Tag Archives: Washington

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Sponkane Valley, WA – Sprinkler system helps put out fire that started outside of restaurant

The Longhorn BBQ restaurant in Spokane Valley was damaged in an early morning fire Monday.

The Spokane Valley Fire department responded to the scene at 2315 N. Argonne Rd. just before 4:00 a.m.

Fire crews said the exact cause of the fire is still under investigation, but firefighters have a few leads. Metal cans were found near the site of the fire, leading firefighters to believe it could have been a warming fire started by homeless people in the area. Crews said it could have also started in the heating and air conditioning unit. The fire has been put out and crews are now mopping up.

The fire started outside, on the west side of the building. It quickly spread into the second floor office space, which activated sprinklers.

E. Montgomery is closed at N. Hutchinson because of thefire but Argonne Rd. is not affected. It is unclear if the restaurants plans to open on Monday. This is the second time in recent months that Longhorn BBQ locations have suffered from fire damage. The Airway Heights location of Longhorn BBQ caught fire in August and was sparked by an accident in an electrical area behind one of the interior walls.

Apartment Building, Residential

Liberty Lake, WA – Fire sprinklers extinguish second floor apartment fire started by cigarettes

The Spokane Valley Fire Department responded to a fire at the Bitterroot Apartments Wednesday night, which was extinguished by a functioning sprinkler system.

They received multiple calls of smoke and visible flames on the second floor of the apartments, with one caller speculating that it was a barbecue fire.

Upon arrival, firefighters saw light smoke on the second floor deck, but confirmed that the fire was extinguished.

Spokane Valley Fire Inspector Brett Anderson determined that residents were throwing out cigarettes into a cardboard box on the deck, which caught fire before an automatic sprinkler system put it out.

“Sprinklers work!” said Anderson, stressing the importance of having a working sprinkler system.

“Fire sprinklers are an effective method to mitigate fire damage,” said Spokane Valley Fire Marshal Greg Rogers. “They allow individuals the opportunity to escape a burning structure. You have about a 50% chance [to escape] compared to an 80% chance in a structure with a sprinkler system.”

The Fire Department has seen a rise in incorrect cigarette disposal over the past few months and recommends discarding cigarettes in clean metal paint cans.

Fire / Police Station, Government/Military

North Bend, WA – Fire at volunteer fire station contained by sprinkler system

Eastside Fire & Rescue crews responded Tuesday to a report of a fire in North Bend – and when they arrived on scene they found smoke and flames pouring from one of their own fire stations.

The incident unfolded just before 3 p.m. Tuesday when firefighters responded to a fire alarm at a building at 42804 SE 172nd St. in North Bend. Turns out that’s the address of Eastside Fire’s Station 88 in the Wilderness Rim area – a volunteer station that is not staffed full time.

Smoke was billowing from the building when crews arrived on scene. The flames were extinguished, and firefighters discovered that the flames had erupted from an ambulance parked inside the building’s apparatus bay.

The station’s sprinkler system prevented the blaze from spreading.

Fire officials say no one was in the building when the fire started, and it’s unclear why the ambulance burst into flames.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Burien, WA – Sprinkler activation keeps fire from spreading; saves auto repair shop and occupant’s life

Firefighters rescued a man from a fire at an auto repair shop in Burien Saturday morning.

The fire happened at the Kansai Collision Center in the 15200 block of First Avenue South at about 8 a.m.

“Looks like we had a car fire inside of a paint booth inside the repair shop,” said Chief Mike Marrs of King County Fire District #2.

KIRO 7 talked to a woman named Miriam who works nearby.

“Suddenly I just heard this alarm but I didn’t know where it was coming from,” said Miriam.

Miriam said she and another coworker quickly realized it was coming from the repair shop.

“I was kind of scared and she said, ‘Miriam there’s smoke coming from the collision center.’ So right away I called 911,” she added.

