Tag Archives: British Columbia

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.

Hospital/Care Facility, Hospital/Medical Clinic

Salmon Arm, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire at hospital

No serious injuries resulted from a fire at Shuswap Lake General Hospital on Friday night but two patients were checked for smoke inhalation.

The Salmon Arm Fire Department was paged at 7:20 p.m. Sept. 23 for what was tagged at first as a commercial alarm. However, that was soon upgraded to a structure fire, recounts Deputy Fire Chief Gary Lebeter.

When crews arrived on the hospital’s second floor where the alarm was coming from, the sprinkler system had activated and already extinguished the fire.

“Which was great, it had done what it was supposed to do,” Lebeter said.

There were two beds in the room and the two patients required assessment for smoke inhalation.

All 19 patients on Level 2 were safely evacuated to another area of the hospital, Interior Health reported, noting minor damage was isolated to the area of the fire.

Level 2 was temporarily closed as damage was assessed and repaired. Interior Health said Monday repairs have begun to the damaged area and some beds on Level 2 are expected to open next week.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation by the Salmon Arm Fire Department.

Lebeter said crew members helped move patients from the second to the fourth floor, as well as setting up ventilation fans to remove the smoke. He said there was a fair amount of water damage on the second floor, so firefighters “got busy with mops” to limit damage or accidents.

Interior Health said it would like to thank the Salmon Arm Fire Department, the RCMP and all staff who quickly came together to assist during the incident.

Apartment Building, Residential

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

The building’s sprinkler system did its job and the fire department handled the rest after a fire sparked in an apartment in central Kelowna this morning.

The Kelowna Fire Department was called to the scene in the 1700 block of Ethel Street around 10:30 am and found the fire in a unit on the first floor of the four-storey building.

According to Platoon Captain Scott Clarke, the sprinkler system had activated and suppressed the fire to the stove top of the unit.

“Firefighters entered the unit and completed extinguishment,” he said.

The fire has been deemed accidental in nature.

While there was no one home in the unit affected by the minor blaze, the rest of the building was evacuated and Clarke said no injuries were reported.

There was some fire and water damage to the single unit and some general water damage to the first floor.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Chilliwack, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for fire at resource society; No injuries reported

Just after 7: 20 AM Saturday morning, 20 firefighters from Chilliwack firehalls 1 and 4 responded to a fire alarm and sprinkler activation in a 2 storey supportive housing building located in the 45000 block of Hocking Avenue.

This is with PCRS and formally known as the Contact Centre.

Fire crews accessed the vacant first floor unit to find a single sprinkler head had activated, extinguishing the fire that originated on the bedroom night table.

Firefighters confirmed the fire was out, ventilated the smoke and shut off the sprinkler system.

There was minor fire, smoke and water damage in the unit.

There were no civilian or firefighter injuries.

Cause of the fire appears to be accidental and continues to be investigated by the Chilliwack Fire Department.

Other - Residential, Residential

Campbell RIver, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for fire at homeless housing facility

No injuries to report after flames broke out in a top floor unit at a supportive housing facility in Campbell River.

Just after 11:30 last night (Wednesday), Campbell River fire chief Thomas Doherty says crews were dispatched to Q’waxsem Place.

The 50-unit building, located at 580 Dogwood St., opened in February and provides homes with 24/7 support for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

According to Doherty, an alarm call is what first prompted Campbell River Fire Rescue to attend.

Once on scene, he says crews quickly noticed smoke spewing out a third-floor window. They then utilized hose lines, working to extinguish the blaze in hopes it wouldn’t spread to other units.

But Doherty says the building’s sprinkler system did activate, which played an ‘instrumental’ role in getting the job done.

The cause of the fire is now under investigation.

“All said and done, there’s damage to the one unit on the third floor, and a little bit of water damage as well to some subsequent units,” Doherty explains. 

However, while a number of residents did evacuate before firefighters arrived, others did not, which posed a challenge, Doherty tells My Campbell River Now.

Eventually, everyone made it out. Doherty notes that a transit bus stopped by, offering a warm and dry place for residents to stay while crews assessed the damage.

“We were fortunate to be able to let the occupants return to their units, with the exception of those that were damaged,” he adds.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

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

An automatic sprinkler system extinguished an early-morning blaze Thursday at AKS Engineering & Forestry, according to the Vancouver Fire Department.

The call came in initially as a water flow alarm at 9600 N.E. 126th Ave., Capt. Raymond Egan said, but a Clark County sheriff’s patrol went by the building, smelled smoke and reported a fire. The call was then upgraded to a full commercial fire alarm shortly before 2 a.m., emergency dispatch records show.

Engine 4 was the first to arrive and found the fire inside had been contained to the original area by the fire sprinkler system, Egan said. Crews worked for about 45 minutes on clearing the smoke from the building and shutting off the fire sprinklers, he said.

There were no injuries.

The Clark County Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause.

Apartment Building, Residential

West Kelowna, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for couch fire at apartment complex

West Kelowna firefighters spent some of Sunday afternoon dousing a couch fire potentially sparked by an electrical charging device.

Reports of a fire alarm going off at the Harbor Ridge Apartments on Old Ferry Wharf Road prompted a crew to head to the building, where they found the sprinkler system activated and was holding a small fire in a couch on the first floor.

“Residents had evacuated the building and fire crews finished extinguishing the fire and stopping the flow of water from the sprinkler system,” fire chief Jason Brolund said in a press release.

“In this case, all systems and the residents of the building performed well. The fire alarm and suppression systems in the building functioned exactly as designed, alerting residents and holding the fire to a small size. The residents and building management did exactly as they should, evacuating the building and showing patience and understanding as firefighters took care of the emergency.”

Fire damage was contained to one unit and there was a small amount of smoke and water damage from the sprinkler system to five other nearby units.

“Most residents of the building were able to return home within two hours,” Brolund said. “The residents of six units have been offered Emergency Support Services while the status and damage of their units is further evaluated. Any residents with questions or requiring further assistance are directed to contact the building manager.”

The fire investigation has been completed. The cause of the fire has been deemed accidental, possibly related to an electrical charging device in the unit.

“This event is a great reminder of the importance of having an emergency plan including a grab-and-go kit for your self, your family and your pets. You never know when or why you may have to leave your home without notice and a few minutes of preparation can make this process much smoother,” he said.