Manufacturing, Other - Manufacturing Toronto, ON, Canada – Arson fire at cabinet manufacturing business extinguished by sprinkler system April 13, 2015 viking210 Police are investigating a case of arson in North York after officers say a Molotov cocktail was thrown through the window of a cabinet manufacturing business Saturday night. Toronto Fire Services got a call to respond to Modern Custom Cabinets on Chesswood Dr., near Finch Ave. W. and Dufferin St., at about 10:15 p.m. when the sprinkler system was activated at the business. According to Toronto Fire, a small fire in the front office had been extinguished by the sprinkler system when firefighters arrived on scene. Firefighters also found evidence of a Molotov cocktail at the site, but reported minor damage to the building. The store appears to have been closed at the time of the fire, as no one was reported to be inside the building and no one was injured, police confirmed.
Apartment Building, Residential Saskatoon, SK, Canada – Sprinkler extinguishes apartment fire started by unattended candle April 10, 2015 viking210 According to the Saskatoon fire department, just before 2 a.m. fire dispatchers received numerous calls of a fire at 431 3rd Ave. North. Multiple people were found evacuating the multi-story building. Crews made their way to the 12th floor where they found a suite with fire damage. A sprinkler head had already been activated and extinguished the fire. An investigator has determined that an unattended candle was the cause of the fire.
Manufacturing, Paper Mill / Saw Mill Armstrong, BC, Canada – Sprinklers help control electrical fire at wood mill April 1, 2015 viking210 The sprinkler system and an employee with a fire extinguisher quickly dealt with an electrical fire at the Tolko Industries mill in Armstrong this afternoon. Fire crews responded to what they thought was a structure fire at about 1:25 p.m., Monday, March 30, but it turned out to be an electrical motor fire. “The sprinkler head tripped and they used an extinguisher on it,” Armstrong Fire Chief Ian Cummings says. “It turned out to be very minor.” Fire crews brought out their fans to get the smoke out of the affected building. No one was hurt.
Residential, Residential High Rise Hamilton, ON, Canada – Fire in garbage chute at high rise apartment building extinguished by sprinklers April 1, 2015 viking210 Residents were evacuated from a downtown apartment building for about half-an-hour Monday to allow Hamilton firefighters to deal with a fire in the garbage chute. Firefighters were called to 150 Sanford Avenue North shortly after 8:30 p.m. Monday. Fire department spokesperson Claudio Mostacci said by the time firefighters had arrived, the sprinkler system had extinguished the fire. The service sent 11 vehicles to the scene. Some firefighters remained on the scene to deal with possible “hot spots” in the garbage. Mostacci said no one was hurt and there was no damage. While he could not say what caused the fire, Mostacci said the fires are often started by people accidentally throwing cigarette ashes down the chute. He reminds tenants in apartment buildings to be careful.
Other Business, Recycling / Waste Facility Calgary, AB, Canada – Sprinkler system controls fire at plastics recycling plant; Fire crews extinguish blaze March 24, 2015 viking210 1 Comment Calgary Fire Department crews were called to plastic recycling plant Carpenter Canada Co. in the 5880 block of 36th Street S.E. just before 2 a.m. last Friday. When they arrived, firefighters found smoke pouring from the building. They managed to extinguish the fire, and credit an in-building sprinkler system for keeping the blaze in check before they arrived. Once the fire was extinguished, crews still had concerns about whether air quality would be impacted, as burning plastic can release toxic gases. However, fire officials say the air gradually cleared up.
Apartment Building, Residential Dartmouth, NS, Canada – Overnight fire on fourth story of apartment building extinguished by sprinkler system March 8, 2015 viking210 The blaze broke out at about 3:15 a.m. on the fourth storey of the building at 51 Joseph Young Street. The Halifax fire department said the blaze was mostly extinguished by the sprinkler system. One person was treated for smoke inhalation. A Metro Transit bus was brought to the scene for displaced residents to keep warm. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Apartment Building, Residential Huntsville, ON, Canada – Sprinkler system minimizes damage in apartment fire; No injuries reported March 6, 2015 viking210 Firefighters are crediting the sprinkler system with minimizing the damage at an apartment fire. At roughly 2:30 p.m. on Mar. 5 a fire was reported at a 60 unit apartment building on Sabrina Park Drive in Huntsville. When crews from Huntsville Station 1 arrived on scene they found the fire, which was located in the garbage room, had already been extinguished by an activated sprinkler head. Damage from the fire was limited to the garbage and recycling containers in the room. Firefighter’s say if not for the working sprinkler system the fire could well have spread to other parts of the building. All occupants were allowed to return to the building only hours later and noone was injured. Police and the Fire Marshall are investigating to determine the fire’s cause.
Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential Osoyoos, BC, Canada – Fire at retirement home doused by sprinkler system March 5, 2015 viking210 Residents of an Osoyoos retirement home will begin returning to their rooms today, following their evacuation Monday night because of a fire in the laundry room. The fire was doused by the building’s sprinkler system, and fire retardant was applied by Osoyoos Fire Department members, who reacted quickly to the alarm. The blaze erupted about 9:30 p.m. at Mariposa Village, apparently because of an overheated clothes dryer on the second floor of the care facility. Acting facility manager Jesse Sales said 26 residents were taken from their rooms and moved “behind the fire walls” as soon as the alarm was sounded. They were accommodated overnight in other rooms at the seniors’ home. One resident and one staff member were taken to South Okanagan Regional Hospital in Oliver Tuesday night. They were treated and released and were back “in a couple of hours,” Sales said. “They (the fire department) got here before I did,” said Sales, “and I was here in about 15 minutes.” Will McKay, managing partner of the Baybridge-Baltic ownership group, also had high praise for the volunteer fire department. “They were Johnny on the spot. … They did a wonderful job for us,” he said. Sales said most of the residents would be back in their rooms today. For any whose rooms are not ready for re-occupancy, alternative accommodation has been arranged, he said. The care facility is home to 109 residents, plus staff.
Apartment Building, Residential Sechelt, BC, Canada – Fire sprinkler averts major downtown blaze February 28, 2015 viking210 The Sechelt fire department is praising the use of fire sprinklers, which averted a major fire in downtown Sechelt last Thursday afternoon. Fire Chief Bill Higgs said the fire occurred just after lunch on Feb. 19 at a residential apartment building when a pot of grease was left on a stove unattended. “Upon arrival it was observed that a fire had occurred in the kitchen of a second-floor suite,” Higgs said. “The heat from the blaze had activated just one sprinkler head, which extinguished the fire. The fire department was automatically called by the monitored sprinkler/fire alarm system and the residents were alerted to the fire by the alarm bells. We were on scene within five minutes and quickly learned that we were only needed to ventilate the building and begin cleanup.” Higgs said the fire had the potential for catastrophic life and property losses. “Thankfully, this fire occurred in a building protected by fire sprinklers and therefore had been completely extinguished by the automatic system that had been installed throughout the building,” he said. In less than an hour, the 17 volunteer firefighters and four fire trucks had returned to the fire hall. No civilian or firefighter injuries occurred. “Only one tenant was displaced from the building for a couple of days, and everyone else reoccupied their suites that day,” Higgs said. “The total dollar loss to the $3-million structure was less than $5,000. Had this fire occurred in a similar unsprinklered building, at least three other fire departments from the Sunshine Coast would have been called to assist with the suppression effort, lasting at least half a day, with the follow-up investigation, demolition and rebuilding lasting months.” The Sechelt fire department recommends the installation of fire sprinklers to all building owners ranging from single-family homes right up to multi-family or commercial buildings, new and old. “At less than $1.50 a square foot in new construction, why not?” Higgs asked. “Come and see us to learn what we have witnessed about the community cost saving benefits of automatic fire sprinklers in our town of just 12,000 people. We encourage others to learn from our experiences and to support our efforts in the promotion and continued use of commercial and residential fire sprinkler systems.”
Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential Waterloo, ON, Canada – Fire at retirement home contained to one unit by sprinkler system February 20, 2015 viking210 The fire originated in a unit on the third floor and was contained to that unit by the sprinkler system. Acting Platoon Chief Earl Reitzel tells 570 News that the people in the unit were evacuated safely and no one was injured. Reizel says that most of the damage was contained to the room