Firefighters arrived to heavy smoke coming from the building. Fortunately, the building had a working sprinkler system. Marrs said it not only kept the fire from spreading; it was a lifesaver.

“The activation of the sprinkler system probably saved this building as well as saving the occupant’s life,” Marrs explained.

The man suffered smoke inhalation.

He was transported to Harborview Medical Center in critical condition.

KIRO 7 also learned the shop was closed at the time. A manager told KIRO 7 the man did not work there but was allowed to stay there because he had no other place to go.

The cause of the fire is unknown right now.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Wenatchee, WA – Single sprinkler head controls commercial fire between two businesses

Chelan County Fire District 1 was dispatched to a commercial fire a little after 9 a.m. at the corner of 5th and Mission. Locals may know the area as the strip of businesses such as Garlinis, Jimmy Johns and others.

“Crews arrived to find light smoke coming from a vacant occupancy as well as the EarthWise pet store,” said Chief Brian Brett. “We were able to make access, get in and locate the fire.”

According to Chief Brett, the sprinkler system had been activated and one head was controlling the fire. The sprinkler pretty much extinguished it and crews may have had to use one water can to complete the job.

“Now we’re just clearing out the smoke and to get the water mitigated so we can get these businesses on both sides back open,” said Chief Brett.

The cause is still under investigation. Nobody was inside at the time of the fire. Douglas Fire District 2 also responded with an engine.

Apartment Building, Residential

Everett, WA – Fire sprinkler at apartment does its job, extinguishes unattended cooking fire; No injuries reported

Saturday night, shortly before 10:30 p.m., firefighters were dispatched to the Library Place Apartments, located at 2720 Hoyt Avenue, for a fire alarm that monitors the building’s fire sprinkler system. As crews investigated the source, they found light smoke and a significant amount of water on the third floor caused by a stovetop fire from unattended cooking in one of the units.

The fire sprinklers in the affected apartment did their job and controlled the stovetop fire, containing the fire to the kitchen area and preventing it from spreading to the rest of the unit or to other units in the building. Fire damage was limited to the involved apartment’s kitchen area. At the time of the call, water had flowed through the affected apartment, into the third-floor hallway, and into the elevator shafts, causing the elevators to be shut down until an elevator technician inspects them for safe operation.

There were no injuries in this fire. The Red Cross was called to assist one adult male who was displaced by the fire.

This fire is a good reminder that cooking fires are the number one cause of home fires and home injuries. The leading cause of fires in the kitchen is unattended cooking. According to the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA), almost two-thirds of home cooking fires start on ranges or cooktops. Thanksgiving is the peak day for home cooking fires, followed by Christmas Day and Christmas Eve. 

Apartment Building, Residential

Port Angeles, WA – Fire sprinkler prevents fire from spreading at apartment complex; No injuries reported

A fire sprinkler system prevented a fire from spreading at a Port Angeles apartment complex Sunday morning.

The Port Angeles Fire Department sent five firefighters to 1003 S. C St. for a reported structure fire at about 11:51 a.m. Sunday, according to a press release.

When they arrived they found light smoke showing from unit 3 and all residents had evacuated.

“The sprinkler system had been activated in the bedroom of unit 3 and extinguished the fire,” Lt. Bryant Kroh said in a news release. “Not only did this minimize the damage to the building, it prevented any further danger to tenants on site.”

Firefighters immediately worked to ventilate the apartment and turned off the sprinkler system to minimize water damage. The apartment sustained smoke, fire and water damage.

No one was injured in the incident.

The fire was caused by bedroom furnishings being too close to a baseboard heater, according to the press release.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Chehalis, WA – Restaurant sprinkler system keeps fire from spreading to other businesses

A fire Tuesday night at a restaurant in Chehalis’ Twin City Town Center left one business with fire damage and two more with water damage, but Chehalis Fire Department Chief Ken Cardinale said it could have been a different story altogether.

“The sprinkler system actually kept the fire in check,” he said. “If it wasn’t for the sprinkler system, the damage would have been far, far worse. … It would have most likely spread to the adjacent businesses.”

