Emergency crews responded to an apartment complex on Susie Wilson Road at around 6:30 p.m.
According to the Essex Fire Department, the unit’s sprinkler system had stifled most of the fire by the time crews arrived to put out the rest.
Residents were evacuated from the building as a precaution, and the power was shut off in one wing of the building to avoid electrical damage.
Nobody was injured.
Lawrenceburg Police assisted with evacuating hotel occupants, while fire crews extinguished the fire and ventilated the area. Investigators determined the blaze was caused by a pool heater pump catching fire. No injuries were reported, and guests were allowed to return to their rooms.
The department highlighted the incident as a clear example of the importance of maintaining fire alarm and sprinkler systems, which can alert occupants early and limit damage.
A fire in one unit of an assisted living facility occurred on Milwaukee’s north side on Dec. 12.
The fire took place at an assisted living facility at North 46th Street and West Hampton Avenue in one unit of the building around 5 p.m. First responders took one person to the hospital due to smoke inhalation and another for a separate medical need.
The fire was contained by the building’s sprinkler system and responding firefighters, said Milwaukee Fire Department Deputy Chief Travis Jones.
“If it weren’t for the sprinkler system, it probably wouldn’t have turned out the way it did,” Jones said.
Firefighters were able to force the door open to the unit with the fire and rescue the one occupant, he said.
The fire department received its first call for the fire at 5:05 p.m. and an initial unit arrived four minutes later, he said. By 6:03 p.m. the department completed its initial response to the fire.
Department fire investigators and the Milwaukee Police Department were called to the scene to determine the fire’s cause and the extent of the damages remains under investigation, Jones said.
The department called on the Red Cross for assistance for at least one resident, Jones said. A spokesperson for the Red Cross did not immediately respond to comment on the extent of the organization’s work.
In a post on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, Fire Chief Aaron Lipski said “all other occupants able to return.” He credited the building’s sprinklers and firefighters for the outcome.
“Fantastic outcomes,” his post said.
Sprinklers in Milwaukee’s residences have taken on increased focus in the last year, after one of the worst fires in the city’s history took place and killed five in May. That fire occurred in an old apartment building that did not have sprinklers, which is allowed due to its age.
Nearly 70% of Milwaukee’s high-rise buildings were constructed before sprinklers were required by state law, city officials said previously.
Lipski has pressed for changes to state law that would require sprinklers in these buildings. However, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, a Republican from Rochester who owns rental properties in Whitewater, said it’s unlikely lawmakers would mandate sprinklers after that fire.
State Sen. LaTonya Johnson introduced a package of bills in November that would allow the city to mandate them and offer landlords grant funds to help pay. Those bills have been referred to assembly committees, but it remains to be seen if they move any further.
Nobody was in the classroom when the fire, which Moulis described as an “oil fire,” ignited, triggering alarms and the building’s sprinkler system. Firefighters arrived within minutes and promptly called for a “working fire” response, which brought additional Hudson crews to the scene and a request for mutual aid companies to respond either to the scene or to cover Hudson stations.
First-arriving crews conducted a search to make sure nobody was still in or near Classroom 108, the room in which the fire is believed to have originated.
The first-responding crews and other firegighters quickly extinguished the flames, and were able to contain them to that classroom, according to Moulis.
The incident was reported under control within a few minutes, and some students and staff began returning to Alvirne at about 9:20 a.m., roughly an hour after they were evacuated, according to Will LeBlond, the school district’s communications coordinator.
LeBlond said district officials decided shortly after 10 a.m. to dismiss school for the day “to ensure that the building could be properly cleaned.”
Classes will resume Friday as scheduled.
A section of Derry Road (Route 102) was closed for a period of time to give crews plenty of space to operate and to lay hoses across the road.
LeBlond said the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Crews battled a fire at a manufacturing company in Clinton Monday night.
Clinton firefighters responded to a fire at UFP Technologies in the 1500 block of Windsor Drive at about 10 p.m. Monday. When they arrived, crews found light smoke coming from a one-story commercial building that had already been evacuated.
Firefighters found a fire above some of the manufacturing equipment at ceiling level, which was being kept in check by the sprinkler system. Crews extinguished the remaining flames and ensured there were no other hazards, officials said.
No one was hurt and the cause of the fire is under investigation.
CFD said emergency personnel responded to a 911 call that came in shortly before an automatic alarm notification off off William E. Murray Boulevard in West Ashley just after midnight. Firefighters entered the first-floor apartment where the fire was reported, and found that the automatic fire sprinkler system had contained the blaze.
Fire marshals determined the fire started due to unattended cooking, damage was contained to the one unit, and no injuries were reported.
CFD said it is important to stay in the kitchen while frying, boiling, grilling, or broiling food, regularly check simmering, baking, or roasting food and remain home while food is cooking, and to keep combustibles away from the stove top.
According to the Chicopee Fire Department, calls came in shortly after 3:15 p.m. reporting a fire at 106 Lonczak Street.
When firefighters arrived, crews learned the fire had begun inside a piece of the company’s machinery. The building’s sprinkler system had already activated and was helping to control the flames as responders entered.
Firefighters were able to bring the situation under control quickly, and no injuries were reported. Thursday’s incident marks the second fire at the location in recent months.
As engine companies were approaching the scene, the first arriving firefighters confirmed a working fire within the facility, Channahon announced. The fire was located in the east maintenance bay. Fire crews forced entry at the north and east portions of the building through overhead garage and man doors to access the fire. The fire was extinguished at 6:31 a.m.
One firefighter sustained minor injuries during the incident and was treated and released. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but is considered accidental in nature, the Channahon Fire Protection District announced.
The building was not occupied at the time of the fire. The following agencies aided at the scene of the fire: Minooka Fire, Troy Fire, Wilmington Fire, Coal City Fire, Joliet Fire, Lockport Fire, Elwood Fire, Morris Ambulance, Channahon Police Department, NiCor, and ComEd.
“As part of this release, we would like to highlight the importance of the facilities’ well-maintained fire suppression system and fire alarm system directly connected to the central dispatch center, Wescom. Even though the building sustained smoke and radiant heat damage in the fire’s area of origin, there was NO damage to the remainder of the building. The sprinkler system’s response held the fire to the area of origin,” Channahon fire officials noted.
Occupants of a multistory apartment building reported smoke and fire coming from a wall near an electrical outlet inside their unit. No injuries were reported, according to the post.
Upon arrival, firefighters found light smoke conditions and confirmed a fire contained to a bedroom within the apartment, according to the post.
The building’s fire sprinkler system and smoke alarms activated and successfully controlled the fire before it could spread beyond the room of origin, according to the post.
JCFD said the American Red Cross was contacted to assist the people displaced by the fire.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, according to the post.
The fire department was called about 6:35 p.m. where a fire was on the fifth floor of the building at 301 NE Jefferson.
All residents were safely evacuated, and there were no injuries, said Battalion Chief Josh Maroney.
The chief also said the building’s sprinkler system prevented the fire from spreading. The water damage, however, caused “multiple” residents to be displaced.
According to the chief, restoration work is underway, and residents will be able to return to their homes when repairs are done.
This is the second time in recent weeks that firefighters were called to put out a fire at New Hope. Investigators determined the fire that happened about 12:30 a.m. on Oct. 20 was intentionally set and caused an estimated $200,000.
Total damage of Tuesday evening’s fire is estimated at $60,000.
