NFPA Journal - September/October 2020 - 68

AUTOMATED

AUXILIARY

DRAINS

Firewatch
unit experienced minor smoke inhalation injuries.
According to investigators, one of the
residents unknowingly dropped smoking materials on a living room chair
before leaving the apartment to visit a
friend. Upon returning 15 minutes later,
the resident discovered that the sprinkler system and alarm had activated
and that smoke had spread into the
hallway through an open doorway.
The apartment complex was comprised of approximately 70 units in a
five-story building that was constructed
with concrete. All units were equipped
with multiple smoke alarms and wetpipe sprinkler systems.
The fire caused $80,000 in damage
to the building, valued at $20 million,
and an additional $50,000 in damage
to contents.

SOUTH CAROLINA
Unattended cooking materials
blamed for fatal apartment fire

WITH
FREEZE
PROTECTION
The NEW AGF Model 5500 is a fully
automated auxiliary drain that features
automatic supply and drain valves that
operate according to draining provisions
required by NFPA 25. The Model 5500 can
be operated on-demand by the push of a
button (locally or remotely) or by its handsfree, fully automatic mode which will
operate the drain automatically when the
float switch senses the drain is full.
The AGF Model 5500 also provides freeze
protection for colder climates. Stop
replacing auxiliary drains that freeze and
break with auxiliary drains that freeze and
break by upgrading to a Model 5500, and
make maintenance as easy as pushing a
button, or not.

www.agfmfg.com

An early morning fire ignited by unattended cooking materials claimed the
life of a female occupant who was
asleep inside her apartment.
Firefighters were dispatched to the
scene shortly after 7 a.m. following a
911 call by a neighbor. Arriving crews
reported smoke showing from the eaves
of a single-story, two-unit residence.
Firefighters forced open the front
door to mount an interior attack and
were able to quickly extinguish a fire
that was contained to cabinetry in the
kitchen area over the stove.
Crews extinguished all visible fire,
then began inspecting the attic space
for extension and venting the structure
of smoke. Crews found the female occupant in a corner of a room at the rear of
the apartment and immediately transported her outside to a medical team.
She was pronounced dead as a result of
smoke inhalation injuries.
Crews reentered the apartment
and extinguished remaining hot spots
before turning the scene over to investigators from the police department.
Fire department investigators determined that a pan of cooking oil had
been left on a stove top with the burner
still on. The cooking oil ignited and

fire spread to cabinets over the stove.
Investigators believe that the occupant
may have been awakened by a neighbor knocking on her door, but she was
unable to evacuate because an air conditioner in a nearby window obstructed
her exit.
A battery-operated smoke detector
inside the apartment had been dismantled and was inoperable.
The building was a wood-frame construction with brick walls. The victim's
apartment occupied an area of 324
square feet (30 square meters).
The fire caused $6,000 in damage
to the building, valued at $35,000, and
$1,500 in damage to contents, valued at
$3,000.

NORTH CAROLINA
Two die in fire ignited by candles
during power outage
An elderly couple died in an early
evening fire that began when candles
ignited paper goods during a power
outage caused by a hurricane.
The fire department was called to the
scene by a neighbor who spotted the
fire and called 911 at 7 p.m.
News reports indicated that arriving
firefighters found heavy fire conditions
showing from the roof of the house.
Strong winds were said to have prevented crews from quickly entering the
residence. After bringing the fire under
control, crews found the victims inside,
already deceased.
One firefighter was transported
to the hospital with minor injuries,
according to news reports.
Investigators determined that the
fire began on a living room table,
where candles ignited unspecified
paper goods, and the resulting fire then
spread to a nearby sofa.
Investigators found a smoke detector
on the hallway floor but were unable to
determine if it was operational.
The house was a single-story wood
construction with brick exterior walls.
It occupied a ground floor area of 2,400
square feet (223 square meters).
The fire caused $150,000 in damage
to the structure, valued at $225,000,
and $70,000 in damage to its contents,
with an estimated value of $75,000.

68 | NFPA JOURNAL * S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R 2 0 2 0

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NFPA Journal - September/October 2020

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