Tag Archives: British Columbia

Other - Residential, Residential

Kelowna, BC, Canada – Fire extinguished by sprinkler system before fire crews arrived

The Kelowna Fire Department was called to the Samuel Place supportive housing building Tuesday afternoon for a minor fire.

The blaze was sparked shortly before 2 p.m. at 280 McIntosh Road, according to assistant fire chief Dennis Craig, and was contained to a single unit.

The building’s sprinkler system extinguished the fire before firefighters arrived and Craig says crews acted quickly to shut off the water to limit damage to the rest of the building.

A resident of the building tells Castanet residents of the floor where the fire occurred have spent the afternoon mopping out their rooms.

Craig says nobody was displaced due to water damage, but the unit where the fire occurred is uninhabitable for now. The people living there, however, have been moved to another unit within the same building.

Craig says the cause of the fire is still under investigation, but he recommends that anyone who receives electronics for Christmas with lithium-ion batteries, like e-bikes, should follow manufacturer advice when charging.

Apartment Building, Residential

Langford, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for fourth floor apartment fire

At least one person was left homeless on Christmas Eve after a fire badly damaged one suite and water damage rendered others temporarily uninhabitable at an apartment building on Treanor Avenue in Langford.

View Royal Fire Chief Paul Hurst said at least one person was displaced as a result of the midday blaze, a kitchen fire on the fourth floor, which drew firefighters from Langford, Colwood and View Royal.

The fire was contained to the suite after the sprinkler system activated, controlling the blaze, he said.

“But unfortunately, you know what happens when a sprinkler system goes off on the fourth floor — everybody on floors three, two and one [is affected] — it makes for a pretty wet experience all the way around.”

Hurst couldn’t say exactly how many people were displaced, but the unit where the fire started is uninhabitable due to flame, smoke and water damage. He expected at least a handful of other units would have been hard to live in as a result of water damage.

“We got the water shut off as quickly as we could, but still they flow at 20 to 30 gallons per minute,” he said. If it takes 10 minutes for the fire department to shut off the water, that amounts to 300 gallons, “a lot of water in a small apartment.”

The occupant of the suite on the fourth floor was not in the unit at the time of the fire.

The province confirmed Wednesday afternoon that one person is receiving a shelter allowance through Emergency Support Services.

Hurst said if it was any other time of year, more people could have been displaced.

But because it was Christmas Eve, the crews on scene used “vacuums and all kinds of stuff to get up as much of the water as we could to make the suites somewhat habitable.”

Other - Residential, Residential

Kelowna, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for balcony fire; No injuries reported

At approximately 11:55 pm Tuesday, the Kelowna Fire Department responded to a structure fire in the 1700 block of Gordon Drive. Initial arriving crews had audible alarms going off with people outside. Crews made entry to one of the units and found medium smoke conditions, the fire was contained to a single unit with the sprinkler system activated. Fire was extinguished quickly by initial arriving crew, but some water damage occurred to the single unit. The origin of the fire was on the back patio/balcony and unknown cause. There were no injuries to the resident or KFD personnel.

KFD responded with 3 Engine companies, Rescue truck, Ladder Truck and Command vehicle, for a total of 17 personnel.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Port Alberni, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for fire at secondary school; No injuries reported

Alberni District Secondary School will reopen Friday following a fire — with the exception of one small room near the source of the blaze that needs added remediation. 

Classes were cancelled Thursday after a fire broke out before the school day started, the Pacific Rim School District said.  The school has about 1,300 students in Grades 8 through 12.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Staff and the few students on site escaped the building without incident and the situation was quickly brought under control, the district said.

The school’s water-suppression system activated immediately and the Port Alberni Fire Department was at the scene within minutes.

Fire Chief Mike Owens said the fire appears to have started in a classroom space adjacent to the school’s auto mechanics area.

Owens said the fire damage was confined to the classroom of origin.

“A lot of the fire was knocked down by the sprinkler system, so there was quite a bit of water involved,” he said.

He said the school is a concrete structure, so it handled the water better than a wooden building would have.

Fire investigators remained on scene through Thursday morning.

The building was closed for the remainder of the day to allow for cleanup.

Port Alberni firefighters received assistance at the fire from the Sproat Lake Volunteer Fire Department, the Beaver Creek Volunteer Fire Department and the Cherry Creek Fire Department.

The school district said it was “deeply grateful” for the quick response from the fire departments, “as well as the quick actions of our staff in ensuring everyone’s safety and minimizing damage.”

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Hope, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire at multi-unit facility; No injuries reported

A building fire on Park Street was put out quickly thanks to the property’s fire sprinkler system. 

Thirteen firefighters were on scene Tuesday evening (Dec. 3) after a fire broke out inside a multi-unit facility. According to the fire department, the crew arrived to find the building had been evacuated and that the fire had been extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system.

“This situation could have been worse,” said Deputy Fire Chief Joshua Westcott. “Fire sprinklers saved lives and property tonight.”

The fire occurred in one of the units which “sustained significant smoke and fire damage.” Emergency Support Services (ESS) provided assistant to the resident of his unit and firefighters focused on “ventilating and mitigating water runoff.” As a result, residents were able to safely return back to their units.

No one was injured though one person was treated on scene for smoke inhalation.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Apartment Building, Residential

Langford, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system controls fifth-floor fire at apartment complex

Sprinklers prevented a fire in a six-storey Langford housing complex on Saturday night from turning into something much worse, says Langford Fire Rescue Chief Chris Aubrey.

