Tag Archives: Pennsylvania

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Wilkes-Barre, PA – Sprinkler system keeps kitchen fire under control at Caribbean restaurant

A kitchen fire damaged a Caribbean restaurant in downtown Wilkes-Barre late Saturday night, according to city fire Capt. Robert Smith.

Firefighters responded to an activated fire alarm at Hartman Jerk Center, 72 S. Main St., at about 10:10 p.m. Saturday, according to Smith.

A sprinkler system in the restaurant’s kitchen had mostly extinguished the fire by the time firefighters arrived, Smith said.

The restaurant is closed for now until heat and water damage is cleaned up, according to Smith. He said he did not know how long the restaurant would need to remain closed.

The cause of the fire had not been determined as of Sunday night, but firefighters had no reason to believe it is suspicious, Smith said.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Erie, PA – Local pizza shop fire contained thanks to fire sprinkler activation

Fire at Summit Township pizza shop brought out firefighters early Saturday morning, but they said an effective sprinkler system put it out, and security camera video showed how it started.

Perry Hi-Way Hose and assisting companies came to Brooklyn Pizza on Rotunda Dr. just before 6 a.m.

Security video shows pizza boxes stored near the oven fell into a pilot light and touched off the fire. That kicked off the sprinkler system, which snuffed out the fire.

Firefighters forced entry from the front and back but found the big problem was water damage

Perry Hi-Way Chief Kip Hayford said a good firewall kept the fire from spreading.

Mariners Insurance had a little water damage, and the cell phone repair store vented a little smoke, but both were able to open for business.

The pizza shop said on Facebook it will be closed until further notice due to the fire.

Apartment Building, Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Williamsport, PA – Fire at senior apartment home triggers fire sprinklers, containing fire to one apartment; No injuries reported

A three-alarm fire broke out late Wednesday night at the Williamsport Manor, 450 Center St., forcing the evacuation of the apartment building’s nearly 100 residents.

There were no reports of any fire injuries, but a few residents were treated at the scene for heat exhaustion or medical-related issues.

Many of the residents are elderly or have to cope with minor medical problems or disabilities.

The fire erupted in a kitchen in an apartment on the fifth floor, the top floor, about 9:15 p.m., fire officials said.

The fire triggered both the building’s fire alarm and sprinkler systems.

A team of city police officers helped more than a half a dozen residents down flights of stairs.

“The fifth floor was starting to fill up with smoke,” one officer said.

The second and third alarm brought additional firefighters and ambulances from South Williamsport, Old Lycoming Township and Montoursville.

The fire was confined to the one apartment, but two apartments on the fourth floor sustained some water damage.

The majority of residents were expected to be allowed back in their apartments by the end of the night, for officials said.

Other - School / University, School / University

Meadville, PA – Fire started by students in paint mixing room quickly stopped from spreading by fire sprinklers; No injuries reported

A fire set intentionally by students at the Crawford County Career and Technical Center on Thursday was extinguished almost immediately by the facility’s sprinkler system, according to Chief Evan Hasko of Meadville Central Fire Department.

The fire, which was reported at 8:58 a.m., was contained to a paint mixing room in the school’s auto collision technology department, according to Hasko and Crawford County 911.

“We had a little incident at the vo-tech this morning,” Hasko said. “The sprinkler system did what it was supposed to do.

No one was injured, Hasko said, and the damage, primarily caused by the water that extinguished the fire, was minimal.

Hasko described the paint mixing area where the students set the fire as a booth not quite 8-by-10 feet in area.  

Firefighters checked that the fire had been completely extinguished and shut off the water supply to the sprinkler system when they arrived, according to Hasko.

Three students were involved in setting the fire, Hasko said, and they were “turned over to school officials and law enforcement to handle.”

Hasko declined to identify the students, citing their status as minors.

“They fessed up,” Hasko said of the students. “I’m sure their parents aren’t going to be happy to get a call.”

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Erie, PA – Foundry fire knocked down by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Firefighters made quick work of an early-morning fire at an Erie foundry. It happened around 1:20 a.m. at Keystone Foundry on West 12th, in between Plum and Cascade streets. When crews got to the scene, it was a fire from one of the foundry’s furnaces that started spreading to the roof. “All in all, the fire was knocked down mainly by the sprinkler system,” said Deputy Fire Chief Mike Fahey. “We’re just kind of cleaning up and making sure it didn’t extend anywhere else.” No one was hurt.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Hershey, PA – Sprinkler system activated for electrical fire at restaurant; No injuries reported

The Mill restaurant in Derry Township is temporarily closed following a fire.

