Tag Archives: Wisconsin

Pulaski, WI – Sprinkler system activated for fire at food center

Emergency teams responded to a fire Monday morning at Super Ron’s Food Center in Pulaski. Police were notified first and upon arrival, officers learned that the fire was contained to the front office and was extinguished due to efforts by the owner. Police say the fire caused the sprinkler system to activate.

Police evacuated the building due to heavy smoke. Pulaski Tri-County Fire Department firefighters were able to turn off the water flow and checked for additional hot spots.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but police say it is not suspicious in nature.

Oshkosh, WI – Sprinkler system controls fire at restaurant; No injuries reported

Oshkosh firefighters said a fire at a restaurant was caused by “the spontaneous combustion of deep-fried tempura flakes.”

On Monday at 5:49 a.m., the Oshkosh Fire Department responded to a water flow alarm at Sakura Japanese Steakhouse, located at 330 North Koeller Street in Oshkosh.

Engine 16 and Ladder 15 responded initially and upgraded the alarm to a structure fire response after seeing smoke coming from the building. The fire activated the fire sprinkler system which controlled the fire until it could be fully extinguished.

“The fire was caused by the spontaneous combustion of deep-fried tempura flakes,” the Oshkosh Fire Department said in a news release.

No injuries were reported.

Madison, WI – Sprinkler system extinguishes apartment fire caused by unattended cooking

Firefighters responded to an apartment on Tree Lane to investigate a fire alarm in the building. There were also multiple reports of smoke coming from an apartment unit inside.

Ladder Co. 2 checked the building’s alarm panel, which indicated a problem on the fourth floor. The crew proceeded to the fourth floor and identified that an automatic fire sprinkler had caught and extinguished a fire caused by unattended cooking.

Firefighters checked the unit for occupants and did find someone sleeping in another room with the door closed. That occupant was uninjured and able to evacuate the unit while firefighters turned off the stove and shut down the fire sprinkler system.

The incident caused fire damage to the stovetop and microwave, as well as some charring of drywall. Two other residential units were also affected. The American Red Cross is assisting those who were displaced.

Grand Chute, WI – Sprinkler system activated for laundry room fire at hotel; No injuries reported

The Hampton Inn in Grand Chute was evacuated Saturday after a first-floor laundry room caught fire.

According to a release from the Grand Chute Fire Department, crews were dispatched to the scene after an employee found a fire located in the hotel’s main laundry room.

The fire was being controlled by the building’s automatic sprinkler system. Fire crews from GCFD and the City of Appleton and Village of Fox Crossing Fire units worked to locate and extinguish the remaining pocked of fire.

Despite being contained to a small area of the hotel, smoke extended to all floors and the building was evacuated as a precaution. Personnel remained on scene for several hours ventilating the building to remove the smoke and overhauling the fire area to ensure the safety of the hotel’s guests and staff.

There were no injuries reported and fire investigators are continuing to determine the cause of the fire.

Madison, WI – Sprinkler system activated for trash compactor fire outside of retailer; No injuries reported

An employee at an east side retailer noticed smoke coming from a trash compactor chute Monday morning, approximately a half-hour after tossing a few bags of trash into the chute. Upon opening the door to the compactor, the employee discovered flames inside. He discharged multiple fire extinguishers in an attempt to put out the fire, but his efforts were unsuccessful.

Firefighters received the 911 dispatch at 9:29 a.m. and responded to the 2452 East Springs Drive. All occupants safely evacuated the building prior to firefighters’ arrival.

Engine Co. 8 located a large compactor near the loading docks outside the building. A sprinkler inside the compactor chute had already activated, but there was still active fire inside the compactor container. Engine 8 connected to a hydrant, and Medic 8 brought an attack line to the compactor. Firefighters sprayed water into the compactor, and a tow truck was requested to help pull it away from the building. Once the compactor was pulled away, firefighters shut down the internal fire sprinklers system. Engine Co. 5 assisted with overhauling the contents inside the compactor and extinguishing any remaining fire. No injuries were reported.

The exact cause of the fire could not be determined. Investigators and store employees could not rule out the possibility that a lithium ion battery may have been discarded and placed inside the compactor.

Madison, WI – Sprinkler system activated for fire in receptacle container; No injuries reported

A fire at a Kipp Corporation building was put out by the automatic sprinkler system, officials said Tuesday.

