Tag Archives: Washington

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Puyallup, WA – Sprinkler system protects high school after banner set on fire

Two Emerald Ridge High School sophomores are in the custody of Pierce County sheriff’s deputies after lighting a banner on fire in the school’s common area, officials say.

The fire forced the evacuation of a wrestling match and caused sprinklers to douse the school’s common area with water.

A large banner was lit on fire and the smoke triggered the sprinkler system, Central Pierce Fire & Rescue spokesman Brian Levings said. A wrestling match was evacuated, Puyallup School District spokesman Brian Fox said.

Water from the sprinkler system was the primary concern, Levings said.

School will go on as scheduled, Fox said.

The extent of the damage from the fire and the water used to extinguish it is unknown.

Apartment Building, Residential

Bremerton, WA – Overnight arson fire at apartment building extinguished by sprinkler system

Bremerton police have arrested a 45-year-old Gig Harbor man who they say was a person of interest in a Monday arson. Police said the man called detectives and later agreed to come to the police station for an interview. At the end of the interview, the man was arrested and booked into the Kitsap County Jail for the crimes of burglary, theft of a firearm and arson. The Bremerton Police Department said it is waiting to release the suspect’s name pending the Kitsap County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charging decision.

Our earlier report from Jan. 2, 2018:
Bremerton police are asking the public’s help in identifying a man who they say is a person of interest in an arson on Monday. The fire happened Monday at about 2:15 a.m. Bremerton firefighters responded to a report of a fire at the Spyglass Hill Apartments in the 600 block of Highland Ave. The building was evacuated, and hundreds were forced outside in the cold according to Fire Marshals who are now investigating the incident as arson. Bremerton Deputy Fire Marshal Jeff Prichard said the building’s sprinkler system managed to extinguish the fire. He also said the building is only a few blocks from the firehouse on Park Ave so the response went relatively smoothly.

“We identified a person that didn’t belong in the building didn’t know who he was so he’s a person of interest we want to find this guy and chat with him.”

Bremerton Police shared the man’s photo on social media, and even said they believed they knew who he was.

Fire investigators wouldn’t identify him by name but said the surveillance cameras at the apartment complex helped them start the arson investigation.

Resident Andrew Feliciano said that both he and his dog Roosevelt escaped when the fire broke out. They live adjacent to the unit where the fire happened. He was surprised that authorities said a man who didn’t live there managed to get in, “this place is like Fort Knox, it’s very secure. I’m not sure how that guy got in.”

Fire investigators said nobody was hurt in the fire, and it didn’t spread to any other buildings, in fact there never appeared to be a danger of that happening. They said roughly a dozen residents may have been displaced by the fire.

Anyone with information is asked to call detectives at 360-473-5228.

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Kent, WA – Warehouse fire caused by recharging forklift battery controlled by sprinkler system

What started as a sprinkler water flow alarm (SWFA) on Friday night turned into a commercial fire in the 20100 block of 72 Ave. S., Kent, the Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority reported. No one was in the building at the time of the fire and there were no injuries. When firefighters got on scene they discovered that the entire warehouse and office spaces of the building were filled with smoke, Puget Sound Fire said. The engine company quickly upgraded the alarm to a full “commercial structure fire” to add additional units.

The fire appears to have originated where a forklift’s battery was being charged, fire officials said. The SWFA was set off when the heat from the fire activated the sprinkler head directly above it, exactly as it was designed to do, fire officials said. The movement of water through the pipes sent a signal to the alarm monitoring company, which called the local 911. The activated sprinkler head controlled the fire and kept it from spreading, giving firefighters the time needed to access the inside of the building with fire hoses to fully extinguish it, Puget Sound Fire said. Because of the size and height of the concrete tilt-up style building, firefighters are using large fans to clear out the smoke. A fire investigator will go in once that is accomplished to confirm the cause of the fire.

College/University (on campus), Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

Parkland, WA – Fire on 8th floor of campus residence hall extinguished by sprinkler system

A fire ignited in a Tingelstad dorm room around 1 p.m. Nov. 3, starting in a three person room on the 8th floor. According to the Campus Safety (CSAF) report, “combustible materials” were stored on top of the kitchenette stove. The Pierce County Fire Prevention Bureau report states that the right rear burner was inadvertently activated, causing the materials to flare.

“The fire was a complete accident,” first-year and 814 resident Ben Leschensky said. “Nobody was in the room at the time of the fire, and we hadn’t used the oven in over a week.”

The fire singed a significant portion of the wall and cabinetry near the stove before the sprinkler triggered and effectively extinguished the flames. However, the sprinkler kept running even after the fire was out, causing flooding in 814 and a slew of rooms on the eighth floor. Leschensky said the 8th floor lounge, common kitchen and study room sustained water damage as well.

The fire alarm sounded between 12:50 and 1 p.m. CSAF responded to the scene at 1:03 p.m., followed by Facilities Management at 1:22 p.m. Two fire trucks from Central Pierce Fire and Rescue (CPFR) also responded.

Elevator use was reserved for students with accessibility needs and responders. Emergency responders sectioned off the 8th floor while they worked on rectifying the initial damage.

Leschensky was in class when the fire occurred and recalled receiving a phone call from his roommate shortly after informing him of the damage.

“I was concerned about the extent of the damage, and was playing a ton of worse-case scenarios through my head as I walked to lower campus,” Leschensky said.

Once there, Leschensky and his roommates answered questions for CSAF, CPFR firefighters and the responding Fire Marshal. Leschensky said he felt relieved to know the kitchen was the only damaged area. However, he said he was also “bummed about all the people that were upset at us as a result of the fire.”

