Spring Hill Fire Department responded to a reported apartment fire early Saturday afternoon.
The fire was contained to the balcony of the affected unit. Investigation found that discarded smoking materials in a flowerpot started the fire which spread to a plastic rocking chair.
Fire was held in check by the sprinkler system until SHFD Units arrived to complete the extinguishment.
No extension into the building or other hazards were found.
An intentional fire set inside a Memphis Walmart caused nearly $2 million in content loss, the Memphis Fire Department said.
On Sunday, the MFD responded to a fire at the Walmart on Austin Peay Highway at 3:11 p.m.
Qwanesha Ward of the MFD said that the fire was intentionally set on Aisle 18 near the electronics department and was contained by the store’s sprinkler system.
However, the fire still led to $1.8 million in content loss and $10,000 in building loss. The store has smoke and water damage.
MFD said that the store will likely be closed until the end of the week.
The fire was dispatched at 11:21am Monday morning, fortunately, broke out while no residents were present in the apartment. However, the presence of beloved pets left behind prompted firefighters to take immediate action to ensure their safety. Firefighters managed to locate and safely evacuate the pets, much to the relief of the owners.
The sprinkler system played a crucial role in containing the fire, minimizing its spread to neighboring units. While the third-floor apartment sustained fire damage, the lower apartments experienced water damage as a result of the sprinkler system’s activation. Damage to the building is estimated to be around $150,000. The Fire Marshal determined one of the cats possibly turned the stove on and started the fire.
Worthington Glen is taking proactive measures to assist affected residents. Management is relocating residents to other available apartments within the complex to ensure their comfort and safety while repairs are underway.
According to officials with Murfreesboro Fire-Rescue, the sprinkler system worked perfectly, and it came on and put-out the fire.
Firefighters used fans to clear smoke from the building.
NFD said a kitchen fire started on the 27th floor of the 505 apartment complex. The sprinkler in the unit put the fire out, however, the water caused the unit to flood and created another electrical fire.
“A resident had placed a wicker basket on a stove that had burned, and their sprinkling system did activate so that fire was technically out upon arrival of our crews, but that water had begun to flow throughout that unit and the floor, because of the sprinkler activation,” Kendra Loney with NFD said.
Firefighters said the water poured into an electrical room and sparked another fire on the 24th floor.
“There were multiple fires that started throughout the building, and they had to be put out, the sprinkler system did what it was set to do, but water and electricity just don’t work,” Loney said.
NFD said 528 units were evacuated. the unit the fire started in is significantly damaged and several units have water damage.
“Honestly we thought it was like one of those drills,” said Eya Dufresne, a 505 resident. “I woke up to the fire department knocking on our door and saying you have to be evacuated. We had like what felt like minutes to be out.”
Dufresne and her boyfriend Chris Clark had to rush out of their 26th-floor apartment at 505 Church Street.
“We had 52 flights of stairs to go down and we had to bring our 40-pound dog down,” Clark said.
Even though Clark and Dufresne brought their dog down, they had one other worry.
“I’m a little nervous, we brought our dog down, but we left our cat,” Dufresne said.
While firefighters worked to make sure that some of the units were safe to re-enter, Dufresne prayed for her cat, Pluto.
“Things could come and go, but as long as Pluto is okay, we’ll be fine,” Dufresne said.
NFD said no one in the building was hurt. People living on floors 30 through 45 were able to go back inside, but those living on floors 3 through 29 were not let back inside and NFD said it could be a couple of days before they can return.
NFD added that floors 3 through 29 will remain without power and that the building remains on a fire watch.
Firefighters responded to the Masonic Lodge at 551 W. 21st Street on a fire alarm activation at 2:11 a.m.
When CFD personnel arrived on scene, they found a fire on the left front exterior of the building which was quickly extinguished. The front doors were also open and as crews made entry, they found another small fire inside the structure which had activated the sprinkler system. The sprinklers effectively extinguished the interior fire.
Along with fire and water damage, there was also damage to the building from vandalism.
There is an active and ongoing investigation into what happened at this location.
Mike Caylor, deputy chief of Maryville Fire Department, said that a call regarding the fire came in at 1:33 p.m. Monday. Firefighters arrived 3 minutes later, to find that the fire was out. The sprinkler system extinguished it, he said.
“The updated sprinkler system did its job and assisted in keeping damages to a very small minimum. No damage to the main level at all. We just have to clean up some water in other areas and double check for any other old neglected electrical components to ensure this never happens again,” a post published to Two Doors Down’s Facebook page states.
Five engines and two support vehicles responded to the fire, along with 12 personnel from MFD and three from Alcoa Fire Department.
Firefighters remained at the scene to assist with water removal and smoke mitigation.
No injuries were reported.
The fire was located in the kitchen of the affected apartment and was extinguished by the sprinkler system.
Several apartment units received water damage.
The Chattanooga Housing Authority is assisting the residents affected.
The cause is still unknown, and the investigation is ongoing.
King said Franklin Fire Department investigators are working with private investigators hired by the property insurer. Due to structural instability, they haven’t yet been able to access all areas of the building to complete their investigation. He said they hope to have more answers later this week.
The fire started on the lower level in the rear of the historic two-story building, located at 408 Main Street. King estimated damage at $300,000.
“While this was a big loss to our community, the damage could have been much worse,” he said. “A combination of early detection and notification, a quick response and solid tactical decisions by firefighters, and the automatic fire sprinklers led to a positive outcome.”
King said more fire sprinkler heads activated than investigators originally thought.
“At least four or five fire sprinkler heads activated on the first and second floors of the building, which helped to prevent the fire from spreading to adjacent buildings,” he said.
To learn more about how to equip your building with fire sprinklers and take advantage of the Fire Sprinkler Incentive Act, contact King at andyk@franklintn.gov or 615-550- 6752.
KFD crews were dispatched to the hotel at 6:09 a.m. Monday for an activated fire alarm with sprinkler activation and Knox County E-911 dispatchers also received a call about the fire reporting smoke and flames on the seventh floor of the hotel. On arrival, KFD firefighters made their way to the seventh floor and discovered that the sprinkler system had put out the fire in one of the rooms, which was unoccupied.
KFD said all hotel occupants of the whole building were evacuated as a precaution. The Initial investigation revealed that the fire was quickly put out by the sprinkler system and did not appear to spread any further than the room of origin.
The hotel room has sustained heavy smoke damage, KFD said, and hallways and other common areas of the hotel sustained water damage. The building has been turned over to building maintenance. No injuries were reported.
This fire is currently under investigation by KFD officials.
