Apartment Building, Residential Grande Prairie, AB, Canada – Fire in apartment building contained to one suite by sprinkler system January 24, 2019 viking210 A fire prompted an evacuation of Willow Place on Saturday evening but was contained to one apartment suite. The Grande Prairie Fire Department received the call at 6:26 p.m. Platoon chief Tony Lutzmann said that the sprinkler system managed to control the fire and firefighters went in to ensure the fire was extinguished. “There was a considerable amount of smoke throughout the building so the building was evacuated,” Lutzmann said, adding that they had a transit bus on scene to provide temporary shelter for the evacuees. Operated by the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), Willow Place is a 57-unit apartment building for people with mental health conditions. Lutzmann noted that the cause of the fire appeared to be “cooking-related” but added that the investigation was ongoing. He also offered advice on kitchen fires. “Don’t leave cooking unattended and ensure you have something to extinguish the fire in case there is a kitchen fire,” he said. Victim Services and the Red Cross also attended the scene.
