Tag Archives: Pennsylvania

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Wilkes-Barre, PA – Overnight fire in senior living center extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

City Fire Chief Jay Delaney said Wednesday a commercial dryer fire forced the evacuation of 61 residents from a senior living facility on North Sherman Street late Tuesday.  Residents returned to North Penn Manor at approximately 1 a.m. Wednesday, about three hours after the fire broke out in the laundry area of the facility.  Delaney praised building staff for a “well-coordinated evacuation” of residents, many wearing nightgowns and bed clothing when the fire broke out at about 10 p.m. Tuesday.

Residents initially were outside in two separate parking lots in cold temperatures. A sprinkler system extinguished the blaze that was contained to the laundry room.  Delaney said after conversing with the code enforcement office, it was decided it was safe for residents to go inside another part of the building.

“The staff did an excellent job at removing the residents in an orderly manner,” the chief said. “Given the time of night, residents were outside in nightgowns and bed clothing and hypothermia could quickly set in. After meeting with the city code enforcement, it was (determined to be) safe to place them in another wing of the building.”  Residents were then moved next door where the Wyoming Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross has its building.  No injuries were reported. Ambulance companies from Hanover Township, Kingston and Plains Township plus TransMed assisted at the scene.

Apartment Building, Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential, Residential High Rise

Pittsburgh, PA – Fire chief credits sprinkler system in preventing worse situation in high rise senior apartment building fire

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The Pittsburgh fire chief credited a sprinkler system with likely preventing a worse situation for seniors evacuated by a fire Saturday at their high-rise apartment building in Hill District.

“Thankfully, this 10-story building had a working sprinkler system,” Chief Darryl Jones said in a news release.  The residents of Ebenezer Towers on Dinwiddie Street were evacuated from the 99-unit apartment building after the two-alarm blaze broke out shortly after 5 p.m. The fire was quickly contained to two units.  Two people were transported to the hospital — an 85-year-old woman who was burned on her foot and a man who needed evaluation for a pre-existing condition. The man since has been released; the woman was in stable condition.

One resident was rescued from a second-floor balcony, according to the release. During the fire, police took several elderly people and families to the Zone 2 station for shelter. The city said residents on the upper floors were allowed to return to their apartments. The 24 residents of the first two floors were displaced due to smoke and water damage.

College/University (on campus), Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

Reading, PA – University dormitory fire contained to one unit by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

…. Firefighters had just been dispatched to a dormitory fire at Alvernia University, so some of the crews responding to the college were diverted to Lancaster Avenue. … The dorm fire at Alvernia occurred in Judge Hall, 440 Adams St. Searfoss said the fire sprinkler system contained the fire to one unit until firefighters arrived. No one was injured.

Food Processing, Manufacturing

Hershey, PA – Minor fire at Hershey Kiss factory extinguished by sprinkler system

A small fire broke out at the Pennsylvania chocolate factory that manufactures more than 70 million Hershey’s Kisses a day.  Firefighters were called to the Hershey Co.’s plant in Hershey, Pennsylvania, for a minor fire Friday morning.  A company spokesman said a short-circuit in a storage area heater activated a sprinkler system, which immediately put out the fire.  He said workers were evacuated from a section of the plant out of caution.  He said everyone is fine and no employees were ever at risk.  According to the company’s website, the plant also makes Hershey’s milk chocolate bars and Hershey’s syrup.

Apartment Building, Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Plum, PA – Fire in senior apartment building contained by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Multiple fire departments responded to a stove top fire in a senior citizens apartment building in Plum shortly before noon on Sunday, according to authorities.  Residents of the four-story building along the 600 block of Repp Road were evacuated as smoke filled the building.  Authorities say the fire is believed to have started in an apartment on the fourth floor and was extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system, according to Tribune-Review news partner WPXI-TV.  No one was injured in the blaze, according to Allegheny County Chief Fire Marshal Matt Brown. He said the fire was accidental, and limited and contained by an automatic fire sprinkler system. The American Red Cross was summoned to the scene to provide assistance to residents who may have been displaced as a result of the fire. A web page for the building where the fire was reported lists it as the Retirement Residence of Plum, which is open to people 55 and older who meet certain income requirements.

Athletic Club/Sports Facility, Other Business

Allentown, PA – Sprinkler system knocks down pretzel oven fire at Coca-Cola Park

Allentown firefighters were dispatched to Coca-Cola Park on the city’s East Side on Wednesday evening on a report of a smoky fire touched off by a pretzel oven that was left unattended.

As firetrucks arrived about 6:10 p.m., the smoke was thick but the fire was out, fire officials said. No one was injured.

“When we got there, in one of the storage rooms, there was a heavy smoke condition,” fire Capt. John Christopher said. “What it was, was a pretzel oven. It remained plugged in, it overheated and bags on top of the oven caught fire.

