On Friday evening at 7:38 p.m., firefighters responded to an automatic commercial fire alarm at the Summer Creek Apartments in Tigard. First-arriving firefighters found that a single fire sprinkler head had activated and extinguished a small fire caused by a candle on the floor. In the absence of the fire sprinkler, firefighters would have had to use a lot more water to fight the fire and the amount of smoke would have put the tenant and their neighbors at risk. Instead, fire damage was isolated to the area of origin and the single occupant and his dog were evacuated and assisted by Red Cross.

Fire Investigator Drew DeBois said states, "Without activation of the sprinkler head and a properly maintained fire sprinkler system, there could have been a tragic outcome. When a building has a fire sprinkler system - residential or commercial - the likelihood of life-threatening injuries and costly damage is dramatically reduced."

To learn more about fire sprinkler systems, click HERE