Tag Archives: Virginia

Apartment Building, Residential

Roanoke, VA – Sprinkler system extinguished fire at apartment complex; No injuries reported

Leave a comment

An unattended fire in Roanoke County on Thursday has forced several apartments to be vacated.

At 1:54 p.m. Roanoke County Fire and Rescue responded to the Ridgeview Apartments on Hawthorne Road in the North County area of Roanoke County, for a reported commercial structure fire.

Responding units arrived to find nothing showing from the outside of the multi-story apartment building. Once inside, crews found evidence of a fire on the fifth floor that had been extinguished by the sprinkler system.

Crews said fire damage was minimal but water from the sprinkler head did cause about $20,000 in damage and displaced four units.

Those displaced are either staying with family and friends, are being helped by the management at Ridgeview Apartments, or are being assisted by their renter’s insurance, according to Roanoke County Fire and Rescue.

There were no injuries and working smoke alarms and sprinkler systems both played a role in keeping residents safe.

The Roanoke County Fire Marshal’s Office reports that the cause of the fire was unattended melting wax on a stovetop.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Lynchburg, VA – Sprinkler system activated for fire at nursing home

The Seven Hills Rehabilitation & Nursing facility in Lynchburg has been evacuated due to a fire on Friday night.

At around 7:45, Lynchburg Fire crews were dispatched to a reported structure fire at the facility in the 2000 block of Langhorne Road.

LFD says a fire had started in one of the rooms of the single-story structure and was being contained by the sprinkler system. Responding fire crews quickly finished extinguishing the blaze, but smoke from the fire spread and forced the evacuation of the rest of the facility.

Two residents were taken to Lynchburg General Hospital for treatment of minor smoke inhalation. There is no update on their condition yet.

LFD said there were over 70 patients who had to be evacuated during the ordeal.

Lynchburg Fire said that eventually all residents were allowed back inside, but five rooms are uninhabitable due to the fire and smoke damage.

Due to the potential size of the incident, LFD says Concord Rescue Squad was called in to fill Station 2 while several of Lynchburg’s medic units were tied up at the scene of the fire.

The Lynchburg Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating and the cause of the fire is unknown at this time.

This story will be updated as more information is provided.

College/University (on campus), School / University

Lexington, VA – Sprinkler system activated for overnight fire on university campus

Sprinkler System Kept Nighttime Fire From Growing

A nighttime electrical fire in an academic building on Washington and Lee University’s campus last week was quickly contained by the building’s fire suppression system, and extinguished by the Lexington Fire Department.

“At approximately 1:15 a.m. on Thursday, April 25, a small electrical fire occurred in a third-floor bathroom in Reid Hall, which was unoccupied at the time,” said Drewry Sackett, university spokesperson.

Reid Hall is home to the university’s journalism and mass communication departments.

“The sprinkler system was activated, the fire department responded, and the fire was extinguished quickly,” she told The News-Gazette.

Dispatched around 1:15 a.m., Lexington fire crews put out the fire and turned off the sprinkler system to limit water damage to the building.

The fire was declared under control at 2:05 a.m., though firefighters remained on the scene until 3:40 a.m. to monitor and help control water damage.

Lexington Fire Chief Ty Dickerson said that the building’s fire suppression system prevented what could have been significant damage to the building.

“It is very fortunate that the building had a fire sprinkler system. That single fire sprinkler head was activated by the heat from the fire in the light fixture and was contained prior to the fire department’s arrival,” he said.

“The fire alarm connected to the fire sprinkler system activated and notified a monitoring company who notified our regional 911 center who dispatched the Lexington Fire Department,” said Dickerson.

“Without that fire sprinkler and alarm system, a fire in an unoccupied building in the middle of the night could have grown very large before being noticed,” he said.

Sackett said that the building was reopened in time to welcome students back from spring break.

“The building sustained water damage and was closed briefly for repairs,” she said.

“It reopened over the weekend, in time for Monday morning classes, and is fully operational at this time, except for the third-floor bathroom where the fire originated.”

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Glen Allen, VA – Sprinkler system activated for fire at hotel; No injuries reported

Staff at the Candlewood Suites hotel in the Short Pump area of Henrico County are working to relocate guests following an accidental fire in a second-floor suite.

According to a spokesperson for Henrico Fire & EMS, crews responded to the Candlewood Suites at 4120 Tom Leonard Drive just before 5 p.m. on Wednesday, April 10, for report of a fire.

The spokesperson said the occupants of a hotel room had noticed smoke coming out of the air conditioning and heating unit and reported it to the front desk.

When the smoke worsened, they left the room — which caught fire shortly after. The flames soon spread to the curtains above the unit.

The sprinkler system was triggered by the smoke, which automatically notified first responders. Additionally, these sprinklers kept the fire from spreading beyond the window area, which is “exactly what you want [the sprinklers] to do,” according to the spokesperson.

Fire crews reportedly arrived within three minutes of receiving the call. There was still some visible fire on the outside of the building, so firefighters worked to put that out before entering the building.

No injuries were reported, according to the spokesperson.

The hotel was damaged by the flames themselves, as well as the smoke, heat and soot that came along with it. Fire crews deactivated the sprinkler system when possible, but there was still some water damage, according to the spokesperson.

