Fire sprinklers limit damage and save lives in commercial building (Rancho Santa Fe, CA)

Fire crews responded to a mid-morning fire at a commercial building on Tuesday, March 4. Upon arrival, they discovered that the fire had been eliminated by a single sprinkler head. 

Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Chris Galindo said, "Fortunately, the fire protection system worked as it was intended to. The single sprinkler head provided the occupants with time to safely evacuate the building and kept the fire from spreading and causing further damage."

There were no injuries reported, and the cause of the fire appeared to be accidental.

Fire at junior high school suppressed by sprinkler system (Holladay, UT)

A fire broke out in a junior high school the evening of March 6 when a curtain caught fire on a stage. Fire crews responded within minutes of the fire alarm going off at the school, and they found that the fire sprinkler by the stage had activated and put out the fire. 

"It worked perfectly," Unified Fire Captain Fitzgerald Petersen said. "We're very happy with the response, how quickly it was contained and put out."

No one was in the building at the time of the fire, and the cause is under investigation.

Sprinklers extinguish fire at Goodwill donation center (Tomball, TX)

Shortly after midnight on March 4, firefighters were called to an automatic fire alarm at a local Goodwill Donation Center. When they arrived, they found light smoke coming from one of the center's processing workstations and a single fire sprinkler activated. Upon reviewing the surveillance footage, they discovered that a fire had begun at the workstation, with the lone sprinkler activating and putting out the flames. The fire is being ruled as accidental, and no one was injured in the incident. According to reports, the property value saved from the fire is estimated at $1.2 million.

Apartment building saved from fire by sprinkler (Manalapan, NJ)

The utility room was the origin of a fire that began in an apartment building on Saturday, March 1. The responding fire crews reported that the fire had been put out prior to their arrival by the building's fire sprinkler system. There were no injuries reported, and the fire's cause is under investigation.

Department store fire contained by sprinkler system (Bakersfield, CA)

A department store had a fire break out in an office early Wednesday morning, and the Bakersfield Fire Department responded to the incident. The fire was contained by the building's fire sprinkler system when crews arrived, and no one was hurt in the incident. The cause of the fire appears to be electrical.

Sprinklers limit damage at unoccupied restaurant (San Diego, CA)

When a fire broke out in a restaurant while it was closed, the building's fire sprinkler kicked in to squelch the fire. According to San Diego Fire-Rescue Department spokesman Lee Swanson, the sprinklers had activated prior to the SDFRD's arrival.

"So when we got there, there was no active fire," he said.

There were no injuries, and the exact cause of the fire is under investigation.

Fire at children's home put out by sprinkler system (Farmington, MO)

A fire at a children's home over the weekend is still under investigation. The fire, which is being ruled as accidental, began on Saturday night. Fire crews were called and assisted by the fire sprinkler system, the fire was eliminated. Residents of the affected area were evacuated safely, and no injuries were reported.

Sprinklers suppress fire at senior living facility (Kitchener, ON)

A suspect was arrested in a string of fires over the last eight months at a seniors apartment. The latest fire, on Monday, March 3, began in a recycling bin. The fire sprinkler system activated, which eliminated the fire; no one was hurt from the incident.

Intentionally set fire at apartment eliminated by sprinkler (Morgantown, WV)

Just after midnight on Saturday, March 1, a fire began in an apartment building. The heat from the fire activated the fire sprinklers, which extinguished the blaze. Investigators have found the the fire was intentionally set, and the room in which it began was vandalized. No one was injured according to reports.

Fire sprinklers limit fire damage in high rise fire (Mt. Prospect, IL)

Fire sprinklers extinguished a fire that began in a high rise apartment the morning of Sunday, March 2. Just before 2 a.m., fire crews responded to a fire alarm activation at the building, and when they arrived, they found that the fire, which had begun in the laundry room, had already been extinguished by the fire sprinkler in the room. Investigators believe the fire was caused by oily rags, which spontaneously combusted. There were no injuries reported.

Apartment fire squelched by sprinkler system (Kansas City, MO)

A high rise apartment building reported a fire on the morning of Monday, March 3. Initial reports indicated that some of the residents may have to be evacuated residents on one of the floors, but the fire sprinkler system in the building eliminated the fire.

Fire sprinklers help stop fire from spreading at elementary school (Chaparral, NM)

A fire at an elementary school was limited thanks to both firefighters and the school's fire sprinkler system on Saturday morning. The incident, which is still under investigation, began in a part of the school which is under construction. Fire crews as well as the fire sprinkler system contained and eliminated the fire, and no injuries were reported.

Apartment saved from fire by sprinklers (Chapel Hill, NC)

Officials report that a fire in an unattended apartment unit the morning of February 28 is being blamed on the dryer vent hose. Even though the dryer was not being used at the time of the fire, it had recently been used. After the fire began, the fire sprinkler activated and eliminated the fire completely before fire crews arrived to the scene. No injuries were reported.

Fire caused by unattended candle suppressed by sprinkler system (El Mirage, AZ)

A West Valley business was saved by its sprinkler system after the building caught fire early Sunday morning. Fire crews from several cities responded the fire at Party Rental near Thunderbird and El Mirage roads. Firefighters saw smoke coming from the building but the fire had mostly been extinguished by the sprinklers when they arrived on scene."These people will be able to occupy their business Monday morning," El Mirage Fire Chief Howard Munding said. "If there was a fire without a sprinkler, these people would be out of business."A burning candle was identified as the cause of the fire.

Suspicious apartment fire put out by sprinkler system (North Bay, ON)

A flaming object that was thrown down the garbage chute of an apartment on Thursday night at about 10 p.m. The sprinkler system activated and put out the fire, and police report that thanks to the fire sprinkler, there was no damage to the building. This is the fourth time that a fire has started for similar reasons in this apartment building.