On December 13, 2018, at approximately 9:34 p.m., the Conroe Fire Department was
notified of an apartment fire at 1840 Longmire Rd (The Landings of Conroe Apartments). Conroe
Firefighters arrived at approximately 9:43 p.m. to find a kitchen fire that had been extinguished by the
automatic fire sprinkler system. There were no injuries to occupants or firefighters during this incident.
On December 15, 2018, at approximately 3:22 p.m., the Conroe Fire Department was notified of an
apartment fire at 1900 Westview Blvd. ( The Lakes at Westview Apartments). Conroe Firefighters
arrived at approximately 3:29 p.m. to find a kitchen fire that had been extinguished by the automatic fire
sprinkler system. One occupant was transported to Conroe Regional Medical Center ER due to a fall
that occurred after the fire.
These incidents demonstrate the importance of properly installed and maintained automatic fire
sprinkler systems in residential occupancies. It is likely that the automatic fire sprinkler systems saved
hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage and property loss to the owners and occupants of both
buildings. Further, no adjacent occupants were displaced and possible injuries and deaths to citizens
and firefighters were prevented.
The cause of both of these fires has been determined to be unattended cooking. Unattended cooking
represents the leading cause of residential fires in Conroe, and throughout the United States, each
year. The Conroe Fire Department would like to remind the public to:
**Keep an eye on what you fry;
**Be alert when cooking; and
**Keep things that can catch fire away from the cooking area.
Over 3,000 people die in non-sprinkled residential fires each year in the United States. Automatic fire
sprinkler systems have over 100 years of proven performance protecting life and property. These
incidents represent the third and fourth time, respectively, that an apartment fire has been extinguished
in the area of
