Fire Department

An automatic fire sprinkler system at a 28-unit apartment complex on Madison’s East side helped the structure avoid major damage from a fire.
City of Madison Fire crews responded at 9:37 a.m. May 26th to The Landing Apartments on the 200 block of East Hill Parkway.
Dane County 911 Communication Center received several calls to report a possible fire on the second floor. At the same time, the alarm company reported activation of the automatic fire sprinkler system and alarm.
When the fire department arrived, no smoke or fire was visible from the outside of the two-story building, which was being evacuated.
Firefighters entered the building to find smoke in the second floor hallway.  They entered the one bedroom apartment, where a sprinkler head in the living room area was activated by heat, and extinguished much of the fire. Fire Crews helped clear the smoke from the complex by using positive pressure fans. Firefighters also assisted the resident below the fire apartment with salvage by moving valuable items.
The sprinkler system kept the fire from spreading from the one bedroom apartment to other areas of the building. Damage was limited to two apartments. The building was later able to be reoccupied by residents, except for the two affected by the fire.
One person was transported to UW Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Damage estimate is $125,000. The fire is under investigation.
 
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Sprinklers provide a high level of life safety. Statistics demonstrate that there
has never been any multiple loss of life in a fully sprinklered building. Property
losses are 85 percent less in residences with fire sprinklers compared to those
without sprinklers. The combination of automatic sprinklers and early warning
systems in all buildings and residences could reduce overall injuries, loss of
life, and property damage by at least 50 percent.