Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential Bend, OR – Laundry fire at assisted living facility controlled by sprinkler system August 28, 2017 viking210 A fire from the laundry room of the Mt. Bachelor Assisted Living and Memory Care facility in Bend on Friday morning caused 75 residents to be evacuated. Bend Fire Department responded at 9:03 a.m., and found light smoke in the hallway coming from the laundry room. Crews put out the fire and cleared the smoke, then allowed residents to return to their rooms. All residents were evacuated prior to the fire department’s arrival, expect for several residents who are not able or strong enough to walk. Those residents sheltered in place on the upper floors of the facility. The fire sprinkler in the laundry room controlled the spread of the fire, which was confined to the dryer unit, according to the fire department. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Government/Military, Other-Government/Military Portland, OR – Sprinkler system helps stop fire at Metro Transfer Station; No injuries August 13, 2017 viking210 Portland Fire and Rescue crews quickly put out a fire at Metro Transfer Station in Northwest Portland Monday afternoon. The fire, which triggered the sprinkler system, was spotted around 12:20 p.m. by employees. The building was briefly evacuated and no one was injured. Responding fire crews helped put the fire out and operations were back to normal by 1:10 p.m.
Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant Redmond, OR – Electrical fire at Pronghorn Resort extinguished by sprinkler system August 9, 2017 viking210 Shortly before 9:30 p.m., firefighters were called to Pronghorn Resort between Bend and Redmond on the reported maintenance building fire, said Fire Marshal Traci Cooper. Crews arrived and found the fire sprinkler system had been activated and there was smoke coming from the eaves of the building, Cooper said. They entered the building to find a small blaze that had been put out by the sprinkler. The fire was believed to have started from an overheated electrical charging box, the fire marshal said. Mutual-aid help was provided by Crook County Fire and Rescue and Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies, with station coverage by Bend Fire and Rescue. There were no injuries and losses totaled $500, Cooper said.
Manufacturing, Paper Mill / Saw Mill La Grande, OR – Early morning sawmill fire contained with help from sprinkler system May 29, 2017 viking210 A fire was reported at Boise Cascade’s Mt. Emily plant at 1917 Jackson Ave. in La Grande about 4:45 a.m. Sunday. Nobody was injured in the blaze, which kept firefighters busy until about 7 a.m., according to Larry Wooldridge, chief of the La Grande Rural Fire Department. The fire originated in some wood stored inside a Boise Cascade building and caused no structural damage, Wooldridge said. Four fire departments responded to the blaze: the La Grande, La Grande Rural, Imbler and Union fire departments. The firefighters were aided by an automatic sprinkler system at Boise Cascade, which was running when they arrived. The cause of the fire has not been determined.
Apartment Building, Residential Portland, OR – Mattress fire at downtown apartment held in check by sprinkler system March 25, 2017 viking210 Firefighters are working to put out a mattress fire Thursday morning inside a building in Northwest Portland. Reports came in just before 10 a.m. of a fire on NW 6th and Flanders Street. Portland Fire & Rescue said the flames were kept in check by the building’s sprinkler system. Arriving crews searched the unit for people, but initial reports state that the area was clear. A fire crew is working to “salvage” the unit, or try and prevent any further smoke and sprinkler damage.
Apartment Building, Residential Portland, OR – 6th floor apartment fire extinguished by sprinkler system February 27, 2017 viking210 A man was taken to a hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation Wednesday after a fire broke out in a Northwest Portland apartment. The man, who wasn’t publicly identified, was the only person injured in the blaze that closed Northwest Everett Street between 20th and 21st avenues, said Lt. Rich Chatman, a Portland Fire & Rescue spokesman. Chatman said a couch in a sixth-floor unit caught fire and that the building’s sprinkler system extinguished the flames. The building was evacuated as a precaution, Chatman said. Firefighters efforts were hampered briefly by one resident who did not want to leave the building, Chatman said. The man had a weapon but the confrontation ended peacefully, he said. Firefighters responded to the fire around 3:50 p.m. Some began leaving the area within an hour.
