Sprinklers douse townhouse fire with minor damage

摘要

Durango, colo. — Former firefighter Gretchen Schmeisser watched in disbelief as flames from her over- t heated van threatened to destroy her three-level Colorado townhouse. Her shock soon turned to excitement as she realized that two of the home's fire sprinklers had activated and were helping control the heat and flames. "If we did not have sprinklers in this garage, the entire townhome building — all seven homes — would have been lost to this fire," said Jerry Pope, partner of Timberline Builders and one of the developers of the 71-unit community, located in southwest Colorado. Pope credits Doug Lenberg, president of Fire Safe Homes and a fire protection industry consultant, with identifying an affordable and efficient solution. Pope, Lenberg and plumbing contractor Bradford P. Blake of Blake Mechanical selected a combination fire sprinkler and domestic cold-water system.