Apartment Building, Residential Madison, WI – (no media coverage) Sprinkler system extinguishes grease fire at apartment complex March 24, 2019 viking210 ** Fire Department Reported – No Media Coverage ** Around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, City of Madison Firefighters were called to the 3500 block of Anderson Street for an alarm sounding in a multi-unit apartment complex. Engine 8’s crew found a kitchen fire was extinguished by a single fire sprinkler head. The fire sprinkler system provided a quick activation to the grease fire. Damage to the apartment would have sustained significant damage if not for the sprinkler. Firefighters ventilated the building with positive pressure fans and helped clean up some of the water. The occupant told crew members that he was heating grease for deep frying and fell asleep. No one was injured as a result of the fire.
Child Care Facility Appleton, WI – Sprinkler system prevents further damage in day care stove fire March 1, 2019 viking210 A single sprinkler head was able to extinguish fire from a stove top at an Appleton child care facility on Monday. At around 11:45 a.m., the Appleton Fire Department was sent to Appleton KinderCare on S. Oneida Street for a report of a fire in the kitchen. All staff and 65 children at the day care were able to safely evacuate the facility. When crews arrived, they had found that a sprinkler head was able to completely extinguish the fire, which had only damaged some nearby cardboard boxes. Officials say the fire started when a worker had placed empty boxes on top of the stove and a burner may have been inadvertently turned on. According to the Appleton Fire Department, this is the second incident in the past two months in which a sprinkler extinguished a fire in an Appleton building.
Other - Retail, Retail Richfield, WI – Fire at Cabela’s extinguished by sprinkler system February 25, 2019 viking210 1 Comment Firefighters on Thursday night, Feb. 21 responded to the scene of a fire at Cabela’s in the Village of Richfield. The call came in around 11:15 p.m. Officials say the fire originated in an arcade game on the second floor — and was extinguished by the sprinkler system. The fire appeared to be electrical. It was estimated by fire personnel that approximately 3,000 gallons of water was expelled from the sprinkler system. The incident remains under investigation, and no one was injured as a result the fire.
College/University (on campus), School / University Madison, WI – Overnight fire at University of Wisconsin extinguished by sprinkler system February 23, 2019 viking210 A fire in a room at Chamberlin Hall on the UW-Madison campus was extinguished by an automatic fire sprinkler Wednesday night, with nobody getting hurt in the fire. The fire was reported at 11:05 p.m. in the building at 1150 University Avenue that houses the Physics Department. People evacuating the building told arriving firefighters from Engine Co. 4 they could smell something like smoke. “Firefighters made their way through the building to investigate the problem,” said Madison Fire Department spokeswoman Cynthia Schuster. “They found water on an upper-level floor and the smell of smoke became much more apparent.“ With the sound of an activated fire sprinkler being heard coming from a locked room, a full structure fire response was called for, with Ladder Co. 1, Engine Co. 1, Command Car 31 and other central city units responding. “Crews returned to the room in question and unlocked the door,” Schuster said. “That’s where they found evidence that a fire had taken place almost directly underneath an automatic fire sprinkler.“ The fire was extinguished by the sprinkler and smoke had dissipated. “The room was unoccupied at the time of the fire,” Schuster said. “The cause is under investigation.” Damage was confined to the point of origin and didn’t spread to other rooms.
Food Processing, Manufacturing Beloit, WI – Cooker fire at Kettle Foods contained by sprinkler system February 15, 2019 viking210 A cooker fire was reported early this morning at Kettle Foods in the 3100 block of Kettle Way, and no injuries were reported, according to the Beloit Fire Department. The fire was reported shortly after 3 a.m. and all employees were evacuated prior to the department arriving on scene. Crews observed light smoking from the smoke stacks, and the fire was contained to the cooking area. A sprinkler system was activated and helped contain the small blaze. A damage estimate wasn’t available as of press time, but the department said it’s expected to “be a significant dollar amount due to the piece of equipment” that caught fire, according to a department Facebook post. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Employees returned to work at around 6 a.m.
