When Sedona firefighters recently responded to a fire on Abbott Road, the sprinkler system had already put it out.

Damage on Aug. 15 was estimated at $1,000, Sedona Fire District Fire Marshal Will Loesche said, thanks to the sprinklers.

That’s good news for the homeowner, who came home to find the same house burning 10 years ago, causing $175,000 in damage.

“This is the 16th time a single sprinkler head has put out a fire,” Loesche said. Just recently, when crews arrived at Oak Creek Brewery, they found a swampy mess, but no fire.

After the initial fire at the Abbott Road home, the owners were mandated to install a

sprinkler system, by Sedona Fire District policy, which requires sprinklers for homes more than 500 feet from fire hydrants.

This time, when flames sparked from a water heater, igniting a straw broom, the sprinkler head in the water closet was activated, dousing the flames.

The plastic on a nearby vacuum cleaner melted and water soaked the carpet, but the damage seemed minor compared to the total destruction of a bedroom 10 years before.

The cause of the latest fire was purely accidental, Loesche said. The straw broom was too close to a heat source — the water heater.

Cigarettes or smoking materials caused the fire 10 years ago, which destroyed a bedroom and attic after the homeowners left for the store.

This time, a neighbor heard the alarm that goes off when the sprinklers spray, and ran over to see what was wrong. The homeowner, who was home at the time of the fire, told Loesche she smelled smoke, but didn’t know where it was coming from.

Residential sprinklers are set to go off if surrounded by 155 degrees for just under one minute.

Commercial sprinkler heads are set to spray when it reaches 165 to 175 degrees for one to one and a half minutes.

“Residential sprinklers are quick-response heads because in residential, the main concern is life,” Deputy Fire Marshal Gary Johnson said. “We’re biding time for people to get out.”

According to Johnson, SFD code determines if sprinklers are necessary based on how fast crews can reach the building and the availability of water.

Sprinklers are necessary for buildings larger than 3,600 square feet; if the building is farther than 500 feet from a fire hydrant; and if the roadway is obstructed by a low water crossing, security gate or speed bump.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, 6,000 people die a year in the United States from house fires.

True to the statistic, SFD responds to more house fires than commercial, Loesche said, which is why SFD pushed to mandate sprinklers in 1988 when it updated its codes.

Homes with smoke alarms alone reduce fire-related deaths by 63 percent, Loesche said. Sprinklers alone reduce the death rate by 69 percent. In homes with smoke alarms and sprinklers, there is a reduction of 82 percent of death in

fire.

Alison Ecklund can be reached at 282-7795, ext. 125, or e-mail aecklund@larsonnewspapers.com