Sprinklers minimize damage in electrical fire at lumber yard (Birnamwood, WI)

A fire that caused relatively minor damage to a Birnamwood business Sunday night likely was caused by an electrical malfunction. Fire crews responded to a sprinkler alarm at Kersten Lumber at about 9:35 p.m. Sunday, Birnamwood Area Fire Chief Randy Berger said.  When crews arrived, they found heavy smoke coming from the building, he said. One wall had burned, he said, but the damage was not bad. No one was hurt in the incident and the sprinkler system kept the fire contained, he said.

Sprinker system puts out fire at community center (Seattle, WA)

A kitchen fire around 7 am in the Highpoint Neighborhood House at 6400 Sylvan Way SW resulted in the setting off the sprinkler system in the building. The fire was out but firefighters were left with the task of ventilating the building.  The exact cause of the fire and a full damage estimate was not immediately available.  No injuries were reported.

Sprinkler extinguishes early morning fire at nursing home (St. Paul, MN)

Early Monday morning, firefighters were called out to 512 Humboldt Avenue after alarms began to sound.  Nursing home staff found a light fixture in one of the bathrooms had caught fire at 2:20 a.m. -- but a single fire sprinkler extinguished the fire.  There were no reported injuries.  According to firefighters, none of the residents were ever aware of the ordeal and were able to sleep through the night undisturbed. Firefighters say the incident is proof that they were well-protected by the sprinkler system, which was installed only a year and a half ago.

Early morning fire at restaurant extinguished by building's sprinkler system (Allentown, PA)

A fire sparked by a malfunctioning espresso machine will keep Fegley’s Burrito Works and Coffee Works closed for at least one week. The business was damaged by a brief fire that sparked Sunday morning. The blaze began about 7:20 a.m. and was quickly extinguished by an internal sprinkler system, business owner Jeff Fegley said. 

Allentown fire Deputy Chief Lee Laubach said sprinkler systems are a great advantage when it comes to battling a fire. “It keeps the fire down and lessens the damage,” he said. “It’s one of the best fire protection systems you can have, and this is proof that it worked right there.”

Fire sprinklers help control multiple arson fires at apartment complex (Lawrenceville, GA)

Investigators said they believe the man may also be responsible for two fires set at the complex, along with a maintenance room break-in. In the June and August fires, the sprinkler system minimized any damage, but it could have been much worse.

Damage minimized in apartment fire thanks to sprinkler system (Bismarck, ND)

Bismarck Fire Department Battalion Chief Jeff Holte reported that his crew was alerted to a fire at an apartment building at 2:45 PM on Wednesday, August 20. When the firefighters arrived to the scene, people were evacuating from the building. The fire, which began when a tenant inadvertently turned on a stove top while a box was on top of it, was suppressed by the building's fire sprinkler.

"That's what saved the whole building was the sprinkler system," Holte said.

No one was in the unit at the time of the fire, and all occupants of the building evacuated safely

Fire kept in check by sprinkler system at Northrop Grumman facility (Rolling Meadows, IL)

“We responded to a call that came in around 4:15 p.m. Tuesday reporting an electrical explosion,” Rolling Meadows Fire Chief Scott Franzgrote said Tuesday night. “When we arrived we found an electrical panel accident and an arc fire ..."

Franzgrote said the fire suppression system and sprinklers helped to fully contain the fire in a large mechanical room where the explosion occurred. “The good design of the building and the suppression did its job well in containing the fire,” Franzgrote said. “The masonry of the room and the sprinklers prevented it from being a bigger incident.

Apartment fire in kitchen extiguished by fire sprinkler (Lebanon, OR)

At 9:42 pm on Aug. 19 Lebanon Fire District crews responded to an apartment fire at 142 E. Elmore Street.  Upon arrival they found the building was being evacuated and that alarms were sounding that a sprinkler in the third floor apartment had been activated and light smoke was coming from the apartment. The cause of the fire was determined to be a pot of cooking oil that was left on the stove, according to the release.  A sprinkler head extinguished the fire. There were no injuries.

Sprinkler system controls house fire, residents evacuate safely (Tucson, AZ)

Capt. Adam Goldberg with Northwest Fire tells KGUN9 that crews responded to the 11,400 block on North Vista Ranch Place near Thornydale and Tangerine Roads for a house fire.  The residents were preparing for a dinner party when they saw fire coming from the microwave. The couple and a neighbor who was over for the dinner were able to evacuate safely and call 911.

