Fire sprinklers again prove their worth in fire at assisted living center (South Bend, IN)

A microwave caught fire Friday morning, sending smoke billowing out of Wood Ridge Assisted Living. Fire officials are thanking a working sprinkler system for saving lives. "Without a sprinkler system a fire doubles in size every thirty seconds, so without a sprinkler system it could have been a lot worse," Battalion Chief Robert Wood said. All of the residents living there were safely evacuated Friday morning without any major issues.

Overnight restaurant fire contained with help from sprinkler system (Kentwood, MI)

Fire officials said a quick response time helped contain a kitchen fire that sparked overnight at Carrabba's Italian Grill.  Kentwood firefighters were called to the restaurant, 4061 28th St. SE, about 2 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 28. A kitchen sprinkler kept the fire under control until crews doused the flames using hose lines, Capt. Shaun Abbey said. The blaze was contained to the kitchen.

Fire at Holiday Inn extinguished by sprinkler system (Raleigh, NC)

According to investigators, the fire started in a heating and air unit inside a room at the Holiday Inn at about 9 p.m.  The fire was extinguished by sprinklers in the room, officials said. No damage was caused by the fire. There were no immediate reports of injuries, and those staying at the hotel were allowed back inside shortly after the alarms were activated.

Home fire put out by residential sprinkler system (Portsmouth, NH)

A Thanksgiving Eve fire at an Osprey Drive home was sparked by a lamp and displaced the residents, but sprinklers "saved the house," said Deputy Fire Chief Carl Roediger. Firefighters were called to the home at about 9 p.m. Wednesday, when one of the residents said he just returned home and found his couch on fire, Roediger said. The fire had been "pretty much put out" by the residential sprinkler system and firefighters removed the smouldering couch from the home, according to the deputy chief.

Senior assisted living center saved with help from fire sprinklers (New Orleans, LA)

A small heating unit may be to blame for a fire that broke out Wednesday afternoon at an assisted living complex in Marrero. Jefferson Parish firefighters responded, and the sprinkler system helped to quickly put out the fire at the Wynhoven Apartments. The 50 elderly residents who live in the building were evacuated. They have since been allowed to return to their apartments. No one was hurt.

Sprinklers contain fire at business after holiday shutdown (Fort Wayne, IN)

Firefighters were sent to business at 9:20 p.m. Wednesday for a report of a fire inside the building. When crews arrived, they found extensive smoke throughout the building. A manufacturing machine and a pallet of the product were on fire, according to a statement issued by the Fort Wayne Fire Department. Crews were able to extinguish the fire quickly. The fire department said the fire was contained because of the sprinkler system activating.

Fire at senior apartment building contained by sprinkler system (Portsmouth, VA)

The sprinkler system kept a blaze in check inside a residential building for senior citizens until firefighters could arrive on Tuesday night. No injuries were reported in the fire, said Deputy Fire Chief Jim Hoffler. Over the years, though, the facility has had at least two fatal fires that have caused major damage, Hoffler said. The sprinkler system may have saved lives, he added.

The blaze was reported shortly after 10 p.m. on the top floor of the four-story building. The fire was contained by the sprinklers in one room of the apartment where it began. Hoffler said he did not yet know the cause.

Sprinkler holds fire at bay at apartment complex (Annapolis, MD)

A sprinkler contained a fire inside an apartment complex laundry room preventing anyone from being injured or displaced Monday night, a city fire department spokeswoman said. Firefighters responded to the Admiral Oaks apartment complex shortly after 9 p.m. for reports of smoke coming from a laundry room, fire department spokeswoman Capt. Janet Kiefler said. The sprinkler contained the fire until firefighters could arrive and quickly extinguish it, Kiefler said. The fire was determined to be caused by a malfunctioning dryer.

Thrift store fire put out by sprinkler system (St. Cloud, MN)

The cause of a fire at a St. Cloud thrift shop is under investigation.  The blaze started about 5 p.m. ... The fire started in the merchandise storage area, said Greg Newinski, battalion chief at the St. Cloud Fire Department. The sprinkler system put it out. The damage to the store is estimated to be about $10,000; the merchandise, about $5,000, although that number could be significantly higher.

Residential complex fire put out with help from fire sprinkler system (Winooski, VT)

The Winooski Fire Department was called to a fire reported in a second floor unit of a condominium complex on Thursday, November 21. The resident of the unit had been smoking a cigarette, which had then started a fire on the mattress.  “The sprinkler system, because it was a sprinkler building, it was able to keep the fire in check. So by the time they arrived on scene, most of the fire was out, and they used a dry chemical to extinguish the rest of the fire,” Winooski Assistant Fire Chief Erika Bailey explained.  There were no injuries reported from the incident.

Fire eliminated by sprinklers at retail plaza (Airdrie, AB)

A fire sprinkler system, which activated at a retail plaza which houses multiple businesses, extinguished a fire that occurred in the plaza’s utility control room. The fire crews found that the fire which had been burning but was the eliminated by the sprinkler system. No injuries were reported and the businesses in the plaza were not affected. “This was an instance of the way the building is engineered, with alarms and fire sprinkler system, doing what it is supposed to do,” said AFD Deputy Chief Garth Rabel. The cause of the fire is being investigated, but preliminary reports show that it is “suspicious in nature.”

