RFD responds to cooking fire at Century Heights Apartments

(ABC 6 News) — At around 3:30 a.m. Monday morning, Rochester Fire Department was dispatched to a fire alarm with reports of sprinkler flow at Century Heights Apartments.

The first unit on scene, E4, arrived to find the apartment building being evacuated.

No smoke or fire conditions were visible outside the building, but RFD crews proceeded to apartment #308 where according to RFD, “a slight haze and odor of burnt food was noticeable.”

In the apartment, RFD identified a cooking fire that had been extinguished by the activation of the sprinkler system. Crews ventilated the apartment and worked to remove water from the building.

No injuries occurred, and there was moderate water damage in the affected apartment.

RFD says sprinkler systems are exceptionally reliable, such that the chance of dying in a fire is reduced by 90% when sprinklers are installed in a building. According to the NFPA, property damage in dollars is reduced by up to two-thirds depending on occupancy type when sprinklers are present.