SOUTH PORTLAND — There was minimal damage to a South Portland apartment thanks to the aumatic sprinkler syster, a South Portland Fire Department release said.

At 3:40 a.m. Nov. 27, the South Portland Fire Department responded to the Latitude apartment complex at 340 Clarks Pond Parkway, having been alerted by the building’s fire alarm system. The 6-story apartment building, housing 64 units.

Upon arrival, crews discovered that the automatic sprinkler system had activated, containing a fire on a third floor balcony, according to the release. Damage to the building was minor, and no smoke or water damage occurred inside the building.

Due to the size of the structure, mutual aid was requested from the Portland Fire Department, the Scarborough Fire Department and the Cape Elizabeth Fire Department, while South Portland firefighters evacuated the building and checked if and how much the fire had spread.

According to Fire Chief Phil Selberg, without the activation of the sprinkler system, damage to the building could have been substantial, and people may have been harmed. “This is a perfect example of why fire codes and safety systems are vital,” he said.