Leschensky and his roommates received alternative Tingelstad living arrangements from Residential Life until their room receives the proper repairs. Leschensky said the fire has added excess stress to his first year at Pacific Lutheran University.

“Relocating to a new room, trying to settle into a new routine and taking a lot of negativity from all the people affected has made this more stressful than it needed to be,” Leschensky said. “College is already a grind, so this whole situation just made it worse. I’m just burned out, literally.”

Other - Retail

Vancouver, WA – Overnight fire at cabinet business put out with help from sprinkler system

A fire damaged a business in Vancouver Tuesday morning.  Crews responded to Dreamline Cabinets in the 2700 block of Northeast Andersen Road just before 1:30 a.m.  The sprinkler system helped put the fire out before firefighters arrived.  Firefighters did need to cut some holes in the roof at the business next door to help vent the smoke.  No one was hurt and it’s not clear yet what started the fire.

Other / Not Specified

McCleary, WA – Fire at old hospital site doused by sprinkler system, which was still functional

The old Mark Reed Hospital building was on fire this morning in McCleary.  Fire District #5 released a statement on behalf of the McCleary Fire Department which says the McCleary FD was dispatched to a possible structure fire Monday October 23rd at about 5:45 AM.

They say Fire District 12 and Fire District 5 were also dispatched for mutual aid.  According to the statement when they arrived at the old Mark Reed Hospital site the fire was located on the east end of the structure spreading from a back porch area up to the roof.

They say the fire was put out, and the roof area was checked to see if it extended to further.  The fire was contained to the east end of the building and because it had a working sprinkler system there was minimal damage inside.

Chief Nott, McCleary Fire said “You can see where the fire started entering the building from the roof and where the sprinklers stopped the spread of it.” They say the cause of the fire is still unknown at this time and it is under investigation.

A fire investigation officer with the Grays Harbor Sheriff’s Department will be investigating.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Port Orchard, WA – Sprinkler head extinguishes fire in retirement community

A fire in a basket filled with oily rags in a downstairs laundry room at Park Vista Retirement Community Sept. 28 was extinguished by South Kitsap Fire and Rescue firefighters.

SKFR dispatched 16 apparatus and support vehicles to the Port Orchard retirement community at 2944 SE Lund Ave. An additional engine responded from Bremerton Fire Department.

As firefighters opened the door to the laundry room, they noticed smoke in the room, Assistant Chief Jeff Faucett said. One sprinkler head had been activated by heat from the fire, he added. Additional crews arriving were able to assist Park Vista’s staff in moving residents to a safe location in the building.

“Once the rags ignited, the fire traveled up a wall and extended to cabinets above the basket,” Faucett said. “The flames generated enough heat to activate the sprinkler head, which extinguished the fire.”

Deputy Fire Marshal Brad Wiggins said the fire could have been much worse. “Given the time of night, the number of residents and the fact that many of them need assistance moving around, things could have been worse,” Wiggins said. “The sprinkler system, the fire alarm system and Park Vista staff did their job and that is the reason for the positive outcome.”

The fire was caused by a chemical reaction from oily rags piled in a basket, Faucett said. The rags had been used to clean ovens and were soaked in grease. He said it is common for fabric material that has been soaked in oil to have a chemical reaction that will heat up to the point of ignition.

Giving oily rags a run-through in a washing machine typically won’t remove the oils, he noted.

Fire department officials said the fire was the second this year that SKFR has responded to where a single sprinkler has saved a commercial structure from fire loss.

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Wenatchee, WA – Sprinkler system helps control foam tray fire at packaging company

A fire in foam apple trays at Dolco Packaging was confined from spreading by an exterior sprinkler system and a quick response by firefighters.   The foam trays were stacked on pallets  in an outdoor storage yard and the burning material put up a significant amount of black smoke when it was first reported to RiverCom about 7:20pm.  The facility is located at 1121 S. Columbia Street in Wenatchee.

The Wenatchee World reports crews from Chelan Fire District #1 and Douglas Fire District #2 arrived and quickly knocked down the fire.   A 2nd alarm was sent out requesting more firefighters but was quickly cancelled when the fire was brought under control according to  Chelan County Battalion Chief Cary Neu.   He reported some smoke damage to the interior of the warehouse but the majority of the damage was outside.  The cause of the fire was not available.

Apartment Building, Residential

East Wenatchee, WA – Sprinkler system limits damage in apartment kitchen fire; No injuries reported

The sprinkler systems that are required by code in East Wenatchee apartment buildings worked perfectly Monday to keep a stove fire from spreading according to fire investigator Brian Brett.  Crews were called just after 11am to the Bello Rio Apartments in the 2-thousand block of Northwest Cascade Avenue.  That’s where Brett said a fire began in one of the apartment units when French fries were left cooking.  Brett said the sprinkler systems are required by code in multi-unit apartment buildings and in this case, prevented the fire from spreading.   Damage was confined to the wall above the stove area.

Apartment Building, Residential

Woodland, WA – Fire chief credits sprinkler system in saving occupant in apartment fire

A Woodland man is alive thanks to a sprinkler head in the kitchen of his apartment, fire officials said.  Firefighters were called to the La Casa De San Juan Diego Apartments, 125 S. Pekin Road, in Woodland at about 9:20 a.m. on Sunday for a fire alarm, Clark County Fire & Rescue division chief Tim Dawdy said.

A man had come home from work, put some grease on the stove to start cooking and fell asleep in the living room when the fire broke out, Dawdy said.  By the time crews arrived, however, the sprinkler had put out the fire, stopping it from spreading further than the kitchen, he said.  Firefighters helped clean up the mess when they got there.  Dawdy said that fires like this one have resulted in injury and even become deadly, but that thanks to this sprinkler head, the man in the residence wasn’t even displaced.