Tag Archives: Oregon

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Tumalo, OR – Fire in server room at research facility controlled by sprinklers; Faulty air conditioner identified as cause

A failed air conditioning unit is blamed for a fire that caused $20,000 in damage to the Bend Research facility in Tumalo. Firefighters responded to a monitored fire alarm at 3:30 a.m., Saturday. Crews arrived to find smoke in the hallways and water coming from the sprinkler system. Investigators believe the blaze started in a room containing internet servers, backup systems and the main fire alarm system. Bend Research employees arrived on-scene shortly after fire crews and began the cleanup and repair process. The sprinkler system is credited with stopping the fire from spreading beyond the 100-square-foot room. In a release, Dan Derlacki with Bend Fire says a larger fire or more smoke could have caused millions of dollars in damage to the research facility.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Roseburg, OR – Kitchen fire at retirement home is contained by sprinkler system

A fire broke out at a Roseburg retirement home Monday morning, Roseburg Fire Department officials said. Around 7:30 a.m. Monday firefighters were dispatched to Linus Oakes Retirement Village on NW Van Pelt Blvd where they found the fire had been contained to the kitchen area of apartment #23 and extinguished by the building’s automatic sprinkler system.

Officials say a wheelchair-bound resident fled the apartment before the sprinklers activated. Firefighters located the resident’s cat, which they removed to safety. Investigators say the fire was likely caused by the apartment’s 82-year-old resident, who was trying to remove a piece of bread that was stuck in her energized toaster.

While probing the interior of the toaster with a fork she saw flames develop and spread to the wall of the kitchen, officials said. She initially tried to extinguish it by smothering it. Failing that, she left her apartment to alert management.

Roseburg Fire Dept. reminds citizens to unplug appliances before working on them or contact a professional to investigate the cause of the problem. Energized toasters and other appliances pose a significant risk of electric shock and fire hazard if damaged or used improperly.

Officials also noted the automatic sprinkler system in the apartment worked as designed, containing the fire damage to the kitchen area with the activation of just one sprinkler head. Although the apartment sustained some water damage from the sprinkler, the smoke and fire damage throughout the rest of the building was minimized substantially, officials said, saving both the structure and lives.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Beaverton, OR – Sprinkler system limits damage in early morning fire at small business

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Firefighters extinguished a fire early Sunday in a commercial building in Beaverton. They arrived at the two-story concrete building, located at 10074 S.W. Arctic Dr., about 4:30 a.m. It was filled with smoke but the fire stayed in one room. It took Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue crews nearly an hour to clear out the smoke and water. The building houses several businesses. No one was inside at the time. A fire investigator said blaze started under a shelving unit. Two sprinkler heads activated, limiting the damage.

Adult Care/Rehab Center, Hospital/Care Facility

St. Helens, OR – Early morning fire at mental health treatment center extinguished by sprinkler system

Columbia River Fire and Rescue crews responded to a structure fire at Cornerstone, Columbia Community Mental Health’s residential treatment facility, on Saturday, Jan. 30, at 5:15 a.m. When crews arrived at 271 Columbia Blvd., smoke had filled the two-story building. A small fire had ignited on the first floor in a bedroom on the northwest corner in the bedding of one of the residents. The fire triggered the sprinkler head system in the building, extinguishing the flames. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

CRFR Fire Chief Jay Tappan said the sprinkler system worked as it was designed to, alerting residents when the system sounded. Two staff members and 16 residents evacuated the building during the fire and no injuries were reported. Tappan said staff at the facility followed emergency evacuation orders quickly, which likely helped prevent injuries.

Water damage to the building was estimated to be $25,000 for property and $15,000 for personal contents. Building residents were temporarily displaced and relocated to other facilities due to the damage and the need to reset the sprinkler system, Tappan explained.  Five fire engines, six support vehicles and 24 fire personnel were on scene.

College/University (on campus), School / University

Portland, OR – Sprinkler system contains parking garage fire at Oregon Health & Science University

Officials say no one was injured in a parking structure fire at OHSU Saturday. The fire was reported around 7 p.m. inside an underground parking garage in the 800 block of SW Campus Drive. The fire was contained to just one car thanks in part to a sprinkler system. The cause of the fire has not yet been released.

Hospital/Care Facility, Other - Hospital/Medical

Bend, OR – Sprinklers credited with saving medical radiology business from overnight fire

Bend Fire officials credit the sprinkler system for saving a northeast Bend business. Firefighters responded to an alarm at Central Oregon Radiology Associates (1460 NE Medical Center Dr.) just after 3 a.m., Friday. When crews arrived, they found that a garbage can had caught fire under the overhang of the building and had activated an exterior sprinkler head.

Investigators say the sprinkler activation prevented what could have been a very expensive fire, given the imaging systems inside the business. The cause of the fire is believed to be an improperly disposed of cigarette.

Dep. Fire Marshal Dan Derlacki says sprinkler heads react to heat; units not exposed to heat don’t activate, which allows minimal amounts of water to be applied to a small fire and keep it from growing. This minimal amount of water also prevents extensive water damage. When water started flowing, the alarm company notified 911.

