Tag Archives: British Columbia

Apartment Building, Residential

Sechelt, BC, Canada – Fire sprinkler averts major downtown blaze

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.”

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Silver Star Mountain, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system activates to help control fire at popular ski resort

Some guests at a Silver Star Mountain Resort hotel were evacuated from their rooms Thursday morning after an early morning fire broke out at Vance Creek Hotel and Conference Centre. The hotel’s General Manager, Russell Haubrich says the blaze sparked in a storage room near the restaurant kitchen.

Haubrich says the blaze triggered the sprinkler system.  Silver Star Mountain Resort says they are working to reopen the saloon as soon as possible, which could mean a couple of days. Haubrich expects the hotel restaurant will reopen by Thursday night. He adds hotel guests were evacuated from their rooms for about an hour.

Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

Langley, BC, Canada – Fire in dorm at Trinity Western University stopped by sprinkler system

A sprinkler system installed in the dorms at Trinity Western University a few years ago is being credited for stopping a fire from spreading last Wednesday morning. Township firefighters were called out to one of the dormitories on campus, after a couch erupted in flames around 7:30 a.m.

The couch was in one of the common areas and so far, fire investigators don’t know what caused it to catch on fire. “It’s still under investigation,” said Assistant Fire Chief Pat Walker. The sprinklers put out the fire as firefighters arrived.

College/University (on campus), School / University

North Vancouver, BC, Canada – Suspected arson fire at Capilano University contained by sprinkler system

North Vancouver RCMP are searching for suspects in a break-in and possible arson at Capilano University this morning.  Emergency crews were called to the university library shortly after midnight.

“On arrival, we noticed smoke in the library,” says Ast. Fire Chief Dave Burgess. “There was a small fire and the sprinkler had it deactivated.  The sprinkler controlled the fire and kept it to the area of origin.”

Investigators aren’t sure what may have been stolen from the library yet. They will examine video surveillance in an effort to identify any potential suspects. The University says they will be assessing the damage, but do not anticipate any class disruptions today.

Residential, Townhouse / Condominium

Langley, BC, Canada – Sprinker system credited with containing townhouse kitchen fire

 fire that started on the stove of a Walnut Grove townhouse on Thursday might have done far more damage than it did, if not for the presence of a working sprinkler system.

Pat Walker, assistant fire chief with the Township of Langley said the blaze started after a pot used to sterilize rubber nipples for baby bottles was accidentally left heating on the stove when the family went out.

“They left the house and thought they had turned (the burner) off, but it boiled dry,” said Walker. Eventually the nipples caught fire and ignited plastic components inside the stove’s hood.

The flames had also melted a cabinet door and a plastic kettle on the counter before being doused. “It would have been a totally different scenario without the sprinkler,” said Walker.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Vernon, BC, Canada – Suspicious overnight fire at restaurant extinguished by sprinkler system

Police and the Vernon Fire Department are looking into the cause of a suspicious fire at the New Delhi Restaurant in Vernon.  Deputy fire chief Lawrie Skolrood says the fire started inside the building sometime before 3:15 a.m. when the building’s sprinkler system went off and triggered an alarm.

Firefighters forced their way into the building by busting open the front doors, but by the time they got there, the fire was already out.  “The sprinklers did actually put out the fire. It’s lucky they were up and working for sure,” Skolrood says.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Kelowna, BC, Canada – Deliberately set fire in nursing home extinguished by sprinkler system

The Kelowna Fire Department received an alarm at around 10:30 a.m. Saturday morning from White Heather Manor at 3728 Casorso Road. When crews arrived, they were met by the charge nurse who told them that there was a small fire in the nursing home’s activity room.

According to platoon captain Tim Light, the fire had already been extinguished before fire crews arrived by the sprinkler system. After searching the area, the firefighters shut off the water and then set up ventilation to clear smoke from the affected suites and hallways. The residents were evacuated outside at first, but when conditions permitted, they were sheltered in an unaffected area of the facility.

Firefighters stayed on scene to help lessen the water damage from the sprinkler. The Kelowna Fire Department says that this was a deliberately set fire, and that RCMP are now involved in the investigation.

Apartment Building, Residential

Fire sprinkler limits damage and save lives in apartment fire (Chilliwack, BC)

At approximately 1:30 p.m. on July 2, fire crews responded to a fire in the third floor of a four-story apartment building. The apartment’s fire sprinkler system helped to put out the fire, and the tenant, who was home when the fire erupted, was able to evacuate safely along with the apartment’s other residents. The cause of the fire appears to be smoking materials.

Athletic Club/Sports Facility, Other Business

Golf club fire halted by sprinkler system (Kelowna, BC)

At around 3:40 a.m. on Saturday, fire crews were alerted to a fire at a golf club pro shop. When they arrived, they discovered a fire burning on the outside of the building. According to investigators, the cause of the fire appears to be an improperly disposed cigarette. The facility’s fire sprinkler system had contained the fire to the building’s exterior, and no injuries were reported.