Sprinkler system handles fire at Hormel Foods (Fremont, NE)

A fire in the rendering section at Hormel Foods Corp. did minimal damage Thursday afternoon.
The Fremont Fire Department was called at about 3:45 p.m., and was on the scene for less than an hour. Lt. Doug Backens said some rendering grease caught fire, but the plant's sprinkler system kept the fire in check. Firefighters encountered mostly smoke and steam by the time they arrived, he said.
Nobody was hurt in the incident.

Sprinkler system helps to put out fire at university (Charleston, SC)

A fire began in a first floor restroom at the Medical University of South Carolina on Wednesday, November 20. When firefighters arrived to the scene, they discovered that the fire had been almost completely extinguished by the fire sprinkler system. The building did not need to be evacuated, and the cause of the fire is under investigation. 

Fire controlled by sprinklers at manufacturing plant (Grand Haven, MI)

Fire crews were called to a fire at a Sara Lee plant around midnight on November 19. The fire, which began in the boiler room, was contained by the building's fire sprinkler system until the authorities arrived and put out the remaining flames by 12:30 a.m. There were no injuries, and production at the plant did not stop during the incident.

Sprinkler system aids firefighters in furniture store fire (Fresno, CA)

A late night fire at a furniture store was extinguished by the store's sprinkler system and local firefighters on Sunday. The store, which is located in a strip mall, neighbors a Petco pet store, but the fire was contained to the furniture store. No one was injured in the fire.

** Blog Editor's Note - Please let us know what you think of the coverage by reporter Amanda Venegas and ABC30, who focused on water damage rather than the lives and property saved by the automatic fire sprinkler system**

Sprinklers suppress fire at biodiesel manufacturing plant (Gilbert, AZ)

A forklift punctured a 330-gallon tank which held a chemical substance at a biodiesel manufacturing plant on Saturday morning. The chemical then caught on fire but was quickly put out by the plant's fire sprinkler system. No injuries were reported.

Fire contained in apartment building thanks to fire sprinklers (Waterloo, IA)

The fire sprinkler system kept a fire from spreading further than the second floor unit in which the fire began on Sunday afternoon. The fire began on a couch in the apartment, and no one was occupying the residence at the time of ignition. The rest of the apartment building safely evacuated the premises.

Battalion Chief Michael Moore said of the incident, "The sprinkler did its job. If the sprinkler system wasn't in there, it would have been a ripping and roaring fire."

The cause of the fire is still under investigation. 

Elementary school fire suppressed by sprinkler system (Albuquerque, NM)

Fire sprinklers put out a fire which began in the kitchen of an elementary school on Tuesday, November 12. The fire began at approximately 11:30, and the children, who were eating their lunches in the cafeteria, were evacuated safely. The fire sprinkler activated in the kitchen and extinguished the flames before fire crews arrived. No injuries were reported.

Sprinkler system aids firefighters at fire in Toys R Us (Paramus, NJ)

A fire occurred overnight at a Toys R Us retail location on November 12. The cause of the fire, which began in a second-floor stockroom, was confined to that area by the store's fire sprinkler system.

"The store's automatic fire sprinkler system kept the fire contained," Paramus Police Chief Kenneth Ehrenberg said.

Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire within a half hour, and all of the store's employees were able to evacuate the premises safely. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Fire sprinklers prove worth in home fire (Woodinville, WA)

An automatic fire alarm activated just before 3 a.m. on November 3 at an unattended home. Firefighters arrived to the scene and found that the fire, which had started due to a burning candle, had been extinguished by the home's fire sprinkler system. The development in which the house resided required fire sprinklers installed in each home. There were no injuries reported.

Sprinklers contain fire on college campus (Clifton, OH)

A female suspect is in custody for setting a fire in a multipurpose building on the University of Cincinnati campus. The fire, which was started in the lobby of the building, was contained to that room; there were no injuries reported.

Fire extinguished at suspected arson incidents on college campus (Chestnut Hill, MA)

Three fires were set in classrooms on Boston College over the weekend, and fire sprinklers put out the flames in each incident. Police are looking for a suspect in these cases. No injuries were reported.

***Blog Editor's Note - Please let us know what you think of the coverage by WHDH.com, which focused on water damage rather than the lives and property saved by the automatic fire sprinkler system ***

Sprinklers control fire at retail store (Prescott, AZ)

A fire began in a retail store at about 9 a.m. on Sunday, November 10 when the glass spheres that were in the window display acted as a magnifying glass when the sun shone through them. The heat that ensued caused the fire, and the fire sprinkler system helped to contain the flames until fire crews arrived.

Fire officials from the Prescott Fire Department stated, "The activated sprinkler kept the extension of the fire to a minimum, saving several adjacent businesses."

