Shopping mall reopens quickly after fire, thanks to sprinkler system (Fort Wayne, IN)

A fire in a storage area at Glenbrook Square set off sprinklers and alarms Saturday, forcing shoppers and employees to evacuate the north-side mall, which was able to reopen several hours later.  At 3:32 p.m., Fort Wayne fire crews were dispatched to the mall at 4201 Coldwater Road, near East Coliseum Boulevard. Sprinklers contained the flames until crews arrived at 3:37 p.m., said Stacey Fleming, a fire department spokeswoman.

Sprinkler system suppresses fire at apartment (Petaluma, CA)

A fire which began in the kitchen of an apartment was extinguished by the residence's fire sprinkler system during the early morning hours of September 26. The cause of the fire was a wicker basket being left on a hot stove element. No injuries were reported.

Damage minimized at Boys & Girls Club thanks to fire sprinkler system (Lake Elsinore, CA)

On Tuesday, September 24, a fire was reported at a Boys & Girls Club at 7:42 p.m. Fire crews responded and found that the facility's fire sprinkler system had already activated and kept the fire contained to the room where the fire had started. An "appliance malfunction" is being blamed for the blaze, and no one was injured.

Battalion Chief Mark Barr credited the fire sprinkler system with keeping the fire in check and preventing several hundreds of thousands of dollars more in damage.

Fire extinguished by fire sprinklers at restaurant (Lahaina, HI)

A fire began in a clothes dryer at a restaurant during the early morning hours of September 24. The fire stayed in the utility room which housed the clothes dryer and was suppressed by the restaurant's fire sprinkler system. No injuries were reported from the incident.

Sprinkler system puts out fire at hospital (San Bernadino, CA)

Fire investigators are still looking into the cause of a fire at a hospital on the afternoon of September 21. Fire sprinklers activated and completely extinguished the fire prior to the arrival of fire crews. 

"Sprinkler systems, if they don't extinguish fires, keep them in check," Battalion Chief Alan Duggan said. "The sprinklers worked properly and the fire was extinguished prior to our crews' arrival."

The facility, which was evacuated, reported no injuries from the incident.

Sprinkler system aids firefighters in apartment fire (Albany, NY)

Fire sprinklers helped to knock down a fire that occurred in an apartment building early in the morning of September 22. Firefighters contributed the fire not spreading throughout the building to the activation of the building's fire sprinklers. No injuries were reported.

Fire contained by sprinkler system at townhouse (Annapolis, MD)

A fire that began on the third story of a townhouse was kept in check by the fire sprinklers in the dwelling until fire crews arrived. Fire crews were able to put the rest of the fire out within 15 minutes. The fire was caused by a preschool-age child playing with a lighter in the bedroom of the home, and no one was injured.

Sprinklers make the difference in apartment fire (South Jefferson, TN)

Fire crews were called to an apartment fire on September 18. A resident had left something cooking on the stove, and it caught fire, which then activated a fire sprinkler head. 

Cookeville Fire Captain Daryl Blair said, "It did its job. That is just another case that shows fire sprinkler systems are effective and do their job when activated. It could have been a different scenario if there hadn't been a fire sprinkler system."

No injuries were reported.

Damage minimized at apartment complex thanks to fire sprinklers (Santa Rosa, CA)

Four engines and ladder trucks responded to a fire at a three-story apartment building on September 18. The fire, which started on the patio of a first floor apartment, was contained by the building's fire sprinklers. 

Central Fire Authority Chief Doug Williams reported that without the fire sprinklers, the fire likely would have been "a very devastating event."

The fire, which is under investigation, did not cause any reported injuries.

Small fire suppressed by sprinklers at hotel (Nassau Bay, TX)

A fire broke out in the laundry room of a high rise hotel during the early hours of September 17. The sprinkler system activated and extinguished the flames, and all 300 guests and employees were able to evacuate safely. The investigation is ongoing as to the cause of the fire.

Sprinklers prove effectiveness in nursing home fire (Pleasanton, CA)

Fire crews responded to a two-alarm fire at a nursing home on Sunday, September 15 evening. The fire, which began in the laundry room, was contained by the nursing home's fire sprinkler system until the firefighters arrived to extinguish it. Residents safely evacuated the building and all but three rooms were re-opened within an hour and a half. No injuries were reported.

Fire controlled by fire sprinkler system at sawmill (Prince George, BC)

A fire broke out in a sawmill the evening of September 15, and fire sprinklers as well as mill workers kept the fire contained to the exterior wall and connecting roof until firefighters were on the scene. No injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

Sprinkler system extinguishes fire at apartment (Joplin, MO)

A fire in a seventh floor apartment is being investigated, while the suppression of the fire is being credited to the unit's fire sprinkler system. 

Keith Stammer, the director of emergency management, said, "This is a case where the sprinkler system did its job and knocked that fire down right away."

The fire, which began at 7:15 p.m. on September 15, was completely extinguished by 7:30 p.m.

Fire contained by sprinkler system at department store (Tallahassee, FL)

Two fire sprinkler heads contained a fire that started in a department store in early morning of September 13. The fire, which began in a flourescent light, was kept in check until fire crews arrived to put out the remaining flames. There were no injuries reported.

Sprinkler system aids firefighters at sporting goods store (Eugene, OR)

Fire investigators suspect that a fire that began on the second floor of a sporting goods store was caused by an electrical malfunction. According to fire chief Jeff Kronser, the fire sprinkler system activated and contained the fire until fire crews arrived. No one was injured in the incident.

