Tag Archives: North Carolina

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Reidsville, NC – Arson fire at Food Lion grocery store suppressed by sprinkler system

Two fires ignited in Reidsville businesses on Saturday, Feb. 18, but officials say there is no connection … Less than 22 hours later, at 11:24 p.m., Reidsville Police, Reidsville Fire and the Rockingham County Fire Marshal’s Office responded to Food Lion in reference to a fire.  Inside, officials found a man actively damaging property.   The suspect was taken into custody and transported to Annie Penn Hospital, according to a news release.

Harris said a suspect broke a window, entered the store, caused damage and used a lighter to ignite paper products on aisle eight, including toilet paper and paper towels. This set off two overhead sprinklers which suppressed the fire.  There was limited fire damage to the building.  The officials arrived at 11:28 p.m. and the situation was under control by 11:37 p.m.

Apartment Building, Residential

Hickory, NC – Sprinkler system extinguishes overnight apartment kitchen fire; No injuries

Hickory firefighters were dispatched to a reported fire alarm at Kenworth Hall located at 426 2nd Ave SE. Firefighters responded with two engines, one ladder, one rescue truck, and two command units.  The first crew arrived to find heavy smoke on the second floor of the apartment complex. Firefighters also found the sprinkler system had activated and extinguished the fire in the kitchen. Firefighters worked to remove the smoke from the building and minimize the water damage. One apartment was damaged by the fire and two apartments sustained water damage, the Red Cross responded to assist the tenants. There were no injuries.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Greenville, NC – Afternoon fire at boat manufacturer extinguished by sprinkler system

Multiple fire and rescue units responded to a fire at Grady-White Boats on Martin Luther King Jr. Highway in Pitt County Monday afternoon.  The call came in around 3:45 p.m. for reports of heavy smoke coming from the building, and the staff was forced to evacuate.  Greenville Fire and Rescue, along with the Staton House Fire Department, responded to the scene, but the sprinkler system had already put out the fire.

“We had a small fire in our small parts area,” said Mark Doggett, who works at Grady-White.  “It was contained very quickly by our sprinkler system. We evacuated all of our people because there is some smoke. Everyone is accounted for. Everybody is safe. Now, we just need to get the smoke out of the plant, get things cleaned up tonight, and get back to work tomorrow.”  Minimal damage is expected but the staff has not been able to return inside because of the smoke.  Staff are expected to be allowed back inside Tuesday at 7 a.m.

Apartment Building, Residential

Fayetteville, NC – Arson fire at apartment complex extinguished by sprinkler system

Residents of a building in West Park Apartments in Fayetteville were evacuated about 9 a.m. Sunday after one of their neighbors threatened to kill himself by setting his apartment on fire, authorities said. The Fayetteville Fire Department said a small fire was set but quickly extinguished by the sprinkler system.  The Police Department said the man was taken into emergency custody for a mental evaluation. The Police Department had no record that a fire was set.  West Park Apartments is off Raeford Road on Laneridge Way and Fountain Grove Loop in western Fayetteville.

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Weaverville, NC – Warehouse fire contained by quick response of sprinkler system; firefighters

Fire officials are trying to determine what caused a fire to break out at the Thermo Fisher warehouse near Weaverville.  Crews were dispatched to the scene around 1 p.m. Wednesday.  The chief credits the warehouse’s sprinkler system and fire crew’s quick response for the minimal damage to the building.  However, he said there is extensive damage to products that were inside. There were no reported injuries.

Residential, Single Family Home

Wilmington, NC – Habitat for Humanity home protected from extensive fire damage by residential sprinkler system

Wilmington Fire Department units responded to a house fire Saturday evening at 1406 Corbett Street.

According to Wilmington Fire Department PIO David Hines, the call came in around 7 p.m. It was caused by a grease fire that had flared up out of control. The fire then activated the residential fire sprinkler system that extinguished the fire. Once units arrived on scene, the fire had already been put out by the sprinkler system.

When the firefighters arrived on scene, they shut off the water to the house to stop the flow from the activated head and performed ventilation procedures to remove smoke from the resident.

The home where this fire occurred was a home that was built by Habitat for Humanity in 2011. Due to the residential sprinkler system in the home, fire and smoke damage was minimal, estimated at $350.00. The damages were contained to the area immediately surrounding the flare-up.

Hines said there were no injuries reported and the occupants of the home were not displaced. He said even with the occupants at home, these types of fires without sprinkler systems, normally result in much more damage and/or injuries.

