Last night’s apartment fire started with a candle and quickly spread to the curtains, but lives and property were saved due to a properly functioning sprinkler system.
The call came in to dispatch just after 10:00 p.m. last night, August 26. The reporting person stated that an apartment located on Old Butte Road was on fire and that flames were coming out the window and people were evacuating. The fire started in the second floor of a medium-sized apartment complex.
Two ambulances, three engines and a battalion chief were dispatched from the Idaho Falls Fire Department.
The sprinkler system properly activated and extinguished the fire before firefighters arrived. There was significant water damage to the apartment where the fire broke out, as well as the apartment below, but there were no injuries to civilians or firefighters. Engine 5 and engine 3 quickly accessed the sprinkler system control room, shutting down the sprinkler system to keep the water from causing additional water damage. Displaced residents were provided with contact information to the Red Cross for assistance.
Automatic sprinkler systems not only save lives, but according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), they reduce fire damage by up to 97 percent and reduce water usage to fight a home fire by upwards of 90 percent.
Kerry Hammon, Public Information Officer with the Idaho Falls Fire Department states, “We’ve had several structure and field fires over the past couple of months with causes varying in nature. We want to take every opportunity to educate our community on fire safety and prevention. One crucial component of emergency preparedness is signing up to receive emergency notifications from our dispatch center. Oftentimes emergencies, such as fires, happen in the middle of the night when people are sleeping. The AlertSense system gives dispatchers the ability to quickly send out emergency alerts via phone, text and/or email,” explains Hammon.
Sign up for AlertSense by going to the Idaho Falls Fire Department or Idaho Falls Police Department websites or by clicking HERE. 
For additional fire safety and prevention information, click HERE.
Media Contact: Kerry Hammon, Public Information Officer, (208) 612-8122, [email protected].