You Can Fool a Detector but Not That Sprinkler

Apr. 16, 2001 - Students in McIntosh Hall at the University of Alaska can be thankful that the school had retrofited their dorm with fire sprinklers. Someone had masked a smoke alarm with a plastic bag but that didn't fool the fire sprinkler that doused a fire in a chair apparently started by a careless smoker. The dorm occupants were evacuated for several hours while water was cleaned up but they were soon returned to their rooms where they could sleep with the peace of mind that sprinklers were protecting their lives.