Yuma, Arizona - On Monday, just before 5:30 pm, a fire alarm was reported going off in the San Carlos Hotel, 106 East 1st Street. There was a further report that there might be a fire in one of the apartments. Yuma Fire Department personnel arrived to find there had been a mattress on fire in room #223, but the fire suppression sprinkler system had put out the fire.
The other apartments on the floor were evacuated until the fire was confirmed to be out and had not spread.
The fire damage was limited to the mattress that had been burning. The occupants of the apartment where the fire occurred had left the scene but were later interviewed. There were no injuries. The occupants of adjoining apartments will be able to reoccupy once repairs and cleaning are completed. The investigation of this fire is ongoing and being conducted by both Yuma Fire and Police Departments.
Fire sprinkler systems can keep fires from spreading and can also extinguish them. Fire spreads quickly and can double in size every minute. Even small fires can cause significant damage to property, with smoke causing additional damage and endangering those in the structure. Contrary to many Hollywood portrayals, only sprinkler heads directly exposed to the heat activate, not those in the rest of the room, building, or complex.