NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 14, 2019
SUBJECT: Apartment Garage Fire, 228 S Joplin Ave
CONTACT: Keith Stammer, Public Information Officer
On Saturday, 12 October 2019, at 10:45 PM the Joplin Fire Department responded to a report of a Business Fire Alarm Activation at the Ford Apartments, 228 S Joplin Ave. The first fire crew arrived on scene at 10:48 PM to find that the fire was in the basement, with sprinkler activation. Upon investigation, a passenger van was found with fire coming from the engine compartment. The bulk of the fire had been contained by the sprinkler system prior to fire crews arriving. Once the smoke was ventilated, the building was tested for CO and the alarm system was reset. Occupants where then allowed back into the building. Fire crews remained on scene until 1:48 AM.
The Joplin Fire Department responded with 6 units and 18 personnel and was assisted by the Joplin Police Department and METS Ambulance.
A Special Note:
October is Fire Prevention Month. A fire at 10:45 PM on October 12, 2019, at the Ford Loft Apartments offers a great illustration of the importance of fire detection and notification systems within buildings that have a large number of occupants. In the event at the Ford Apartments, fire personnel were initially alerted to the fire by the building’s fire alarm/detection system, which also began immediate notification to the occupants of the building of a potential fire. As fire crews entered the building and located the fire in a parking garage, the building’s fire suppression system kept the fire contained to a point of origin, so that it was easily extinguished without spreading to the structure. One of the primary missions of the Joplin Fire Department is to help maintain a safe environment for the citizens and visitors of Joplin through the enforcement of safety codes and ordinances. In this situation a late-night fire in the basement of an occupied apartment building could have turned tragic very quickly. Instead it resulted in no injuries to civilians and no fire damage to the structure. Again, with October being Fire Prevention Month, we are focusing our time on educating children and adults on how to be safe in the event of a fire. This is just one example of how practicing good fire prevention saves lives.
For more information, contact the Joplin Fire Department at 623-0403 or 624-0820.