Single Fire Sprinkler Extinguishes Fire in Occupied Preschool in Montgomery County

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, TX -- Just after 8am Tuesday morning, the Montgomery County Fire Dispatch Center received a call from an alarm company reporting a water flow alarm at the ABC Academy in west Montgomery County. Fire Crews from the Montgomery Fire Department were immediately dispatched to investigate, but within moments a second caller from the school reported smoke in the building and that they were evacuating the children. The first unit from the Montgomery Fire Department arrived while the caller was still on the line, reporting that the school was evacuating and confirming that there was smoke in one of the classrooms.

Firefighters entered the building and discovered that a malfunctioning exhaust fan had caught fire in a small restroom next to a classroom. The heat from the fire activated a nearby fire sprinkler, which immediately extinguished the fire before it could spread. Water flow from the fire sprinkler triggered the school’s fire alarm system, alerting school staff and prompting the evacuation. Even though Firefighters and Sheriff’s Deputies were on scene in less than five minutes, MFD Battalion Chief Rusty Griffith praised the staff’s response in quickly evacuating the small children in their care.

ABC Academy’s fire sprinkler system was installed in 2009 as part of a building expansion, shortly after Montgomery County Commissioner’s Court approved a County wide fire code. Since that time the Montgomery County Fire Marshal’s Office and its partner agencies have reviewed thousands of sets of construction plans and inspects well over 100 public schools in 7 different school districts as well as 160 private schools and daycares across the County.

Photo Credit: Montgomery Fire Department

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