Tag Archives: Canada

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Cambridge, ON, Canada – Fire at high school extinguished by sprinkler system

Fire crews were called to Preston High School shortly after 1 p.m., after being notified of fire alarms going off inside the building. When they arrived, they found that the school had been evacuated.

According to Cambridge Fire Department platoon Chief Brad Churchill, crews entered the building to find that its sprinkler system had extinguished the fire, but heavy smoke persisted in a corridor and stairwell at the back of the building.

One staff member was taken to hospital, to be treated for symptoms of smoke inhalation. Firefighters spent much of the afternoon at the school, ventilating the building.  After being allowed back in to pick up their belongings, students were sent home for the rest of the afternoon.

Churchill said the evacuation went off “like clockwork” because the school regularly practiced fire drills. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Apartment Building, Residential

Saskatoon, SK, Canada – Sprinkler system assists firefighters in extinguishing early morning apartment fire

At around 1:40 a.m. CST, the Saskatoon Fire Department responded to a call of smoke coming from an apartment complex on the 1300 block of 20th Street W. A mattress had caught fire in the building and its occupants were forced outside. Ventilation fans were put in place to clear the smoke after firefighters were able to put out the fire with the help of an existing water sprinkler head. The cause of the fire is undetermined at this point.

Manufacturing, Paper Mill / Saw Mill

Merritt, BC, Canada – Sprinklers help contain sawmill fire; Operations resume same day

Merritt Fire Rescue responded to a fire at the Tolko sawmill around 1:30 Saturday afternoon.  Fire Chief Dave Tompkinson says a hydraulic oil tank was on fire.

“Prior to firefighters arriving, the sprinkler system had activated. The sawmill employees had actioned the fire with extinguishers and a hose line,” says Tompkinson. The fire was inside the the plant, and spread to some machinery above.

Tomkinson says, as the fire department was leaving, the sawmill was already getting back up and running. The cause of the fire is unknown.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Merritt, BC, Canada – Suspicious fire at elementary school extinguished by sprinkler system

A small fire that sparked in an office at Merritt Secondary School was quickly extinguished by the sprinkler system before the fire department arrived. The fire started just before 10 a.m. in a room that is adjacent to the main office on the ground floor. It was contained to that particular room, Merritt Fire Rescue Department Fire Chief Dave Tomkinson told the Herald.

Tomkinson said the fire was deemed suspicious and RCMP are investigating. The fire department cannot release any information pertaining to what burned, or the fire’s area of origin.

“There was a fair amount of water damage [to the room],” Tomkinson said. School District 58 superintendent Steve McNiven said the office where the fire sparked is a meeting room in the counselling area of the school.

McNiven said he’s not sure how the fire was discovered, and doesn’t know if anyone was using it at the time of the fire. The fire triggered the alarm and the school was evacuated. Students were allowed back in the building at about 1 p.m.

About 16 firefighters responded to the fire. Tomkinsoin said firefighters assisted the school board staff in salvaging efforts and cleaning up.

McNiven said he was pleased with how students and staff responded to the fire, noting that everyone evacuated the school appropriately and handled themselves well.

No injuries were reported in this incident.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Toronto, ON – Hotel sprinkler system stops storage room fire; No injuries

Hotel guests were out on the street after a fire at the Fairmont Royal York hotel late on Sunday night.

A couch in a third-floor storage room caught fire around 11:45 p.m. Luckily, the heat and smoke activated the sprinkler system, and the fire was quickly extinguished.

“Damage was minimal,” Toronto fire district chief Mike Swift said.

One hotel guest got a little wet while making his escape: “The water was running out of the roof. We walked through the water to get out of there.”

Not all guests had to evacuate the building. Others stayed warm in the lobby. Everyone has been allowed back in and no injuries have been reported.

It’s not yet clear how the fire started. Only the couch was damaged.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Burnaby, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system helps minimize fire damage at Serta mattress factory

A long-time Burnaby warehouse suffered extensive smoke and water damage last week after a small fire broke out in the building. It was an automatic fire alarm ringing from inside the Serta mattress factory on Winston Street that alerted firefighters of an incident shortly before 4:30 p.m. on Feb. 2, assistant Fire Chief Bryan Kirk told the NOW.

