Tag Archives: Ohio

Apartment Building, Residential

English Woods, OH – Trash compactor fire at apartment complex put out by fire sprinklers

Firefighters were able to quickly extinguish a fire in a high-rise apartment building on Cincinnati’s west side Wednesday morning.

Crews responded to the 1900 block of Sutter Avenue in English Woods around 7:15 a.m. following a report of flames in the basement and smoke in the atrium at Marquette Manor apartments.

Firefighters found a fire in the trash compactor with smoke spreading through the building.

The fire was upgraded due to the size of the building and the number of residents. 81 firefighters were on the scene.

District Chief Curtis Goodman says the fire was contained by the sprinkler system and quickly extinguished by fire crews.

Goodman says residents sheltered in place until smoke was cleared from the building.

One resident was treated by paramedics on the scene but did not go to the hospital. One firefighter suffered minor injuries.

Goodman says one resident tried to jump from a fourth-floor window but other residents and firefighters were able to convince that person to stay in their apartment and shelter in place.

Damage from the fire is estimated at $1,000.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Delaware, OH – Sprinkler system keeps fire in check at warehouse; No injuries reported

A fire broke out in a warehouse located at 435 Park Ave. in Delaware Monday.

The Delaware Fire Department responded to a sprinkler system alarm in the building at 4 a.m.

Delaware Fire Chief John Donahue said there was black smoke showing upon arrival, but the sprinkler system was “keeping (the fire) in check.”

A second alarm was raised for the fire, which Donahue said was because of the size of the nearly 500,000-square-foot building and the location of the fire, which he said was 75 to 100 feet into the building.

Donahue added the problem crews ran into was the product that was being stored in the warehouse, which is owned by Milwaukee-based Phoenix Investors. He said the product was shredded coconut core, which is then dehydrated and formed into small blocks before eventually being used as a filler and to hold moisture in Scotts fertilizer products.

Because the product absorbs moisture, Donahue said the packages were being expanded and eventually ripping open due to the water from the sprinklers. He said nearly 750,o00 pounds of product had to be pulled out of the area where the fire had started to ensure they had extinguished all threats.

The crew utilized two Bobcats inside the building and a trackhoe on the exterior to move the product out and away from the building.

Due to the fire still smoldering inside, the building remained charged with smoke, which led to the fire department going through air bottles quickly. Scioto Township’s air unit was dispatched with the initial call, and Donahue said Elm Valley was later brought to the scene to provide more air after his unit had exhausted Scioto Township’s cascade system.

Donahue said the crews didn’t leave the scene until 1:30 a.m. Tuesday morning, a nearly 22-hour day for the crew.

A final total of the damages hasn’t been assessed yet, and a cause has not been determined either as the fire is still under investigation. No injuries were reported.

Apartment Building, Residential

Huber Heights, OH – Unattended cooking fire contained to kitchen by fire sprinklers

A woman was rescued from an apartment fire Monday on Cloud Park Drive, according to District Fire Chief David Wright.

Crews responded around 4 p.m. to the 4100 block on a water flow alarm.

“When crews arrived, what they found was that they do have a water flow alarm, but the sprinkler system had activated in one of the apartments and we actually had a fire,” Wright said.

The occupant inside had fallen asleep and left food cooking on the stove.

Wright said the fire made some “good headway,” but the woman was rescued safely and only suffered some smoke inhalation.

The fire was contained to the kitchen, causing $5 to 6,000 in damage, and there is a significant amount of water on the first floor apartment due to the sprinkler.“Unattended cooking is one of the major reasons we have fires, so if you’re gonna put something on make sure you’re there to watch it at all times,” said Wright.

Adult Care/Rehab Center, Hospital/Care Facility

Dayton, OH – Fire sprinklers extinguish fire at assisted-living facility; No injuries reported

Fire crews were called late Wednesday night to The Sanctuary at Wilmington Place, an assisted-living facility.

“We had a small fire in the laundry room that was contained by the sprinkler system,” District Chief Brad Baldwin of the Dayton Fire Department said of the fire reported around 11:10 p.m. at the facility at 264 Wilmington Ave. in Dayton.

“When our crews arrived, there was a lot of smoke in the rear of the building and there was a small fire that they quickly put out,” he said.

The fire department had a full working fire response because the residents are older and many have mobility issues. However, no one had to evacuate because of the design of the facility and its sprinkler system.

“It worked exactly the way it was supposed to,” Baldwin said of the system.

The laundry area, separated from the living quarters, had fairly small damage, likely a few thousand dollars.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Jefferson, OH – Sprinkler system knocks down fire after plant explosion; No injuries reported

No one was injured in Friday night’s Worthington Industries cylinders plant explosion and fire, said Fire Chief Tom Lachey of the Jefferson Fire Department.

