Two local businesses in a commercial building on NE 18th Street in Bend were saved by a fire sprinkler system that extinguished a bathroom fire. According to a media release from Bend Fire & Rescue, the fire was reported by the fire alarm company at 9:34pm on Monday 12/18/23. As fire crews were responding the business owners called 911 stating they could see smoke on their security cameras and more fire crews were dispatched. The fire was found to be controlled by the sprinkler system in an upstairs bathroom. The cause is still under investigation but not believed to be intentional. The damage was limited to approximately $10,000 and the businesses were able to resume normal operation Tuesday afternoon.
The fire sprinkler system extinguished the fire with only one head activating. National data show that the presence of fire sprinklers in a building drastically reduce the fire damage and down time for businesses. In this case, staff were able to clean up the water within a few hours and prevent any damage to stored goods in the building. Without the sprinklers, this fire would have been out of control before it was large enough to be noticed in a large industrial park.
