Tag Archives: Oregon

Adult Care/Rehab Center, Hospital/Care Facility

Bend, OR – Sprinkler system extinguishes laundry room fire at rehabilitation center, No injuries reported

A laundry room fire Sunday afternoon at Pilot Butte Rehabilitation in northeast Bend was stopped by the facility’s fire sprinkler system, an official said.

A fire alarm report was received by Bend Fire & Rescue just after 3:30 p.m. It soon was upgraded to a structure fire response after staff found smoking coming from the laundry room of the facility, in the 1800 block of Northeast Highway 20, Deputy Fire Marshal Jeff Bond said.

Crews arrived to find that the sprinkler system had activated and completed putting it out, Bond said. There were no injuries and minimal heat and water damage. No smoke entered the patient area of the building, the official added.

The exact cause of the fire was under investigation, Bond said. The fire sprinkler and alarm systems were back in operation in about two hours.

Apartment Building, Residential

Albany, OR – Sprinkler system activated for kitchen fire at apartment complex; No injuries reported

An apartment house fire occurred at 707 SW 10th St. around 7:50 a.m. Friday, Oct. 22, displacing 10 residents.

Twenty firefighters, two chief officers and a fire investigator responded to the incident, which was caused by unattended cooking in one of the units.

“Fortunately the fire was quickly suppressed by a sprinkler located in the kitchen,” said Carmen Westfall, a fire prevention officer at Corvallis Fire Department. “The sprinkler did exactly what it’s supposed to do.”

While the fire damage was contained to the kitchen area, 10 people are now displaced because of the water damage caused by the downward trickle of the sprinkler system. There were no reported injuries.

“Unattended cooking is the No. 1 cause of home fires,” Westfall said. “When you’re finished cooking, make sure you turn off your burners.”

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Hillsboro, OR – Sprinkler system activated for fire at business; No injuries reported

A building in a Hillsboro business park was evacuated on Thursday after a fire broke out inside one of the businesses, setting off the sprinkler system, fire officials said.

Hillsboro Fire & Rescue and Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue crews were called out at about 11:30 a.m. on reports of a fire alarm at the Sunset West Business Park off Northeast 25th Avenue.

Everyone made it safely out of the building, fire officials said, and there are no initial reports of injuries.

Firefighters found and extinguished the fire which was contained to a small area inside one of the companies, saying it involved “specialty materials commonly found in high-tech manufacturing.”

A HazMat team was called out to assess the potential impact that the specialty materials may have, which prompted fire crews to order evacuations of the nearby businesses.

Investigators have not confirmed a cause of the fire.

“Hillsboro Fire & Rescue would like to thank Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue, Hillsboro Police, Metro West Ambulance, and Portland General Electric for their assistance.”

Apartment Building, Residential

Portland, OR – Sprinkler system activated for tent fire that was spread to nearby apartment building; No injuries reported

A tent caught fire and spread to a four-story apartment building in the 2100 block of SE Powell Boulevard early Sunday morning.

According to Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R), the fire was contained before too much damage was sustained. The building had vinyl siding, which burns quickly. The fire activated a sprinkler inside the building but there were no injuries and no one is displaced.

Officials said the fire could have been much worse. However, there was some water damage inside. The fire began due to carelessly discarded smoking material.

Houseless/tent fires increased from one in February 2021 to 64 in April 2021. The latest data, recorded in May 2021 from PF&R shows 45 fires for the month of May. In May, it accounted for the most number of calls to PF&R, followed by trash fires with 42 calls in May 2021.

“This building did have vinyl siding and our crews did do a great stop on this fire,” said Rob Garrison, public information officer with PF&R said in an email. “A few more minutes and the fire would have spread to the inside of the building.”

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Bend, OR – Sprinkler system activated for large electrical fire; No injuries reported

An electrical fire caused about $350,000 in damage and losses at a downtown Bend office building late Saturday night, but an official said the sprinkler system prevented more damage.

Bend Fire and Rescue was dispatched around 11:40 p.m. to the reported fire in a two-story commercial building in the 100 block of Northwest Greenwood Avenue, Deputy Fire Marshal Susie Maniscalco said.

Police and fire personnel arrived to find flames and smoke coming from the second story and roof of the unoccupied building, which is equipped with a full fire sprinkler and alarm systems, Maniscalco said.

Crews got to the second floor and said a single fire sprinkler in the attic kept the fire from spreading through the attic.

“Had the fire sprinklers not been in place, the long-term cleanup and disruption of businesses would have been greatly impacted,” Maniscalco said in a news release.

The cause of the fire was determined to be an electrical fire relating to heat tape. No injuries were reported.

The building’s estimated value is $2.7 million, and property losses were estimated at $200,000, Maniscalco said. Contents were valued at $400,000, with losses of about $150,000.

Apartment Building, Residential

Hillsboro, OR – Sprinkler system activated for fire in apartment building

Firefighters say two people had to be rescued from an apartment fire in Hillsboro Wednesday morning.

