ETTRICK, Md. -- A fire sprinkler system stopped a fire from spreading through University Apartments yesterday afternoon near Virginia State University. No injuries were reported after a unit being used for storage caught fire, and none of the 92 student residents were displaced overnight.
An emergency call was received at 1:38 p.m. Tuesday, and firefighters responded to the off-campus apartment complex to find a first-floor unit filled with smoke, according to Lt. Jason Elmore.
"We're very glad that the sprinkler system activated," he said. "This could have been a whole lot worse."
The unit, which was unoccupied and being used by the property management for storage space, caught fire after a worker accidentally turned stovetop burners on. Boxes and other items stored on the stove soon caught fire. The kitchen area appeared the worst damaged as firefighters removed charred items from the unit.
The complex, located off Woodpecker Road, leases furnished apartments to students enrolled at Virginia State University. Residents were allowed back in their units soon after the fire.
Copyright 2012 - The Progress-Index, Petersburg, Va.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
