Apartment spared by sprinkler system

An apartment was damaged by smoke and water in a fire Friday morning in Yuma.

Fire inspector Kayla Holiman added that three adults and five children got out safely, and that the fire was contained to a bedroom.

Shortly after 6:30 a.m. Friday, Holiman said, the Yuma Fire Department responded to a fire at El Encanto Apartments, 2651 S. 8th Ave.   

Upon their arrival, Holiman said, firefighters found a three-story apartment complex with light smoke coming from the first floor.

Holiman said the occupants, who were already outside, told firefighters that the fire was in a bedroom closet.

The fire, according to Holiman, was extinguished by the building’s automatic sprinkler system and that it had been contained to a bedroom.

Holiman said the fire was started by a 5-year-old child playing with a lighter that he had found inside of the apartment. Heat from the fire's flames, Holiman said, set off the sprinkler head closest to the closet.

The activated sprinkler head also caused an alarm notification to be sent to Public Safety Dispatch, speeding the fire department response.

Holiman said children playing with fire is a regular cause of fire in the Yuma area. Children, she added, must be taught the dangers of fire, have fire-starting tools secured in their homes and be properly supervised at all times.

YFD also participates in the Juvenile Fire Setters program, aimed at educating children and parents to the dangers and consequences of child fire play. For more information about the program, call  Holiman at 373-4850.

Holiman also stated that fire sprinkler systems can keep fires from spreading as well as extinguish them. Fires can double in size every minute, she said, so even small fires can cause significant damage to personal property and endanger those nearby.