Aubrey said his department was called about 8:30 p.m. to Hockley House on Hockley Avenue, and residents reported smoke on the fifth floor when crews arrived.

There were also some reports of an explosion being heard, which prompted a request for assistance from departments in Colwood, View Royal and Esquimalt.

Langford crews found a fifth-floor unit where a small fire had been controlled by the sprinkler system.

Since it turned out to be a relatively minor incident, the other departments were told to stand down, Aubrey said. “The fire could have been much larger but the sprinklers controlled it.”

He said nothing was found in the suite that indicated there had been an explosion.

“It might have been the sound of the sprinklers activating — sometimes they make a loud bang,” Aubrey said. “And we’re checking to see if there were any aerosol cans or something like that that might have been affected by the fire.”

Residents were evacuated from the 120-unit building but all but one were able to get back inside in a few hours, Aubrey said. One person was checked out by paramedics and did not have to be hospitalized.

The street was reopened by 10:30 p.m.

Apartment Building, Residential

Kelowna, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for fire on fifth floor apartment deck

An apartment building’s sprinkler system kept a minor fire on a fifth floor deck from expanding early Friday morning.

Just before 6 a.m. on Oct. 18, the Kelowna Fire Department (KFD) responded to a call for a structure fire at a six-story apartment building in the 800 block of Leon Avenue. When the initial crew arrived at the scene, no smoke or flames could be seen from the apartment’s exterior.

Upon further review, a small fire was found on a fifth floor deck. The sprinkler system kept the fire from expanding and crews extinguished the rest of the blaze.

The building’s fire alarm went off and everyone evacuated safely. After the blaze was doused, everyone was able to go back to their homes. No one was injured and one person was treated for minor smoke inhalation.

KFD has deemed the fire accidental and it’s no longer under investigation. They responded with three engines, one rescue unit, one ladder truck, and one command unit, totaling 18 fire personnel.

Other - Residential, Residential

Quesnel, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system activated at housing center

Four people were rescued from a fire at the Bridges Supportive Housing building in Quesnel this (Wednesday) afternoon.

The Quesnel Volunteer Fire Department was called to Elliott Street just before 2 o’clock.

We spoke with Fire Chief Ron Richert on the scene.

“Upon arrival we had a room on the second floor that had an active fire and heavy smoke. Crews were able to act quick and get that person, we had one person transported to G.R. Baker, they were rescued out of the building quite quickly. We did have three people on the third floor that were rescued, and the remaining occupants were quickly evacuated out of the building.”

Richert says the sprinkler system helped to suppress most of the fire, although he says there is some damage.

“We do have quite a bit of water damage on the first and second floors.”

Richert says they had a very quick response from the fire department, BC Ambulance, and the RCMP.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Salmon Arm, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for arson fire at Walmart

Police are investigating after a fire ignited Sunday afternoon inside the Salmon Arm Walmart.

The fire prompted the store’s evacuation around 4 p.m. on Aug. 4. Two employees outside the store said the blaze had allegedly been started by individuals who’d been using the changing rooms in the clothing area.

“The flames were shooting to the roof,” said one of the employees.

The Salmon Arm Fire Department and RCMP responded.

Salmon Arm RCMP spokesperson Const. Andrew Hodges confirmed police are investigating the suspected arson.

Salmon Arm Fire Chief Brad Shirley said the fire department received a report of a commercial structure fire just after 4 p.m. Firefighters from three fire halls were dispatched to the scene.

“Upon arrival, the fire involving hanging cloths had been mostly extinguished by staff and the sprinkler system,” said Shirley via email.

Shirley said damage from the fire was somewhat minor, though there was also smoke and water damage.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Vancouver, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system contains arson fire at Walmart; No injuries reported

The Walmart near the Vancouver-Burnaby border is closed until further notice after a suspicious fire.

Brad Hesse, assistant chief of operations for Vancouver Fire Rescue Services, said an emergency call came in around 10 a.m. Saturday.

He said it’s too early to confirm the fire was arson, but it was “strange” that videos from customers’ phones showed it appeared to spark on a sofa in the store’s furniture department.

Hesse said the store was quickly evacuated and there are no reports anyone was injured.

Firefighters had trouble pinpointing the source of the blaze because of the thick black smoke emanating from the furniture department.

He said the sprinkler system helped keep the fire contained to that section and that crews were able to fully douse it after about 45 minutes.

However, the store in the 3500-block of Grandview Highway has extensive smoke and water damage. Hesse said it’s likely a lot of the product in the store is compromised by the thick smoke that circulated during the fire.

Hesse said about 40 firefighters and nine fire trucks were called in to the second-alarm blaze.

Vancouver police are also investigating to determine the cause of the blaze.

“We urge anyone who witnessed anything unusual in the store around the time of the fire to contact investigators immediately,” said Const. Tania Visintin, in a news release on Sunday afternoon.

The company released a statement to media that said the fire was set deliberately.

“This appears to be a criminal act of arson that will unfortunately and unfairly impact our customers, associates and the local community who rely on the store,” Walmart said.

“Setting a fire in a public setting is shocking, dangerous, and shameful.”

The store will re-open as soon as the necessary clean-up and repairs are complete.

“We will do everything we can to ensure the arsonist is identified and held accountable, including assessing our legal options to seek compensation from the arsonist for the damages caused by this act,” reads the statement.

Damages are estimated to be in the millions.

Though Walmart has over a dozen outlets around Metro Vancouver, the Grandview location is the only one in the city proper.