Fire Sprinkler Extinguishes Second Apartment Fire in a Week

Engine 13 responded to an apartment complex at 6834 Milwaukee Street for what residents believed was a “busted pipe." The problem turned out to be a small fire that ignited due to improperly discarded cigarettes. 

The fire was caught and extinguished quickly by an automatic fire sprinkler, marking the second sprinkler save in a densely populated apartment building in one week. 

Upon arrival, Engine Co. 13 found alarms sounding, and people had evacuated the apartment complex. A resident in the affected apartment unit approached firefighters and stated that the pipe in the water heater had burst. 

Firefighters proceeded into the building and found smoke in the hallway. Upon entering the apartment unit, Engine 13 found an active fire sprinkler head in the utility room. Firefighters shut down the sprinkler system and began to investigate. 

A charred cardboard box was found in the room containing numerous cigarette butts. The improperly discarded smoking materials were determined to be the ignition source.

The sprinkler activation impacted the resident in the apartment unit below. Three people were displaced from two units. The American Red Cross provided assistance.

Ultimately the fire was controlled and extinguished by one sprinkler head. Fire damage was contained to the cardboard box and miscellaneous contents within the box. 

This call demonstrates the effectiveness of automatic fire sprinklers in containing, controlling, and sometimes extinguishing fire. When a residence is not protected by automatic fire sprinklers, fire has time to grow in size and severity before firefighters arrive, impacting several households and possibly leading to injury or fatality to occupants and firefighters. The Madison Fire Department strongly encourages the installation of fire protection systems in all commercial and residential properties.