NEWS
About Us
October 5th, 2016 | Category: Fires | Leave a comment

Stor-N-Lock Fire

Stor-n-lock in Xenia, OH had a spectacular fire last week at which over fifty personnel worked to battle the blaze.

Crews arrived to find one building on fire and due to the size and complexity additional resources were called to assist. The final numbers were seven command officers, six fire engines, four ladder trucks, two medic units, a brush truck, a rescue truck, and an auxiliary support unit, totalling approximately fifty-one personnel.

The images below show the aftermath of the fire which took nearly five hours to get fully under control.

Twenty-eight storage units had either smoke or fire damage. The cause of the fire is unknown but an investigation is under way.

stor-n-lock-fire-1

Even what survived after the fire is unusable

Firefighters ensuring the fire does not restart

Firefighters contemplate the damage

Images from the City of Xenia Fire Division.

October 1st, 2016 | Category: Security | Leave a comment

Caught on CCTV

Aunt Betty’s Self Storage in Greenwood, IN is a family run business and unlike many of the large chains does actually look after its customers.

Regular readers will know that companies like Public Storage have consistently poor reviews and are often rated by the Better Business Bureau as an ‘F’, the lowest possible grade. Poor quality CCTV cameras are standard and in some facilities never work at all.

Good quality CCTV cameras may not prevent storage unit theft but they are much more likely to lead to the arrest of the criminals. Thieves recently cut the fence at Aunt Betty’s, drove the pickup onto the facility grounds and broke in to several units by cutting the locks with bolt cutters. Fortunately the whole thing was recorded on good quality video and the two suspects should be readily identifiable as you can see from the two images below:

First suspect

Second suspect

If you recognize either of them please call Greenwood police on 317-865-6396.

August 19th, 2016 | Category: General News | Leave a comment

Rodent Infested Storage Unit

Last week an NBC I-Team were kicked off an Extra Space Storage property in Johnston R.I.

Extra Space Storage logoThe team were following up a Cranston resident’s complaint that a rodent infestation in their storage unit had ruined $5,000 worth of personal belongings. Children’s toys, clothing, mattresses and wedding photos were destroyed by rodent urine and droppings.

The renter had paid an additional fee for insurance coverage and Extra Space Storage told them to contact Beecher Carlson Insurance. The claim was denied as the insurance policy did not cover rodent damage.

Extra Space Storage refused to refund any of the $2,000 rental expenditure, which is when the NBC I-Team became involved.

On their website Extra Space Storage say “Our Johnston storage facilities are the cleanest and securest around”. This obviously inaccurate claim coupled with aggressively stupid customer relations is ample reason to think twice before choosing this storage facility.

Storage providers should always be willing to discuss the pest control measures that are undertaken on site and we have written an article on the topic of assessing the storage unit environment.

June 12th, 2016 | Category: Fires | Leave a comment

100 Storage Units Destroyed

Firefighters took nine hours to bring a blaze under control that destroyed 100 storage units at the Storage Max facility in Topeka, KS on Thursday. The cause of the fire has yet to be determined but a member of the public who works next door to Storage Max said she heard multiple explosions before running outside to see the facility on fire.

Topeka Fire Department had to break into each of the building’s 100 individual units because the blaze spread throughout the structure. This is always a dangerous operation as firefighters have no way of knowing what is in each unit. Toxic chemicals and Propane/Oxygen Gas Cylinders present a particularly high level of risk.

One unit holder has lost a vintage Chevy Corvette and another has lost 40 years of accumulated antiques and collectibles stored in their three rental units. Many unit holders have yet to be notified that all of their storage items have been destroyed.

Insurance is of course essential if you have a storage unit but if you have valuable or irreplaceable family items then consider a storage unit with adequate fire protection and sprinklers.

April 5th, 2016 | Category: Fires | Leave a comment

Another Public Storage Fire

The cause of a fire at a Public Storage facility in Tampa, FL two days ago is unknown but what is known is that there were no fire sprinklers.

Storage unit blaze greats firefighters

Hillsborough County Fire Rescue responded to the two-alarm fire in which 150 units were destroyed or suffered smoke and water damage. Structural damage is estimated at close to a million dollars with as yet unspecified losses by unit holders.

Firefighters try to stop the fire spreading

Nacole Ravette, spokeswoman for Hillsborough Fire Rescue, said that the building did not require sprinklers which considering the number of fires in storage facilities is an obvious omission in the regulations. Sprinklers may not prevent a fire from starting but they can help contain the fire after it starts.

 
  Older NEWS »