Tag Archives: Pennsylvania

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Warehouse fire limited thanks to fire sprinklers (Somerset, PA)

A fire that broke out in an electronic recycling warehouse caused 30 fire firefighters from four county fire departments to respond. They arrived to find a small fire which was limited due to the warehouse’s fire sprinklers.

“Basically the sprinkler system knocked down the fire,” reported Somerset First Leutenant Bart Close. “We took about 10 more minutes to finish the knockdown.”

There was minimal damage to the building, and no one was reported injured.

Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

Sprinkler system helped college students evacuate from resident hall fire (Philadelphia, PA)

205 students and 5 RAs of Race Street Hall were evacuated from the building around 1:30 a.m. due to a fire on the sixth floor. It is unclear at this time what caused the fire. Heasley and Subir Sahu, assistant dean of Residential Living, wrote in an email to campus residents, “A fire occurred in Race Street Hall, causing fire sprinkler systems to activate. There were no injuries, and all fire suppression systems operated correctly.”*** Blog Editor’s Note – Please let us know what you think of the coverage by The Triangle and journalist Ainslie Rhoads, who focused on water damage rather than the lives and property saved by the automatic fire sprinkler system. ***

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Fire in fifth-floor hotel room extinguished by sprinkler system (Pittsburgh, PA)

Pittsburgh firefighters responded to a fire in a fifth-floor room of an Upper Hill District hotel shortly after 11 p.m. Saturday. Sprinklers at the hotel extinguished the fire, and no one was injured, according to an Allegheny County emergency dispatcher. The county’s 911 center received the call at 11:06 and firefighters reported that the fire was out 15 minutes later.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Sprinklers extinguish fire at YWCA women’s shelter (Williamsport, PA)

A disaster was averted late Wednesday night at the YWCA when a fire caused by two children playing with a lighter on the fourth floor activated the building’s sprinkler system. The sprinklers put out the fire in a matter of minutes, according to city Fire Chief C. Dean Heinbach. “This could have been a real disaster had it not been for the sprinkler system,” Heinbach said. About 40 temporary residents and several staff members were safely evacuated from the building.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Sprinklers extinguish early morning bar fire (Wilkes-Barre, PA)

A fire that erupted early this morning at a themed Bar was the result of varnish rags that caught fire amid a reconstruction project, fire officials said. Most of the fire had already been extinguished by the time fire crews responded, said city Fire Chief Jay Delaney. “Very fortunately, they have a good fire alarm system and a sprinkler system in place that prevented a lot of damage,” Delaney said  

Blog editor’s note: A fire alarm system does not trigger a sprinkler, but only rather the substantial heat from a fire.

Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

Kitchen fire at college dorm controlled by sprinkler system (Philadelphia, PA)

A fire broke out in a fourth floor college dorm room late Saturday evening. According to House Dean Trish Williams, a resident was cooking, and a toaster had set off the fire. University Police Sergeant Lawrence Salotti said the building’s sprinkler system had been activated. All building occupants were evacuated, and there were no injuries.