Just after midnight, first responders were called to Menzner Hardwoods Company in Marathon City. The sheriff’s department tells Newschannel 7 that a machine caught fire, filling the building with smoke and triggering the sprinkler system.
There were workers on site, but they were in a separate building.
The cause of the fire is still unknown.
Ashwaubenon Public Safety and the Green Bay Metro Fire Department were called to the Green Bay Packers’ stadium just before 2:20 p.m.
When the first crews arrived on scene, fire alarms were sounding, but no smoke or flames were visible on the exterior of the stadium. Staff members had been evacuated.
Firefighters entered the stadium through the Invisalign Gate and found a small fire in the third locker room — not the Packers’ or the visitors’ locker rooms. Officials say the sprinkler system had activated prior to first responders’ arrival and the majority of the fire had been extinguished.
Remaining hot spots were addressed and the fire was deemed fully extinguished within 10 minutes of the initial dispatch call. Crews remained on scene to clear smoke from the stadium.
A FOX 11 crew on the scene observed what appeared to be a burned plastic storage bin removed from the building. GBMFD Lt. Shauna Walesh said she did not have information on exactly what burned.
The fire marshal’s office is investigating the cause of the fire. No injuries were reported. A specific damage amount is unknown at this time.
Fire crews were called to a building in the 300 block of West Dayton Street just before midnight on Wednesday for an alarm. Several residents met firefighters outside the building and reported a fire.
A dryer and its contents were found on fire in a laundry room. A single sprinkler was keeping the flames from extending to the rest of the room.
Crews used an extinguisher to take out the remaining flames, and crews remained on scene to ventilate the building and stop the water flowing from the sprinkler.
No injuries were reported.
A fire in one unit of an assisted living facility occurred on Milwaukee’s north side on Dec. 12.
The fire took place at an assisted living facility at North 46th Street and West Hampton Avenue in one unit of the building around 5 p.m. First responders took one person to the hospital due to smoke inhalation and another for a separate medical need.
The fire was contained by the building’s sprinkler system and responding firefighters, said Milwaukee Fire Department Deputy Chief Travis Jones.
“If it weren’t for the sprinkler system, it probably wouldn’t have turned out the way it did,” Jones said.
Firefighters were able to force the door open to the unit with the fire and rescue the one occupant, he said.
The fire department received its first call for the fire at 5:05 p.m. and an initial unit arrived four minutes later, he said. By 6:03 p.m. the department completed its initial response to the fire.
Department fire investigators and the Milwaukee Police Department were called to the scene to determine the fire’s cause and the extent of the damages remains under investigation, Jones said.
The department called on the Red Cross for assistance for at least one resident, Jones said. A spokesperson for the Red Cross did not immediately respond to comment on the extent of the organization’s work.
In a post on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, Fire Chief Aaron Lipski said “all other occupants able to return.” He credited the building’s sprinklers and firefighters for the outcome.
“Fantastic outcomes,” his post said.
Sprinklers in Milwaukee’s residences have taken on increased focus in the last year, after one of the worst fires in the city’s history took place and killed five in May. That fire occurred in an old apartment building that did not have sprinklers, which is allowed due to its age.
Nearly 70% of Milwaukee’s high-rise buildings were constructed before sprinklers were required by state law, city officials said previously.
Lipski has pressed for changes to state law that would require sprinklers in these buildings. However, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, a Republican from Rochester who owns rental properties in Whitewater, said it’s unlikely lawmakers would mandate sprinklers after that fire.
State Sen. LaTonya Johnson introduced a package of bills in November that would allow the city to mandate them and offer landlords grant funds to help pay. Those bills have been referred to assembly committees, but it remains to be seen if they move any further.
The first happened on October 16 just after 11:00 p.m. at the Discovery Building on North Orchard Street on the campus’ west side.
The fire started in a hamper full of rags or towels in a kitchen, and the automatic sprinkler system helped contain the fire with minimal damage to the wall nearby before firefighters put it completely out. The rest of the building was not impacted, and was fully operational within hours.
The second happened on October 28 around 4:50 a.m. at the Gordon Commons on West Dayton Street on the campus’ southeast side. Firefighters found heavy white smoke and a dryer fire in a lower-level room.
