Tag Archives: British Columbia

Apartment Building, Residential

Victoria, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system activates; Helps control fire at low-income apartment building

Victoria Fire Department crews were called to a building on Swift Street and Store Street near Fisgard on Wednesday night after reports of a fire.  Upon arrival around 6:50 p.m., crews investigated and found a grease fire in one of the units at 467 Swift, a building operated by Victoria’s Cool Aid Society.  Fire officials say the flames were quickly extinguished.  The lone occupant of the suite suffered a minor burn to one hand and was examined by BC Ambulance Paramedics.

The incident did trigger the sprinkler system and fire crews remained on scene to deal with water issues in the affected suite and elsewhere in the building.  The cause is believed to be accidental. The Victoria Fire Department estimates the cost of the water damage to the first and third floors to be approximately $100,000. All tenants except the one living in the affected unit are expected to be able to return home Wednesday night.

Fire / Police Station, Government/Military

Delta, BC, Canada – Arson fire in police building lobby controlled with help from sprinkler system

A man has been arrested after police in Delta say he set fire to couches in the lobby of the Delta Police Public Safety Building. “Fortunately there were no injuries,” Delta PD’s Cris Leykauf says. “The man was quickly arrested and is currently in custody.”

Police say the man walked into the building in North Delta around 1:30 p.m. on Saturday with a jerry can in hand, soaking the furniture with gasoline and lighting it on fire. The fire caused the building sprinkler system to go off, and the building was evacuated.

Police Chief Neil Dubord says staff responded quickly and were able to put out the flames.  “The firemen who were also in the building, heard the commotion going on into the front and came out as well and helped to extinguish the fire,” Dubord tells NEWS 1130. “One of our officers that was in the back was able to get out in the front, as well, and quickly arrest the suspect before he was able to get away from the location.”

While the building is still staffed, police say it’s been closed to the public due to significant smoke, fire and water damage in the lobby.  The suspect remains in custody and will likely face charges.  In the meantime, Dubord says their building is still being repaired, and they’re hoping to re-open later this week.  You can always call 604.946.4411 if you need any non-emergency police assistance over the long weekend. The headquarters in Ladner is also open.

Apartment Building, Residential

Vancouver, BC, Canada – Apartment building fire contained to single unit by sprinkler system

The sprinkler system installed at Isabella Court Apartments in Vancouver prevented a single-unit fire late Sunday morning from spreading, according to the Vancouver Fire Marshal.

The fire was reported at 11:14 a.m. at the large, four-story, 49-unit complex in the Bagley Downs neighborhood, according to dispatch records. The complex is owned by the Portland-based Reach Community Development nonprofit and opened last year, serving low income seniors.

Crews reported that the fire was extinguished in about 30 minutes.

Fire Marshal Heidi Scarpelli said a tenant was heating oil to cook french fries in their kitchen, and then they went to the bathroom.

The smoke alarm in the apartment began blaring, and the tenant returned to the kitchen to find the sprinkler system dousing a fire, Scarpelli said.

The sprinkler worked as intended, according to Scarpelli.

“We have similar buildings where systems haven’t been installed, and the outcome is dramatically different,” she said.

The cause of the fire was categorized as an unattended cooking incident.

There was significant damage to the third-story unit that caught fire, as well as some damage to a ventilation system.

Scarpelli said the monetary damage totals about $200,000. The building is worth $7.8 million, she said.

Lauren Schmidt, fundraising and public relations manager at Reach, said the two units below the fire’s origin were damaged by water. Three tenants have been displaced, she said. Two are staying in hotel rooms while the third moved to a vacant unit in the building.

There is no time estimate for when the units will be repaired.

Hotel / Motel

Victoria, BC, Canada – Fire in fifth floor hotel suite contained to room of origin by sprinkler system

Fire crews were able to contain a small fire in a suite on the fifth floor of 844 Johnson St. late Saturday (July 28) evening.  Three engines, a ladder truck, a rescue truck and a command vehicle from Victoria Fire Department responded to a call shortly after 11 p.m. and firefighters were on the scene for about an hour. Deputy Fire Chief Dan Atkinson said the cause of the fire is still under investigation but no injuries were reported.  “The sprinkler activated so that was able to aid in confining it to the suite of origin,” he said. “No occupants were found in the suite of origin so everyone was able to exit,” he added, referring to the evacuation of the 147-unit residential building operated by Portland Hotel Society.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Port Alberni, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system confines restaurant fire to one room

The Port Pub and CJ’s Place restaurant are closed indefinitely following a fire in a room above the pub on Saturday morning (July 7).

The Port Alberni and Cherry Creek fire departments responded to an alarm activation at the pub at around 8:30 a.m. “We found a fire had started in one of the rooms and the sprinkler had activated,” Port Alberni deputy fire chief Wes Patterson said. “Firefighters extinguished the fire.”

Patterson said there were no injuries in the fire, and it was caught early. “Fire and smoke damage was confined to one room, however with the water damage, power was shut off to the building,” he said.

“Thankfully the fire started in a sprinklered area of the building and the sprinkler minimized fire and smoke damage. It shows the importance of having a well-maintained sprinkler system.”

The fire happened in a room right above CJ’s Place and the kitchen. Manager CJ sat in the middle of her darkened restaurant late Saturday morning, tears filling her eyes as she looked around and thought about the damage. She opened her restaurant on May 1, taking over the former Port Sushi location and transforming it into a family restaurant.

“I’m devastated,” she said. “It’s my kitchen that got totally damaged; it’s all flooded.” Water was pooling in the area behind the front counter, down the hallway and in the kitchen. Water was dripping from the light fixtures in the storage room behind the kitchen.

