The Brookfield Fire Department responded to a reported building fire at 17385 Riverbirch Drive on Saturday July 13th at 5:42 PM. This was a 120-unit, three-story apartment building. The fire was confined to the point of origin in a trash collection room by the activation of one fire sprinkler. The department determined that this was a dumpster fire in the building’s east underground parking garage. It was suspected that improper disposal of smoking materials caused the fire. The plastic dumpster was mostly intact.

There was a moderate smoke condition through the parking garage, which was eventually ventilated post extinguishment, however the structure itself sustained no smoke, heat or water damage. This was an absolute textbook example of the effectiveness of automatic sprinkler systems in protecting occupants in a large, multi-family dwelling.