Tag Archives: Canada

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Airdrie, AB, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for fire in restaurant

A fire broke out at Moody’s Mediterranian Restaurant late in the evening on Wednesday, Feb. 1, but the building’s sprinkler system thankfully prevented it from spreading, saving the restaurant and other businesses located in the commercial building. 

The Airdrie Fire Department (AFD) received notification of the sprinkler system going off at about 11:28 p.m. on February 1, when all businesses in the buildings had closed and everyone had gone home. 

Crews had to forcibly enter the restaurant, which is located on the bottom floor of a two-story commercial building. 

They encountered heavy smoke and limited visibility, but soon were able to determine that a single overhead sprinkler had extinguished most of the fire and prevented it from spreading. 

AFD deputy chief Garth Rabel said the building’s sprinkler system fulfilled its exact purpose. 

“The sprinkler system did exactly what it is supposed to do. It was a single sprinkler head over the site of the fire,” said Rabel. 

“When it activated, that sets off a monitored system that activated the 9-1-1 system that got us on the way to the call,” he said. 

“This was a single sprinkler head over the site of the fire that held it in check until our team could get there. That’s exactly how a good commercial fire ops works.” 

While the business will require repairs from both the fire and likely water from the sprinkler, Rabel said the sprinkler was what kept the building safe. 

“The true damage is without a sprinkler system, when the fire is able to take hold. That’s where huge damage happens,” he said. 

“Sprinkler systems don’t damage buildings, they save them.” 

Crews extinguished what remained, and then went to work venting the smoke, using a thermal imaging camera to make sure that the fire didn’t affect other parts of the building. 

Moody’s is now closed for the foreseeable future while they work with the Fire Prevention Bureau and their insurance company, but all other businesses in the building were able to return to operations the following day. 

“The team ensured that it stayed compartmentalized. Everything stayed within that one business,” said Rabel. 

“The team checked the rest of the building for any extension of fire or smoke and found nothing.” 

12 firefighters in total were on-scene for the situation, including members from all three local fire stations and a platoon chief. 

The entire response took about three-and-a-half hours, with crews remaining on scene until about 2 a.m. 

The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.

Manufacturing, Other - Manufacturing

Lethbridge, AB, Canada – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire at processing plant

​At approximately 9:25 p.m. Saturday, January 14, five stations responded to 2200 block of 31 Street North after reports of a fire in a commercial processing plant. 

On arrival, crews found staff had exited the building and reported that the fire inside had been extinguished by the sprinkler system and staff. 

Two crews remained on scene to assist with smoke evacuation and sprinkler shut down.

The fire is under investigation and there is no estimate of damage at this time.

Other - Residential, Residential

Victoria, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for fire at former hotel; No injuries reported

About 20 residents of a former Port Alberni hotel converted into residences were out of their homes Saturday after a fire ripped through a suite, causing smoke, water and electrical damage to the building.

The fire department arrived to the Angus Street building, located between Third and Fourth avenues, at 9:20 a.m. with an engine and ladder truck.

Port Alberni Fire Chief Mike Owens said the blaze was contained to one suite and proved difficult to fully extinguish due to what he called a “hoarding environment.” But he said the sprinkler and alarm systems in the two-storey structure worked properly and alerted residents inside.

No one was injured in the blaze.

However, the department had to ask B.C. Hydro to cut power to the building as water from sprinklers seeped into suites on the lower floors.

Emergency Support Service providers were notified and temporary accommodations are being found for the residents. The B.C. SPCA was called to care for several cats and dogs, said Owen.

Owens said an investigation into the fire is ongoing and could not say when residents would be able to return to the building.

Residential, Townhouse / Condominium

Calgary, AB, Canada – Sprinkler system extinguishes car fire at condo building parkade

Residents were evacuated from a 25-unit condo building in the city’s northeast Tuesday morning after a car went up in flames in the underground parkade.

Firefighters were called to the building in the 7000 block of 80th Avenue N.E. at around 8:45 a.m.

The building’s sprinkler system extinguished the fire but residents were displaced due to smoke and carbon monoxide concerns.

As of 10 a.m., ventilation of the building was underway and fire officials expected residents would be permitted to return in short time.

A Calgary Transit bus provided shelter to some of the displaced while others entered a neighbouring building within the complex for a reprieve from the frigid weather.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Airdrie, AB, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for fire in commercial building; No injuries reported

On Monday afternoon, September 26, Airdrie’s fire department received a call at 4:04 p.m. for a structure fire in Highland Park Green NE.

“On arrival, fire crews found fire in a large, commercial refuse container near the loading door of a commercial building. A nearby closed overhead door was damaged due to its proximity to the fire but prevented the blaze from spreading to the inside of the building,” stated a city press release.

A single fire sprinkler head inside was activated by heat and smoke and crews were able to quickly extinguish the fire and turn off the water to the building’s sprinkler system.

No injuries were reported and the fire is being investigated by the Fire Prevention Bureau. A total of four fire apparatus and 12 firefighters were on the scene.

Hospital/Care Facility, Hospital/Medical Clinic

Salmon Arm, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire at hospital

No serious injuries resulted from a fire at Shuswap Lake General Hospital on Friday night but two patients were checked for smoke inhalation.

The Salmon Arm Fire Department was paged at 7:20 p.m. Sept. 23 for what was tagged at first as a commercial alarm. However, that was soon upgraded to a structure fire, recounts Deputy Fire Chief Gary Lebeter.