“The sprinkler system kicked in, two sprinkler heads went off and the fire was out when we got there,” he said. “That’s what knocked the fire out. We didn’t have to do anything.”

Christopher said he didn’t know why the pretzel oven was on. He didn’t know of any event going on at the park at the time. He said officials ruled it an accident.

The oven fire reached into a wall, he said. Firefighters checked the walls for hot spots to make sure any hidden fire was extinguished.

Activation of the water sprinklers automatically set off the fire-alarm horns at the stadium, which serves the Lehigh Valley IronPigs baseball team. It took several minutes to shut off the noise.

Just before 10 p.m., firefighters were called back to the stadium on another alarm, but there was no new fire. Workers were resetting the alarm system when it erroneously signaled another emergency.

Manufacturing, Storage / Warehouse

Royersford, PA – Sprinkler system controls fire at chemical warehouse until fire crews arrive

A chemical warehouse in Royersford caught fire on Saturday night, bringing first responders from around the area together to battle the blaze.  The incident was first reported at around 7:40 p.m. at Hectrio Specialty Chemical System, located on the 400 block of First Avenue.  Crews forced entry to the rear of the building, and used hand lines to battle the blaze, which was contained to a small area in the manufacturing part of the building, according to officials. Firefighters were on the scene containing the smokey fire for close to two hours.

Royersford Fire Department said that the sprinkler systems were very effective in controlling the blaze until crews arrived. That, along with the swift response from first responders, helped quell the “potentially hazardous” blaze.  Despite the bad smell reported by neighbors, the chemicals posed no danger to the public, officials said. According to their website, Hectrio produces and stores chemicals like tin, lead, copper, silver, bismuth, iron and potassium.  The cause of the blaze and extent of the damage are not yet clear. The fire appeared to be contained to the manufacturing section of the warehouse, but there was heavy smoke involved.

Royersford Fire Department was assisted by Liberty Fire Co. of Spring City, along with crews from Trappe, Skippack, Limerick, and Linfield.

Adult Care/Rehab Center, Hospital/Care Facility

Huntingdon Valley, PA – Fire in nursing care facility extinguished by automatic sprinkler system

A small fire at a nursing care facility in Montgomery County prompted an evacuation of 110 residents Wednesday night.  The fire started around 9:15 p.m. at ManorCare Health Services at 3430 Huntingdon Pike in Lower Moreland Township.

Officials said the fire started in an air conditioning unit in one of the rooms and was quickly extinguished by the sprinkler system.  Along with ManorCare employees, Montgomery County emergency management and several fire and EMS companies helped the more than 100 residents out of the building. Forty four people were transported by bus to other ManorCare facilities in the area. The remaining residents were able to return to their rooms.

“Obviously, this is a care facility, so you have folks who have ambulation issues, but the folks from ManorCare and our EMTs are taking care of everybody very well and making sure everyone is safe,” said Paul Randolph, chaplain and public information officer for Huntingdon Valley Fire Company.  One male ManorCare employee was treated at scene for smoke inhalation and taken to hospital for evaluation.  No residents were hurt.

Other / Not Specified

Erie, PA – Several animals rescued after sprinkler system controls fire at environmental center

Firefighters were called to the Tom Ridge Environmental Center to put out a fire in a laboratory room Sunday morning.  It was reported around 5:41 a.m.  An aquarium system caught fire, creating smoke in the east wing of the building, according to West Lake Fire Department.  The fire activated a sprinkler, but firefighters had to extinguish what was left of the fire, the fire department said.  Several turtles and a garpike were rescued.

Government/Military, Public Library

Stroudsburg, PA – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire in public library’s bookmobile

A small fire temporarily closed the Eastern Monroe Public Library on Wednesday. No one was injured, according to a series of statements on the library’s Facebook page.

“The fire was contained to the bookmobile and there is no damage to the Hughes Library Building,” it said in an 11:30 a.m. revision to an earlier statement. “We need to recharge our sprinkler system before reopening and a crew is on the way to complete that work. We hope to reopen this afternoon.”

The bookmobile was parked inside the library garage when the fire began, according to the same statement. The building’s sprinkler system extinguished the flames before the fire could spread.

“Rest assured everyone is fine,” the library page posted in a response to comments. “No one was in the building at the time and there is no damage to the building.”

“Yes, we intend to open this afternoon once the sprinkler system is reset. Thank you for your support.”

The building had reopened by 2:16 p.m., according to a later post.

“The Hughes Library has reopened and we will be open until the regular closing time of 9 p.m. today,” it said. “Thanks to the Stroud Township Fire Department and the Harrel Sprinkler Company for helping us to reopen quickly.”