He reminds business and building owners to keep sprinkler systems well maintained, especially during frigid temperatures. He says frozen systems render them inoperative and/or can result in broken pipes. Derlacki says most fire sprinkler systems that do freeze are the result of lack of maintenance

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Portland, OR – Firefighters use sprinkler system’s FDC to help control blaze at abandoned building; No injuries

A fire broke out Tuesday night in an abandoned building that formerly housed the popular dive bar and music venue, Slabtown. Initial reports of smoke coming from a dumpster around NW 16th Avenue and NW Northrup Street came in around 7:30 p.m., Portland Fire & Rescue Lt. Rich Tyler said.

When firefighters arrived, they determined the smoke was actually coming from the basement of what used to be Slabtown Bar. It was upgraded to a commercial fire and several more crews rushed to the scene.

As they began to fight the fire, crews discovered holes they were previously unaware of in the basement of the abandoned building. That discovery, combined with knowledge of the building’s unstable structure, forced crews to retreat. “For us it’s unsafe,” Lt. Tyler explained. “There’s parts of the structure that, in fire conditions, would be unsafe for us as firefighters to be working in.”

It was upgraded to a 2nd-alarm fire as crews worked to devise a new plan of attack. Lt. Tyler said all firefighters taken out of the building were accounted for.  Fire hoses were hooked up to the building’s sprinkler system to help put out the flames. The fire was under control by 8:50 p.m.

As of 10:15 p.m., firefighters were still working to put out hot spots in the basement. No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Portland, OR – Intentionally-set fires at high school kept in check by sprinklers

Students at Portland’s James Madison High School got quite a scare Monday morning.

“Today we had a fire alarm this morning at 10 a.m.,” said Christine Miles, Spokesperson for Portland Public Schools.

She explained that a fire had been intentionally ignited in the boys restroom.  Shortly after, another fire was set in a school storage closet that was used for donated food.

“Inside, there is a sprinkler fire system that was activated by the heat which then kept that fire in check and kept it from extending further into the building,” said Lt. Rich Tyler with Portland Fire & Rescue.

But the two fires at Madison High on Monday weren’t the first to be set at the school recently.

“So far we have four fires that were set here. The 16th, the 17th and then two today,” said Tyler.

Three of the fires started in boys restrooms and investigators said all of them were believed to be arson.

“We do know that it is a student and we are interviewing the students to determine who the individual or individuals are,” Tyler said.

At this point, school is still on for Tuesday but Portland Public School officials want everyone to be on watch.

“We’re telling our community: ‘Please step forward if you know something so we can make an arrest or put an end to this as soon as possible,’” said Miles.

The principal also posted a letter to parents on the front page of the Madison High School website.

No students have been hurt in any of the fires.

Apartment Building, Residential

Portland, OR – Sprinklers halt spread of fire caused by crafting heat gun

The fire caused by a crafting heat gun set on a hardwood floor by a resident damaged a Northwest Portland apartment building Sunday morning. No one was hurt in the fire, which was slowed by the building’s sprinkler system before firefighters arrived.

According to Portland Fire & Rescue, at approximately 8:40 a.m. on Oct. 11, Portland Fire Engine 3 was dispatched to the report of a fire alarm at 1420 N.W. Lovejoy St. When the engine arrived, a resident of one of the apartments met firefighters outside and reported that one of the units was on fire.

After circling the block to check out the building, firefighters noticed smoke coming from a second-story window. The commanding officer then upgraded the incident to an apartment fire, balancing the incident to the appropriate number of responders to handle it.

Once crews entered the building, they found that the alarm system had activated and the sprinkler system was flowing. Interior fire attack crews made entry into the apartment and reported that the sprinklers had slowed the forward progress of the fire.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Portland, OR – Early morning fire at commercial laundry business controlled by sprinkler system

Portland Fire & Rescue responded to a fire in a commercial laundry at 14321 N.E. Whitaker Way early Sunday. No one was injured in the fire, although additional resources were called in because of the potential for a large fire load due to the number of garments, towels, and chemicals — including detergents and cleaners — in such a business.

According to PF&R, initial reports at 6:12 a.m. were that smoke and flames had been seen inside the building and employees had evacuated it. Additional calls came in from neighboring businesses with reports of heavy black smoke coming from the roof. 

When firefighters arrived at the UniClean building, they quickly gained access to it and began searching for the area of the fire. A second alarm was called because of the size of the structure and the nature of the business.

Within minutes of arrival, crews were able to locate the area of the fire in the southwest corner of the building. The sprinkler system had activated and played a key element in keeping the fire at bay until fire fighters were able to gain access and knock it down. 

Truck crews were able to ventilate the building efficiently by removing the sky lights on the roof of the building.

A PF&R Investigator determined has the fire to be accidental, caused by a laundry bin full of oil soaked rags that had a chemical reaction. This type of fire can occur when an oil soaked towel or rag is slowly heated to its ignition point through oxidation.

No damage estimate was immediately available. Additional resources that responded to the fire included: eight Engines; four Trucks; one Squad; one Investigator; five Chiefs; and one Rehab rig.