To help mark National Fire Prevention Week, the Excelsior, Minn., Fire District hosted a dramatic, side-by-side demonstration of two room fires – one equipped with fire sprinklers and the other without – as part of its Fire Prevention Open House and Safety Fair on Thursday evening, Oct. 7, 2010. More than 1,200 local residents attended the event.

The Open House event culminated with firefighters simultaneously lighting fires in two similarly sized and furnished rooms, one sprinklered and the other not.

“By providing this unique live fire comparison, our residents gained an appreciation for the aggressive nature of home fires and realized what an incredible advantage it is to have a home fire sprinkler system," says Excelsior Fire District Fire Inspector Kellie Murphy-Ringate.