The sprinkler system kept the fire from spreading as fire crews extinguished it. Investigators are still not sure what caused this fire, but the dryer did contain rags and towels from the kitchen.
Public Health Madison-Dane County was notified because of food items in the area being impacted by the smoke.
Both fires are still under investigation by the Madison Fire Department.
According to a Tuesday, Oct. 21 OAFED news release, the swift activation of the building’s sprinkler system played a critical role in containing what could have been a much more severe incident. Upon arrival, the first-arriving engine company quickly identified the cause of the alarm: an unattended cooking fire within one of the apartment units.
The fire was suppressed by the immediate activation of a sprinkler head directly above the area of origin. This crucial response by the building’s fire suppression system effectively confined the fire damage to a small area within the affected apartment.
While the fire itself was quickly extinguished, the apartment of origin sustained fire, smoke, and water damage. Additionally, several adjacent apartments experienced varying degrees of water damage as a direct result of the sprinkler system’s activation. OAFED crews worked diligently to mitigate further damage by promptly stopping the flow of water from the sprinkler system. They then initiated extensive water removal efforts from all affected apartments, minimizing the impact on residents and property.
This incident serves as a powerful reminder of the vital importance of properly installed and maintained sprinkler systems in residential buildings. The quick action of this system undoubtedly prevented the fire from spreading, saving lives and significantly reducing property loss. We commend the alarm monitoring company for their prompt notification and our crews for their efficient response in both extinguishing the fire and mitigating water damage.
OAFED reminds all residents to exercise extreme caution when cooking and to never leave cooking unattended. Unattended cooking remains a leading cause of residential fires.
At 11:15 p.m. firefighters arrived at the building on the 300 block of N. Orchard Street for a fire alarm going off.
MFD said an automatic fire sprinkler head detected the fire and turned on. The sprinkler head also triggered the building’s fire alarm.
Firefighters put out the rest of the fire with a two-and-a-half-gallon water can extinguisher.
The fire appeared to start in a hamper full of rags or towels in a kitchen, MFD noted.
The fire caused a few burned items, MFD said, and a small amount of damage to a wall nearby.
There was no damage to the rest of the building, and it was reopened in a few hours.
“The incident highlights the importance of protecting buildings and facilities with automatic fire sprinklers to contain fire, minimize damage, and prevent injury and harm,” MFD said in a statement.
The building is home to two research institutes and a community hub for science and innovation, crews noted.
A water flow alarm went off just before 6:45 p.m. Saturday at 1 Wind Stone Drive, according to Madison Fire Department.
Firefighters reported discovering a fire sprinkler going off on a four-floor deck when they arrived, as well as a fire on deck directly below.
A deck chair and siding to the building were damaged in the fire, MFD said.
Crews believe a cigarette not properly thrown away was to blame for the fire.
Firefighters credited the sprinkler for putting the fire out quickly. No one was displaced.
Firefighters were dispatched shortly after 4:53 p.m. to the 4600 block of Atticus Way after smoke was detected in a lower garage area. Witnesses reported a dumpster on fire.
Bystanders moved the dumpster to a driveway just before crews arrived. Firefighters then applied water to extinguish remaining hot spots. The activated sprinkler had already largely contained the fire.
According to MFD, the sprinkler activation triggered the building’s fire alarm and prompted an evacuation.
Firefighters met with on-site building staff to provide guidance on restoring the sprinkler system and replacing a nearby smoke detector.
Beyond the dumpster, its contents, the affected sprinkler head and a damaged smoke alarm, no other building damage was reported. No injuries were reported.
Two people and a dog are displaced following an apartment fire Saturday night.
Monona Fire Department responded to the 800 block of West Broadway for a waterflow alarm at 9:30 p.m. Saturday. When MFD arrived, there was an active fire inside the building.
The fire was put out quickly, according to MOFD. They say a single sprinkler head had contained the fire to the kitchen before they arrived on the scene.
No one was home at the time of the fire. One dog was rescued by crews. The apartment was deemed temporarily uninhabitable. No injuries were reported.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, but does not appear to be suspicious in nature.