Tag Archives: Ohio

College/University (on campus), School / University

Oxford, OH – Car fire doused by garage sprinkler system at Miami University

A car caught fire in Miami University’s North Garage near Farmer School of Business on Friday morning just before 10 a.m.

Haolin Xi, a sophomore Japanese major, noticed smoke coming from the hood of his Audi A4 immediately after parking in the garage. He exited the vehicle and saw the smoke had been replaced by flames. Xi poured a bottle of water on the fire, to no avail. He then flagged down a woman who called the police on his behalf.

No other vehicles were harmed by the fire, and it was quickly doused by the garage’s sprinkler system and contained by the Miami University Police Department (MUPD) and Oxford Fire Department (OFD) first responders. According to the notice posted on myMiami, one MUPD officer was treated for smoke inhalation. There were no other injuries.

Benton Hall, which is situated on top of the garage, was evacuated, but the fire alarm system did not go off and students were not notified until professors were told to evacuate the students.

Xi is unsure of what caused the fire to start.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

College Hill, OH – Duct fire in air handling system at elementary school extinguished by sprinkler system; School in session next morning

A College Hill school suffered minor smoke and water damage after a fire Tuesday night.  Crews were called to Pleasant Hill Academy on W. North Bend Road just before 10 p.m. after an air handler reportedly overheated and caught fire.  Officials said the fire was contained and a sprinkler located in the air duct extinguished it.  The flames caused an estimated $15,000 worth of damage.  One classroom had significant fire damage and another had water damage.  No one was hurt.  School will still be in session Wednesday.

Other Business

Fairfield, OH – Overnight business fire knocked down by sprinkler system; Fire started in cardboard boxes

Crews called for assistance at a fire inside a Fairfield business early Tuesday morning.  Firefighters responded to a fire inside Innomark Communications inside Distribution Circle just before 1:30 a.m. Tuesday.  Fire officials say some cardboard inside the business caught on fire, causing heavy smoke inside the building.  A sprinkler system knocked down the fire and crews were able to finish putting it out quickly.  Fire officials say they called for extra crews as a precaution.  No one was injured.  The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Wyoming, OH – Fire in high school science classroom activates sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Students at Wyoming High Schools were dismissed early after a small fire broke out in a science classroom last Thursday morning.  In a note to parents, schools officials said the fire started around 9 a.m. and that no one was injured.  The Wyoming Fire Department responded and the fire was extinguished.

The school’s sprinkler system went off, causing wet conditions at the school.  Students were evacuated to the middle school, where they will be dismissed at 11 a.m.  “Students will be reunited with their belongings from the high school as soon as possible,” school officials said.

Auto Dealership, Retail

Miami Township, OH – Fire in body shop of auto dealership doused by sprinkler system; Dealership open for business next morning

Crews are working to determine the cause of a small fire Friday night in one of the body shop bays at Castrucci Honda Service in Miami Twp.  A cleaning crew called in the fire a Miami Valley Fire District battalion chief said involved some papers that produced smoke as well. The garage sprinkler system kicked in to douse the fire.  The smoke and fire damage at the business, 3013 Mall Park Drive, are minimal, said General Manager Mike Boone, head of all Castrucci business in the Dayton area. Boone said the business will be open Saturday.  He also said he doesn’t believe any of the vehicles in the body shop were damaged.  No injuries were reported.

Crews were dispatched just after 9:30 p.m. on a report of a possible structure fire.

Hotel / Motel

Cleveland, OH – Fire in utility room at Four Points by Sheraton hotel is put out by sprinkler system

Several rooms at the Four Points by Sheraton hotel were damaged when a fire broke out Saturday morning in a small utility room.  The hotel’s sprinkler system was able to put out the fire, according to firefighters.  One person injured their knee and was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment, authorities said. Some of the rooms were heavily damaged by water and smoke damage.   The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.

Department Store, Retail

Chillicothe, OH – Suspicious fire at Hobby Lobby store knocked down by sprinkler system

A fire suppression system at Hobby Lobby is being lauded for dousing a fire quickly on Thursday night.  The fire was reported not long after 7 p.m. and when Chillicothe firefighters arrived, everyone had gotten out safely and the fire was mostly out, said Capt. Noel Akers.  “The sprinkler system did its job and knocked down the majority of it,” he said.