When firefighters arrived, there were two employees standing outside, but neither could say why the alarm was going off. “(The firefighters) went inside, and they realized there was something going on, the whole place was full of smoke, so they upgraded it to a second alarm,” Kirk said. The origin of the fire appeared to be a gluing table inside the warehouse, he added. “Between the mattress, the glue and this wooden table, (there was) enough combustibles – that started the fire,” Kirk said.

There wasn’t significant fire damage inside the warehouse, thanks to the sprinkler system. Because of the size of the facility, the fire was upgraded to a two-alarm blaze that required about 28 firefighters. Fire crews were on scene until 10 p.m. trying to clear out the smoke. “The whole place was full of smoke, and it makes it that much more difficult to ventilate that much smoke,” he said. “(Firefighters) were there for a good six hours or so, just because it was work intensive getting rid of all the smoke, not so much fighting a fire.” The NOW contacted the manager at the warehouse for more details on the extent of the damage, but calls haven’t been returned yet

Other Business, Recycling / Waste Facility

Brantford, ON, Canada – Fire at rubber tire recycling business held in check by sprinkler system

An hour later, firefighters were called to tire recycler Ideal Rubber for a fire in a tire shredder. Fire prevention officer Scott Hardwick said it was fortunate the plant’s sprinkler system, a requirement for such heat-intensive processes, kicked in to help keep the fire from getting out of control. Hardwick said the fire crews were able to respond quickly and suppress the fire within eight minutes of being called. “These can be very aggressive fires,” Hardwick said. None of the Ideal Rubber staff or the firefighters was injured by the fire.

Hospital/Care Facility, Hospital/Medical Clinic

North Sydney, NS, Canada – Hospital laundry fire contained with help from sprinkler system

The Nova Scotia Health Authority says a small fire overnight in the laundry room of the Northside General Hospital in North Sydney caused only minor damage. The fire was caused by the spontaneous combustion of linen, according to the Nova Scotia Health Authority.

In a statement, the authority said the fire marshall has determined the fire started accidentally in a hamper of clean laundry and was “linked to the spontaneous combustion of linen.” Fire damage was limited to a small dryer room, although the main laundry area sustained smoke and water damage, and smoke travelled to some other areas of the hospital.

The fire triggered the alarm and sprinkler system around 4:30 a.m. The authority said a hospital security guard was checked for smoke inhalation but needed no further treatment, and there were no injuries.

The hospital has temporarily moved outpatient blood collection, located next to the laundry, to a nearby room, but the emergency department remains open.

Other Business

Caledon, ON, Canada – Fire in dust collection system controlled with help from sprinklers

Caledon firefighters are working to put out a fire this morning (Jan. 18) at a commercial property fire at Highway 50 and Healey Rd. Firefighters found light smoke conditions inside the building and a working fire in the ‎dust collection system. No injuries were reported and the internal sprinkler system has been activated. Crews are attempting to bring the fire under control. Bolton, Palgrave, Caledon East and Caledon Village Fire Stations, OPP and Peel EMS are currently on scene‎.

Apartment Building, Residential

Victoria, BC, Canada – Apartment cooking fire doused by sprinkler system

A Victoria apartment suite is heavily water damaged after a sprinkler system doused a stove-top oil fire and then drowned the rest of the room.  Alarm bells sounded at 9:30 Sunday evening at 710 Queens Avenue when an oil fire ignited, according to Victoria Fire Battalion Chief Dave Bicknell.   The lone occupant of the suite had been cooking french fries in oil on the stovetop at the time of the fire.  

“The fire was likely caused by overheating of the oil,” Bicknell said, in his report.  The sprinkler system extinguished the kitchen fire but continued to flow until fire crews were able to shut it down.  “There was some damage to the suite caused by smoke and heat, however the fire itself had been contained to the pot,” Bicknell said. The building on the corner of Douglas Street is run by the Victoria Cool Aid Society