The Brownwood Fire Department issued the following press release Tuesday afternoon:
Chief 9, Truck 9, Rescue 9 and Engine 92 responded with assistance from the Brownwood Police Department.
The fire was under control in 7 minutes, units were on scene for 35 minutes. The fire caused an estimated $10,000 in damages.
The Brownwood Fire Department issued the following press release Monday morning:
Chief 9, Chief 92, Chief 93, Truck 9, Rescue 9, and Engine 92 responded to the scene with assistance from the Early Fire Department, Lifeguard Ambulance, Brownwood Police Department, and the Red Cross.
It took 10 minutes to extinguish the fire and units were on scene 1 hour and 10 minutes. The fire cause an estimated $25,000 worth of damage.
Fortunately, for the residents at the Marquis at Kingwood apartments, the building was equipped with both a fire alarm and a fire sprinkler system. In order to minimize the risk to residents, modern fire codes require fire sprinklers and alarms in multi-family residential buildings. While the building’s fire alarm system did its job and alerted residents to the growing fire, a single fire sprinkler located in the utility room activated from the heat escaping from the clothing burning in the dryer. The fire sprinkler contained the fire to the interior of the dryer, and upon their arrival, fire crews used a water-based fire extinguisher, further drenching the burning contents, before removing the dryer from the building. There were no injuries and fire damage was confined to the dryer itself.
Firefighters and the apartment’s maintenance crew then utilized a wet vac to remove the water and clean the utility room before turning the apartment back over to management. What started out as a potentially life-threatening fire in an apartment building full of sleeping residents, ended up as nothing more than minor smoke and water damage to a single room, thanks to the presence of the fire alarm and sprinkler systems and management’s commitment to maintaining those systems in working order.
The Montgomery County Fire Marshal’s Office reviews construction plans during the building process, insuring that all new and renovated buildings meet the life safety requirements found in the Montgomery County Fire Code. After they are built and occupied, MCFMO Fire Inspectors work closely with building occupants and management teams to protect the lives of our residents and the firefighters who would respond in the event of a fire.
The Abilene Fire Department said it responded to the fire in the 4100 block of Ridgemont Drive and found the single-story restaurant with smoke coming from the back door. All customers and employees had gotten out of the building safely.
Fire crews found a small fire in the kitchen and quickly put it out. The fire was contained to the fryer area and did not damage the building. The vent hood suppression system and sprinkler system activated which contained the fire to the area of origin.
Damages are estimated at $10,000.
Just before 8 a.m. that day, the department received a fire alarm for the sprinklers having activated at a pet facility in the 6400 block of Preston Road.
Shortly after the fire alarm notification, the department was informed there was a fire in the building. Upon arrival, it was discovered a sprinkler head was activated by the fire. The sprinkler head controlled the fire and limited damage to the building, the department said. The fire was the result of a light fixture and ballast that failed and caught on fire, the department said.
At the time of the fire there were approximately 20 pets in the business. There were no injuries reported, and none of the pets were injured during the fire. The Frisco Police Department Animal Services Division is working with the business to safely relocate the pets to other local facilities, according to the fire department.
Firefighters made their way up to the smoke filled apartment and began searching for the source of the fire and any remaining occupants. They quickly discovered that two of the building’s fire sprinklers had activated, one over a fire in the living room and one over a fire in a walk-in closet. Firefighters also observed evidence that the fire was intentionally set and immediately secured the area as the first of several fire investigators arrived on scene.
After insuring that the fire was out, firefighters shut down the fire sprinkler system and turned their attention to salvaging resident’s belongings on the floors below the fire. MCFMO Investigators spent several hours examining the scene and interviewing witnesses before placing the resident of the apartment, 28 yr old Jasmine Johnson, under arrest for setting the fires.
The investigation continues into the circumstances and motive behind the fire, but there is no further danger to the public at this time. MCFMO Investigators are currently booking Ms. Johnson into the Montgomery County Jail on 1st degree felony arson charges, where she will be held on a $250,000 bond.
MCFMO Inspection personnel worked with apartment management to insure that the building’s fire sprinkler system was restored to service and that the remaining residents would be protected once they are able to return to their apartments.
Montgomery County first enacted a County Fire Code in 2008 when Commissioner’s Court issued an order adopting the International Fire Code, a consensus safety standard that requires all new and remodeled apartment buildings be equipped with fire sprinkler and alarm systems.
Without these modern safety systems, a fire like this could easily have led to injuries and even deaths, as well as significant property damage. National fire sprinkler statistics reveal that approximately 90% of fires in sprinklered buildings are controlled by the first sprinkler head that activates.
Firefighters were called out to a fire at around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.
The fire was at R & K Distributors on Whaley Street in Longview. Several engine companies arrived at the scene to battle the flames. Whaley St. was blocked eastbound as they worked to bring the fire under control.
At 6:15 p.m. Longview Fire Department officials say the fire was out, and there were no injuries. The sprinkler system assisted in putting out the fire.
No injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.
A resident at the Woodlands of College Station complex on Harvey Mitchell Parkway called 911 around 8:30 p.m. after he heard a pop in his bedroom, according to a College Station Fire Department spokesman.
A fire started to spread into a bedroom wall, but the sprinkler system kept the flames from spreading until firefighters arrived.
The College Station Fire Department said an electric skateboard battery caused the fire.
A fire broke out in a unit of an Abilene apartment complex Sunday evening.
According to a press release, crews arrive around 6:40 pm to the Buffalo Ridge apartments to find the alarm and sprinkler system activated in one of the units. Because of the sprinklers, the fire was contained to just the unit’s stovetop.
According to those at the scene, no one was inside the unit at the time, although neighbors did rescue a dog from the flooding caused by the sprinklers.
The damage is estimated to be approximately $5,000.
