Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant Woodhaven, MI – Sprinkler system saves Tropical Smoothie and many other businesses from major fire August 6, 2018 viking210 A store sprinkler system is credited for helping keep a business from going up in flames Wednesday night. Fire broke out at about 11:10 p.m. inside Tropical Smoothie, 23112 Allen Road. The Woodhaven Fire Department received a “water flow notification” for the location, which indicated the sprinkler system had been activated. It initiated an alarm and fire crews rushed to the business. According to Fire Chief Michael Clark, the best-case scenario possible unfolded out of a potentially costly situation. Thanks to the installed suppression system, the fire was out before fire crews even arrived, Clark said. He said the business suffered minimal damage, mostly due to water and smoke. The chief said it appears that a mop handle situated next to the water heater might have initiated the fire. One was found melted near the water heater. “I see nothing suspicious in nature about the fire,” Clark said. “We have pretty much completed our end of this investigation.” He said this is a perfect example of why sprinkler systems are so important and all businesses should have one in working order. “It saves lives and thousands of dollars,” Clark said. “There are three or four other businesses connected to the store in this strip and they would have been affected.”