Other - Retail, Retail

Brevard, NC – Kitchen fire at spa successfully extinguished by sprinkler system

A fire at Elements Spa and Shop in Brevard is forcing it into a temporary relocation.  A small kitchen fire at Elements triggered the sprinkler system, which successfully extinguished the flames but caused water damage at its French Broad Place location.  Elements is temporarily returning to its original location in the Hollingsworth Building at 147 E. Main Street, Suite 101, terrace…

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Salisbury, NC – Fire at carpet padding manufacturer controlled with help from sprinkler system

Fire officials say a sprinkler system helped squelch an overnight fire at a local carpet padding manufacturer.  Multiple fire agencies responded to the fire after receiving a call around 9:20 p.m. Sunday at Walk-On Products Inc., 1170 Chuck Taylor Lane, located off Peeler Road. The fire was dispatched as a fire alarm.

City Fire Marshal Terry Smith said the reason for the three-alarm fire was because the building is so big they needed more resources.  He added that the sprinkler kept the fire in check, but it also created so much smoke that it made it a little difficult for fire personnel who were inside the structure.

The sprinkler also helped contain the fire to one area of the building. The building is large, Smith said, but the fire was only in a small portion of it.  Smith said he and another fire investigator would likely spend much of the day at the business as company personnel use forklifts to remove a lot of carpet foam before fire investigators can go inside.  The last time employees were inside the building was Friday, Smith said.  The fire was under control around 1 a.m. No injuries were reported. Fire officials say there was minor damage to the structure. The cause has not been determined.

The company rebonds carpet padding, supplies carpet padding for homes, commercial properties and the automotive industry, according to its website.   The company also manufactures cow mats, archery targets, foam buns and other foam products. It was founded in 2002.

Hospital/Care Facility, Hospital/Medical Clinic

Elkin, NC – Hospital fire caused by portable fan contained by fire suppression system

Many times when firefighters respond to fire alarm calls, they turn out to be false alarms, but that wasn’t the case Monday night as Elkin fire officials arrived on the scene of such a call at Hugh
Chatham Memorial Hospital. One needs no further evidence in recognizing the effectiveness of fire protection systems than what
Elkin firefighters found upon responding to the fire alarm activation at the hospital Monday.  Responders and hospital employees learned that the fixed extinguishing system in the hospital’s server room had extinguished a fire caused by the failure of a portable electric fan.

The Elkin Fire Department was dispatched to the hospital at about 6:02 p.m., with the first fire engine arriving seven minutes thereafter. Firefighters and hospital staff quickly realized the fire alarm was not a false report, and upon investigating found the remnants of the now-melted fan in the otherwise
unaffected facility.

“The hospital can be thankful that their fire alarm and suppression systems worked exactly as intended, prohibiting further damage and ensuring the safety of both staff and occupants,” noted Elkin
Fire Chief Mike Morton. Fire and building codes require that these systems are designed to meet the specific needs of the building and its contents, and periodic maintenance and inspection of these important safety systems also is required to keep them ready in case the worst should occur, according to fire officials.

Morton also pointed out the dangers of specialized fire extinguishing systems are often significant as well. “Rooms like the one where this fire occurred are protected not with typical sprinkler systems that utilize water, but rather with extinguishing agents that displace the oxygen inside the room, smothering the fire,” the fire chief explained. It was thus important for firefighters and hospital staff to work together in returning a sufficient supply of oxygen to the affected area so it would be safe to occupy once more. Firefighters from Arlington Fire and Rescue also assisted in response to the incident as part of the mutual aid agreement between the two organizations.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Gastonia, NC – Guest and staff safe after sprinkler system helps contain hotel kitchen fire

A small kitchen fire activated the sprinkler system at the Courtyard by Marriott hotel early Sunday morning and all 300 guests had to leave their rooms temporarily, according to fire officials.

The 6:42 a.m. fire did not cause any injuries at the hotel on Remount Road, according to officials.

“There was a small fire in the kitchen that activated the sprinkler system,” said Chris Stowe, a spokesman with Gastonia Fire Department.

About 20 firefighters responded because of the size of the building and number of people involved. The fire was put out in about 10 minutes.

The hotel has 130 rooms and approximately 300 guests were put out of their rooms in the early morning hours, said Olivia Popplewell, general manager of Courtyard by Marriott.

“All of our guests are safe. All of our employees are safe,” Popplewell said.

Guests were allowed to start returning to their rooms around 7:20 a.m.

The hotel was even able to serve a continental breakfast of fruit and yogurt to guests, Popplewell said.

There was a little water damage to the kitchen area, but business was back to normal soon afterward, Popplewell said.