Tag Archives: Texas

Apartment Building, Residential

Houston, TX – Single sprinkler contains early morning apartment fire; No injuries reported

Fire marshals are crediting a sprinkler system with limiting damage during an early-morning fire at a northwest Harris County apartment complex. A blaze broke out at about 5:30 a.m. Thursday on the third floor of an apartment in the 15000 block of Tuckerton.

The fire triggered a single sprinkler system on the balcony. It contained the flames until firefighters arrived at the scene. There were no reports of injuries, officials said.

“The fire sprinkler did exactly what it was designed to do. Lives and property were saved because one sprinkler head activated and minimized the fire damage,” said Harris County Fire Marshal Mike Montgomery. The cause of the fire was later identified as “discarded smoking materials,” officials said.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Temple, TX – Fire at foam products manufacturer controlled by sprinkler system

A Temple factory was evacuated early Sunday evening, after some of the foam workers were making caught on fire.  It happened at the Carpenter Company on North General Bruce Drive in Temple, shortly after 6:30 p.m.  Officials said employees were in the building when that fire broke out, but everyone was evacuated safely.

There were no major injuries, however one person was treated for minor smoke inhalation.  Firefighters say it took a few hours before they could enter the building. According to Thomas Pechal the Public Information Officer for Temple Fire and Rescue, he said the sprinkler system is what kept the fire from spreading.

“Our goal right now is to ventilate the building so we can get the remainder of the foam extinguished and get that out of the building,” said Pechal.  There was over 100 pounds of foam material that caught fire, but it didn’t cause any structural damage.  Firefighters did eventually enter the building after the ventilation was complete, and they got the fire under control around 8:15 p.m.

It is unclear how many employees were working at the time of the fire. 

Other - Retail, Retail

Tyler, TX – Suspicious fire at Dollar Tree store extinguished by sprinkler system

The Tyler Fire Department investigated a fire at the Dollar Tree, 3825 Texas Highway 64, on Friday evening that they described as suspicious in nature.  Tyler Fire Department Investigator Tony Gumber said the sprinkler system at the store extinguished the fire, but not before an estimated $10,000 to $12,000 worth of merchandise was damaged. There were no injuries reported.  According to Tyler Police Sgt. Adam Colby no arrests had been made in connection with the fire as of Friday evening. Signs on the doors of the store indicated Friday that the store would be closed until further notice.

Apartment Building, Residential

College Station, TX – Fire at off-campus apartment building contained by sprinkler system

Occupants of the Domain at Northgate apartments stand in front of the building after being evacuated for a fire in one of the units Friday afternoon in College Station. The building’s smoke detectors and sprinkler system activated and contained the fire in the second-floor apartment where it originated. An estimated 50 to 60 people were evacuated and residents whose apartments were damaged are being relocated. The College Station Fire Marshall is investigating the cause of the fire.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Amarillo, TX – Sprinkler system keeps vehicle fire from spreading at wrecker service business

A wrecked car inside a storage facility was destroyed by fire at T-Miller Wrecker Service in Amarillo on Saturday morning.  Amarillo Fire Department responded to 1201 S. Johnson St. at 2:07 a.m. and found a light haze surrounding the large single-story metal storage building.

Fire crews entered and found a single car in the building on fire. The sprinkler system kept the fire from spreading to dozens of other vehicles, fire officials said. The fire was under control by 2:38 p.m.

A representative from the wrecker service said the vehicle that caught fire was involved in a wreck earlier and was the last one brought inside before the business closed at 6 p.m. Friday.

No injuries were reported. Fire damage was contained to the car. Minor heat damage was sustained to the ceiling above.

College/University (on campus), School / University

Dallas, TX – Fire at university high-rise building suppressed by sprinkler system

A firefighter was overcome by heat after crews put out a possible electrical fire Friday night at a high-rise in Stemmons Corridor.

The firefighter was taken to a hospital for observation and is expected to be OK after working the fire at West Coast University, 8435 North Stemmons Freeway, about 8 p.m., Dallas Fire-Rescue spokesman Jason Evans said. The college offers degrees in the healthcare field. 

The first crews saw smoke on the sixth floor and found the fire in a break room. The cause hasn’t officially been determined, but it appears to have started near a microwave and be electrical in nature, according to fire investigators.

