NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 40

» FIREWATCH The apartment building was two stories in height, with a ground floor area of 2,500 square feet (232 square meters). It was constructed with a wood frame and wood deck, with brick walls and asphalt shingles. No information was available on the size of the apartment. The building was valued at $125,000 and had $35,000 in damages, while the contents, with an estimated value of $35,000, suffered $10,000 in damage. INDUSTRIAL Take precision flow rate measurements without a pitot Pitotless Technology: * FM Approved for flow-rate accuracy * Laminar flow elimates turbulence and gauge needle bounce * Measure flows from 50 to 1400 GPM Sprinkler extinguishes dustexplosion fire at grain mill UTAH-Employees and an alarm monitoring company notified the fire department after a dust explosion ignited a fire in equipment on the ninth floor of a grain mill, but the facility's fire suppression system had largely extinguished the fire by the time crews reached the scene. Investigators believe static electricity caused dust to ignite inside a flour hopper at approximately 4:20 p.m., burning the equipment's filters and the flour inside and activating the sprinkler system inside the hopper. Firefighters used handlines to extinguish hot spots on the upper floor. The fire was contained to a single hopper. Newspaper reports indicated that all employees were evacuated from the facility without injury and that the fire was declared out at 5:30 p.m. The building, standing 13 stories high, was constructed of heavy timber and reinforced concrete, with a concrete roof deck on a steel and wood frame. It was protected by a wet pipe sprinkler system. No estimates were available on damage from the fire. EFFICIENCY | ACCURACY | SAFETY COMMERCIAL Fire Pump Testing | Standpipe Testing Hydrant Flow Testing | Apparatus Testing Main Flushing | Dechlorination | Software 1-888-202-9987 www.hosemonster.com 40 Pitotless Tech ad NFPA 3.inddJOURNAL 1 Electrical fire damages commercial building MAINE-An early evening electrical fire forced the occupants of a multi-tenant commercial building to evacuate the structure, while causing damage estimated at over $2 million. 4/28/16 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016 1:54 PM The fire department was notified by a central station monitoring company after the fire was detected by smoke detectors at 7 p.m. Newspaper reports indicated that firefighters from six communities were called in to battle the fire. Three firefighters were taken to the hospital after they experienced heat exhaustion while battling the blaze, but none of the building occupants experienced injury. Multiple commercial tenants were housed in the three-story structure, occupying 24,330 square feet (2,260 square meters) of space. Investigators indicated that one section of the building had complete sprinkler coverage, a second had partial coverage, and a third section had no sprinkler protection. The fire originated in a void space above one of the units on the first floor that lacked sprinkler coverage. Although smoke detectors activated and alerted occupants, the fire had grown too large to be extinguished by sprinklers by the time it spread to those sections of the building with sprinkler protection. Investigators identified the cause of the fire as electrical arcing from an undetermined electrical malfunction in a ceiling area. The building was constructed with a wood frame and walls. One section of the roof had a rubber cover and the rest was covered with asphalt shingles. The building was valued at just over $1.5 million and its contents at $750,000. Both suffered total losses. Blaze in restaurant fireplace chase controlled by sprinklers MINNESOTA-Customers and employees were forced to evacuate a restaurant after fire broke out in a ceiling area just after 2 p.m, but no injuries were reported and sprinklers were able to control the fire until firefighters arrived and completed extinguishment. Firefighters were summoned to the scene at 2:15 p.m. following a call to 911 by the restaurant manager. Upon arrival, crews found smoke emitting

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - September/October 2016