On the evening of February 21^st, the Brentwood Fire Department was dispatched to the Extended Stay America hotel, located at 9020 Church Street East, for a water flow fire alarm.  First-arriving units reported an active fire alarm, with water and smoke coming from a second story room.

Firefighters entering the room discovered that a fire had occurred on the kitchen stove, and had been completely extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system.  Only one sprinkler head had activated.

The cause of the fire was later determined to be from a candle that had been placed in an iron skillet.  The tenant stated that he had been warming the candle for fragrance, and thought that the eye was on “low”.  He was not present at the time the fire occurred.

Fire damage was limited to the stove, side of the refrigerator, and cabinetry immediately above the fire.  Water damage was present in the fire room and the first floor room immediately below.  Occupants of the hotel were displaced for less than two hours.  Hotel management stated that total damages should be less than $25,000, and that both damaged rooms would be repaired in a few days.

The damage in dollars, including the lost rental time of the damaged rooms, is a mere fraction of what it would have been, had this building not been equipped with a fire sprinkler system.

“From a life-safety standpoint,” says Brentwood Fire Marshal Nancy Jones, “the sprinkler system did its job – it kept the fire from threatening the lives and safety of the hotel occupants and the responding firefighters.  From a strictly financial standpoint, the business will be out far less money than if an uncontrolled fire had occurred, and the City’s tax base remains intact.”

This is the second time a sprinkler has saved a Brentwood hotel in the last two years.