The fire triggered the automatic sprinkler system, which contained it to a small area, Evans said. Fire crews finished putting it out upon arrival.

There was minimal fire damage. Additional crews ventilated the building because smoke could be smelled throughout.  The fire itself didn’t cause any injuries.

Apartment Building, Residential

Conroe, TX – Apartment kitchen fire extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries

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** NO MEDIA COVERAGE – FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTED**
The City of Conroe Fire Department was notified of an apartment fire at 500 Hickerson St. near N Frazier St. (Hollow Creek Apartments) at approximately 10:34 AM on June 22, 2016. Conroe Firefighters arrived at approximately 10:38 AM and discovered that there had been a fire in the kitchen of one of the apartment units which activated two sprinkler heads and extinguished the fire. There were no reported injuries to firefighters or occupants of the building.  Fire damage was confined to the kitchen area.  Water damage was confined to the apartment of origin.  The cause of the fire was unattended cooking and was determined to be unintentional.

For the second time in one week within the City of Conroe, the importance of properly installed and maintained automatic fire sprinkler systems in residential occupancies has been demonstrated. It is likely that the automatic fire sprinkler system saved hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage and property loss to the building’s owners and occupants.  Further, no adjacent occupants were displaced and possible injuries and deaths to citizens and firefighters were prevented.

Automatic fire sprinkler systems have over 100 years of proven performance protecting life and property. The Conroe Fire Department would like to remind the public that unattended cooking is the leading cause of residential fires in Conroe, and throughout the United States, each year.  Being mindful while you cook, however, can go a long way toward helping to prevent these fires:

**Keep an eye on what you fry
**Be alert when cooking
**Keep things that can catch fire away from the cooking area

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Fort Worth, TX – Sprinklers activate after books set on fire during elementary school break-in

There has been a break-in and six classrooms vandalized on the campus of a Crowley Independent School District elementary school.

The vandalism happened at Meadowcreek Elementary in Fort Worth, where Monday cleanup crews were busy mopping up.

In all, six rooms received water damage after fires caused the sprinkler system to go off. In addition to damage inside the school, graffiti was also spray-painted outside the building.

On what is supposed to be summer vacation, school officials are back on the Meadowbrook campus to oversee the cleanup of charred debris from burned books and school supplies.

According to a Crowley ISD spokesperson, the school was broken into and the books set on fire around 3 a.m. Monday. Right now, investigators are also looking in to whether several computer monitors were also stolen.

School cameras captured video of the suspect. It’s since been turned over to Fort Worth police.

Crowley district spokesperson Anthony Kirchner explained that the cleanup is expected to take a couple of weeks.

“It is disheartening to see that someone would cause this kind of damage and we want to make sure that person is apprehended,” he said adding that the summer break gives the district time for cleanup, repairs and equipment replacement. “This happened at a time when no students or teachers were here and we have plenty of time to get everything back.”

This isn’t the first time vandals have struck at Meadowcreek. This past Friday a window was broken at the school. It isn’t known if the two cases are connected.

Classes resume in the Crowley ISD on August 22.

Apartment Building, Residential High Rise

Houston, TX – High-rise apartment fire quickly extinguished by sprinkler system

A high-rise apartment building in southwest Houston was evacuated Tuesday night after a fire erupted in one of the units. The blaze broke out about 7:45 p. m. at the Conquistador apartments at 7575 Bellaire near Fondren, according to the Houston Fire Department.

Officials said the small fire was in an eighth-floor kitchen of the seventeen-story building. The sprinkler system operated well and the fire was quickly extinguished. Firefighters evacuated the building, cleared smoke from the high-rise and inspected electrical equipment to make sure water had not created hazards. Later, residents were allowed back inside their apartments. No injuries were reported.

Apartment Building, Residential

Abilene, TX – Overnight apartment fire put out by sprinkler system; No injuries

Abilene firefighters responded to an apartment fire in the 1200 block of Yeoman Road just after midnight early Sunday morning. When firefighters got to the scene the fire had already been put out by the apartment’s sprinkler system, but they did see some light smoke in the apartment next door.

Firefighters were able to clear out that smoke. Investigators said food cooking on the stove started the fire.  Damage is estimated at about $3,000.  No one was hurt.