Tag Archives: Canada

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Airdrie, AB, Canada – Sprinkler system extinguished kitchen fire in commercial building

The Airdrie Fire Department says an automatic sprinkler system extinguished a kitchen fire earlier this week in a commercial building and has shared a reminder about cooking safety.

Fire Chief Mike Pirie wrote in a social media post on Thursday that fire crews were called on Tuesday, Oct. 7, to a structure fire in a two-story commercial building on Kingsview Boulevard.

“On arrival, fire crews determined that the sprinkler system, located in a second-floor kitchen area, had activated and extinguished a fire which had been burning in a cooking pan left unattended on a stovetop,” Pirie wrote.

He said there were no staff or customers in the building at the time of the incident.

The department reminded residents to:

  • Never leave cooking unattended and stay in the kitchen when frying, grilling, broiling or boiling food.
  • Turn off the stove and remove the pot from the burner if you need to leave the room.
  • Use dry oven mitts and potholders to prevent scalding or burns.
  • Use the stove’s back burners whenever possible and turn pot handles inward to reduce the risk of pots being knocked over.
  • Keep potholders, oven mitts, wooden utensils and other combustible items away from the front and top of the stove.
  • Clean food and grease residue from the oven and stovetop once cooled.
Other - Residential, Residential

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

At approximately 11:55 pm Tuesday, the Kelowna Fire Department responded to a structure fire in the 1700 block of Gordon Drive. Initial arriving crews had audible alarms going off with people outside. Crews made entry to one of the units and found medium smoke conditions, the fire was contained to a single unit with the sprinkler system activated. Fire was extinguished quickly by initial arriving crew, but some water damage occurred to the single unit. The origin of the fire was on the back patio/balcony and unknown cause. There were no injuries to the resident or KFD personnel.

KFD responded with 3 Engine companies, Rescue truck, Ladder Truck and Command vehicle, for a total of 17 personnel.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Winnipeg, MB, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for arson fire at restaurant

A fire has forced downtown Winnipeg restaurant Commonwealth to temporarily close for repairs.

The restaurant, located at the corner of McDermot Avenue and Main Street, sustained damage after someone reportedly broke a window with bricks and started a fire inside, according to a Facebook post on Thursday by managing partner Nikola Maharajh.

The post said the building’s sprinkler system was triggered by the fire, causing additional damage.

Maharajh added that the restaurant may remain closed for “a few weeks, if not months.”

College/University (on campus), School / University

Hamilton, ON, Canada – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire at university research lab; No injuries reported

A small fire in the basement of the Communications Research Laboratory, located near the Engineering Technology Building, was quickly extinguished Wednesday afternoon.

The sprinkler system put out the fire and the building was safely evacuated. There were no injuries reported.

The building was briefly closed to be ventilated and assessed for water damage, and has now been cleared and reopened by the Hamilton Fire Department.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Port Alberni, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for fire at secondary school; No injuries reported

Alberni District Secondary School will reopen Friday following a fire — with the exception of one small room near the source of the blaze that needs added remediation. 

Classes were cancelled Thursday after a fire broke out before the school day started, the Pacific Rim School District said.  The school has about 1,300 students in Grades 8 through 12.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Staff and the few students on site escaped the building without incident and the situation was quickly brought under control, the district said.

The school’s water-suppression system activated immediately and the Port Alberni Fire Department was at the scene within minutes.

Fire Chief Mike Owens said the fire appears to have started in a classroom space adjacent to the school’s auto mechanics area.

Owens said the fire damage was confined to the classroom of origin.

“A lot of the fire was knocked down by the sprinkler system, so there was quite a bit of water involved,” he said.

He said the school is a concrete structure, so it handled the water better than a wooden building would have.

Fire investigators remained on scene through Thursday morning.

The building was closed for the remainder of the day to allow for cleanup.

Port Alberni firefighters received assistance at the fire from the Sproat Lake Volunteer Fire Department, the Beaver Creek Volunteer Fire Department and the Cherry Creek Fire Department.

The school district said it was “deeply grateful” for the quick response from the fire departments, “as well as the quick actions of our staff in ensuring everyone’s safety and minimizing damage.”

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Hope, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire at multi-unit facility; No injuries reported

A building fire on Park Street was put out quickly thanks to the property’s fire sprinkler system. 

Thirteen firefighters were on scene Tuesday evening (Dec. 3) after a fire broke out inside a multi-unit facility. According to the fire department, the crew arrived to find the building had been evacuated and that the fire had been extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system.

“This situation could have been worse,” said Deputy Fire Chief Joshua Westcott. “Fire sprinklers saved lives and property tonight.”

The fire occurred in one of the units which “sustained significant smoke and fire damage.” Emergency Support Services (ESS) provided assistant to the resident of his unit and firefighters focused on “ventilating and mitigating water runoff.” As a result, residents were able to safely return back to their units.

