Tag Archives: North Dakota

Other Business

Bismarck, ND – Sprinkler system extinguishes laundry fire at uniform business; No injuries and no damage to building

At 6:27 p.m. <last Tuesday>, AmeriPride’s remotely monitored fire alarm system went off, alerting the fire department.  Crews found a sprinkler head had activated and contained a fire in the laundry area. Damage was limited to some baskets of fabrics and some cotton mop heads. There was no damage to the building, which was unoccupied at the time of the fire. There were no injuries to firefighters.  “Without these systems in place, the fire damage to this property would most likely have been substantial,” Fire Marshal Owen Fitzsimmons said. “This is a perfect example of a well-maintained fire protection system operating as designed.“

Apartment Building, Residential

Grand Forks, ND – Two dogs rescued after sprinkler contains apartment fire; No injuries reported

Two dogs were rescued from an apartment fire in Grand Forks Monday evening.  The fire department says shortly after 5:15 p.m., fire crews were sent to the 4340 Pioneer Drive on a report of a fire alarm and smoke coming from a first floor apartment.  Firefighters entered that apartment unit and encounter heavy black smoke and found a fire on top of the stove area. A sprinkler head helped contain the fire.  No people were home but crews did rescue two dogs.

The fire unit and surrounding units sustained heavy smoke and water damage.  The cause of the fire is under investigation.

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.

Auto Dealership, Other Business

Bismarck, ND – Fire at auto body shop extinguished by sprinkler system; Business resumes operations quickly

A fire, caused by welding sparks which ignited the filters of a spray booth ventilation system at an auto body shop, was largely contained by the business’ sprinklers on Tuesday. The Bismarck Fire Department was dispatched at about 4:23 p.m. to the 1800 block of Commerce Drive, where heavy smoke was showing from the shop area of the single-story building.

Fire had spread to the roof top HVAC system, but flames inside the shop had been extinguished by the activation of two heads on the fire sprinkler system, according to Owen Fitzsimmons, a fire marshal with the Bismarck Fire Department, who deemed the incident was accidental. Fire crews removed a roof top ventilation fan and a portion of the roof to access and extinguish the blaze. Afterward, a thermal imaging camera was used to scan for any fire spread, and firefighters left the scene at about 7:24 p.m.

Bismarck Police Department assisted with scene control. Metro Area Ambulance was on scene to provide assistance. There were no injuries to building occupants or firefighters. The sprinkler system has been reactivated, the business remains in operation.

College/University (on campus), Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

Grand Forks, ND – Fire in university residence hall caused by unattended candle extinguished by sprinkler system

The Grand Forks Fire Department says the cause of the fire reported at Walsh Hall on the campus of the University of North Dakota on March 2nd.

The newly released fire investigation report revealed an unattended candle ignited a towel handing nearby. The 5 to 6 foot flames from the candle, towel and cardboard stored near the bed, activated the fire alarm and sprinkler system.

Fire crews say residents tried to put out the fire with a wet towel but were not able to. The sprinkler system was able to extinguish the fire.

The activation of the sprinkler system in the dorm room minimized the building damage to only $35,000 with $500 of personal contents lost. Walsh Hall is valued at $2.5 million and has a total content value of $750,000.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

West Fargo, ND (No Media Coverage) – Early morning fire at kindergarten center extinguished by sprinkler system

*** NO MEDIA COVERAGE — READER REPORTED ***

A blog reader reported this sprinkler save from the Lodoen Kindergarten Center. The following message was sent from the school:

“At approximately 6:00 AM this morning, the West Fargo Fire Department responded to a fire alarm at our school. The alarm went off due to a small fire on the stove in the staff lounge. The fire was extinguished by the sprinkler system by the time the Fire Department arrived, but they did check our facility to ensure there were no further issues and that we could have school as normal. None of our classrooms were impacted, and students had a normal day today.”

Department Store, Retail

Fargo, ND – Overnight fire at Macy’s department store extinguished by sprinkler system

A sprinkler system is credited with minimizing what most likely would have been significant fire damage at Macy’s in West Acres. Fargo firefighters responded to an alarm at 2:42 a.m. Sunday and discovered a sprinkler head had activated and put out a fire in an office at the department store. The fire was determined to have started due to an overheated electrical device. The fire spread to office furniture before being extinguished by the sprinkler system. A damage assessment was not available

Apartment Building, Residential

Williston, ND – Apartment fire contained by sprinkler system; No injuries and dog saved

The Williston Fire Department was dispatched to a reported structure fire at 5:17pm Wednesday to 4915 11th Ave W, or Renaissance Heights Apartments. Units arrived on scene at 5:23pm with smoke showing from the front of the building on the fifth floor. The fire was contained to a kitchen in one apartment and was controlled within about 5 minutes.

The fire sprinkler in the apartment contained the fire until the fire department arrived. Firefighters did rescue one dog from the apartment that was on fire.   There were no injuries reported. Approximately 49 residents were temporarily displaced overnight with 16 apartments that suffered smoke and/or water damage. Thirty-five firefighters were on-scene as well as police and emergency management. The building was released to management at 10:10 p.m.

Residential, Townhouse / Condominium

Fargo, ND – Garage fire in row house building held in check by sprinkler system

A sprinkler system helped contain a fire in a south Fargo garage Monday, Sept. 18, according to the fire department.  Firefighters responded about 12:45 p.m. to a report of a fire in a garage of a row house building with eight residences at 4648 44th Ave. S.  The first arriving crew found a fire sprinkler operating in the garage of one of the homes. While the sprinkler had not extinguished the fire, it kept it in check until crews could put it out, fire officials said.

The fire appears to have started on a stovetop in the garage. Damage was limited to items in that part of the garage. There was no fire, smoke or water damage inside the house, fire officials said.  The cause of the fire is under investigation. Damage is estimated to be $6,000 to the building and $2,000 to the contents of the garage.