Sprinklers put out kitchen fire in 16th Ave. apartment
An automated sprinkler system put out a stove top fire on Saturday evening and kept it from spreading to the rest of an apartment, according to the Yuma Fire Department.
Spokesman Mike Erfert said that just after 8:20 p.m., a fire was reported in an apartment in the Housing Authority City of Yuma (HACY) apartments at 600 South 16th Avenue.
When firefighters arrived on scene, Erfert said, they found that a stove top fire had been extinguished by the apartment’s fire suppression sprinkler system.
Firefighters made sure the fire was out, shut down the water flow and assisted with the clean up.
The fire was caused by grease that had ignited while cooking. There were no injuries and the apartment will be able to be reoccupied after additional clean up.
This is at least the third apartment fire this year where the fire was extinguished by the fire sprinkler system.
“These sprinkler systems save millions of dollars in property damage and protect the lives of those in these buildings,” according to Erfert.
Fire sprinkler systems can keep fires from spreading and can also extinguish them. Fire spreads quickly and can double in size every minute. Even small fires can cause significant damage to property and endanger those nearby.
Contrary to many Hollywood portrayals, only sprinkler heads directly exposed to the heat activate, not those in the rest of the room, building, or complex.