Employees evacuated the manufacturing plant, 863 Route 307, when a fire broke out at about 10:10 p.m. on the northwest wall and ceiling of the building.

“We feel (the cause of) it was propane-related in the heating units,” Lachey said. 

Everyone made it out safely, he said.

Area residents heard an explosion followed by sirens, making many wonder what happened.

East Jefferson Street resident Linda Masirovits said she was standing at her kitchen sink at about 10:15 p.m. when she heard a boom.

“It was a really loud, scary, long boom,” she said. “It shook our house and sounded like it was right above the roof.”

Her daughter, Wendy Stainfield, heard and felt the explosion several miles away on Webster Road in Lenox Township, she said.

Investigators believe the fire started in heating units that recirculate air throughout the plant.  

It took Jefferson Fire Department, assisted by Plymouth, Pierpont, Dorset, Austinburg and Ashtabula townships’ fire departments, about 20 minutes to extinguish the blaze. Firefighters stayed on the scene until about 1 a.m., Lachey said.

“The fire was contained; the sprinkler system went off and knocked down a lot of the fire,” he said. 

Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

Cincinnati, OH – University dorm fire started by battery-operated skateboard kept in check by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Meredith Barckert said she was watching TV with her boyfriend in his fifth-floor dorm room at Calhoun Hall when the fire alarms went off.

“I looked down the hallway and smoke filled up the entire hall,” Barckert, 18, told WCPO. “I said, ‘Let’s get out.’ Everyone ran down the stairs. It was super crowded … Everyone got out, so it wasn’t too intense.”

A malfunction in a battery-operated skateboard caused a fire in a fifth-floor room, forcing hundreds of students to be evacuated from the 12-story University of Cincinnati dorm Tuesday night, officials said.

A student in the room that caught fire and everyone else in the building escaped without injury, according to a release from District Fire Chief Louis Arnold.

“Fortunately the sprinkler system was keeping the fire in check and most of the damage was from the water,” Arnold said.

Damage was estimated at $20,000, he said.

Barckert said the fire occurred a few doors away from her boyfriend’s room. She said a bed caught fire, though officials did not confirm that.

Forty-four firefighters responded to the dorm after the call came in around 10:15 p.m., according to Arnold.

“I think out of every dorm this would be the scariest one to have a fire,” Barckert said, commenting on the number of floors.

Two students were displaced, Arnold said. An announcement on UC’s Public Safety Notifications page said “affected residents will be given alternative housing.”

Barckert and other students waited outside while fire and UC crews cleaned up inside.

“They told us all to go inside the CCM (College-Conservatory of Music) auditorium and stay in there, but some people are finding friends to stay with,” she said.

Uncategorized

Columbus, OH – Fire sprinkler system immediately puts out gas fire

The Columbus Fire Department is responding to reports of a fire possibly caused by an explosion on the city’s west side.

According to the Columbus Fire Department, firefighters are responding to a call of a commercial fire at the city’s water, sewer and power building on Dublin Road.

According to fire department personnel, a maintenance person was working on a heater when it started to leak natural gas. The gas ignited and the fire was put out immediately by a sprinkler.

One person was transported to OSU in stable condition with burns.

No further information was available at this time.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Massillon, OH – Sprinkler system stops fire from spreading on production line

Firefighters quickly extinguished a fire in a production line Saturday night at Shearers Foods.

Crews were called to the plant at 4100 Millennium Blvd. SE, just before 10 p.m.

When firefighters arrived smoke was coming from the roof, Assistant Chief Paul Harbaugh said. The production line was in the south side of the building.

Personnel had been evacuated from the building and the sprinkler system had been triggered, he said. The fire was contained to the line and did not impact the structure.

Shearers maintenance personnel ventilated the building.

Perry Fire Department provided a medical unit.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Findlay, OH – Fire at factory kept under control by fire sprinklers until fire crews arrived; No injuries reported

Firefighters are on the scene of a fire a factory in Findlay Wednesday morning.

Officials say a fire broke out at Sausser Steel Company on Laquineo St. around 4 a.m. or 4:30 a.m.

Authorities say the fire engulfed a corner of the building.

The Findlay Fire Department says the building’s sprinkler system kept the fire from spreading further before crews arrived.

No one was in the building at the time and no one was injured.

The fire has since been put out and is now under investigation.

Laquineo Street is now back open.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Circleville, OH – Restaurant saved by sprinkler system

“Thank goodness for the sprinkler system,” said Katy Powers, manager of Roosters, 23865 U.S. Route 23 South. A small fire broke out in the kitchen around 6 a.m. Tuesday and was extinguished by the sprinkler system. Cleaning crews were working at the restaurant Tuesday and Powers said she is looking for the restaurant to reopen by Thursday and definitely by the weekend. The Circleville Fire Department responded to the scene.