A single fire sprinkler is being credited for quickly extinguishing a fire that broke out in the basement of Engineering Hall of the University of Wisconsin’s Madison campus on January 21st.

Crews were dispatched to investigate a fire alarm activation in the building. Upon arrival, students told firefighters their welding project in a shop room on the 10th floor may have been to blame for the activation, but the alarm system’s messaging panel indicated otherwise.

Upon discovering smoke on the 3rd and 4th floors, firefighters summoned a full structure fire response to the building, sending additional crews to assist the investigation and in locating the source of the smoke.

It was quickly determined the smoke was not coming from these areas, even though a sensor on the 4th floor is what triggered the fire alarm.

A Fire Captain on scene went to the basement, where he found an activated sprinkler dousing a large oven-like apparatus that had burned materials inside it. The sprinkler had already knocked down the fire. Crews applied additional water to cool down remaining hot spots. No injuries were reported. Read more.

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