On a Facebook post Monday, the restaurant at 810 Old West Chocolate Ave. said it experienced a small electrical fire and is now closed for a few days.

General manager Candy Mellinger said the fire occurred around 8:30 a.m. Monday and was contained to the kitchen where a sprinkler system had fortunately activated. There was minimal damage in the kitchen and no damage in the dining rooms, she said.

Mellinger said the restaurant is expected to reopen 4 p.m. April 24.

The Facebook message read:

“Hello friends,

UPDATE: Today we faced a small electrical fire here at The Mill. Thank God, no one was hurt!

We would like to send a special THANK YOU to the Hershey Volunteer Fire Department for their quick and diligent response.

Unfortunately, we will be closed for a few days and hope to open later this week. Please keep us in your thoughts! We will update everyone posted on the progress.

We appreciate the support of our friends, family and community during this time.

Warmly, Mill Management.”

The Mill opened in 2014 in the Curry Mill, a landmark brick building on the west end of Hershey.

Restaurant

Rostraver Twp, PA – Fire in unoccupied restaurant is extinguished by sprinkler system

A fire erupted at a Rostraver Township restaurant on Monday before it was quickly extinguished by the business’s sprinkler system. Rostraver Central Fire Department said in a mid-afternoon posting to its Facebook account that its members had answered a 911 call placed by employees of Sweeney’s Steakhouse on Rostraver Road. The department said restaurant staff reportedly arrived for work to find signs of the extinguished fire. The state fire marshal is investigating. The department made no mention of the fire causing any injuries at the restaurant, which appears to have been unoccupied whenever the fire started.

Firefighters didn’t immediately return a message left at the station. The department’s post said Collinsburg Volunteer Fire Company, which is also located in the township, assisted. The restaurant was founded in the 1930s. Debra Hardy, the now-former wife of billionaire 84 Lumber founder Joe Hardy, has owned it since 1994.

Manufacturing, Other - Manufacturing

Harrisburg, PA – Sprinkler system limits spread of fire in exhaust stack at industrial facility

A Wednesday last night fire at a Harrisburg industrial site damaged a roof and exhaust stack, but no one was injured as a result of the blaze. That is according to Harrisburg Bureau of Fire Chief Brian Enterline, who said firefighters were called about 9:38 p.m. to the 1300 block of North Cameron Street, where a fire was reported at the Dayton Parts building. According to Enterline, the fire began in an industrial machine and spread up through an exhaust stack to the building’s roof.

Firefighters were able to respond within only a few minutes of the call, and they quickly extinguished the flames, Enterline said, explaining that the exhaust stack was destroyed but damage to the roof was only “superficial.”

A sprinkler system also activated and helped to slow the fire as it spread, Enterline said. While fighting the fire, water got into a large tank holding oil typically used to cool hot metal parts at Dayton, Enterline said. The water caused the tanks to overflow and spill oil, he said. However, he added that quick actions by both firefighters and Dayton employees helped to keep the oil from entering the local sewer system or nearby Paxton Creek. “It’s all contained to the building,” Enterline said.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Buckingham, PA – Fire at elementary school confined to one classroom by sprinkler system

A fire at Cold Spring Elementary School in Buckingham started in an unoccupied classroom on the second floor, township police said Thursday. Fire Marshal Jim Kettler is investigating the cause, they added. All Central Bucks schools are closed for students Thursday and Friday for staff development days, and for everyone on Monday for the President’s Day holiday. There was no immediate word from school district officials on whether Cold Spring students would return to school Tuesday.

Buckingham police said the school’s sprinkler system activated and the fire was confined to the one classroom. Fire companies from Midway, New Hope, Lingohocken, Plumstead, Doylestown, Point Pleasant and Warwick responded to the scene. All students and staff were evacuated to the neighboring Our Lady of Guadalupe Church and were on their way home by 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, the school district website said.

An announcement will be made on the website around noon Friday about arrangements for parents and students to pick up personal belongings left at the school because of having to evacuate.