Victoria, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system contains apartment fire as RCMP officers help residents evacuate

French fries are being blamed for an apartment fire on Peatt Road that sent four RCMP officers to hospital due to smoke inhalation.

A member of the West Shore RCMP was on patrol at 11:00 p.m. on Mar. 8 when he was flagged down by a pedestrian and advised of a fire at 2791 Peatt Rd. in Langford.

Police helped evacuate the smoke-filled building and the four injured officers were released from hospital after being administered oxygen.

Langford Fire responded with members from all three halls, including approximately 17 firefighters in total.

The fire, which originated in a third-floor suite, was contained by the building’s sprinkler system.

“They cause some water damage but in this case the fire would have been fairly significant if the sprinklers hadn’t contained the fire…some wet floors is a small price to pay,” said Assistant Chief Chris Aubrey, adding that only sprinklers in the vicinity of the fire went off, as is standard with modern systems.

Evacuated residents waited in a bus provided by BC Transit and were allowed back into their apartments approximately two hours later.

Only the occupants of the unit where the fire began and the unit directly below weren’t able to return to their suites that night.

The investigation into the cause of the fire revealed that it was accidental and  resulted from some oil catching fire while a resident was cooking french fries.

San Bernardino, CA – Attic sprinkler holds fire at bay at downtown shoe business

A fire forced customers and employees to evacuate a downtown San Bernardino shoe business Wednesday evening.

“The facade burned with smoke extension into the building,” San Bernardino County Fire spokesman Eric Sherwin said. “The sprinkler in the attic kept the fire at bay, but still had active fire in a 60-foot section of the facade on the store front side.”

The fire was first reported shortly after 5:30 p.m. with several reports of smoke coming from the attic of Shoe City at 808 S E St.

“Shortly after the fire erupted, the sprinklers activated and the store was evacuated,” Sherwin said. “An attic fire was located and knocked down in 25 minutes.”

Fire investigators were on scene and no injuries were reported. Fire officials haven’t released the cause of the fire.

It’s unclear when the business will reopen or how much damage was caused by the blaze.

Kitchener, ON, Canada – Sprinklers extinguish fire at Colt Canada firearms manufacturing plant; No injuries

The Colt Canada firearms manufacturing plant in Kitchener was evacuated Thursday morning due to a fire inside the building.

Firefighters were called to the Wilson Avenue facility around 8:30 a.m.When they arrived, they found that the fire had already been extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system.

Water from the sprinklers damaged some computers. Damaged is estimated at $10,000 to $20,000.

Fire officials say the fire began when workers were test firing casings, one of which landed in “residual matter.”

No injuries were reported.

Montreal, QC, Canada – Sprinkler system activates to help suppress arson fire at retail store

The Montreal police arson squad is investigating a fire at a downtown clothing store that may have been intentionally set. Firefighters were alerted to the situation around 6 a.m., when the alarm system went off at Giorgio Gruppo Roma, a men’s clothing store on Peel Street.

Once they arrived, they found a broken window and an incendiary device, which had been thrown inside. Police Const. Daniel Lacoursière said the sprinkler system activated soon after the fire started.Damage to the store was mainly caused by the water.  Lacoursière said there are no witnesses nor suspects, and no arrests have been made so far.

Manager Tony Elian told CBC News he doesn’t know who might have targeted his business or why. He said he knew now-deceased crime boss Vito Rizzuto and Ducharme Joseph, reputed gang leader, but he said they were both clients. He attended Rizzuto’s funeral.  Elian refutes claims he is linked to the mob.

Chesterfield, VA – Early morning fire in metal press at aluminum plant doused by sprinkler system

An aluminum plant in Chesterfield is operating normally again after a fire broke out inside one of the plant’s machines early Wednesday morning. The fire happened around 4:45 a.m. at the Kaiser plant located in the 1900 block of Reymet Road, near Interstate 95 and Route 288. Crews arrived the scene around 4:52 a.m.

When firefighters arrived, they discovered a metal press had caught fire. Officials say the sprinkler system kept the fire mostly contained. The fire was marked under control at 5:53 a.m. Fire officials say there was a concern for the safety of the crews because of the heat from the aluminum. There was also concern firefighters could get shocked because of all electricity used the power the machinery, and the water being used to douse the flames.

Fortunately, no injuries were reported. Crews worked with plant personnel to make sure all power was shut off from the machines and spent part of Wednesday morning ventilating the building.  There is no word yet on what caused the fire.

St. Charles, MO – Overnight restaurant fire controlled with help from sprinkler system

An overnight fire caused damage to a popular restaurant in St. Charles.  Fire officials were called to Lewis and Clark’s Restaurant on South Main Street after a fire started in the kitchen just after midnight Wednesday.

St. Charles Fire Department Battalion Chief Dan Casey said the building’s sprinkler system played a role in keeping the fire under control, but left behind water damage.

“Fire alarm system and sprinkler system really saved this building,” said Chief Casey. “Saved this restaurant, saved this business for the folks down here on South Main.”