Apartment Building, Residential Madison, WI – Fire in utility closet at apartment complex is held in check by sprinkler system February 3, 2019 viking210 An automatic fire sprinkler in a utility closet kept a furnace fire in check Wednesday afternoon, with nobody injured in the Southwest Side blaze. The fire was reported at about 2:25 p.m. at the Stone Creek Gardens apartment complex in the 6700 block of Mader Drive, the Madison Fire Department said. “Nobody was home when multiple passersby began seeing flames outside the apartment along Maple Grove Road,” said MFD spokeswoman Cynthia Schuster. Arriving fire crews found fire on the exterior of the building near a second-story balcony. “Ladder Co. 7 knocked down the exterior fire, and other crews went inside to investigate whether that fire had extended to the inside,” Schuster said. Crews discovered an automatic fire sprinkler in the furnace utility closet had activated, keeping the fire from spreading into the apartment, containing the fire to the utility closet. All occupants of the building were allowed to return to their apartments, except for the people living in the affected apartment and the apartment directly below it.
Other Business, Recycling / Waste Facility Janesville, WI – Fire a recycling facility controlled by sprinkler system while firefighters battle challenging blaze January 19, 2019 viking210 Firefighters were waiting out a smoldering fire at a Janesville recycling facility Tuesday night because heavy bundles of cardboard blocked their access to the flames. At about 3:33 p.m. Tuesday, Janesville firefighters were called to the Waste Management Recycle America-Janesville Recycling Center, 340 Black Bridge Road. Employees were evacuated from the scene, and fire departments from Edgerton, Milton, Beloit, town of Beloit, Evansville and Footville were called in to assist. Black Bridge Road was blocked off from North Parker Drive to Mayfair Road starting at 4:45 p.m. At 5 p.m., white smoke could be seen billowing out of the garage in front of the building and from openings on its west side. At 9:30 p.m., firefighters were still on scene, and Janesville Fire Department Battalion Chief Ron Bomkamp predicted they could be there for a while. Firefighters were having trouble getting to the “seat of the fire” because it was surrounded by heavy bundles of cardboard. The cardboard bales weighed several hundred pounds each and couldn’t be moved easily, Bomkamp said. The sprinkler system was keeping the fire under control while firefighters tried to get to it, Bomkamp said.
Manufacturing, Other - Manufacturing Racine, WI – Large structure fire in wood shop kept in check by sprinkler system January 17, 2019 viking210 A potentially large structure fire was kept at bay by an active sprinkler, Racine Fire Department officials said in a release issued Wednesday. At 9:12 p.m. Tuesday, the Fire Department was dispatched to 1509 Rapids Drive for an active fire alarm. Fire officials found a small, smoky fire inside of a tenant’s wood shop. The fire was kept in check by an active fire sprinkler, and firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the fire. After investigating, the cause of the fire was determined to be improperly stored oily rags. The property was then turned back over to the wood shop tenant. The fire caused an estimated $2,500 in damage. There were no injuries, fire officials said.
Apartment Building, Residential Appleton, WI – Apartment fire extinguished by sprinkler system before fire crews arrived December 27, 2018 viking210 The Appleton Fire Department says it has added a third red bulb to its wreath after a fire inside an apartment building. The 2018 Keep the Wreath Green Campaign is designed to promote fire safety and reduce the number of fires during the holiday season. On Saturday morning, around 1:30 a.m Appleton firefighters were called out to a fire on East Peter Street. When firefighters were en route, the fire was already out. The fire in the bathroom of an apartment was put out by the sprinkler system. Fire officials said the fire started in a garbage can in the bathroom because of improper disposal of smoking materials. Two adults and three kids were assisted by the American Red Cross. Officials said the sprinkler system in this case undoubtedly saved the building from additional fire damage. The Appleton Fire Department would like to remind everyone to use caution when disposing of smoking materials.
Restaurant Janesville, WI – Sprinkler system limits spread of suspicious fire at Texas Roadhouse restaurant September 17, 2018 viking210 Janesville police are investigating the cause of a fire at Texas Roadhouse overnight. According to a news release, the Janesville Fire Department responded to the Texas Roadhouse in the 3200 block of Deerfield Drive around 12:15 a.m. Friday for a report of a commercial fire. Responding units said they found an active fire and smoke visible in the front of the building when they arrived at the scene. According to fire officials, the first engine to arrive was able to confine the fire to the exterior of the building’s front. A sprinkler was able to contain the fire inside the building until firefighters were able to extinguish it. Crews were on scene for about two hours. No injuries were reported in the incident. The Janesville Fire Department is continuing to investigate the cause of the fire. Damage estimates have not been released.
