Manufacturing, Other - Manufacturing Speers Borough, PA – Sprinkler system contains blaze at chemical plant; No injuries reported July 11, 2016 viking210 Authorities say a fire caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage to a chemical plant, but no injuries were reported. Fourteen fire departments responded shortly before 1:30 p.m. Friday to the blaze at National Polymers Inc. off Interstate 70 near the Monongahela River in Washington County. The blaze had already been contained by the building’s automatic sprinkler system and prevented the flames from reaching chemicals stored in the plant. Fire crews had the flames out in less than an hour but remained for two more hours venting smoke and making sure the area was clear. Chief Robert Whiten Jr., of the Charleroi Fire Department, said the blaze appeared to have been accidental but the exact cause wasn’t immediately clear.
Apartment Building, Residential Plymouth Meeting, PA – Sprinkler system credited with saving life and property in apartment fire June 28, 2016 viking210 An accidental fire at the Parc Apartments on Plymouth Road Friday morning caused fire and water damage to one apartment and water damage to an additional nine to 10 apartments. “The husband and wife living in the third-floor apartment tried to put out the fire in the kitchen,” said Andrew Mount, the Plymouth fire marshal. “They pulled the fire alarm in Building 5000 and evacuated with other residents of the building. The sprinkler system in the apartment had extinguished the fire by the time the fire companies arrived.” The Harmonville and Plymouth fire companies were the first fire companies to respond to the 8:46 a.m. fire, Mount said. The Conshohocken Fire Company No. 2, Lincoln, Wissahickon and Barren Hill fire companies also responded to the fire along with Plymouth Ambulance. “The sprinkler system most certainly saved a life and it minimized the damage to the building,” Mount said. “If we didn’t have a sprinkler system in the building firefighters could still be fighting this fire.” There were no injuries reported. Mount said that the Parc Apartments management has hired a restoration company to clean up water damage in the second-floor apartments. He said the company will return later to make permanent repairs as well. “Someone might be critical of the water damage,” Mount said, “but there is less fire damage and less water damage compared to the amount of water the firefighters would use to put out the same fire.”
Office Building, Other Business Philadelphia, PA – Fire in downtown high-rise controlled by sprinkler system; No injuries June 22, 2016 viking210 A sprinkler system prevented a Center City Philadelphia high-rise fire from spreading early Tuesday morning. The blaze, believed to be electrical in nature, broke out shortly before 2 a.m. on the 18th floor of 2000 Market Street, said the Philadelphia Fire Department. Luckily no one was hurt as the sprinklers kicked in and doused the fire, said firefighters. Crews declared the blaze under control around 2:25 a.m. but hazmat crews remained at the 29-story building. The building, which opened in 1973, houses a slew of businesses including law firms, a restaurant and a Santander Bank branch.
Apartment Building, Residential Cheltenham, PA – Arson fire at apartment building suppressed by sprinkler system June 11, 2016 viking210 Residents of one of the rebuilt buildings at the apartments at 1600 Church Road were evacuated May 31 after a fire alarm went off at 2:46 a.m., Cheltenham police reported. The fire was believed to be arson, police said. Several people reported smelling an odor of gasoline and there was an odor of gasoline in a stairwell in the first floor of the B building, where the fire was located, said Cheltenham Fire Marshal Joe O’Neill, who confirmed “the fire was set” and is under investigation. “The sprinkler system put out the fire almost immediately,” he said. There was fire damage to the stairwell and smoke, soot and water damage to carpet in that area, O’Neill said. The building had previously been destroyed in a fire in October 2012. Glenside Fire Company assisted by Edge Hill and LaMott fire companies responded to the scene to “make sure the hazard was addressed” and clear the smoke and odor of gasoline from the building, O’Neill said.
Apartment Building, Residential Cheltenham, PA – Arson fire at apartment building suppressed by sprinkler system June 10, 2016 viking210 Residents of one of the rebuilt buildings at the apartments at 1600 Church Road were evacuated May 31 after a fire alarm went off at 2:46 a.m., Cheltenham police reported. The fire was believed to be arson, police said. Several people reported smelling an odor of gasoline and there was an odor of gasoline in a stairwell in the first floor of the B building, where the fire was located, said Cheltenham Fire Marshal Joe O’Neill, who confirmed “the fire was set” and is under investigation. “The sprinkler system put out the fire almost immediately,” he said. There was fire damage to the stairwell and smoke, soot and water damage to carpet in that area, O’Neill said. The building had previously been destroyed in a fire in October 2012. Glenside Fire Company assisted by Edge Hill and LaMott fire companies responded to the scene to “make sure the hazard was addressed” and clear the smoke and odor of gasoline from the building, O’Neill said.
