Eden Prairie Fire Chief Hails "Sprinkler Save" | News

When a fire started in a closet in an Eden Prairie apartment, the result could have been devastating for the resident and neighbors.  The city's fire chief says a sprinkler saved the day.

Chief George Esbensen says his department was called to the apartment building last Friday (February 10th).

"The cause of the fire was combustibles in a closet that were too close to the gas water-heater," said Esbensen in a blog posted on the city's website.  "The items caught fire and if not for the quick work of the fire sprinkler system, would have begun consuming the building and filling it with deadly and destructive smoke."

Esbensen posted a photo of the result, saying a single sprinkler head doused the flames.  Sprinklers are triggered by heat.  Only the sprinkler head that is exposed to the heat starts spraying.

"For many years it has been the adopted code in Eden Prairie that when you build a multi-family building it must have fire sprinklers," said Esbensen.  Of the sprinkler's work in last Friday's fire, Esbensen says, "One word, effective!"