Tag Archives: Alberta

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Edmonton, AB, Canada – Sprinkler system helps keep fire from spreading when stored cooking oil ignites

March 22, 2016 viking210

More than forty firefighters battled a fire that broke out late Sunday morning at a storage warehouse in northwest Edmonton.

Fire crews were called to the commercial warehouse in an industrial area near 148 Street and 128 Avenue just before noon.

“When they arrived, there was black smoke coming out of the building,” Edmonton Fire Rescue spokeswoman Holly Budd said. “They forced entry and the sprinkler system had been activated in the building.” 

Edmonton Fire Rescue Services district chief Marc Zubick said the portion of the building that was engulfed stored edible oils. 

“It’s cooking oil that was the cause of the smoke but the cause of the heat that created the smoke on that oil has not been determined yet,” said Zubick. 

Zubick said the fire suppression system in the warehouse did a good job keeping the fire from spreading. As a precaution, firefighters called for more fire trucks at around 12:10 p.m., and a second alarm was called around 10 minutes later. 

Forty five firefighters fought the remainder of the blaze for two hours. The cause is still unknown.  

Residential, Townhouse / Condominium

Grande Prairie, AB, Canada – Condominium fire confined to one suite by sprinkler system

May 21, 2015 viking210

On Sunday, the Grande Prairie Fire Department (GPFD) responded to reports of a fire at Grande Plaza Condos on 92 Avenue, near Resources Road.

Firefighters found the alarm system indicating a sprinkler activation on the first floor and then discovered a fire in one of the suites. Tony Lutzmann, the platoon chief on duty, said a heat-activated sprinkler in the suite went off and controlled the fire.

“In this case, obviously, there was a large enough fire that there was enough heat to set a sprinkler head off,” he said. The fire was confined to one suite, which sustained smoke and water damage. “Basically, it’s what we call a room and contents fire,” said Lutzmann.

“It didn’t spread beyond the suite of origin and that’s what exactly what a sprinkler system is designed to do, is to catch a fire in its early stages and prevent it spreading into a larger, more serious fire.”

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.

Retail, Shopping Mall

Calgary, AB, Canada – Sprinkler system helps protect mall from potentially devastating fire

January 16, 2015 viking210

Authorities say the sprinkler system in Calgary’s Chinook Centre helped save the mall from what could have been a devastating fire.

Fire crews were called to the shopping centre early Friday morning for reports of smoke seen coming from the building.

Officials say when they got there; they found the remnants of a small fire in a hallway between two stores. They say the fire suppression system knocked it down and prevented it from spreading any further.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Sprinklers eliminate fire at church (Lethbridge, AB)

April 8, 2014 viking210

Firefighters were called to a church on Wednesday night when alarms rang on the second floor of the structure. The fire sprinklers activated in response to the heat from the fire, which began near the church’s organ. No injuries were reported from the incident, and the cause appears to be electric.

Other Business, Recycling / Waste Facility

Sprinklers keep fire from spreading at waste and recycling facility (Calgary, AB)

January 22, 2014 viking210

A fire that began in a pile of rubble in a waste and recycling facility brought fire crews at about 5:30 p.m. on Monday, January 20. The building’s fire sprinkler had activated, which contained the fire to it’s source. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Other - Retail, Retail

Fire eliminated by sprinklers at retail plaza (Airdrie, AB)

November 25, 2013 viking210

A fire sprinkler system, which activated at a retail plaza which houses multiple businesses, extinguished a fire that occurred in the plaza’s utility control room. The fire crews found that the fire which had been burning but was the eliminated by the sprinkler system. No injuries were reported and the businesses in the plaza were not affected. “This was an instance of the way the building is engineered, with alarms and fire sprinkler system, doing what it is supposed to do,” said AFD Deputy Chief Garth Rabel. The cause of the fire is being investigated, but preliminary reports show that it is “suspicious in nature.”

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Sprinkler system aids firefighters at warehouse fire (Calgary, AB)

November 11, 2013 viking210

Firefighters were called to a warehouse on Sunday night when a propane powered floor sweeper caught fire. The warehouse’s fifty employees were evacuated safely, and the fire sprinkler system activated and helped to control the fire. 

Manufacturing, Other - Manufacturing

Fire in woodworking shop controlled by sprinkler system (Calgary, AB, Canada)

November 9, 2012 viking210

Fire crews responded to reports of smoke coming from the rear of a commercial woodworking business. The building’s sprinkler system slowed the spread of the blaze and crews managed to quickly knock down the rest of it. No injuries were reported.

Other - Retail, Retail

Firefighters aided by sprinkler system in fire at Canadian Tire store (Calgary, AB)

May 18, 2012 viking210

Emergency crews were called to the scene of a two alarm fire at a Canadian Tire store in the city’s southeast on Thursday afternoon.  Crews evacuated the building and firefighters were able to get the upper hand on the blaze thanks to the store’s sprinkler system.