A bathroom fire at a Redmond retirement home early Saturday morning did not cause any injuries and was quickly doused, thanks to a sprinkler system and fast-acting staff members.

The fire started in the bathroom of an unoccupied second-floor unit at the Cascade Convalescent Center, located at 7900 Willows Rd. NE, at around 8 a.m. Smoke from the fire automatically activated the fire alarm system, alerting residents of the situation and dispatching Redmond, Kirkland and Bellevue fire units to the scene. The fire was extinguished by the time the fire crews showed up, according to Redmond Fire Captain Tom Langton, one of the first to arrive on the scene.

The cause of the fire is unknown at this point and still under investigation, Langton said.

The fire was put out by one sprinkler head in the bathroom ceiling and Cascade staff members, who doused the flames with a fire extinguisher, Langton said. The bathroom was slightly damaged by the fire and the building sustained minor water damage, according to Langton.

Langton said the fire started at breakfast time and many of the retirement home’s residents, including the man who lives in the unit where the fire started, were in the first-floor dining hall when the fire broke out. Langton did say 10-15 second-floor residents were evacuated to another part of the building as fire fighters contained the smoke and made sure the fire was out.

Without the sprinkler system, the fire could have been much worse, according to fire officials.

“This is another great example of how effective fire sprinklers can be in our homes, apartments, and workplaces,” said Rich Gieseke, deputy fire marshal for the Redmond Fire Department. “This system suppressed the fire prior to our arrival and kept the fire from extending beyond its initial room of involvement. If they hadn’t had a sprinkler system, we would have seen far worse property damage, and an increased chance of injury to the residents and emergency responders.”