Tag Archives: Ohio

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

Kent, OH – Residence hall fire at Kent State University extinguished by sprinkler system

Someone set fire to a billboard Friday in a Kent State University residence hall, according to a bulletin sent out by the university. The Kent Fire Department responded to a second-floor hallway in Centennial Court A around 1:40 p.m. A sprinkler system had extinguished the fire. Water caused minimal damage to the building and none to residents’ rooms, the alert said. Students were evacuated for a short time, but were permitted to return to their rooms after the fire was out.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Leipsic, OH – Nursing home fire kept in check by sprinkler system

Putnam County Sheriff’s Office says at 12:48 Wednesday morning it received a 911 call about a fire at the Meadows of Leipsic nursing home on E. Main Street.

The Leipsic Fire Department says when firefighters arrived on the scene they noticed heavy smoke coming from inside the building. They say the fire started in one room and a sprinkler system kept the fire from spreading.

Two residents were taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation, but are expected to survive.

A cause has yet to be determined.

The fire has been reported to the Ohio State Fire Marshall’s Office.

Apartment Building, Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Lancaster, OH – Sprinkler system helps contain overnight fire at senior apartment complex; No injuries

A 36-unit apartment complex had to be evacuated Sunday morning after a fire started on the second story of the three-story building. Lancaster firefighter Pete Anson says the call came in just after 1:00 a.m. Sunday at the Canal Place Senior Apartments. The fire department was notified after the smoke alarm and sprinkler systems were activated. Anson says crews arrived on scene in four minutes.

“We had a lot of elderly patients on the second and third floors,” he said. Residents in the complex were already trying to get out as smoke started to fill the second floor hallway. Because the elevator went out, it wasn’t easy for many wheelchair dependent tenants.

“On our way in we did encounter a female in the stairwell dragging her wheelchair down,” he said.

The firefighter says he and his team began getting people outside and, in some cases, literally carried those who couldn’t walk.

“It was difficult and challenging to get 30, 40 [people] out at one time,” he said. “But the guys last night worked really hard and were able to get everybody out.”

Anson says the fire started on the second floor. An apartment manager would not let 10TV cameras inside to see the damaged area, but Anson says a charred couch that now sits outside the building came from the room where it all started.

Cleanup crews were at the building Sunday trying to dry the water-soaked floors. Also, the America Red Cross Ohio Buckeye Region says three families were assisted and received immediate emergency lodging.

According to the building manager and firefighters, no one in the building was injured. Anson says the cause of the fire is under investigation. Fire Chief David Ward tells 10TV at last check the Canal Place Senior Apartments did meet fire code.

Other Business

Toledo, OH – Fire in salvage shop garage controlled with help from sprinkler system

Three employees of a North Toledo automotive storage business escaped unharmed from a fire that started inside the garage they were working in, authorities said.

The fire was reported about 9:30 a.m. at 911 Bush St. inside the vehicle salvage facility attached to a brick light industrial building. About nine fire trucks responded to the scene, according to the Toledo fire department.

Toledo fire Lt. Matthew Hertzfeld said the employees were using a cutting torch to cut a car part from a vehicle when a fuel tank some distance away fell on the ground releasing gasoline fumes, which then ignited. The fire triggered the building’s sprinkler system.

The fire was extinguished about 9:50 a.m. by firefighters.   The fire was ruled accidental, Lieutenant Hertzfeld said.

Damage was limited to the the building’s vehicle salvage area where it had started, according to the spokesman. A damage estimate was unavailable.

Manufacturing, Power / Energy Facility

Chesire, OH – Deluge sprinkler system extinguishes transformer fire at power plant

A transformer at General James M. Gavin Power Plant in Cheshire caught fire early Sunday afternoon, causing black smoke to rise that could be seen for miles across the Ohio Valley.

According to Tammy Ridout, manager for media relations and policy communications at AEP, the 1 p.m. Sunday fire was a caused by a failed generator step-up transformer on Gavin Plant Unit 2. This transformer is what handles the generator voltage and increases it to match the transmission line voltage so that power can leave the plant.

The plant is connected to the grid by 765 kilovolt transmission lines — the highest rated voltage in the U.S. The plant currently has about 275 employees. Middleport Fire Chief Jeff Darst said the fire occurred in what is known as Unit 2, where the tranformers are kept behind the plant and can’t be viewed from the road.

Pomeroy, Middleport and Rutland fire departments were called to the scene and no injuries were reported. Ridout said Unit 1 was not affected and remains in operation.

“The local fire departments were a big help in containing the fire,” Ridout said. “We’re still investigating the cause and are working on a recovery plan to restore the unit to operation.”

The Gavin Power Plant is located in Cheshire up the road from the smaller Kyger Creek Power Plant. It is a 2.6-gigawatt coal-fired power station — the largest facility of its kind in Ohio and one of the largest in the nation.  Cheshire resident Robert Roush said he could see the smoke from his home.

Ridout said that Meigs County fire stations, including Middleport, Pomeroy and Rutland fire departments, were called to the scene, but the flames were contained before they arrived. The fire was extinguished by a deluge system, or an activated sprinkler system, she said.

“Unfortunately, when you are dealing with large electrical equipment and there is some type of equipment failure, it can cause a fire,” Ridout said of the previous incident. “We have systems in place such as fire suppression systems, the fire brigade at the plant, training for our employees and relationships with local emergency responders and in this case, those systems worked and we were able to put the fire out safely.”