When crews arrived on the hospital’s second floor where the alarm was coming from, the sprinkler system had activated and already extinguished the fire.

“Which was great, it had done what it was supposed to do,” Lebeter said.

There were two beds in the room and the two patients required assessment for smoke inhalation.

All 19 patients on Level 2 were safely evacuated to another area of the hospital, Interior Health reported, noting minor damage was isolated to the area of the fire.

Level 2 was temporarily closed as damage was assessed and repaired. Interior Health said Monday repairs have begun to the damaged area and some beds on Level 2 are expected to open next week.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation by the Salmon Arm Fire Department.

Lebeter said crew members helped move patients from the second to the fourth floor, as well as setting up ventilation fans to remove the smoke. He said there was a fair amount of water damage on the second floor, so firefighters “got busy with mops” to limit damage or accidents.

Interior Health said it would like to thank the Salmon Arm Fire Department, the RCMP and all staff who quickly came together to assist during the incident.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Saskatoon, SK, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for fire at commercial building; No injuries reported

The fire Sunday in the 400-block Wellman Crescent was deemed accidental based on the investigation done by the Saskatoon Fire Department.

The fire investigator concluded the cause of the fire was accidental due to the internal heating of oil-soaked rags used for staining which ignited.

Construction materials that were also near the area of the oil-soaked rags also caught fire but the sprinkler system kept the fire small on the second floor of the commercial structure.

No civilians or firefighters were reportedly injured as a result of the fire, which had estimated damage of $10,000.

On Sunday, at 5:14 p.m. on Sept. 11, the SFD received a call from the alarm monitoring company that indicated a structure fire in the 400 block of Wellman Crescent

One fire engine was dispatched to investigate what might have triggered the alarm from the property.

Arriving fire crews indicated the fire alarm was ringing and water was flowing from the automatic sprinkler system on the second floor.

After further investigation, it was identified that there was smoke visible on the second floor and two more fire engines, a ladder truck, a rescue unit and the Battalion Chief were dispatched.

The fire was reported extinguished at 5:41 p.m. as the sprinkler system helped minimize the damage.

Other - Residential, Residential

Quebec City, QC, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for vehicle fire in underground parking lot

Hyundai recalled some 77,000 Kona EVs in 2020 due to the risk of them bursting into flames from possibly defective battery packs and even though it supposedly fixed all vehicles that potentially had problems, the fires didn’t completely go away. Now another electric Kona caught fire while it was parked in an underground parking lot in Quebec City, Canada.

Firefighters responded to the call but they say they first had to ventilate the underground part of the building in order to gain access to the vehicle in order to extract it from the garage. They quickly managed to do that and even though they say it was the battery pack that was the source of the fire, this particular Hyundai Kona Electric has much less damage compared to others we’ve seen.

It is also noted that the vehicle was parked under a sprinkler for the emergency fire suppression system and even though the battery pack (the source of the fire) was under the car where water couldn’t quite reach it, it probably played its part in keeping the fire contained and preventing it from spreading to other cars parked nearby.

It was not noted in any of the reports that we found whether or not the vehicle had been plugged in and charging when the fire started.

The fire was reported at around 4 AM and firefighters decided to evacuate the entire eight-story building to make sure everyone was safe. Even though the fire was contained and flames were never visible from the outside, smoke had apparently entered the building’s ventilation ducts, posing health risks and making the evacuation necessary.

Everybody was given the green light to return to their homes two hours later and the fire reportedly caused no damage to the building or any of the other cars parked there at the time.

Apartment Building, Residential

Kelowna, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for fire in apartment complex; No injuries reported

The building’s sprinkler system did its job and the fire department handled the rest after a fire sparked in an apartment in central Kelowna this morning.

The Kelowna Fire Department was called to the scene in the 1700 block of Ethel Street around 10:30 am and found the fire in a unit on the first floor of the four-storey building.

According to Platoon Captain Scott Clarke, the sprinkler system had activated and suppressed the fire to the stove top of the unit.

“Firefighters entered the unit and completed extinguishment,” he said.

The fire has been deemed accidental in nature.

While there was no one home in the unit affected by the minor blaze, the rest of the building was evacuated and Clarke said no injuries were reported.

There was some fire and water damage to the single unit and some general water damage to the first floor.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Steinbach, MB, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for fire at window manufacturer; No injuries reported

There were no injuries from a fire Wednesday afternoon at Loewen in Steinbach.

The Steinbach Fire Department was called to the window manufacturer at approximately 2:30 pm. By then, the building was evacuated.

“Usually if we are getting a call at Loewen there is potential for a large fire,” says Fire Chief Kel Toews. 

Toews says when they arrived on scene they determined the fire was coming from within a wood hopper. 

“It was quickly extinguished,” he notes. “Fire damage was contained basically to that room.”

Toews notes the fire set off the sprinkler system and as a result there is water damage in the room below.

Jon Sawatzky is Director of Product and Marketing at Loewen. He says they are still waiting to hear the official cause of the fire and the extent of damage. But, he says damage appears minimal.

“Our staff did an incredible job of following protocol, which helped to keep everyone safe and we’re already back in operation, we’re thrilled and relieved to say that nobody was hurt,” said Sawatzky on Wednesday shortly after 4 pm.

“We also want to acknowledge and express our gratitude to the Steinbach Fire Department, Southern Health Emergency Medical Services, and the RCMP for the quick response in keeping us safe,” adds Sawatzky.