Forest Hill, MD – Sprinkler system activated for microwave fire in condominium

A microwave started a fire at a condominium building in Harford County, according to the Maryland State Fire Marshal.

A neighbor of the occupant heard a smoke alarm and later discovered the occupant inside her apartment with heavy smoke, fire officials said. Another neighbor assisted her out of the apartment.

Neighbors exited their units after the fire alarm sounded, according to fire officials. One fire sprinkler activated and contained the fire within and around the microwave in the unit with minimal fire damage.

Water damage affected two units, including the unit of origin and the unit directly below, fire officials said.

Acting State Fire Marshal Jason M. Mowbray stated, “Residential fire sprinklers are proven to save lives, prevent injuries, and protect property and valuables. This is yet another example of how the presence of an automatic fire sprinkler system protected occupants and prevented substantial fire damage to residential property.”

Highlands Ranch, CO – Sprinkler system activated for laundry fire at senior living facility; No injuries reported

At 16:50 on April 14th, 2024 South Metro Fire Emergency Communications Center dispatched South Metro Fire Rescue to reported smoke and flames visible form the laundry facility inside Vi at Highlands Ranch, located at 2850 Classic Dr. While crews were responding, an alarm company also notified dispatch of a water flow alarm. When Firefighters arrived, they found the alarm system activated with residents evacuating and no visible signs of smoke or fire from the exterior. Once inside, Firefighters discovered a laundry bin fire being controlled by the fire sprinkler system. Due to the large population of seniors who live in the building and might need extra assistance safely evacuating, a 2nd Alarm was called. The large response brought a total of 83 personnel from South Metro to the incident scene and nearby staging area. The fire was quickly extinguished and searches of all floors in the building were conducted to check for fire extension, smoke and occupants who might need help. The fire was contained to a small area, no injuries or smoke inhalation occurred. Fire Investigators determined the fire was accidental, related to normal laundry operations and the sprinkler system activated as it was designed to do. Additional information provided by South Metro Fire Rescue.

Olathe, KS – Sprinkler system activated for cooking fire at Chinese restaurant; No injuries reported

Crews were able to extinguish a working cooking fire over the weekend at a Chinese restaurant in Olathe.

The Olathe Fire Department says that just after 10:55 a.m. on Sunday, April 14, emergency crews were called to the Lucky Star Chinese Restaurant – BoBo Chinese – at 151st and Ridgeview Rd. with reports of a cooking fire.

When first responders arrived, they said they found flames and smoke bursting out of the rooftop through the exhaust vent.

Firefighters indicated that the kitchen’s fire suppression “hood” system and an automatic sprinkler head were able to stop the fire from spreading.

Crews were able to extinguish the blaze with no injuries reported. No further information has been released.

Madison, WI – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire at apartment complex

At 5:11 a.m., April 13th, Madison’s Fire Station Eight was dispatched to 4016 Nakoosa Trail for an activated fire alarm.

While the firefighters were en route, a 911 call came in, detailing smoke in the hallway, which elicited a full structure fire response.

Residents were evacuating the area when Engine 8 arrived at 5:17 a.m. One of the outside occupants stated that a fire had broken out in their unit. Upon investigation, the firefighters confirmed the fire was extinguished by the automatic sprinkler system.

The fire team shut down electricity to the apartment and assisted with water removal from the first-floor hallways. Three other units were affected by the water, though its occupants were not displaced.

The occupant of the fire unit was taken to the hospital, evaluated, and has since been released.

The apartment where the fire occurred is currently deemed uninhabitable, and the American Red Cross is assisting the displaced occupant.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Memphis, TN – Sprinkler system contains arson fire at Walmart

An intentional fire set inside a Memphis Walmart caused nearly $2 million in content loss, the Memphis Fire Department said.

On Sunday, the MFD responded to a fire at the Walmart on Austin Peay Highway at 3:11 p.m.

Qwanesha Ward of the MFD said that the fire was intentionally set on Aisle 18 near the electronics department and was contained by the store’s sprinkler system.

However, the fire still led to $1.8 million in content loss and $10,000 in building loss. The store has smoke and water damage.

MFD said that the store will likely be closed until the end of the week.

Glen Allen, VA – Sprinkler system activated for fire at hotel; No injuries reported

Staff at the Candlewood Suites hotel in the Short Pump area of Henrico County are working to relocate guests following an accidental fire in a second-floor suite.

According to a spokesperson for Henrico Fire & EMS, crews responded to the Candlewood Suites at 4120 Tom Leonard Drive just before 5 p.m. on Wednesday, April 10, for report of a fire.

