Tag Archives: Virginia

Residential, Townhouse / Condominium

Abingdon, VA – Arson fire at townhome extinguished by sprinkler system

An Abingdon woman was arrested Monday morning for allegedly setting her daughter’s house on fire in September, according to the state fire marshal’s office.Just after 4 p.m. Sept. 15, Anna M. Stewart, 50, called 911 after reportedly discovering a fire on the second floor of her daughter’s house in the 200 block of Ferring Court in Abingdon, according to a notice of investigation from the fire marshal’s office.

Stewart, who lives in the basement of the house owned by her daughter and her husband, Ashley and Rafael Roman, was the only one home at the time of the fire, Deputy State Fire Marshal Oliver Alkire said Monday.

Firefighters from Abingdon and Joppa-Magnolia volunteer fire companies and surrounding departments arrived at the two-story, middle of the group townhouse and discovered a fire within a bedroom closet that was nearly extinguished after the homes’ fire sprinkler system activated.

Deputy State Fire Marshals were requested to conduct an investigation and determined the fire was intentionally set.

Investigators later discovered a second, self-extinguished fire within another closet within the home, according to the notice.

Investigators estimated the home sustained about $20,000 in damages.

After consulting with the Harford County States Attorney’s Office, deputy state fire marshals issued an arrest warrant for Stewart, who turned herself in Monday to the Bel Air Barrack of the Maryland State Police.

Stewart is charged with first- and second-degree arson, first- and second-degree malicious burning and vandalism more than $1,000.

Stewart is being held at Harford County Detention Center on $50,000 bail.

Apartment Building, Residential

Manassas, VA – Sprinkler system assists firefighters in controlling apartment fire

On Thursday, Oct. 19 at 10:24 a. m., fire and rescue units were dispatched to an apartment fire at Woodburn Apartments, located in the 7800 block of Keara Court in Manassas. Upon arrival, firefighters observed smoke and fire showing from the side of an apartment that had extended into the home. Upon entry, firefighters discovered an activated sprinkler head that helped contain the fire. Firefighters quickly suppressed and extinguished the fire. No injuries reported.  The occupants were not home at the time of the fire. Red Cross is currently assisting the family, six adults and eight children, displaced by the fire. The fire is currently under investigation by the Fire Marshal’s Office.

Apartment Building, Residential

Petersburg, VA – Laundry fire in loft apartment building extinguished by sprinkler system

A minor clothes dryer fire generated much smoke and caused the evacuation of an apartment building in Petersburg Thursday. Petersburg Fire, Rescue, and Emergency Services responded to South Street Lofts building located at N. South and Hinton Streets at 12:38 p.m., for a call about a fire in a single occupant residence on the third floor, according to Interim Battalion Fire Chief Michael Ferguson.  The fire was under control at about 1 p.m. Mutual aid from Colonial Heights provided brief coverage at the Market Street Fire Station No. 2.

Nicole Nivens, a second-floor resident, stood in the parking lot holding her two-year-old daughter after evacuating the building.  “I just put her down for a nap and I heard the fire alarm,” said Nivens, who then grabbed her jacket, shoes and daughter to leave the building.

Ty Wheless, a resident of the third floor, also stood in the parking lot with her wife and small dog. “I thought it was a drill,” said Wheless. “We didn’t smell any smoke or anything.”

Ferguson said the building management company worked to relocate one occupant as a result of the fire.

Property management representatives at the scene declined to comment for this article. The property management website for the apartments describes the historic building as the former Federal Cigar Company building renovated into one- and two-bedroom loft-style apartments.

It was “extremely hard to ventilate” smoke from the building because the historic building designation allows for the windows to remain closed, said Ferguson. He said the ventilation process took longer than usual as a result. Firemen set up fans to blow smoke up through a roof hatch in the stairwell of the Hinton Street entryway.

Residents were seen re-entering the building at 1:47 p.m.

 

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Henrico, VA – Fire at cosmetics plant controlled with help from sprinkler system

The Henrico Fire Department responded to a two-alarm fire at a cosmetic plant in the 2300 block of Darbytown Road early Monday.  Dozens of firefighters were called to the scene at the Fareva plant at 4:21 a.m. Fire officials said the blaze appeared to have started from a piece of machinery in the rear of the warehouse.  Fire officials said the sprinkler system helped contain the fire, but did not put it out. Crews cut holes in the roof to allow for ventilation.

At 6 a.m., fire officials said the fire was out and that crews will remain on the scene for at least a couple of more hours.  Fareva specializes in make-up products. The blaze was not expected to cause any major disruptions to production at the facility.

Food Processing, Manufacturing

Henrico, VA – Fire at Nabisco plant contained with help from sprinkler system

Henrico fire officials say a small fire forced the evacuation of the Nabisco plant on Laburnum Avenue on Friday morning.  The fire appears to have been contained by sprinklers.  Fire officials say there is some water damage, and firefighters are working to turn off all the sprinkler and clear out the water.  The evacuation for the employees was lifted in about an hour.  There were no traffic impacts in the area.

