Tag Archives: Ohio

Apartment Building, Residential, Residential High Rise

Youngstown, OH – Fire on 15th floor of residential high-rise extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries

A fire on the 15th floor of the International Towers in downtown Youngstown resulted in the building’s evacuation Friday. Youngstown Fire Department Battalion Chief Ron Russo said the department first became aware of the fire shortly after 6 p.m. Russo was dispatched alongside a pair of fire engines to the scene. There were no injuries from the fire and no external damage to the building. When the firefighters arrived, the fire was already extinguished thanks to the building’s sprinkler system. The firefighters remained to help mop up the water and investigate the fire source. Though the official cause of the fire was not determined at the time of this report, Russo suggested it likely began due to clothing or other items accidentally igniting after coming into contact with a heat source, such as a furnace. A small number of residents said they experienced some water damage to their property due to the sprinklers, but the majority of the individuals evacuated expressed relief that no one was hurt and that the fire did not spread to other parts of the tower.

Government/Military, Prison / Jail

Chillicothe, OH – Laundry fire at correctional facility controlled with help from sprinkler system

Chillicothe firefighters responded early today to the Chillicothe Correctional Center, and upon arrival, moderate smoke was coming from the south side of the north service building where they discovered a fire in a large clothes dryer.

A report by Fire Chief Darrell Wright says a pressurized water can was used to extinguish the fire. Materials in the dryer were then removed to the outside of the building and two fans were used to remove smoke from the room.

The fire sprinkler system also was going off above the dryer. The correctional center maintenance crew had shut off power to that area of the building prior to the arrival of the fire department and also shut down the sprinkler system upon firefighters request.

Fire damage was limited to the inside of the dryer with smoke damage throughout the laundry room. There was some water damage from the sprinkler system in the dryer service area as water was also running across the floor into a storage area.

Personnel stated that they were alerted to the fire by the fire alarm system and investigated a nearby room and smelled smoke. Their security staff pulled up the camera in the laundry service room and saw smoke rolling across the ceiling in that room. They attempted to extinguish the fire with 2 dry chemical extinguishers but were unable to put out the fire as smoke got too heavy for them. They then called the Chillicothe Fire Department which was at the scene nearly two hours.

It was just past 12:30 this morning when Chillicothe fire responded to the scene at 3151 Litton Road with two fire engines and six personnel.

Hospital/Care Facility, Hospital/Medical Clinic

Cleveland, OH – Sprinkler system assists medical center personnel in controlling early morning arson fire

Quick response by personnel at Tennova Healthcare-Cleveland is being credited with dousing a fire set in the emergency department there early Thursday morning.

Cleveland Fire Department Fire Marshal Ben Atchley said the incident occurred just after 3 a.m. Thursday, when a person at the emergency area of the hospital who was there for a psychological evaluation apparently used a lighter to set his stretcher and clothing atop the stretcher on fire. The 62-year-old male had hidden the lighter, and it was undetected when he was being evaluated, Atchley explained.

“When the fire occurred, the sprinkler system went off, the alarm at the hospital went off and the emergency area was evacuated,” the fire marshal explained. “The emergency area was inundated with water and they closed that area, but the emergency department remained in service.”

The fire department responded, and while personnel at the medical facility put the fire out with a portable fire extinguisher, there was still smoke in that area. Fans were set up by the CFD to remove the smoke. No injuries occurred in the fire, and the man remained in psychiatric care. “I have a warrant for him for aggravated arson once he is released from that care, but do not feel comfortable identifying him until that time,” Atchley said.

Atchley said the quick response by security and hospital personnel prevented the fire from becoming a bigger emergency. “They did a great job, and just clicked into another gear,” the fire marshal said. “We responded to the alarm, but found that they had put the fire out, though we were still there to help with removing the smoke from the area.”

He noted that the hospital had continuous training and drills to respond to such incidents. Stephanie Austin, assistant administrator and marketing at Tennova, said she is proud of the work done by staff at the hospital, and appreciates the response from the Cleveland Fire Department.