Crews were sent to the building in the 100 block of South Fair Oaks Avenue just after 7:30 a.m. Monday. A nearby EMS crew that was responding to an unrelated call noticed steam and smoke coming from the area.

Staff at the building reported that a receptacle that collected metal shavings, dust and debris caught fire. The sprinkler system in the receptacle triggered and the fire was put out before it could spread.

No injuries were reported.

Racine, WI – Sprinkler system extinguishes unattended cooking fire at apartment building; No injuries reported

Unattended cooking led to a fire that set off a sprinkler system and caused more than $100,000 in damage in an apartment building, the Racine Fire Department said Saturday.

“When you are actively cooking, always make sure to stay in attendance of an ignited burner. If you cannot, turn the burner off completely before walking away,” the RFD said, reminding the public that questions regarding fire safety could be made to the Racine Fire Department Fire Prevention by calling 262-635-7915.

The fire was reported during the 11 o’clock hour Saturday on the 2200 block of Layard Avenue, which is near the city’s northwestern border north of Rapids Drive and west of Mt. Pleasant Street.

The fire alarm was going off in a second-floor apartment and, when firefighters first arrived, they found the sprinkler system had already extinguished the kitchen fire.

No injuries were reported. “Shelter is being provided for the displaced occupant,” the RFD said in a release.

The RFD estimated that the fire caused damages of $110,000 to the building’s structure and another $8,000 to the apartment’s contents.

Responding to the incident were six fire apparatuses, a battalion chief, one safety officer, a fire investigator and the Racine Police Department.

Madison, WI – Sprinkler system extinguishes cooking fire in condo

A cooking fire that broke out in an east side condo was quickly extinguished by an automatic fire sprinkler, minimizing damage and preventing fire-related injuries to occupants and firefighters.

Crews were sent to the 5300 block of Congress Avenue for reports of fire in a condo unit. Engine Co. 11 entered and found there had been a small cooking contained to a pan on the stovetop. An occupant was heating vegetable oil in the pan when it ignited. The occupant reflexively put water on the fire, which caused the fire to flare up rather than extinguish. The flare-up created more smoke and heat, triggering an automatic fire sprinkler to activate from above. The fire was extinguished by the fire sprinkler before firefighters arrived.

There was minimal smoke damage in the kitchen and no damage to nearby countertops or cabinets. The exhaust vent above the stove did suffer some fire-related damage.

Firefighters cleared remaining smoke from the unit and cleaned up some of the water. Property managers were notified of the incident and given guidance on what steps to take to restore alarm and sprinkler systems following the fire.

Madison, WI – Sprinkler system activated for fire at historic university building

Engine Co. 4 was called to Memorial Union for a fire alarm activation. While on scene, firefighters noticed smoke in the first floor kitchen that was getting thicker. Engine 4 prompted a full structure fire response, summoning multiple additional fire crews to the scene.

Engine Co. 4 located a custodial room where an automatic fire sprinkler had activated. There, firefighters found piles of oily kitchen rags smoldering. Memorial Union staff confirmed there was a bag of wet rags with oil mixed in them stored inside the room. The rags are believed to have spontaneously combusted, resulting in fire that triggered the automatic fire suppression system. Ladder Co. 1 remained on scene with Engine Co. 4 to ventilate the smoke and help overhaul the rags.

The Memorial Union was retrofitted with automatic fire sprinklers in recent years during remodeling projects that took place between 2012 and 2017. Without the presence of automatic sprinklers, this incident may have grown much larger before being noticed, and significant damage could have occurred to this historic building.

Following this incident on August 21, damage was contained to the room of origin and an adjacent office. The Memorial Union was re-opened to the public by 12:30 p.m.

Oshkosh, WI – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire in high-rise apartment building; No injuries reported

Fourteen people were displaced last week by a fire at a high-rise apartment building in Oshkosh.

Firefighters say it wasn’t a big fire, but 100 residents had to be evacuated from the Court Tower in the downtown area.

The building’s sprinkler system put out a small fire on the ninth floor.

No injuries were reported but the sprinklers caused extensive water damage to the eighth and ninth floors.

Most of the people who lived in the 10 damaged apartments stayed at a shelter last Thursday night.

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