Tag Archives: Tennessee

Retail, Shopping Mall

Knoxville, TN – Fire at mall food court contained by fire sprinklers; No injuries reported

Anchor store have begun reopening in West Town Mall after the mall evacuated Friday morning due to a small fire in the Food Court area.

The Knoxville fire department was alerted to a fire at approximately 11 a.m. in West town Mall.

Fire department crews discovered a small fire in the rear of three restaurants located in the Food Court.

The fire sprinkler system contained the fire and crews were able to continue extinguishment. No one was injured.

The mall was evacuated as a precaution and anchor stores have begun to reopen to customers.

The fire is under investigation and no cause has been determined. All Mall entrances are blocked to incoming traffic.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

La Vergne, TN – Material that caught on fire at plant contained by sprinkler system

A fire was reported at 2:30 a.m. Tuesday at Bridgestone Firestone Distribution Center in La Vergne, a city official confirmed.

The sprinkler system was activated after material in the plant caught on fire, said Anne Smith, public relations officer for the city of La Vergne.

“The fire only caused minor damage to the building,” Smith said. 

Two occupants sought medical care at the nurse station at the plant, where they were treated for minor injuries.

Smith said Rutherford County EMS was called to Bridgestone, but it is unclear whether the patients were transported to a medical facility, Smith said.

No other information is available at this time. This is a developing story.

Athletic Club/Sports Facility, Other Business

Knoxville, TN – Sprinkler system activated for grease fire at Thompson-Boling Arena

Knoxville Fire Department responded to a small grease fire that activated a sprinkler head at Thompson-Boling Arena Friday afternoon.

According to KFD Capt. D.J. Corcoran, there was a little smoke and water in the area of the concourses, and firefighters had it under control within 10 minutes. 

No injuries were reported. 

So far, no scheduled events are said to be affected although there is a Winter Jam event at the arena Friday night. 

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Mt. Juliet, TN – Sprinkler system contains fire at nursing home

Mt. Juliet firefighters went to a late-night kitchen fire at Mt. Juliet Nursing and Rehabilitation on Thursday after the commercial fire alarm and water-flow alarm system alerted them.

Emergency crews responded to the fire at about 10:40 p.m. at 2650 N. Mt. Juliet Road and found fire in a trashcan and several boxes in the nursing facility’s kitchen. The facility’s sprinkler system contained the fire, and responding firefighters used a 2.5-gallon water extinguisher to finish the job.

Firefighters checked each room of the facility to ensure there was no additional fire or smoke, and they found the facility was safe with no injuries reported. No residents were evacuated, and the facility remained safe and operational after crews left the scene.

Mt. Juliet police and Wilson Emergency Management Agency paramedics also went to the nursing home. Mt. Juliet firefighters said the cause of the fire remained under investigation.

Hospital/Care Facility, Hospital/Medical Clinic

Maryville, TN – Sprinkler system extinguished fire at doctor’s office; No injuries reported

A small fire broke out in a doctor’s office on the third floor of Blount Memorial Hospital’s Physicians Office Building Wednesday.

There were no injuries, but the building was evacuated for approximately 90 minutes.

The fire began around 11:30 a.m. when a radiator lit up a nearby chair. The fire spread to the wall, but was put out by the sprinkler system before the Maryville Fire Department arrived.

Still, there was considerable smoke, Deputy Chief Mike Caylor said.

Because the room’s windows would not open, fans were used to blow the smoke into the building’s main atrium, where it was exhausted by the ventilation system there.

Firefighters monitored carbon monoxide levels throughout the hospital but found minimal readings.

“The hospital did a good job making sure we could get people out of harm’s way,” Caylor said.

Hospital spokesman Josh West emailed The Daily Times that the physician offices in the building have been closed to begin cleanup. Some patients who had appointments were rerouted to different offices, while others were rescheduled.

“We apologize to our patients who were inconvenienced,” West wrote. “While this incident was unfortunate, we’re grateful no one was injured. We also extend our sincere appreciation to the Maryville Fire Department, and Maryville Police Department, both of which responded immediately to help ensure the safety of our patients, visitors and staff.”

College/University (on campus), School / University

Knoxville, TN – Fire in on campus lab and classroom building is limited by sprinkler system

A small fire in Strong Hall last Saturday morning has resulted in some water damage on the second through fifth floors. The building and all of its labs are open today. The fire was sparked by electronic equipment on a workbench in Room 525G. Fire damage was minimal and limited to that room. Most of the water damage is limited to the north end of the fifth floor and the areas below. The damage from the fire itself was minimal due to the proper operation of the fire sprinkler system.

Retail

Chattanooga, TN – Arson fire at Walgreens store controlled with help from sprinkler system

A Florida man has been arrested after setting fire to the bathroom at the Walgreens on Gunbarrel Road. Jeremy Wilson, 38, of Orlando was charged with aggravated assault in the incident on Christmas Day. The manager said the sprinkler went off in the bathroom. He then found that the door was locked from the inside. After the fire department responded, they were able to get inside though Wilson was holding against the door. He said he had set a fire because people were after him and he said he would be rescued by personnel responding to the fire.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Chattanooga, TN – Sprinkler system helps control fire at assisted living facility

No one was injured when a laundry room at a Chattanooga assisted living facility caught fire Sunday. Just after noon, Chattanooga firefighters were called to The Lantern at Morning Pointe on Shallowford Road. With the help of the facility’s sprinkler system, the fire was contained to the laundry room, according to the Chattanooga Fire Department. Follow this story to get email or text alerts from WRCB when there is a future article following this storyline. As a precaution, some residents were evacuated. Others were asked to shelter in place until the emergency was over. CFD Chief Schroyer said it appears the fire started in or near a clothes dryer. The blaze has been ruled accidental.

Retail, Storage / Warehouse

Spring Hill, TN – Firefighters contain tire fire at Discount Tire store with help from sprinkler

The Spring Hill Fire Department responded to a fire outbreak at Discount Tire on Main Street Saturday night, which both Spring Hill firefighters and members of the Williamson County Rescue Squad successfully extinguished within a few hours.

“We get the call a little bit after 8 (p.m.), and when we arrive, sprinkler heads are already activated, and we’ve got a heavy fire in the tires and smoke coming out of the roof,” said Spring Hill Fire Chief Terry Hood. “Where the sprinkler wasn’t putting the fire out, we had active fire between some tires. We spent about two to three hours getting it under control.”

According to Hood, the source of the fire has been determined to be a heat gun that was near some cardboard boxes. A heat gun is sometimes used in the tire installation process, specifically for the installation of wheel weights.  “By the rack of tires we found the trash can, and there’s no other possible cause of ignition there,” Hood said. “When the fire attacked the cord [of the heat gun], it melted away, which caused the wires to short [circuit].”

Hood said the performance of both his firefighters and the Williamson County Rescue Squad was “excellent,” especially considering the dangers tire fires can bring. Tire fires are difficult to extinguish, and release dark smoke that contains dangerous chemicals such as cyanide and sulfur dioxide.

The Discount Tire closed at 6 p.m. on Saturday, and the manager reportedly left the business at around 7 p.m., with Spring Hill Fire receiving a call about smoke roughly an hour afterwards.  The manager at the Spring Hill Discount Tire, Joe Stevens, said he immediately returned to the business after hearing reports of a fire, and feared the worst.  “Honestly, I thought the whole thing burned down,” Stevens said. “When I pulled in, there were already fire trucks here and police officers, thank god they were here. I honestly thought the whole building was going to be down.” The Discount Tire is temporarily closed, but will be reopened “within a few days,” according to staff.