Other Business, Place of Worship South Whitehall, PA – Fire at synagogue controlled by sprinkler system June 1, 2016 viking210 Emergency crews responded to a small fire at Temple Beth El in South Whitehall Township, Lehigh County Sunday afternoon. The fire was reported at the synagogue – located in the 1300 block of Springhouse Road – around 7:30 a.m., according to county officials. Crews on scene say the fire broke out in the rear of the building and was contained to a small maintenance room, which suffered smoke damage and minor water damage. Luckily, officials say the building’s sprinkler system was functioning properly and kept the fire from spreading throughout the rest of the building. The fire did go to a second alarm, but only due to the size of the structure and the temperature outside. No one was inside the synagogue when the flames broke out, and no injuries were reported. Investigators are still looking into what may have sparked this fire.
Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant Forks Township, PA – Polystyrene fire at plastics manufacturer controlled by sprinkler system May 17, 2016 viking210 A Sunday morning fire at a Forks Township manufacturer could have been much worse if not for the building’s sprinkler system, a township fire official said. Crews were called for the fire at about 12:15 a.m. at the Ecopax building, 3600 Glover Road, said Matt Mowrey, deputy chief for the Forks Township Fire Department. Ecopax manufactures foam and plastic food containers. A commercial roll of polystyrene caught fire, leading to a working blaze, but the flames were kept from spreading by the building’s sprinklers, Mowrey said. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, and the blaze is under investigation, Mowrey said.
Other / Not Specified, Other Business Titusville, PA – Early morning fire at laundry business contained by sprinkler system April 18, 2016 viking210 The Titusville Fire Department was busy on Friday putting out two fires — one occurred at a Titusville business — the other was on Park Avenue near the intersection of High Street. According to Assistant Chief Joe Lamey, the first fire happened at 5:30 a.m., Friday, at ITU [formerly Farley’s Industrial Laundry] on West Spring Street. Lamey said an automatic fire alarm went off, and when firefighters arrived on the scene, the water flow alarm [sprinkler system] was on, but no smoke was showing. He said firefighters forced entry into the structure and the building’s interior was full of smoke. Lamey said Hydetown and Pleasantville volunteers were called to assist. He said one of the overhead bags the laundry uses had a contaminant, possibly an oil substance, that spontaneously combusted. “The sprinkler system did a great job, but there’s water damage,” Lamey said. “They will have a lot of clean up. There was little damage to the facility and it will probably be ruled accidental.” He said firefighters were on the scene until 8 a.m.
Apartment Building, Residential Easton, PA – Sprinkler system holds apartment fire in check; Fire started in dryer April 10, 2016 viking210 A dryer fire Wednesday evening in Easton led to extensive damage in an apartment and the temporary evacuation of the entire building. It was reported about 5:50 p.m. in an apartment at G.J. Mills in the 1400 block of Bushkill Drive in the city, near the border with Forks Township. Tenant Fred Green said he was doing laundry in his apartment when the dryer, stacked atop the washer, caught fire. “Underneath the bottom of the dryer, I saw flames and the filter was melting,” he said. He dialed 911 and the building’s alarm sounded. The Easton Fire Department had the fire quickly extinguished upon arrival, Capt. Henry Hennings said. “The sprinkler system kept things pretty much in check until we got here,” he said. “A lot of water damage, though.” Hennings confirmed the fire started in the dryer but said the cause was undetermined Wednesday night. Residents temporarily evacuated by the incident clustered together at the apartments inside a converted mill complex along the Bushkill Creek. Despite the alarm sounding, firefighters had to go door to door in the complex to evacuate all the residents as a precaution, Hennings said. He noted that if an alarm sounds in a building, anyone inside needs to get out. Older construction can mean buildings lack firewalls, and flames can spread to any void from the basement to the attic. No one was reported injured. Green’s second-floor apartment sustained flame, heat and smoke damage, and firefighters reported some smoke in at least four other apartments. Only Green was displaced following the incident, Hennings said, and was being put up temporarily by the property owner, Strausser Enterprises Inc. The fire department cleared the scene about 7:20 p.m.
Primary / Secondary School, School / University Doylestown, PA – Fire at high school quickly brought under control by sprinkler system April 10, 2016 viking210 The Doylestown Fire Company responded to a small fire Wednesday morning at Central Bucks West. No injuries were reported. The Doylestown Fire Company responded to a small fire Wednesday morning at Central Bucks West, the fire company announced on Facebook. The fire was brought under control quickly by a sprinkler, the fire company said via Facebook. No injuries were reported. The fire caused minor damage.