Office Building, Other Business

Reston, VA – Cubicle fire in 11th floor office contained by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Firefighters were dispatched for a fire alarm in a high rise building in the 12000 block of Sunset Hills Road in Reston on Sunday, Aug. 20, at approximately 7:51 a.m., according to the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department.

The building was occupied by approximately 20 employees at the time of the fire. All occupants safely evacuated the building, according to the department.

No smoke or fire was evident from the outside of the 12-story, commercial high rise building. Crews proceeded to the eleventh floor where they discovered a significant amount of smoke, according to the department.

Firefighters quickly discovered the fire, which was mostly extinguished by one fire sprinkler. The remaining fire was quickly extinguished and contained to the eleventh floor, according to the department.

Investigators determined that the fire was accidental in nature and started on the eleventh floor at a set of four clustered cubicle workspaces. The cause of the fire was electrical in nature, involving a junction box that routed power to the four workstations. The nature of the failure is not known at this time, according to the department.

There were no injuries reported, but damages as a result of the fire are estimated to be approximately $40,000, according to the department.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Roanoke, VA – Late night fire at assisted living facility contained by single sprinkler; No injuries reported

Roanoke County Fire and Rescue responded to a commercial fire alarm activation Wednesday morning.  Authorities say it happened around 2:05 a.m. on the 6900 block of Williamson Road, at North Roanoke Assisted Living.  Upon arrival, crews found light smoke and one fire sprinkler device that had activated.  Further investigation determined that a single laundry bag on an outside stoop area had ignited. The occupants of one building of the assisted living facility were temporarily moved to other buildings in the facility.  There were no injuries reported. The fire is still under investigation.

Office Building, Other Business

Reston, VA – Fire on 11th floor of commercial office building contained by sprinkler system

A two-alarm fire Sunday morning on the 11th floor of a building in the 12000 block of Sunset Hills Road has been contained, officials say.  The fire started in a cubicle, Deputy Chief Dan Shaw said.  “Upon arrival, [firefighters] found a working fire on the 11th floor,” he said. “The fire was being contained by a sprinkler system that had successfully activated.”  Units from Fairfax County Fire and Rescue stations 4 and 36 responded. The second alarm was sounded for resources, Shaw said.  The cause of the fire remains under investigation. We will provide more information when it becomes available.

Athletic Club/Sports Facility, Other Business

Richmond, VA – Sprinklers protect country club’s interior after fire breaks out on roof

A roofing company working without a required permit sparked a fire last Friday by using a torch to seal some materials on the roof of the Westhampton Clubhouse at the Country Club of Virginia, Richmond fire officials said.

The company, Hermitage Roofing Inc., did not obtain a permit from the Richmond Fire Department to conduct “hot work” on the clubhouse roof as required by law, said Richmond Fire Marshal David Creasy Sr. The company was cited for violating the Virginia Statewide Fire Prevention Code and issued a summons, Creasy said.

Contractors are required to “come in and tell us what they are doing” to secure a permit to do such work, Creasy said. “Sometimes we perform a site visit with something like this,” he added.In addition, Creasy said the fire department’s response was delayed because roofing company workers attempted — unsuccessfully — to extinguish the fire once it started before calling the fire department.

“The workers tried to put it out for several minutes with a garden hose, and so that didn’t help things for us at all,” Creasy said. “Good intentions, but when that kind of stuff happens people need to call us. Even if we get there and it’s out, at least we were there and we could help look for hidden fire.”

The fire was “in a difficult place to get to, but what really helped us in getting the fire out was a couple of sprinkler heads activated and stopped the fire’s spread in part of the building,” Creasy added. “And then our guys and girls opened up the roof so we could get to the roof area and make sure that we cut out any fire extension.”

The fire damage was “all up high,” Creasy said, but the clubhouse’s dining and lounge area sustained substantial smoke and water damage.

“You had a lot of smoke that got into the building, and the smoke traveled farther than the water and, of course, the fire,” he said. “So there may be some painting of walls (that will be required) in a much wider area of the building than any of the water damage.”

Creasy said it would be difficult to estimate the total monetary damage.

City firefighters were called at 10:44 a.m. Friday, and the first units to arrive found flames coming from a portion of the clubhouse roof. As crews worked to extinguish that fire, additional units arrived and found fire inside the building as well.

A second alarm was sounded at 11:13 a.m., primarily to get additional personnel on the scene to relieve crews because of the heat. The fire was marked under control at 11:34 a.m.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Norfolk, VA – Sprinker system puts out fire at nursing center before fire crews arrive

A small fire broke out at Sentara Nursing Center Saturday evening. 

The fire started in a laundry room area at the center, located at 249 S. Newtown Rd.It was put out by a sprinkler system before fire crews arrived on scene, said Joe Milligan, Norfolk Fire-Rescue battalion chief. No injuries were reported. 

When crews arrived they found smoke in hallways and the laundry room. Smoke was not detected in any of the residents’ rooms, Milligan said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.