Tag Archives: British Columbia

Apartment Building, Residential

Maple Ridge, BC, Canada – Apartment sprinkler system stops second floor fire from spreading; No injuries reported

The call initially came in late Tuesday night as alarms sounding, but it turned out to be an actual fire in the kitchen of a second-storey apartment on 224th Street and 122nd Avenue in Maple Ridge.

“It originally came in as alarms ringing, but when the crews arrived on scene, they actually found there was a fire in a suite,” Maple Ridge Fire and Rescue chief Howard Exner said Wednesday.

Initially, two trucks arrived on scene when the call first came in just before 11 p.m., but that was soon upgraded to 10 trucks.

No one was home at the time, but there were two dogs and a cat in the suite, said Exner.

“And they’re doing fine.”

He added that the building is equipped with water sprinklers.

The sprinklers activated and stopped the progress of the fire, “and allowed us to put out the remaining parts of the stuff that was on fire,” Exner said.

In addition to the fire-damaged suite, there was also some water damage to units below.

There were no injuries.

Child Care Facility, Hospital/Care Facility

Victoria, BC, Canada – Fire sprinklers keep fire contained to kitchen at daycare center; No injuries reported

A fire that sparked in a daycare along West Saanich Road Thursday evening resulted in no injuries, but did delay traffic, according to authorities.

At approximately 4:30 p.m., the Saanich Fire Department was called to the 4300-block of West Saanich Road for reports of a structure fire.

In a tweet, the Saanich Fire Department said that the fire started in the daycare area of the building, but was limited to the kitchen section by automatic sprinklers.

Police say that traffic in the area was severely affected by the fire, especially along West Saanich Road, Royal Oak Drive, the Quadra Street off ramp onto the Patrica Bay Highway and Glanford Avenue.

College/University (on campus), School / University

Vancouver, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system contained fire on university campus; No injuries reported

According to a statement issued by the Vancouver school, the “small fire” was discovered early Saturday morning but was fully extinguished and there were no injuries.

“While there is limited damage from the fire and the sprinkler system, we are grateful that it is not more extensive,” the statement read.

“The areas most impacted are the Research and Industry Office and Painting and Drawing studios on Level 4. There is also some water damage in other areas of the building.”

The school, located at 520 East 1st Ave., remains closed on Sunday while restoration crews continue the mop-up and repair, and as Vancouver police continue their investigation into the cause of the fire.

“We would like to thank members of the Emily Carr community for their patience and understanding,” the statement read.

School officials expect to issue an update no later than 6 a.m. on Monday about whether the school will re-open on Monday.

Residential, Single Family Home

North Vancouver, BC, Canada – In-home sprinkler system saves home from fire; no injuries reported

The North Vancouver City Fire Department is crediting an in-home sprinkler system with saving a Grand Boulevard area house from fire Wednesday morning.

A Canada Post employee on his route noticed smoke and water coming from inside the house on the 1500 block of Ridgeway Avenue and called 911.

When crews arrived, the smoke detectors could be heard but there wasn’t much to see from the outside.

“The reason for that was it was a newer build house and it had sprinklers,” said assistant chief Greg Schalk. “Essentially at that point in time, the fire was out.”

The residents were not home at the time. They will receive temporary accommodations from Emergency Social Services, Schalk said, but they will have to look to their insurers for something over the longer term.

“They’ll be out for a while. Obviously, they’re going to have to get a restoration company in to start managing the fallout,” he said.

“In the end, the majority of the damage was caused by the water, not the fire. But [the sprinkler] probably saved the house.

“They seemed grateful and understood the fact that if there weren’t sprinklers in the house, the story would have been completely different.”

There is no requirement for sprinklers in single-family homes, but Schalk said he recommends them for any new build.

The exact cause of the fire hasn’t been determined yet but investigators feel they have it narrowed down, Schalk said.

“It definitely started in the laundry room and it looked like it had something to do with either the washer or the dryer,” he said.

Other - Retail, Retail

Courtenay, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system stops fire from spreading from roof at pharmacy

A fire in the roof of Living Room Pharmacy was quickly extinguished by Courtenay Fire Department.

There was nobody at the business when the fire broke out, at approximately 6:30 a.m. Wednesday.

“It started [around] the sign at the front of the building; there’s actually no damage inside the building, really,” said Living Room Pharmacy owner Greg Oksanen.

By the time the Courtenay Fire Department arrived, the business’s sprinkler system was fully activated.

“Absolutely – that’s what kept it in the location that it was at,” said Courtenay Fire Chief Don Bardonnex. “The fire was contained inside that peak point. The fire followed the wiring up over to the side, then ran up to the top, and went through the roof. That’s where it was when we arrived. The sprinkler system stopped it from spreading anywhere else.”

Bardonnex said the fire started in behind the sign itself, but the exact cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Oksanen said he doesn’t expect the setback to affect business too much.

“We will have to mop up but we will deal with people who have to get a prescription today; otherwise we will ask them to come back tomorrow or the next day,” he said.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Vancouver, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system knocks down third floor hotel fire; No injuries reported

A fire forced the evacuation of a Downtown Eastside hotel Saturday morning.

The flames broke out in a suite on the third floor of the Astoria Hotel on East Hastings Street at Hawks Avenue sometime before 9:45 a.m.

