Tag Archives: British Columbia

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.

Apartment Building, Residential

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

A Saturday evening balcony fire was quickly prevented from spreading after a sprinkler activated and doused the blaze.

Just after 5 pm, the Kelowna Fire Department received a call about a fire on the balcony of an apartment building in the 1200 block of Richter Street.

Upon arrival, the crews could see an activated sprinkler on the fourth-floor balcony, with no smoke or flames visible.

Crews went to investigate and found there had been a small fire on the balcony, which was contained by a sprinkler.

There was minor damage to the contents and the exterior of the apartment. No injuries were reported and all residents were able to return to their suites.

KFD responded with three engine companies, one ladder truck, a rescue truck and a command vehicle.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Kelowna, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for car fire in underground garage

The sprinkler system helped control the blaze until fire crews could put it out.

The West Kelowna Fire Department was able to stop a car fire in an underground parkade from causing extensive damage to the building.

Crews were called to 4215 Gellatly Road South just before 6 p.m. on June 21.

The vehicle was engulfed in flames and heavy black smoke upon arrival.

The overhead sprinklers activated and helped to contain the blaze until the fire department could extinguish it.

Residents of the building were evacuated safely and were able to return to their unit once it was deemed safe.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Vancouver, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for fire at hotel; No injuries reported

Some residents were displaced and several units had water damage after a fire broke out in another Vancouver single-room occupancy hotel on Monday morning.

The fire was reported just after 7 a.m. Monday at the Walton Hotel, at 261 East Hastings St. in the Downtown Eastside.

Vancouver Fire Rescue Services crews had the fire mopped up after about 90 minutes and left a notice for building managers to reactivate the sprinkler system right away.

“Firefighters isolate and turn off the sprinkler as close to the affected area as possible to limit water damage to the building as well as trying to keep as much of the system operational,” said Vancouver Fire spokesperson Capt. Matthew Trudeau.

“A service technician is required to put the system back in working order as soon as possible.”

Trudeau said no injuries were reported but “water damage has affected multiple units” leaving an unknown number of Walton hotel residents displaced.

He said searching rooms was difficult due to “extensive hoarding throughout many units.”

Other - Residential, Residential

Kelowna, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system extinguishes mattress fire at supportive housing building; No injuries reported

The Kelowna Fire Department responded to a blaze in the northern end of the city’s downtown core Saturday morning, Feb. 3.

A fire on the third floor of Ellis Place, a supportive housing building located at 1055 Ellis Street prompted occupants of the building to evacuate and a road closure between Recreation Avenue and Gaston Avenue.

The building was fully evacuated by the time 17 crew members responded to the blaze at around 10:40 a.m.

Everyone was accounted for and there were no injuries, said Capt. Corrie Lang from the KFD.

“It turned out to be a smoldering mattress in one of the units and the sprinkler system extinguished the fire,” Lang said. “Mostly smoke and water damage now.”

The road has since reopened, with crews currently cleaning up the scene.

Lang said the cause of the fire is unknown.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Sooke, BC, Canada – Fire at middle school extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Classes resumed Wednesday (Dec. 13) despite a small fire Tuesday evening at Journey Middle School.

The Sooke Fire Rescue was called out for a fire in a utility room during the evening band concert. All students, staff and community members were safely evacuated from the building when the fire alarm sounded and no one was injured, School District 62 said in a news release.

The fire was extinguished by the school’s sprinkler system. Staff and firefighters worked together to clean up the water from the sprinkler system and the systems were reset.

“Thank you to everyone involved in safely evacuating the school,” the statement reads. “We would also like to extend our gratitude to the Sooke Fire Department and the SD62 staff who worked well into the night to ensure the school could open this morning.”

Residential, Townhouse / Condominium

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

A condo building fire Sunday night in Kelowna left water damage to multiple units.

Platoon Capt. Robert Skeldon with the Kelowna Fire Department says crews were called about 8:45 p.m. to the building at 1740 Richter St.

Crews arrived to find heavy smoke coming from a single unit on the third floor, with water in the hallway.

Firefighters found signs of an obvious fire inside the unit, with two sprinkler activations.

There was no fire extension to the rest of the building, however there was water damage to multiple units, says Skeldon.

A search was conducted to ensure all occupants were safely out of the building.

There were no injuries in the incident.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, but is not considered suspicious.

KFD responded with four engines, a rescue unit, ladder truck, command unit, and 20 personnel.

RCMP, paramedics and emergency support services assisted at the scene.

Bank, Other Business

Vancouver, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for arson fire at ATM in bank; No injuries reported

The Vancouver Fire Rescue Services (VFRS) says a fire that broke out in Chinatown Friday (March 31) night was likely the result of arson.

Around 10:54 p.m., the VFRS received a call about a small fire at an ATM inside the Scotiabank Bank at 268 Keefer St. in Chinatown. When crews arrived, smoke was coming from the ATM and the sprinkler head had been activated, VFRS spokesperson Matthew Trudeau told V.I.A.

Crews ensured the fire was out and checked inside of the building for damages. There was no additional fire damage outside of the ATM but there was significant damage from smoke and water from the sprinklers.

Eleven fire trucks were dispatched to the first alarm fire, which was deemed incendiary and referred to VPD for arson investigation, Trudeau explained.

VPD Spokesperson Const. Tania Visintin says the “suspicious fire” is still under investigation.

There are no reports of injuries as the bank was unoccupied at the time.

A note that was posted by Sun Wah Centre Management to tenants and visitors notes that the bank was flooded and “no emergency restoration team can get into it or clear off the water due to hazardous smoke occupied.”

The management team added that some units continued to experience leakage Saturday.

Other - Residential, Residential

Victoria, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for fire at former hotel; No injuries reported

About 20 residents of a former Port Alberni hotel converted into residences were out of their homes Saturday after a fire ripped through a suite, causing smoke, water and electrical damage to the building.

The fire department arrived to the Angus Street building, located between Third and Fourth avenues, at 9:20 a.m. with an engine and ladder truck.

Port Alberni Fire Chief Mike Owens said the blaze was contained to one suite and proved difficult to fully extinguish due to what he called a “hoarding environment.” But he said the sprinkler and alarm systems in the two-storey structure worked properly and alerted residents inside.

No one was injured in the blaze.

However, the department had to ask B.C. Hydro to cut power to the building as water from sprinklers seeped into suites on the lower floors.

Emergency Support Service providers were notified and temporary accommodations are being found for the residents. The B.C. SPCA was called to care for several cats and dogs, said Owen.

Owens said an investigation into the fire is ongoing and could not say when residents would be able to return to the building.