The chief also said the concern with the old building was that the wood could burn fast.  “These old buildings, we have a three-story masonry building, been here for years, little worried about fire in void spaces, so we went ahead and called for a second alarm,” Chief Casey said.

The owner of the restaurant told News 4’s Paige Hulsey they plan to reopen the restaurant, but are still assessing damage and a timeline.  The cause of the fire is still under investigation. No one was injured during the fire.

Idaho Falls, ID – Arson fire at retail center extinguished with help from sprinkler system

A suspect has been arrested on suspicion of arson in connection to a fire that occurred behind Brady’s at 1445 E. Lincoln Road around 3:45 p.m. on Monday in Idaho Falls.  Jason Schlegel was arrested Monday evening in the 400 block of Lomax Street. The Idaho Falls Police Department had earlier sought the public’s assistance in locating Schlegel.

Woburn, MA – Fire in multi-tenant commercial building controlled with help from sprinkler system

The cause of a 2-alarm fire on Sunday that resulted in extensive damage to a building on Green Street in the South End remains under investigation, Woburn Fire Chief Timothy Ring said this morning. The fire broke out in an office in a multi-tenant commercial building at 3 Green St., shortly after noon yesterday, while Blessed of the Lord Church was in session. Congregants apparently notified the Woburn Fire Dept. of the fire.  There were no injuries reported. Everyone managed to exit the church without incident, according to Ring.

The two other businesses in the building are RSK Marble & Granite and Woburn Bottle & Can recycling facility. Areas of the building sustained significant damage, Ring said.

“The fire got up into the roof, so we had to peel back the roof to get at it,” said Ring. “The fire also set off the sprinkler system, so there was a lot of water damage, as well as smoke and fire damage.”

Departments from Winchester, Stoneham, Medford and Arlington provided mutual aid at the scene. The fire was brought under control within about two hours, and crews cleared the scene by 5 p.m. on Sunday.

The State Fire Marshal’s office and the Woburn Fire Cause Determination Unit are conducting the investigation. Traffic along Green Street was disrupted while crews fought the fire.

Hanover, NJ – Suspicious fire at Marriott Hotel extinguished with help from sprinkler system

An investigation is underway in an effort to determine who started a fire in a hotel by wrapping a cigar inside a towel and placing it in a linen cart, police said. On March 4, Sgt. John Schauder along with Patrolman Dominic Kaiser responded to the Hanover Marriott for a fire alarm activation. The ensuing investigation revealed that someone had placed a lit cigar in a rolled up towel which was then put in a linen cart that was located on the eighth floor by the service elevator, police said.

The cigar eventually lit the contents of the linen cart on fire resulting in the fire sprinklers being activated which extinguished the fire along with the help of employees from the hotel, police said. There was fire damage to the linen and the walls in close proximity of the linen cart. There was also water damage to the area due to the sprinkler system being activated, police said.

The Cedar Knolls Fire Department as well as a police detective responded to assist with the investigation. The Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Arson Unit was notified as well. An investigation is ongoing, police said. No injuries were reported.

Gardiner, ME – Fire Chief credits sprinkler system with saving lives and property in apartment blaze

Gardiner Fire Chief Al Nelson said a working sprinkler system extinguished an early morning fire on Water Street in Gardiner and saved both lives and property. Nelson said firefighters went to the building on the northwest corner of Water Street and Maine Avenue shortly after 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, following notification from a security company.

“They could see light smoke coming from behind a door,” he said. When they opened the second-floor apartment door, they saw a fire on the stove, and that’s when the building’s sprinkler system activated and put out the fire. It’s also when the tenants in the apartment woke up and came to see what was happening, Nelson said.

“The sprinkler system saved lives. It did its job,” Nelson said. “The stove is ruined, but that’s easy (to replace).”

The site of this fire is only a couple hundred feet from the site of a July 2015 fire that destroyed 235 Water St. and it damaged buildings on either side of it.

“At the press conference after the 2015 debacle, I said had that building had a sprinkler system, there would have been no press conference,” he said.

Nearly eight months before the 2015 fire, Royce Watson bought the building where the fire occurred Tuesday.

“It was a distressed property,” Watson said, “and it had a fairly good price, so that enabled me to update the sprinkler and fire alarm systems.”

The building has four retail units on the ground floor and eight apartments on the upper two floors.

Because the building already had a sprinkler system, he said, he had to either make it operational or remove it. He opted to fix it.

The apartment where the fire broke out sustained some smoke damage and the stove will have to be replaced, he said.

Watson, whose company, Wilcris LLC, owns other rental properties in the region, said the water from the sprinkler went into the unit below — his office — soaking his computer and some paperwork and bills on his desk.

While he said tenants share the responsibility for safety, he said he’s glad the system saved the building and that everyone is OK.

“I can’t thank him enough for his efforts on the sprinkler system,” Nelson said. “That saved the block.”

Simple Share Buttons