Fire crews responded at 8:22 p.m. Tuesday to a report of a fire alarm activation at the Twin City Town Center on Northwest Louisiana Avenue in Chehalis, according to Lewis County 911 records. 

While firefighters were on the way, they started getting reports of water flowing out of the affected business, then smoke.

“Just prior to arriving they saw a column coming up which bumped it up to a second alarm response,” Cardinale said. 

Fire crews from Napavine to Thurston County responded, he said, and entered the Kobo Teriyaki building to find an active fire. The sprinkler system had kept the fire controlled, and firefighters quickly extinguished what remained. Crews were on site until about 11:45 p.m.

This is a huge point,” Cardinale said. 

While builders might cringe at the added cost of a fire suppression system, Cardinale said, it doesn’t cost as much as they might think, and can potentially save a building in the event of a fire. 

“Actually on residential new construction it only adds an additional 50 cents per square foot for a home,” he said. “The advantages of a sprinkler system is over 90 percent of the time if an occupancy has a sprinkler system and the fire does occur it will keep the fire in its incipient stage, or small stage, until firefighters arrive.”

Kobo Teriyaki’s building was damaged by the fire and smoke, and neighboring Rue 21 and PetSense both suffered water damage. 

Cardinale said investigators were on the scene Wednesday morning, and that the preliminary investigation points to the fire being electrical in nature. 

The fire likely caused $30,000 to $50,000 in damage, he added. 

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Vancouver, WA – Fire sprinklers keep fire from spreading at local restaurant

A fire Wednesday morning set off a sprinkler system inside Lindo Mexico in east Vancouver, drenching the restaurant.

Staff has worked hard over the past two days, and the restaurant plans to reopen Friday morning.

“We were here from early morning (Wednesday) to 6 or 7 p.m., and then all day today cleaning everything up,” waiter Alex Armeta said.

The sprinkler system flooded the business with a couple inches of water but prevented the fire from spreading, Armeta said.

Vancouver firefighters were dispatched shortly after 9 a.m. Wednesday to the Bridgeport Retail Center at 316 S.E. 123rd Ave., for a report of a water flow alarm.

The first fire crew to arrive found water on the floor and smoke in Lindo Mexico, Vancouver Fire Department firefighter Eva Scherer said. Crews requested an upgrade to a commercial fire response for additional resources, she said.

One occupant evacuated from the restaurant, and businesses adjacent to the restaurant were also evacuated as a precaution, Scherer said.

Firefighters extinguished a wood stove that was burning and noted several sprinkler head activations in the restaurant and water throughout the structure.  They remained on scene to help with water removal from the building.

Fire damage was confined to a garbage can, pull station for a kitchen hood fire extinguishing system, nearby supplies and a serving counter, Vancouver Fire Marshal Heidi Scarpelli said. There was water and smoke damage throughout the rest of the suite, but no other businesses were affected, Scarpelli said.

The fire was caused when the business owner placed ashes from the wood pellet-fired stove into a garbage can in the kitchen. The owner then left the restaurant to get supplies and returned after fire crews had arrived, according to the fire marshal.

The incident caused $58,510 worth of damage, Scarpelli said. The sprinklers likely saved about $5.8 million in potential total loss to the building and its contents, she said.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Seattle, WA – Nightclub sprinkler system prevents fire from spreading; No injuries reported

A fire broke out outside a popular Pioneer Square nightclub early Monday morning and fire officials are investigating the fire’s cause as a possible arson.

The fire broke out around 3 a.m. at the Trinity nightclub in the 100 block of Occidental Ave. South, according to Seattle Fire officials.

Investigators say most of the fire damage was outside the front door and in a vacant part of the club. Luckily the building’s sprinkler system activated and helped prevent the spread of flames.

Firefighters arrived moment later and finished dousing the fire. No one was hurt.

Investigators are still looking into how the fire started but have described the fire as “suspicious.”