Sprinkler system credited for saving lives

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI/KIDK) - Update: The cause of the fire is blamed on a candle.

The Idaho Falls Fire Department was called to an apartment house fire on Old Butte Road shortly after 10 p.m. Wednesday. 

The emergency caller said an apartment was on fire and that flames were coming out the window. The fire started in the second floor of the complex. People living there evacuated safely.

A sprinkler system activated and extinguished the fire before firefighters arrived.  There was significant water damage to the apartment where the fire started and to the apartment below.  

Firefighters turned off the sprinkler system before it could cause more damage.

The American Red Cross provided assistance to the residents of the apartments.

Fire Department Public Information Officer Kerry Hammon said automatic sprinkler systems reduce fire damage by up to 97% and reduce the amount of water needed to fight a home fire by upwards of 90%.

She also encouraged residents to sign up for Idaho Falls “Alert Sense” program.   “Oftentimes emergencies, such as fires, happen in the middle of the night when people are sleeping. The AlertSense system gives dispatchers the ability to quickly send out emergency alerts via phone, text and/or email,” said Hammon.

You can learn more or sign up for the program alerts here.