Due to this damage, occupants are being relocated by hotel staff. According to the spokesperson, they are being moved to either other available rooms or to another hotel.

The spokesperson said this fire is considered accidental. No other information is available at tis time.

Residential, Residential High Rise

Virginia Beach, VA – Sprinkler system activated for kitchen fire in high-rise apartment; No injuries reported

A kitchen fire in a high-rise apartment in Town Center has displaced one person and damaged several other units in the building.

The Virginia Beach Fire Department responded to a fire alarm at the 4500 block of Commerce Street in Town Center on Tuesday evening. They arrived at about 8:35 p.m. After unsuccessfully attempting to reset the alarm, further investigation found water flowing from the door of an apartment on the ninth floor.

When they entered, firefighters found an active sprinkler head, fire and smoke in the apartment.

The fire was extinguished at 9:03 p.m. There was also water damage to twelve units below the apartment.

One person has been displaced. No civilians, firefighters or pets were injured.

The cause of the fire was found to be accidental from boxes left on a stove.

Apartment Building, Residential

Virginia Beach, VA – Sprinkler system contains fire at apartment building; No injuries reported

A fire forced residents out of a Virginia Beach apartment building on the afternoon of Sunday, April 2.

According to a spokesperson for the Virginia Beach Fire Dept., crews responded just before 2:00 p.m. Sunday to the Crescent Square Apartments on Diamond Springs Road.

Fire officials told News 3 no injuries were reported.

Fire crews said the fire is believed to be accidental and started in a kitchen.

Crews added a sprinkler system activation kept the fire contained, but power was turned off for the building as the electrical system has to be inspected by electricians.

The fire department says 72 people were temporarily displaced due to no power in the building. Residents will be able to return to the building once electrical is approved.

Additionally, the department says 20 of the units were impacted by water damage. Those who reside in the 20 water damaged units will be unable to return immediately.

Residential, Sorority / Fraternity

Charlottesville, VA – Sprinkler system activated for fire at fraternity

Kappa Sigma fraternity brothers on UVA Grounds had a fire in their house on Rugby Road Thursday night.

It happened around 10:00 p.m. Albemarle County Fire Rescue, the Charlottesville Fire Department and UVA Police arrived on scene.

According to ACFR, who is leading the investigation along with university police, the fire started in the basement. People inside used extinguishers to try to put out the fire before being forced to leave the room because of smoke. The smoke triggered the sprinkler system, something ACFR says was very important and could have saved lives. 

“Activating that sprinkler system enabled them the opportunity to get out of the house safely. So everyone was able to evacuate safely. It also reduced the fire’s destruction which gave time for the fire rescue units to get on scene,” said Abbey Stumpf, ACFR PIO.

ACFR says thanks to the sprinkler systems limiting the damage, displaced residents of the building will be able to move back in more quickly.

The university says a small number of people were treated for smoke inhalation, but there was no other injuries.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Apartment Building, Residential

Chesterfield, VA – Sprinkler system activated for fire at apartment building; No injuries reported

At least 10 people, possibly more, are looking for another place to sleep tonight after an apartment fire in Chesterfield.

Officials say at 6:30 p.m., crews were dispatched to the Colony Village Apartments. When they arrived, they found heavy smoke pouring out two third-floor windows. Crews say, luckily, the building’s sprinkler system was fully operational and put out most of the fire before they got there.

The fire was marked entirely under control just after 7 p.m.

10-12 people have been displaced, possibly more if water from the third floor trickles down to the other two levels.

There were no injuries whatsoever.

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Gainesville, VA – Sprinkler system activated for fire in warehouse; No injuries reported

A two-alarm fire broke out in a warehouse in Gainesville at 11:09 p.m. Monday, October 10, 2022.

Fire crews were dispatched to Virginia Flooring Supply at 8683 Virginia Meadows Drive in Gainesville for a report of a commercial warehouse structure. When crews arrived, a second alarm was requested due to the conditions and building size, said Prince William fire and rescue Assistant Chief Matt Smolsky.

Crews found the fire was located inside the warehouse and extinguished the flames. The building sustained moderate damage. No injuries were reported. 

No one was inside the business when flames broke out, said Smolksy. The Fire Marshal’s Office determined the fire was accidental and originated in the warehouse’s refrigerator area.

The Building Official determined the structure was unsafe to occupy.

Smolensky said this incident illustrates the successful operation of an early notification and sprinkler system, which helped to keep the fire under control). The county’s building code requires the system, he adds.

“Had the structure not been equipped with these systems, the loss would have been more substantial, and the risk to firefighters would have been greater,” added Smolsky. “Business and homeowners are reminded to make sure your fire protection systems are properly maintained and tested as required.”

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Roanoke, VA – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire at restaurant; No injuries reported

A fire at a Roanoke restaurant has been ruled by investigators to be electrical.

Roanoke Fire-EMS was called late the morning of September 17 to the fire on the 100 block of Campbell Avenue SE in downtown Roanoke. Crews found there had been a fire at the front of a restaurant, Cedars Lebanese Restaurant, activating the building’s sprinkler system, which put out the fire.

No injuries were reported.

Damages to the building and its contents are estimated to be $13,000, according to fire investigators.