No one was injured though one person was treated on scene for smoke inhalation.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Richmond Hill, ON, Canada – Sprinkler system extinguishes arson fire at cinema; No injuries reported

Police have released new video footage that appears to show two suspects using Molotov cocktails to start a fire inside a Richmond Hill cinema while movie-goers were still inside.

The incident happened at a cinema near East Beaver Creek Road and Highway 7 at around 11:10 p.m. on Sunday.

In the video released by police, two suspects are seen arriving at the theatre in a grey SUV and then walking into its lobby.

One of the suspects then places a bag on the ground beside some movie posters.

At that point, both suspects light what appear to be Molotov cocktails and toss them at the bag, causing it to ignite.

The suspects then run out of the theatre and get into the awaiting SUV, which speeds away from the scene.

The whole incident unfolds in approximately 22 seconds.

Police say that the sprinkler system was activated and extinguished the fire.

“There were occupants in a second-floor theatre, however, there were no injuries,” a press release issued on Tuesday notes.

Police say that the vehicle that the suspect arrived in is a grey Acura RDX that was reported stolen in Toronto two days prior.

Police say the first suspect had a medium build and was last seen wearing black shoes, black pants, a black hooded sweatshirt with a white shirt underneath, black gloves and a mask.

The second suspect is also described as having a medium build. He was last seen wearing white shoes, black pants, a grey hooded sweatshirt, black gloves and a mask.

Police are urging anyone with information about the incident to come forward.

Apartment Building, Residential

Langford, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system controls fifth-floor fire at apartment complex

Sprinklers prevented a fire in a six-storey Langford housing complex on Saturday night from turning into something much worse, says Langford Fire Rescue Chief Chris Aubrey.

Aubrey said his department was called about 8:30 p.m. to Hockley House on Hockley Avenue, and residents reported smoke on the fifth floor when crews arrived.

There were also some reports of an explosion being heard, which prompted a request for assistance from departments in Colwood, View Royal and Esquimalt.

Langford crews found a fifth-floor unit where a small fire had been controlled by the sprinkler system.

Since it turned out to be a relatively minor incident, the other departments were told to stand down, Aubrey said. “The fire could have been much larger but the sprinklers controlled it.”

He said nothing was found in the suite that indicated there had been an explosion.

“It might have been the sound of the sprinklers activating — sometimes they make a loud bang,” Aubrey said. “And we’re checking to see if there were any aerosol cans or something like that that might have been affected by the fire.”

Residents were evacuated from the 120-unit building but all but one were able to get back inside in a few hours, Aubrey said. One person was checked out by paramedics and did not have to be hospitalized.

The street was reopened by 10:30 p.m.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Bradford, ON, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for apartment fire at senior complex

One person was transported to hospital for precautionary reasons following a fire at a Bradford seniors complex Monday night.

Bradford Fire and Emergency Services crews were called to 100 Miller Park Ave. shortly after 10 p.m. They arrived on scene to find a fire in the bedroom of a third-floor unit.

The department says there was one person in the apartment and they were taken by County of Simcoe paramedics to hospital.

“Sprinklers helped contain the fire to the room of origin,” Fire Chief Michael Rozario said Tuesday morning. “There is water damage in several units below.”

The affordable-housing complex is operated by the Simcoe County Housing Corporation, a division of the County of Simcoe.

Rozario says affected residents are receiving support from the county.

County social housing director Brad Spiewak says water from the sprinkler system damaged three other units, but no residents were displaced.

“Our building fire systems were immediately activated containing the fire to one unit,” he said. “One resident stayed offsite to allow for further cleanup. Social services staff were on-site until Tuesday morning for clean up and to ensure the safety of all residents and work continues today and into this week. All efforts are being made to move affected residents back into their unit as quickly as possible.

“Thankfully, no residents reported serious injury.”

Apartment Building, Residential

Kelowna, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for fire on fifth floor apartment deck

An apartment building’s sprinkler system kept a minor fire on a fifth floor deck from expanding early Friday morning.

Just before 6 a.m. on Oct. 18, the Kelowna Fire Department (KFD) responded to a call for a structure fire at a six-story apartment building in the 800 block of Leon Avenue. When the initial crew arrived at the scene, no smoke or flames could be seen from the apartment’s exterior.

Upon further review, a small fire was found on a fifth floor deck. The sprinkler system kept the fire from expanding and crews extinguished the rest of the blaze.

The building’s fire alarm went off and everyone evacuated safely. After the blaze was doused, everyone was able to go back to their homes. No one was injured and one person was treated for minor smoke inhalation.

KFD has deemed the fire accidental and it’s no longer under investigation. They responded with three engines, one rescue unit, one ladder truck, and one command unit, totaling 18 fire personnel.