The spokesperson said the occupants of a hotel room had noticed smoke coming out of the air conditioning and heating unit and reported it to the front desk.

When the smoke worsened, they left the room — which caught fire shortly after. The flames soon spread to the curtains above the unit.

The sprinkler system was triggered by the smoke, which automatically notified first responders. Additionally, these sprinklers kept the fire from spreading beyond the window area, which is “exactly what you want [the sprinklers] to do,” according to the spokesperson.

Fire crews reportedly arrived within three minutes of receiving the call. There was still some visible fire on the outside of the building, so firefighters worked to put that out before entering the building.

No injuries were reported, according to the spokesperson.

The hotel was damaged by the flames themselves, as well as the smoke, heat and soot that came along with it. Fire crews deactivated the sprinkler system when possible, but there was still some water damage, according to the spokesperson.

Due to this damage, occupants are being relocated by hotel staff. According to the spokesperson, they are being moved to either other available rooms or to another hotel.

The spokesperson said this fire is considered accidental. No other information is available at tis time.

Madison, WI – Sprinkler system activated for fire in 6-story building

Crews were called to a fire at a Madison complex on Monday evening around 9:30pm.

Firefighters on Engine 3 responded to The Standard Madison apartment complex (1868 E. Washington Ave.), a mixed-use building. 911 was simultaneously alerted when the alarm monitoring company called in a water flow alarm and a resident said a fire alarm was sounding throughout the complex. It was upgraded to a full fire response after noticing heavy smoke coming from a bar that was under construction. They made entry and found a sprinkler was activated. Firefighters used a water can to complete extinguishment of the fire.

The building has businesses on the first level with apartments above.

It shows the importance of a working sprinkler system, even when a business is under construction.

“The sprinkler system did its job. The sprinkler head closest to the fire activated, contained the fire to the area of origin, notified the occupants of the building through the fire alarm system and notified Dane County 911 whom dispatched Madison Fire to the scene for final extinguishment and clean up.” said Fire Marshal Bill Sullivan.

The fire was caused by spontaneous combustion by improperly disposing of oil and stain-soaked clothing. No residents were displaced, and the other businesses were able to open as scheduled.

Almont, MI – Sprinkler system activated for fire at metal casting facility

A two-alarm fire in the Almont Industrial Park brought firefighters from two Lapeer County fire departments to Aristo-Cast Metal Investment Casting, Inc. Monday. The Almont Fire Department responded to the initial call at 7400 Research Drive in Almont and promptly requested mutual aid from the Imlay City Fire Department. Almont Fire Chief Don Smith said his department was called at 4 a.m. Monday morning. According to Chief Smith, one of the ovens used to melt wax pellets malfunctioned and caught fire. He said the company’s sprinkler system activated and likely saved the building from being destroyed. Chief Smith said around 3,000 gallons of water was used by the two departments, in addition to the sprinkler system. One employee was treated for minor smoke inhalation. Almont First Responders and Lapeer County EMS also responded to the fire. Chief Smith said units cleared the scene by 6 a.m. 

Oak Creek, WI – Sprinkler system activated for fire at power plant; No injuries reported

A fire broke out at the We Energies Power Plant in Oak Creek on Monday night, April 8. The call came at 8:40 p.m.  

When crews arrived at the scene, they found smoke visible from the exterior of the dust collector. Fire companies entered the facility and confirmed that a fire had been extinguished by the sprinkler system.

There was no extension of the fire to any other part of the structure.

There were no reported injuries to We Energies employees or fire personnel. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.

Vancouver, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for fire at hotel; No injuries reported

Some residents were displaced and several units had water damage after a fire broke out in another Vancouver single-room occupancy hotel on Monday morning.

The fire was reported just after 7 a.m. Monday at the Walton Hotel, at 261 East Hastings St. in the Downtown Eastside.

Vancouver Fire Rescue Services crews had the fire mopped up after about 90 minutes and left a notice for building managers to reactivate the sprinkler system right away.

“Firefighters isolate and turn off the sprinkler as close to the affected area as possible to limit water damage to the building as well as trying to keep as much of the system operational,” said Vancouver Fire spokesperson Capt. Matthew Trudeau.

“A service technician is required to put the system back in working order as soon as possible.”

Trudeau said no injuries were reported but “water damage has affected multiple units” leaving an unknown number of Walton hotel residents displaced.

He said searching rooms was difficult due to “extensive hoarding throughout many units.”

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