Apartment Building, Residential Medford, OR – Single sprinkler credited with extinguishing apartment kitchen fire; No injuries January 19, 2017 viking210 A Medford apartment was saved by a fire sprinkler system this week after a cooking fire erupted in the kitchen. According to Medford Fire-Rescue, first responders were dispatched to 1032 North Berkeley Way #1 on Monday. Fire officials said the occupants were cooking chicken on the kitchen stovetop when the fire broke out. They said a single sprinkler automatically activated above the stove and quickly extinguished the blaze. The incident was declared under control within minutes of firefighters’ arrival. There was minor damage to the vent hood above the cooktop, some smoke staining on kitchen cabinets and some water damage throughout the apartment. Three people were at home when the fire occurred, but no one was injured. The owner of the apartment complex contacted a fire restoration company to repair the damages and the family will be displaced during the repairs.
Other / Not Specified, Other Business Redmond, OR – Downed power line causes fire at wood products business; Sprinklers contain blaze January 13, 2017 viking210 A downed power line fell onto a roof at Redmond’s Bright Wood Corp., sparking a fire in an electrical box Sunday morning, officials said. A sprinkler system contained the blaze until power was shut off, but damage and expected repair costs still totaled an estimated $400,000. Redmond fire crews were called out around 10:20 a.m. to the Bright Wood mill at 630 Southeast First Street, said Fire Marshal Traci Cooper. Firefighters arrived to find the downed power lines and a fire in an electrical box in a mill building, Cooper said. The sprinkler system activated and contained the fire until Pacific Power could shut off electricity to the area, she added. Fire crews then ventilated the building to remove smoke and ensure the blaze was extinguished. The fire marshal said the cause of the downed power line was not known, though freezing rain had been reported in the area.
Other / Not Specified, Other Business Medford, OR – Fire at commercial laundry business contained with help from sprinkler system January 10, 2017 viking210 Firefighters battled both fire and ice Thursday night in northwest Medford when they responded at 8:50 to a blaze at Alsco Inc., 980 Ellen Ave. The building, a commercial laundry facility, sustained “moderate smoke damage,” with no visible damage to the structure, according to an agency Facebook post. An investigation showed the fire ignited in a large dryer that had been filled with mop heads and other textiles. The materials were left in the dryer by accident, fire officials said, likely leading them to smolder, ignite, then spread to some nearby linen bags. Alarms in the building began to sound and the facility’s sprinkler system kicked on. Fire crews initially responded to the scene with four engines, but quickly upgraded the response to a second alarm because of the amount of smoke and the fire’s location deep in the building. “Second alarm is actually used for resource improvement,” said Medford Fire-Rescue Battalion Chief Erin Sawall. “It could be for any myriad of needs.” Six engines from Medford Fire-Rescue and Jackson County Fire District No. 3 responded, tangling with ice outside while they fought the fire inside. Thursday night’s low temperature in Medford dipped to 18 degrees, according to the National Weather Service, turning the roads outside into a skating rink for firefighters while they prepared hoses. “It was a very icy scene,” Sawall said. “Crews operated in a pretty dangerous atmosphere.” Crews deployed salt to help. One firefighter did slip, Sawall said, but he wasn’t seriously injured. No other injuries were reported. Firefighters had the flames extinguished within a half hour, but spent almost three more hours on scene venting the buildup of smoke. Fire officials said the building’s sprinkler system was a big help in snuffing the flames. “It had some serious potential,” Sawall said. “Under these conditions, that’s the best we can hope for.”
Other Business Bend, OR – Fire at kettle corn business knocked down with help from sprinkler system December 29, 2016 viking210 Sprinklers and workers wielding fire extinguishers helped limit the damage when spontaneous combustion of soybean oil sparked a fire at a southwest Bend kettle corn business, fire officials said. Firefighters responded around 3:45 p.m. to the reported structure fire at Suzy Q’s Kettle Corn, located in a small commercial mall on Southwest Division Street, said Battalion Chief Dave Howe. The first crews to arrive found three sprinkler heads had activated and two people deploying fire extinguishers, Howe said. Firefighters made a quick knockdown of the fire and performed extensive overhaul and salvage, he said, noting that the fire sprinkler system helped contain the blaze until firefighters arrived on scene. Losses were estimated at $20,000 to the building and $10,000 worth of contents, both of which were insured, the fire official said. The fire’s cause was determined to be spontaneous combustion of natural soybean oils in fabric, Howe said. The fire official reminded the community that many types of natural oils can combust without a source of ignition, if not handled correctly. “Please follow the directions for disposal on all containers of natural oils,” Howe said.