The fire was in the clothing section of the store in the back left where damage mostly was limited to some clothing and housing items, Akers said. A witness said flames were 7- to 8-feet tall, and estimated there were a dozen or two customers in the store when the fire broke out.  Fire investigators are reviewing the scene and cameras from the store. While an official cause isn’t expected to be released until Friday, Akers referred to the fire as suspicious.

“There’s some suspicious things, so we’ll let the investigators make a determination on that,” he said.  Asst. Chief Steve Gallagher said while fire inspections may sometimes be a bother for businesses, the fire at Hobby Lobby is a prime example of the value of ensuring the fire suppression system is in good shape.  “There’s some water damage but it’s not nearly what could’ve happened if (the fire) had a head start on us … It’s the different between a store closing and re-opening,” Gallagher said.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Coventry Twp, OH – Fire at senior housing complex contained with help from sprinkler system; No injuries reported

A fire trapped residents in part of a Portage Lakes senior citizen housing complex Saturday morning until firefighters and a building sprinkler system doused the flames enough to rescue them.  The Coventry Township Fire Department reported no injuries in a news release.  What started the apartment fire and how much damage it caused remains under investigation.  People displaced by the blaze were being helped by the American Red Cross at the nearby Kiwanis Civic Center.  The fire department statement said an automatic fire alarm came in to the fire station from the Kiwanis Towers in the 300 block of Portage Lakes Drive about 10:30 a.m. Saturday.

As firefighters battled the blaze with a hose on the fourth floor of the apartment building, Summit County Sheriff’s Office employees and others began rescuing trapped residents. Help arrived from surrounding first responders and others, including an Akron Metro bus, to treat and shelter evacuees. A photo posted on the Facebook page Portage Lakes Rocks showed about 30 people at the civic center.  “Sprinklers and smoke detectors save lives,” the fire department said in its release about the incident.

Food Processing, Manufacturing

Norwalk, OH – Sprinkler system keeps large bakery fire controlled while fire crews arrive

A fire at New Horizons bakery caused about $55,000-worth of damage on the business.

The Norwalk Fire Department received a call reporting the bakery’s “large fire” at 8:01 a.m. Sunday. Firefighters saw “moderate smoke” coming from the building and its roof once they arrived and found the fire had started in the muffin line machine, a multi-million dollar machine, according to fire chief John Soisson.

According to firefighters’ estimations, New Horizons lost about $25,000 in property damages and another $30,000 in destroyed contents. 

“It looked like some of the muffins had caught fire then … one of the machines caught fire that makes their buns and muffins and then it extended into their exhaust system,” Soisson said. “It was an exhaust fire. Whenever you’re baking, you’re baking at high temperatures. That’s just a risk that comes with their business, I guess.” 

The report said the fire also extended outside the upper ventilation trunk and ignited the roof area assembly as well.

Firefighters used a ladder truck to put out the blaze and then checked to make sure there were no hot spots remaining.

It took the 16 firefighters in their five trucks about two hours to extinguish the fire. It could have been worse, though, the chief said, adding the business’ precautionary measures are what saved it. 

“New Horizons does a good job with their production and the sprinkler system worked as it was designed,” Soisson said. “Only four sprinkler heads came on and controlled the fire until we got there and were able to finish extinguishing the fire.

“My big point for this is that fire codes are important. New Horizons is a company that’s very good to work with and they have very good fire suppression system within there and that was able to keep the fire relatively small and contained until we got there and were able to get it extinguished. That’s why sprinklers in building are so important within the city.”

Soisson said he hopes other businesses will learn from the experience too.

“Nobody likes fire codes because it costs money to do that stuff, but this is the benefit,” he said. “Their system worked really well and damage was pretty minor because of that.”

New Horizons was able to keep production going and was fully operational later on Sunday. 

Manufacturing, Paper Mill / Saw Mill

Massillon, OH – Ventilation system fire at corrugated paper mill extinguished by sprinkler system

Firefighters investigated small fire in the ventilation system at Fibercorr Mills, LLC Friday morning on the city’s northwest side. Firefighters arrived shortly after 6:30 a.m. to the corrugated paper mill at 670 17th St. NW. The fire was extinguished by the company’s sprinkler system prior to their arrival.  Capt. Chris Schweier said the fire was still smouldering and firefighters checked the building for hot spots.  Paper making is a messy process that generates a lot of dust and paper particles, he said. The dust collected in the ventilation system and caught fire after being exposed to heat.  No injuries were reported, Schweier said.