CJ had come to the restaurant early to prepare an order for the Alberni Charity Golf Classic, taking place today at the Alberni Golf Course, but she wasn’t able to fulfill the order due to the water damage. She gave them a gift certificate instead.

“I’m sad because my staff aren’t working,” CJ said. She has four employees who work with her at the restaurant. “That’s my main thing. There’s going to be thousands and thousands of dollars of damage, I know.”

Patterson said the fire department is still investigating how the fire started. Fire restoration crews were in the pub by lunchtime, assessing damage.

CJ said she isn’t sure how long her restaurant or the pub will be closed, but said she will be ready to reopen as soon as she can.

“We’re going to rock this thing. I just want it open.”

Other Business

Victoria, BC, Canada – Fire in electrical room at historic theater doused by sprinkler system

Victoria Fire Department crews responded to a minor fire in an electrical room in the basement of the Belfry Theater on Friday night.  Alarms went off around 9:50 p.m., fire crews arrived and smelled smoke at the heritage building on Gladstone Avenue in Fernwood.  They say the sprinkler system was activated and had extinguished the flames before they could spread any further.

“The sprinklers were very effective at putting out the fire,” said Battalion Chief Doug Carey.  A fire investigator has been called in to try to determine the cause. There were no performances on Friday night but a fundraiser and silent auction for Peers Victoria is scheduled for Saturday evening. “There is some water damage down there so I have to see how bad it is,” said Ivan Habel, Executive Director at the Belfry Theatre.

“There is the smell of smoke so we need to see how quickly it will clear out.” The Belfry Theatre is housed in a former Baptist Church completed in 1892. Renovations were completed in 2000 with the restoration of the exterior. The building is listed in the heritage registry and has won a number of awards for its restoration.

Apartment Building, Residential

Campbell River, BC, Canada – Single sprinkler credited in controlling blaze in 48-unit apartment building

Officials in Campbell River are crediting a single sprinkler for preventing major damage to a new apartment building when a fire broke out last week. The blaze started on the fourth-floor of a 48 unit building in the 700-block of Merecroft Road just after midnight Thursday. The single sprinkler kept flames under control until fire crews arrived. There were no injuries although some tenants will be displaced for a few days while the water from the sprinkler is dealt with by the building owner.

“No one was home in that apartment, but occupants in the rest of the large complex were awoken by the fire alarm, and that single sprinkler helped contain the fire,” fire chief Ian Baikie said in a release. “This is a much better outcome than a fire in an unoccupied unit without fire sprinklers.”

Fire and smoke damage was confined to a single unit on the fourth floor and water from the sprinkler got into units below where the blaze occurred. Baikie said if not for the sprinkler, people would have been out of their homes for weeks or months.

Hospital/Care Facility

Chilliwack, BC, Canada – Sprinklers limit fire damage in supportive housing complex

A sprinkler system is being credited with limiting the fire damage in a supportive housing complex in Chilliwack Monday morning.

Firefighters responded to an alarm just before 3 a.m. from a building located in the 8900 block of School Street.

When they arrived, they determined the alarm had been triggered by a fire on the top floor of the four-storey structure. A sprinkler head had been activated due to a number of fires that had been intentionally set in one of the suites, said the Chilliwack Fire Department.

A single sprinkler had controlled and extinguished the fires.

Firefighters confirmed the fires were out and shut off the sprinkler system.

Majority of the damage in the unit was related to multiple fires apparently set by the lone tenant, the department said. There was minor water damage to the units below.

Crews from Chilliwack Firehalls 1 and 4 responded to call.

There were no firefighter injuries, and fire officials and RCMP fire investigators are continuing their investigation.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Nanaimo, BC, Canada – Intentionally-set fire at credit union knocked down by sprinkler system

A man is in psychiatric care after being arrested in Nanaimo yesterday.

Police responded to a break-in alarm at the Island Savings Credit Union branch at Cedar Village Square, 1840 Cedar Rd., shortly before 2 a.m. Wednesday.

Police are not identifying the suspect other than to say that he is 54 years old and from the B.C. Interior, but allege he broke windows and lit a fire which led to his arrest.

“He lit a fire in the cardboard recycling area of the receiving bay of the 49th Parallel Grocery store,” said Const. Gary O’Brien, Nanaimo RCMP spokesman. “He also threw a brick through one of the … windows at the credit union and he also broke a passenger side window to a car.”

O’Brien said there was a warrant for the man’s arrest under Canada’s mental health act.

“He offered no resistance. He was arrested immediately.” O’Brien said. “It was apparent to the members that were mental health issues at play and he was taken for a psych exam.”

The man remains in care at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital.

Percy Tipping, North Cedar Fire Rescue chief, said the fire, that was started in cardboard, spread to some shipping pallets. The heat from the fire triggered the building’s automatic sprinkler system.

“Which was good because it could have been a lot more serious … the sprinkler system took care of the bulk of it for us,” Tipping said.

O’Brien said police are looking at recommending charges, but also are taking into consideration the man’s mental health issues.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Fort St. John, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system helps contain fire at Sushi Heaven restaurant

The Fort St. John Fire Department has extinguished a kitchen fire at the Sushi Heaven restaurant this morning.

Fire Chief Fred Burrows said firefighters were called out to the restaurant in the plaza next to No Frills in Fort St. John shortly after 7:00 a.m. Wednesday.

The Fort St. John Fire Department has extinguished a kitchen fire at the Sushi Heaven restaurant this morning.

Fire Chief Fred Burrows said firefighters were called out to the restaurant in the plaza next to No Frills in Fort St. John shortly after 7:00 a.m. Wednesday.

He said that the fire investigator is currently conducting their investigation, and while the cause of the fire is currently not known, it is not deemed suspicious.