the fire affected the retail space.

Sannipoli says firefighters rescued a dog that had been left during the evacuation of the sixth floor, but the dog was fine and has been returned to its owners. People will most likely be able to return to the building by 1:00 p.m.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Mooresville, NC – Sprinkler system successfully extinguishes grease fire at hotel

Mooresville fire officials are crediting a hotel sprinkler system at the Hilton Garden Inn for protecting occupants and $11 million in property after it successfully extinguished a grease fire Sunday.

The March 1 grease fire began around 5:30 a.m. in the kitchen of the hotel located at 159 Gateway Boulevard in Mooresville.

“Although the hood suppression system activated, the fire spread to nearby cardboard boxes but was successfully extinguished by the building’s fire sprinkler system when three sprinkler heads activated,” and put the fire out before firefighters arrived on the scene, Mooresville Fire-Rescue said Monday morning in a statement.

Damage was limited to a small area of the kitchen, according to fire officials, who say the incident is a reminder to stay vigilant about fire safety when traveling.

“According to the US Fire Administration, each year, there are an estimated 3,900 hotel and motel fires that cause 15 deaths, 100 injuries, and $100 million in property losses,” MFR said. The hotel has a fire sprinkler system because building codes required it at the time it was built in 2007.

Apartment Building, Residential

Asheboro, NC – Apartment’s fire sprinklers help put out kitchen fire; No injuries reported

No one was injured in an Asheboro apartment fire Thursday evening.

According to Chief Danny Floyd with the Asheboro Fire Department, firefighters responded to the West Pointe Apartment Homes, located at 635 Oak Leaf Road, at approximately 5:40 p.m.

The fire, which was caused by items burned on a stove top, was out by the time firefighters arrived on scene.

There was minor fire damage to the kitchen, Floyd said, but the majority of the damage was caused by water from the apartment’s fire sprinklers.

The water damage also impacted two other apartment units.

Firefighters remained on scene for two hours for ventilation, salvage and investigation.

Sarah Israel, who lives in an apartment unit beside the one that caught fire, said she came outside of her apartment and noticed that her neighbor’s door was drenched with water.

“I live right beside her and I heard an alarm,” Israel said, “but that alarm sounded so distant that it didn’t alarm me to come outside and say ‘what is that?’ ”

It wasn’t until Israel wandered outside that she noticed the damp door and was able to tell that the alarm she was hearing was coming from the unit right beside her own.

“I think if I wouldn’t have come outside, it would have been a lot worse because I was the first one to hear.”

Apartment Building, Residential

Raleigh, NC – Third floor apartment fire minimized by fire sprinklers; No injuries reported

A downtown Raleigh apartment building was evacuated after a fire started in a third floor unit on Thursday night.

Crews responded to the Devon 425 apartments on Boylan Ave. and Tucker Street. According to officials, the apartment’s sprinkler systems worked well at minimizing damage.

No injuries were reported, and officials said only two units were damaged–primarily by the water, not the fire.