“No patients were injured,” she confirmed. “There is no fire damage to the area but water damage from the sprinkler system requires some rooms be closed for a short time to be repaired. “We are focused on ensuring the care of our patients is not interrupted, and thank the fire department and our staff for their fast response,” Austin stated.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Athens, OH – Fire at popular microbrewery controlled by sprinkler system; Fire started in attached carport

Jackie O’s Production Brewery and Taproom remains standing after a fire broke out adjacent to the main building Wednesday afternoon. The fire, which was contained within a carport attached to the taproom, was started by a truck, said Deputy Service Safety Director Ron Lucas, who added that the facility’s sprinkler system had the fire “pretty much under control” by the time crews arrived on scene.  Due to the potential magnitude of the fire, the Athens Fire Department called in every firefighter on its 22-member roster. Although nobody was hurt, the possibility of the blaze spreading called for an increased firefighter presence.

“Being inside the structure, we worry that it could spread to the whole structure,” AFD Chief Rob Rymer said. “So we put out an all-call, we bring everybody in off duty to make sure it’s under control.”

As crews began to exit the scene at 25 Campbell St., Rymer was unclear as to how the truck, which is used to transport grain to local farmers, had caught fire. “It’s always difficult for vehicles to determine how it started,” Rymer said. “Sometimes you’re driving and you hear a backfire, it could be electrical.”  A group of about five patrons remained on the Jackie O’s patio as fire trucks began clearing the scene.  “We didn’t really see anything,” Kayce Carrick, one of the people on the patio, said. “We were inside, and we just smelled smoke and that was it. So we just left.” The group planned to enjoy the warm weather and finish their beers on the patio.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Hebron, OH – Sprinkler system helps extinguish fire in high school science lab; no injuries

A fire caused by a science experiment prompted Lakewood High School to release students early Tuesday, according to district officials.

District Superintendent Mary Kay Andrews said all students and faculty were unharmed in the incident and everyone did a great job of evacuating the building.”

“Everything was calm,” she said.

Students were released at about noon on Tuesday. Andrews said school will be in session Wednesday.

The district staff was in the process of assessing the damage Tuesday afternoon. Andrews said the fire didn’t cause much damage. However, there was water damage from the sprinkler system going off in the science lab and a few other classrooms.

Andrews said the school had not yet determined if the science lab would have to close for repairs.

Apartment Building, Residential

Canton, OH – Sprinkler system assists firefighters in extinguishing apartment building laundry fire

Residents of a building in the Mayfield Manor Apartments were displaced by a laundry room fire Saturday afternoon. The fire started inside a clothes dryer in a common laundry area on the fourth floor of 3830 11th St. SW. Cause of the fire remains under investigation.  Firefighters were called to the complex at 1:39 p.m. Firefighters were told that people were trapped in the building and unable to see through smoke to escape.  Crews found smoke had filled the fourth floor. Firefighters helped about 40 residents out of the building – starting with the fourth floor – into one of the adjacent apartment buildings.  The smoke activated the buildings sprinkler system, which helped firefighters as they put out the fire.  One resident was taken by paramedics to a local hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation.  Firefighters had to shut down electrical service to the building because the sprinkler system had been activated. Residents had to remain out of the building until service was restored.  Damage is estimated at $20,000 to the structure and $10,000 to contents because of the fire, smoke and water damage.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Geneva, OH – Sprinkler system contains nursing home fire; No injuries reported

Emergency workers were beginning to evacuate an undetermined number of patients from the Rae-Ann Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, 839 W. Main St., late Thursday night after a dryer fire caused smoke to spread throughout the building, said Bob Russell, Geneva Fire Department public information officer.

“We had a dryer fire in the basement that actually started the sprinkler system,” Russell said.

The fire call came about 8:40 p.m. and when firefighters arrived they had some “mop-up” work to do but the fire was almost extinguished, he said. However, some areas of the nursing home were not immediately fit for patients to return.