“Crews responded to this address for alarm bells ringing,” said battalion chief Dan Nichols of Vancouver Fire Rescue Services. “When they investigated, they found that there was a small fire in one of the suites.”

The fire was contained entirely to possessions within the room and did not spread to the building itself, Nichols said.

“It was mostly knocked down by the sprinkler system, but crews had to do a little bit of overhaul and knock down some of the hotspots,” he said.

No one was injured in the fire. Nichols said some of the suites below the one where it was located may have water damage, but residents were fortunate the building had functioning sprinklers.

“The sprinkler system was running for a while, but it did its job,” he said. “They’re lucky. It’s a good thing. Sprinklers work.”

The Astoria is one of several single resident occupancy (SRO) hotels in the Downtown Eastside operated by the Sahota family.

Manufacturing, Other - Manufacturing

Kelowna, BC, Canada – Fire sprinkler contains fire at local business to single unit; No injuries reported

ORIGINAL: 2:55 p.m.

The fire sprinkler system at an industrial building near Reid’s Corner in Kelowna did its job Thursday afternoon.

Firefighters were called to 3396 Sexsmith Road about 2:15 p.m.

A fire had started at a cabinet making business in the building, which houses several units containing small manufacturing operations.

The sprinkler system worked well, and the fire did not spread to other units.

As of 2:45 p.m., fire crews were mopping up and some were preparing to leave the scene.

No one was injured in the incident.

The building’s occupants briefly evacuated the site, but were starting to filter back into their units.

UPDATE: 4:10 p.m.

While some units at an industrial building were hit by water damage during a fire Thursday afternoon, fire damage was contained to just one unit. 

The fire was sparked at a cabinet making shop at 3396 Sexsmith Road, inside a paint booth. 

The building, which houses several small manufacturing businesses, had a sprinkler system that worked well during the fire, and fire crews were able to contain the fire to the single business. 

Okanagan Restoration Services was on scene to assist with cleaning up the fire and water damage at the building. 

Manufacturing, Paper Mill / Saw Mill

Penticton, BC, Canada – Fire caused by forklift contained by fire sprinklers

Penticton fire crews were called to a blaze at Greenwood Forest Products just after 4:30 a.m. on Monday.

Firefighters saw black smoke coming out of the middle and north end of the building when they arrived, fire department Deputy Chief Chris Forrester said.

When crews entered the building, they found one of the forklifts had caught fire, he added.

“When we were setting up to enter the building, there were two very loud pops, and my best guess is that those were the tires exploding on the forklift,” Forrester said.

The sprinkler system had turned on and extinguished most of the blaze, according to Forrester.

Any damage inside the building was likely due to smoke or water damage, not flames, he added.

Apartment Building, Residential

Sechelt, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system saves building after discarded cigarette starts fire

Cleanup continues at the Pier 17 building in Davis Bay after a fire last week.

Sechelt Fire Chief Trevor Pike said the May 9 fire started on the deck of the building’s only residential suite when a cigarette butt that had been thrown into a planter smouldered and set mulch and other dry material ablaze around 4 a.m. Pike said the fire ran up an exterior post and beam and was starting to spread through the attic of the building when the sprinkler system kicked in.

When firefighters arrived, the fire in the attic had been suppressed and all that remained was to douse the flames on the exterior.

“That sprinkler system saved the building,” Pike said. “Pier 17 is still here because of the sprinklers.”

The two people in the unit at the time were able to get out safely after being awakened by the smoke alarm.

The businesses that suffered water damage included Gourmet Girl Café and the constituency office of Powell River-Sunshine Coast MLA Nicholas Simons.

Simons said the damage to his office was extensive and they will need to move into a temporary space for as long as four months during repairs.

“I’m looking forward to being part of the FUSE space until repairs are complete at Pier 17,” Simons told Coast Reporter this week.

The Fuse Work Hub was recently opened by the Sunshine Coast Regional Economic Development Organization at Teredo Square in Sechelt.

Constituents will be able to contact the office at the same number: 604-741-0792.

The owners of Gourmet Girl said May 9 via their Facebook page that they did not expect to be closed long. They reopened May 16.

“Thankfully there were no injuries, and we hope to be back up and running in the next few days,” the post said. “If you see a firefighter or other first responders around town, give them a high-five for being so helpful and supportive.”

Pike said the other businesses on the upper floor should also be able to reopen soon.

He said the incident should serve as a reminder that it’s not safe to dispose of cigarettes or other smoking material in planters, as they can often smoulder undetected for hours and then burst into flame.

Apartment Building, Residential

Vancouver, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system assists firefighters in knocking down apartment fire

No one was hurt, but an apartment and three businesses have suffered some major damage after a fire Sunday morning near Abbott and Water Street in Gastown. A discarded cigarette lighter seems to have been what started it. Fire crews were called to the unit near Abbott and Water Street, when smoke was reported by neighbours. Dave Rosenlund, Assistant Chief with Vancouver Fire and Rescue says it took time to knock out the flames.

“Crews got there, the sprinkler system had been activated from the building, and combustibles from the suite were on fire at the time when crews entered the suite,” he says. There’s some structural damage to the apartment, as well as water damage to three businesses located below the suite. Rosenlund says it’s a reminder to be cautious if you smoke indoors. “When smoking in your room, just be careful of how you dispose of your matches or turn your lighter on and off,” he says.