No one was injured in the incident

Fire extinguished by sprinkler system at natural food store (Portland, OR)

A late night fire at a natural food store began in one of the store's coffee roasters. While the cause is still under investigation, the suppression of the fire is credited to the store's fire sprinklers. All of the store's employees were able to evacuate safely, and no one was injured.

Sprinkler system aids firefighters at warehouse fire (Calgary, AB)

Firefighters were called to a warehouse on Sunday night when a propane powered floor sweeper caught fire. The warehouse's fifty employees were evacuated safely, and the fire sprinkler system activated and helped to control the fire. 

Sprinklers make the difference in hotel fire (Rockford, IL)

The sprinkler system in a Hampton Inn quickly eliminated an electrical fire which broke out in the hotel's office on Sunday evening. The fire was confined to the office area, and no one was injured. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Fire sprinklers help to contain early morning restaurant fire (Maricopa, AZ)

An assistant manager at the local Native New Yorker said she hopes the restaurant will be open later Friday after firefighters put out an early morning fire in the business' kitchen area.  Fire investigators said the fire likely was caused by a warming pan and that flames were fed by grease on the pan. The Maricopa Fire Department was initially alerted to the fire after sprinklers were activated, according to an agency press release. No injuries were reported to citizens or fire personnel. The fire suppression and alert system performed as designed and provides an example of the effectiveness of properly installed and maintained sprinkler systems.

Sprinkler system saves auto body shop; Possibly neighboring businesses as well (Charlottesville, VA)

A Charlottesville auto body shop's sprinkler system contained a paint booth fire Friday afternoon, fire officials said.  Robert Pleasants, an employee of Premo Auto Body, said he was working in the booth about 1:30 p.m. were the blaze began. Pleasants said he was about to begin the process of drying paint on a car, when he “turned around and saw flames,” Pleasants said. “It was crazy.”

Employees were able to evacuate the building without injury said Fire Chief Richard Jones. Due to the sprinkler system, only heavy smoke remained by the time firefighters arrived, he said.

The incident could have been worse, Pleasants said. A section of the paint booth contained flammable chemicals and paints. “If it would’ve hit that, that would’ve took the whole block out,” he said.

Fire extinguished by fire sprinklers at residential structure (Huntington Beach, CA)

A fire that broke out in a residential structure on November 6 is under investigation according to the Huntington Beach Fire Department. The fire crews responded to the fire that afternoon and discovered that the fire sprinkler system had eliminated the fire, and no one was injured.

Sprinkler system puts out fire at nuclear power plant (Shippingport, PA)

A nuclear power plant had an explosion as well as an electrical wiring fire occur on the evening of Tuesday, November 5. No one was injured, and the plant did not need to be evacuated; the plant did shut down to assess the incident. The plant's fire sprinkler system, a deluge system, put out the fire, and the reactor at the plant was manually shut down. The exact cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Damage minimized at apartment complex thanks to fire sprinklers (College Station, TX)

Firefighters were called to a fire on a seventh floor apartment on the afternoon of Wednesday, November 6. The apartment high rise has 17 floors, four of which were safely evacuated. The fire was contained to one unit, and the fire sprinkler extinguished the flames. No injuries were reported.

Small fire suppressed by fire sprinklers at elementary school (Irving, TX)

A small electrical fire caused an evacuation of all of the students at an elementary school on Wednesday morning. The fire was quickly eliminated by the school's fire sprinkler system, and classes resumed that afternoon. No injuries were reported.

Sprinkler system aids firefighters at furniture manufacturer (Roanoke, VA)

Firefighters report that fire sprinkler helped extinguish most of the flames that began at a furniture manufacturing plant on Tuesday, November 5. The fire began when a vacuum pump in the plant overheated. No employees at the plant were injured, and production resumed for the following shift.

Fire put out by sprinkler system at L.A. mansion (Los Angeles, CA)

A Los Angeles mansion caught on fire the afternoon of Sunday, November 3. According to authorities, the fire began in one of the residence's bathrooms, and the heat from the fire activated the fire sprinkler system. The fire sprinklers extinguished the fire before fire crews arrived. There were no injuries reported.

Sprinklers make the difference in arson fire at learning center (Las Vegas, NV)

Justice was served regarding the fire that was intentionally set on April 15 at a learning center for children with autism. The person responsible for setting the fire with gasoline and Molotov cocktails was sentenced on Friday, November 1. Authorities say that the fire could have been much more catastrophic had it not been for the building's fire sprinkler system, which helped eliminate the blaze. No injuries were reported in the fire.

Fire extinguished by sprinklers on college campus (Sherman, TX)

A fire began on Friday, November 1, inside a college laboratory at about 10 p.m. The building's fire sprinkler activated and eliminated the flames by the time firefighters arrived to the scene. No one was reported injured in the incident, and classes in the building will resume as normal on Monday, November 4.

Fire controlled by fire sprinklers at hotel (Albuquerque, NM)

Sixteen fire crew units and thirty-seven firefighters responded to a fire at a downtown hotel on Wednesday, October 30 morning. The hotel's fire sprinkler system activated in the room where the fire began, containing the blaze to that room. The cause of the fire is under investigation, and there were no injuries.