Patients were moved to secure areas as firefighters ventilated the building and worked on plans for moving those in areas that were deemed unable to be used for the night, Russell said.

A long line of emergency vehicles blocked Route 20 as they awaited instructions on the evacuation to different sites. At about 10 p.m. some of the vehicles were moved into position to take patients away. At that time, firefighters did not know where residents were being taken or how many would be transported, Russell said.”

As far as I know there were no injuries,” Russell said.Ambulances and engines from multiple departments were used, including Jefferson, Saybrook Township, Madison Fire District, Geneva, Ashtabula, Ashtabula Township, Perry, Harpersfield Township, Geneva-on-the-Lake as well as South Central Ambulance District and Northwest Ambulance District.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Mansfield, OH – Sprinkler system keeps cardboard fire at business development center from spreading

Braintree Business Development Center, 201 E. Fifth St., Mansfield – Firefighters were contacted about an alarm going off early Saturday. They arrived to find heavy white smoke that limited visibility. Cardboard had caught fire in a single room. A sprinkler activated to keep the fire from spreading. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Other - Storage / Warehouse, Storage / Warehouse

Canton, OH – Fire at industrial distribution business contained to area of origin by sprinkler system

Stacked cardboard boxes placed too close to radiant ceiling heaters caused a fire that did about $180,000 in damage to engine compartments in the warehouse area at Detroit Diesel on Monday, firefighters said. The smoke also impacted thousands of items stored there by Goodwill of Greater Cleveland and East Central Ohio, rendering those items “too damaged to be sold in any of the stores,” said Robyn Steinmetz, vice president of marketing at Goodwill.

The damage left Goodwill pleading Tuesday for more donations from the public. No one was injured in the 12:09 p.m. blaze at 818 Mulberry Road SE, although firefighters were initially told that someone may have been trapped inside. Battalion Chief Jeff Magee said in a news release that everyone had made it safely out of the burning building.

“On arrival, units found a working structure fire at a large commercial building housing Detroit Diesel industrial supplies,” Magee said, noting that the large warehouse contains diesel engine components.

“The components were contained in cardboard boxes that had been stacked vertically and were too close to radiant ceiling heaters,” Magee said. “When the heaters activated due to the cold weather, they ignited the cardboard boxes. Two sprinkler heads activated and confined the fire to area of origin. Firefighters pulled a hoseline to extinguish the fire that could not be reached by the sprinklers.”

The structure wasn’t damaged, but about $180,000 in damage was done to the engine compartments, Magee said. The impact also hit Goodwill.

“Goodwill’s business model relies on donations from the community, which are sold in Goodwill stores, with the revenue helping to support local programs and services that help residents train for, find and keep good jobs,” Steinmetz said in a news release Tuesday.

The donated items that had been inside the warehouse would have been rotated throughout the stores in Stark, Tuscarawas, Carroll, Jefferson and Harrison counties in Ohio and Brooke and Hancock counties in West Virginia, she said.

“Stark County has always been supportive of Goodwill, and we are asking everyone to continue that tradition right now by making it a priority to drop off those donations you’ve been meaning to drop off, or using this time to clean out some closets, basements, or attics in time for the holidays,” said Doug Widrig, Goodwill’s vice president of retail operations. “It will feel good for you, and it will help Goodwill recover from this unfortunate event.”

Steinmetz pointed out that Goodwill stores and donation locations can be found online at http://www.goodwillgoodskills.org/.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Marietta, OH – Sprinklers activate to help fight fire at supermarket bakery

An afternoon fire leaves the Giant Eagle in Marietta closed until further notice. According to the Marietta Fire Department, the oven in the bakery caught on fire shortly after 1:00 PM.

The employees say the oven had a sudden spike in temperature, so they shut it off. Then, there was a minor explosion. The sprinkler system was activated and the fire department arrived on scene.The store was evacuated and is closed until further notice to assess the damage.

Fortunately, there were no injuries.