Commercial fire activates sprinkler, prevents fire from spreading to adjacent tenants (Pearland, TX)

** NO MEDIA COVERAGE - FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTED **

On August 18, 2014, the Pearland Fire Department was dispatched to a commercial fire alarm on the west side of Pearland where upon arrival, they discovered a sprinkler head activated in a tenant space near the kitchen. The fire started near a wall outlet, traveled up the wall and activated the sprinkler system. The fire sprinkler kept the fire from causing severe damage to the commercial establishment and prevented it from spreading to adjacent tenant spaces and extinguished the fire before the Fire Department arrived.

Sprinklers put out kitchen fire in high-rise hotel and apartment complex (Rochester, MN)

The fire happened at the Broadway Residence Inn and Suites in downtown Rochester. People living there said they could smell smoke on the fourteenth floor. When fire crews got there, the alarm and sprinkler systems were already activated. The fire came from a kitchen in one of the apartments but was put out by sprinklers. No one was in the unit at that time.

Sprinkler system controls suitcase fire at Dillard's department store (Tucson, AZ)

Tucson Fire was dispatched to the Dillard's at Park Place Mall where Firefighters discovered two suitcases on a shelf in the luggage department that were charred, but there were no active flames.  Once crews determined the fire was out, efforts were immediately made to shut-off the sprinkler system which had activited. The fire began on a shelf where suitcases were displayed, where the suitcases were firmly pressed up against a fluorescent light bulb.

Sprinklers help to knock down fire at warehouse (Springville, UT)

On Wednesday evening, firefighters responded to a call about a warehouse fire. When they arrived, the fire was contained thanks to the structure's fire sprinkler system. According to the firefighters, warehouse fires can be very dangerous with the risk of ceilings caving. The fire sprinkler ensured that the structural damage was minimal, and there were no injuries reported. The cause of the fire, which is still being determined, has been ruled accidental.

Fire controlled by sprinkler system at manufacturing facility (Minden, NV)

A morning fire broke out at a coating and cleaning manufacturing facility on Wednesday. The fire crews that arrived to the scene reported that the fire was "mostly out" when they came on the scene. The cause of the fire is under investigation; no injuries were reported.

Sprinklers assists in the quick suppression of a university chemical fire (St. Catharines, ON)

A chemical fire was quickly suppressed in a lab at Brock University Friday evening. A graduate student was conducting research when a chemical reaction caused a flash fire in a fume hood.  The sprinkler system activated. An area of the fourth floor remains closed this weekend but officials from Brock University expect the lab to re-opened early next week.

Fire sprinklers credited with limiting fire at agricultural equipment dealership (Le Mars, IA)

The fire crews who responded to a fire at an agricultural equipment dealership early Monday morning are attributing the limited damage to the fire sprinkler system in the building. The fire, which appears to be caused by an electrical malfunction with a computer tower, was limited by the sprinkler system. 

David Schipper, the Le Mars Fire and Rescue Chief, said, "The sprinkler did its job and slowed the fire down, and the guys were able to finish putting it out with one hand line." He later said that if it were not for the sprinkler system, the fire could have spread to other parts of the building, but instead it was contained to the upstairs room of origin. 

No injuries were reported, and the dealership was open for business as usual that morning. 

Fire sprinkler system helps to save discount department store (Great Falls, MT)

A discount department store had a small fire occur on Monday night, and after being alerted by a passerby, fire officials responded to the incident. They entered the building to find smoke, but no flames, thanks to the structure's fire sprinkler system. A mechanical malfunction is being blamed for the incident, but investigators are still unsure if it was electrical or not. 

Great Falls Fire Marshal Dirk Johnson said regarding the incident, "We had two sprinkler heads go off that pretty much put the fire out and saved a lot of damage to Kmart, so sprinklers save lives."

There were no injuries reported.

Art building fire eliminated by sprinkler system (Easthampton, MA)

A fire broke out in the third story of an arts and industry building which housed artwork. The building was equipped with fire sprinklers, which activated and helped halt the flames. According to investigators, the cause is still under investigation, but they believe that oil soaked paper towels combusted and started the fire. There were no injuries reported.

Sprinklers make the difference in apartment fire (St. Paul, MN)

Fire crews responded to a fire at an apartment building early Friday afternoon. However, the flames were already put out by the complex's fire sprinkler system. The cause of the fire was boxes that accidentally caught fire on the stove top; no injuries were reported.

Damage minimized at apartment thanks to fire sprinkler system (Charleston, SC)

A single fire sprinkler halted a fire which began in the kitchen of an apartment unit on Friday afternoon. The fire, which was accidental, began on the stove when a knob was was left in the "on" position. Firefighters report that if the sprinkler had not been present, the damage could have been much worse. No one was injured, according to reports.

Sprinkler controls fire at apartment complex (Augusta, GA)

A fire that began in an apartment complex was extinguished by the building's fire sprinkler system prior to fire officials arriving the scene. No injuries were reported.