At 10:08 a.m., a commercial fire alarm alert was received at the Washington County 911 dispatch center indicating fire sprinkler activation at 722 Northeast Autumncreek Way. Additional information to 911 reported white smoke coming from a third-floor apartment and that a person may be inside the unit.

The first fire engine arrived to find smoke showing from an upstairs unit and audible fire alarms. When firefighters made entry into the unit, they found heavy smoke, fire sprinklers flowing, and two persons inside the unit. Both people were rescued and taken safely down to awaiting paramedics.

The fire was quickly extinguished and contained to the single unit. The fire did not extend to any additional units but the apartment immediately below the fire was impacted by water from the sprinkler system.

A fire investigator determined the cause of the fire to be improper storage of smoking materials.

Apartment Building, Residential

Roseburg, OR – Cigarette fire at apartment extinguished by sprinkler system

A discarded cigarette started a fire at the Rose Apartments and caused the complex’s sprinkler system to flood the fourth floor, according to the Roseburg Fire Department.

Just after 1:30 a.m. Monday, firefighters responded to a water alarm at the apartments in the 800 block of Southeast Stephens Street, Roseburg. When they arrived, they found water flowing from the upper floors, into the stairwell and out of the front doorway.

When firefighters searched the building they discovered remnants of a fire that had likely started inside an upstairs closet where a used cigarette had been tossed into a garbage bin, according to a press release.

The apartment complex had an automatic sprinkler system installed and when it sensed smoke from the fire it activated and extinguished the fire. The sprinklers caused water damage throughout the building, including several rooms and common spaces, but quickly doused the flames and prevented it from growing, said Fire Marshal Brian Jewell.

“This is a great reminder that sprinkler systems can not only save lives, it can reduce damage to property if functioning properly,” he said in a press release.

Jewell said it’s important to check wastebaskets and cushions in rooms where people have been smoking and look for embers that are still burning.

“Cigarettes can smolder longer than most bedding materials can upholstery can resist igniting,” he said.

Apartment Building, Residential

Roseburg, OR – Apartment fire extinguished by single sprinkler head

A residential structure fire in Roseburg displaced an adult and several of their pets on Monday morning.

At 9:46 a.m. the Roseburg Fire Department personnel responded to a reported residential structure fire at 2665 NW Van Pelt Drive, #15. Firefighters arrived on the scene to find smoke inside apartment #15. The occupant and her dog were found to be outside of the residential structure.

The building had an automatic fire sprinkler system installed. A single sprinkler activated when exposed to the fire, effectively extinguishing it and preventing the fire from spreading.

Firefighters ensured the fire was completely out and conducted a primary search, locating and rescuing two birds that were inside the home. A secondary search found no victims and an overhaul was completed. One adult, one dog, and two birds were displaced due to the fire; however, no one was injured in the fire.

A fire investigator was on scene and the fire was determined to be caused by cooking and found to be accidental in nature.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Newport, OR – Sprinkler system controls laundry room fire at hotel

The automatic sprinkler system at the Best Western Plus Agate Beach Inn controlled a fire in the laundry room believed to have been started by spontaneous combustion.

The Newport Fire Department responded to a commercial fire call at 3019 North Coast Highway at about 12:45 a.m. Monday. Fire Chief Rob Murphy said responding firefighters found a blaze in the laundry room that had largely been extinguished by the facility’s sprinkler system, and they were able to quickly put down smolders and clear smoke from the building.

The entire hotel was briefly evacuated as a precaution — Murphy praised management for their execution of that process — but there was no damage to the main building, and guests were able to return to their rooms.

Murphy said the fire started by spontaneous combustion in a pile of laundry. Even after washed, the chief said, cloth can retain residue of oils and other chemicals. When that material is piled in large stacks, especially if it contains moisture, the oxidation of those chemicals releases heat with no place to escape, eventually building to ignition.

This kind of fire can be prevented by spreading laundry out as opposed to piling it, the chief said, adding that the incident was a great example of the value of fire alarm and suppression systems.

In an email to the News-Times, hotel manager Joshua Conrad thanked emergency personnel for their response and support.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Portland, OR – Sprinkler system activated for cooking fire at hotel

Smoke alarms were blaring and water was flowing after one man’s cooking led to a small fire overnight.

Fire crews were called out to the Larkspur Landing Suite Hotel in Hillsboro just after 1:30 a.m. Once they arrived, firefighters saw one hotel room’s fire sprinklers were running and smoke was filling the corridor. While crews went to work, the hotel’s occupants were told to shelter in place.

Firefighters reached the hotel room the water and smoke were coming from to find a man trying to extinguish a fire in the room’s kitchen area. The fire itself was extinguished and never reached any other rooms — but water from the sprinklers had flowed into the hallway and several other rooms.

Crews turned off the water flow then used a water vacuum to clean up the affected areas.

The man did suffer some minor burns to his hands and legs, but he denied medical service. No other occupants were injured, but some were relocated to other rooms.

An investigation determined the cause of the fire was unattended cooking. Remember to always be present while cooking and to keep things that can burn away from stovetops.