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

St. Marys, OH – Fire at automotive parts manufacturer AAP put out with help from sprinkler system

The St. Marys Fire Department was called to AAP in St. Marys at about 11:20 this morning due to a ceiling fire in the plant. The department responded with two engines and a ladder track. The department also called in crews from the St. Marys Township Fire Department for assistance. In total, 16 firefighters responded.

Chief Ayres says the fire was put out in about an hour thanks in part to a sprinkler system at AAP. So far, no cause has been determined. Chief Ayres says the department is investigating if this fire is related to a fire at AAP earlier this month that resulted in heavy black smoke and flames shooting from the roof.

 

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Akron, OH – Sprinklers help control fire and limit damage in fire at funeral home

Akron firefighters are investigating the cause of a Wednesday-morning fire at a South Main Street funeral home. The fire broke out about 9 a.m. at the Anthony Funeral Home in the 1900 block of South Main Street. A smoke alarm alerted firefighters.

Several employees were inside the building when the alarm sounded. No one was injured.

Akron Fire Department Capt. Don Klein said firefighters arrived and found smoke coming from the roof. Firefighters found the fire burning in the attic near the side of the building. Firefighters attacked the blaze from the inside first, then put the rest of the fire out from the outside, Klein said.

The fire was under control within about 10 minutes, and it took about 40 minutes to completely extinguish the blaze. “About 10 more minutes it would have been really bad,” Klein said. “These guys got here really quick and did a great job.”

Officials have no estimate of how much damage the fire caused. The attic sustained smoke and fire damage. Water from the firefighters and the building’s sprinkler system caused most of the damage, Klein said.

Fire investigators said it’s too early to tell the cause of the fire. They are investigating several possibilities, including an electrical problem or that the fire was started because of a new crematorium recently installed in the building.

Eric Anthony, an employee of the funeral home, said the fire would not interrupt business. He said they expected to reopen soon.No funerals will be affected by the fire, he said.

 

Manufacturing, Paper Mill / Saw Mill

Chillicothe, OH – Sprinklers help contain fire at Glatfelter building

A fire broke out inside a Glatfelter building Tuesday afternoon that had crews dousing hot spots for over an hour and a half.

Chillicothe Fire Department Assistant Chief Steve Gallagher said the department got the call at approximately 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Despite having the flames contained shortly before 1:00 p.m., crews stayed on the scene to continue to douse any areas that could be considered hot spots, due to the amount of wood by-products in the area.

According to Gallagher, the fire was in the building where the company processes wood chips, but was a “basic building fire.”

The biggest struggle for crews, Gallagher said, was the height of the building and getting up high enough to douse the flames from above. Gallagher said the sprinkler system helped in the quick containment of the fire.

At this time, Gallagher said they do not have an estimate on the damage.

Manufacturing, Power / Energy Facility

Cheshire, OH – Power plant fire knocked down by sprinklers

A small fire was reported around 10 a.m. Thursday at the General James M. Gavin Power Plant in Cheshire.

The power plant is owned American Electric Power.

According to Tammy Ridout, manager of media relations for AEP, the fire started in the generator step-up transformer, which is what takes the generator voltage and increases it to match the transmission line voltage so that power can leave the plant.

The plant is connected to the grid by 765 kilovolt transmission lines — the highest rated voltage in the U.S.

Ridout said that Meigs County fire stations, including Middleport, Pomeroy and Rutland fire departments, were called to the scene, but the flames were contained before they arrived. The fire was extinguished by a deluge system, or an activated sprinkler system, she said.

There were no injuries reported.

Middleport Fire Chief Jeff Darst said the fire occurred in what is known as Unit 2, where the tranformers are kept behind the plant where they can’t be viewed from the road. However, smoke could be seen rising above the plant from passing motorists. Darst said the fire was contained by the Gavin Fire Brigade by the time he and his crew arrived, but that his crew, as well as Pomeroy and Rutland, all helped extinguish the flames.

Manufacturing, Other - Manufacturing

East Liverpool, OH – Sprinkler system puts out fire at century old pottery plant; Business back to usual for 100 employees

Damages are still being assessed following a fire at a century old pottery plant in East Liverpool. The fire was concentrated in a large dryer at the Hall China Company on the city east end. An employee first noticed smoke coming out of the dryers doors around 5:30 p.m. Monday. 

“Then all of a sudden I saw the whole thing caught fire on the side of it,” maintenance worker Jody Eccles said. Another employee, Brian Cronin sounded the alarm.

Then he went through the plant and notified people to get out,” company spokesman Chuck Henderson said. It appears the fire was the result of an equipment malfunction. “The mechanism that creates the heat for the dryer, we had a belt bind up and catch fire,” said Henderson.

The fire was actually put out rather quickly. A large amount of pottery ware ready to go in the dryer was lost due to water damage. But the owner says the 100-year old structure could have sustained much greater damage if not for quick work by firefighters and the well maintained sprinkler system. 

“There’s a lot of wood in parts of the building and it could have gone up in a flash, said President and CEO, Liz McLvain. Hall China is now owned by Homer-Laughlin makers of the popular Fiesta ware 

Clean up work is well underway. McLvain says the plant has several other dryers and they are still in full production. 

“I know you wouldn’t have believed that last night, but today we are in business as usual,” McLivain said. And that’s good news for the plant’s 100 employees. A damage estimate from the fire is still being determined.