Damage minimized at cleaning business thanks to fire sprinkler system (Billings, MT)

A fire which began in a cleaning business the evening of September 12 when rags and clothing that were placed in a laundry basket spontaneously combusted. Fire crews arrived and saw fire through the windows of the building. 

"They were thinking it would be something really substantial," Deputy Fire Marshal Jeff McCullough said. "Fortunately...the fire sprinkler system put most of the fire out."

Minimal structural damage occurred from the fire, and no injuries were reported.

Sprinklers make the difference in apartment fire (Rochester, NY)

Firefighters are crediting the activation of a sprinkler head for saving an apartment from far worse damage on September 8. A fire that had started in the kitchen of one of it's apartments was quickly extinguished by one head of the apartment's sprinkler system. There were no injuries from the incident.

Fire put out by sprinkler system at warehouse (Hanover, NH)

A single fire sprinkler extinguished the fire that occurred in a warehouse the morning of September 4. Fire crews came to the scene after a fire alarm notification came through a private alarm company. The fire was limited to a diesel fire pump and its electronic controls. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, and there were no injuries reported.

Sprinkler system extinguishes arson fire at furniture store (Orange County, FL)

Fire investigators are trying to determine who burglarized and set fire to a furniture store the night of September 9. Firefighters arrived but found the that the fire sprinkler had already eliminated the fire, so they waited for the sheriff's team to arrive to begin the investigation. No one was injured in the fire.

Damage minimized at hotel thanks to fire sprinkler system (SeaTac, WA)

Fire crews responded to a late night call to a fire at a hotel on September 5. They arrived to find smoke that filled the laundry room on the hotel's first floor thanks to the fire sprinkler that had contained the fire. Occupants of the hotel were able to enter back into the hotel room soon after firefighters extinguished the remaining fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Sprinkler system contains fire at probation office (Lompoc, CA)

Fire crews responded in less than a minute in response to a late night fire at a probation office on September 5. They arrived to find the fire in the office contained by it's fire sprinkler system; the crew extinguished the remaining flames. The building was unoccupied when the fire began, and the fire is being deemed as suspicious.

Fire sprinklers prove worth in college dormitory fire (Monmouth, IL)

A college dormitory which houses 120 students had a fire break out in the middle of the night on September 3. A resident awoke to find smoke in her room and alerted her resident assistant, a fire alarm was pulled, and all of the residents evacuated safely as the fire sprinkler system activated to eliminate the flames. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Sprinkler system aids firefighters at assisted living facility fire (Washington, DC)

Fire crews arrived to a reported fire in the bathroom of a unit in an assisted living facility to find the fire controlled by the building's fire sprinkler system. The fire was then completely extinguished and is still under investigation.

Fire put out by by sprinkler system at home for senior cititzens (Corpus Christi, TX)

The cause of a fire which started on the sixth floor of a senior citizen residence is still under investigation. A sofa caught fire in one of the rooms, and the building's fire sprinkler quickly suppressed flames. The damage to the building was minimal, and residents were allowed back into their rooms later that day.

***Blog Editor's Note - Please let us know what you think of the coverage by the NBC 6 News and journalist Bart Bedsole, who focused on water damage rather than the lives and property saved by the automatic fire sprinkler system.***

Sprinklers control fire at plastic manufacturer (Paso Robles, CA)

A fire broke out the evening of September 4 in the employee break room of a plastics manufacturer. The fire sprinkler activated and kept the fire from spreading; fire crews arrived and put out the remaining flames. The employees who were in the building were able to evacuate safely; the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Damage minimized at apartment thanks to fire sprinkler system (Rochester, NY)

A second story apartment unit had a kitchen fire the afternoon of September 1. Fire crews were alerted to the fire by the activation of the building's fire sprinkler system. The sprinklers quickly suppressed the fire.

"This was a great save," said Rochester Fire Marshal Larry Mueller. "Had the sprinkler not been installed in the structure, the fire would have rapidly grown and caused extensive damage to the structure."

No one was reported injured, and the cause of the fire was slated as unattended cooking on the stove.

Fire sprinklers prove worth in nursing home fire (Burr Ridge, IL)

Fire sprinklers activated and contained a fire in a nursing home on September 2. Fire crews suppressed the remaining flames, and there were no injuries from the incident.

Sprinklers make the difference in golf clubhouse fire (Rancho Santa Fe, CA)

At 8:06 PM on September 1st, firefighters arrived to a fire call at a golf clubhouse. The fire crews located the fire, which had been eliminated by the building's fire sprinkler system, in the attic space. A wedding party that was occurring in the building was relocated to the outdoor patio until the fire was reported as eliminated.

Battalion Fire Chief Fred Cox said about the incident, "... without fire sprinklers this could have been a major fire. The fire was well established before sprinkler activation, and without them, it would have easily spread unchecked through a very large and open attic space before being detected." 

Fire investigators are initially blaming the fire on electrical issues; no injuries occurred as a result of the fire.

Fire contained by sprinkler system at bowling alley (Cottleville, MO)

Fire crews responded to an emergency fire call at a bowling alley overnight on September 2. The fire, which began in the kitchen, was almost completely eliminated by the business' fire sprinkler system. No injuries were reported, and investigators are determining the cause of the fire.

Sprinklers control fire at commercial building (Sioux Falls, SD)

A fire that began in a commercial building was contained by the it's fire sprinkler system. Fire crews responded the call at about 8:00 AM on Saturday, August 31 to find smoke coming from the building; they were able to put out the fire within 15 minutes without any injuries. The fire's cause is under investigation.

Damage minimized at high school thanks to fire sprinkler system (Edmonds, WA)

A fire in a loading dock dumpster of a high school activated the school's fire sprinkler, which kept the school from any damage. There were no injuries.