Tag Archives: Canada

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. 

Other Business, Recycling / Waste Facility

Coteau-du-Lac, QC, Canada – (No media coverage) Fire in recycling bay contained to bay by fire sprinkler system, saving building structure

On the morning of July 2nd 2019 a fire ignited in a recycling bay at CRI Environment Inc. located at 75 du Progrès in Côteau du Lac, Quebec and when the firefighters arrived at 9:00AM the fire was contained in the bay of origin by the activation of multiples sprinkler heads and was finally put out manually soon after. A total of 21 large orifice upright sprinklers fed by a dry pipe system activated and saved the building structure according to the staff.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Montreal, QC, Canada – Suspected arson fire at pizzeria put out by fire sprinklers before firefighters arrive; No injuries reported

A suspicious fire occurred early Sunday morning at a Saint-Leonard restaurant, according to Montreal police.

Authorities received a call at 12:25 a.m. of a fire at a pizzeria on Langelier Boulevard and Magloire Street, said police spokesperson Julien Lévesque.

The building’s sprinkler system put out the fire by the time firefighters arrived on site.

The back door of the business was smashed open and an accelerant material was found at the scene, said police.

There were no injuries or witnesses. The business was closed when the incident happened. Most of the damages were caused by the accumulated water from the sprinklers and not the fire.

There are no suspects at this time, said Lévesque.

The case is being investigated by the police’s arson unit. The site is closed off for investigation.

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.

Restaurant

Corner Brook, NL, Canada – Pizza shop fire contained with help from sprinkler system

The Boston Pizza restaurant in Corner Brook will be closed until further notice after an oven fire Monday morning. An activated fire alarm notified the Corner Brook Fire Department of the fire at around 7:21 a.m. Deputy Fire Chief Craig Harnum said it appeared there was some sort of malfunction in a propane oven. He said the restaurant’s sprinkler and fire suppression systems worked and, although there was heavy smoke, there was only a small fire that was quickly doused by a portable fire extinguisher by firefighters upon arrival. Harnum said there was smoke damage to the Corner Brook Plaza business, but the fire damage was limited to the commercial oven that he said was completely destroyed.

There was no one inside the business when the fire started, noted Harnum. The Western Star requested an interview with someone from Boston Pizza. In an emailed reply, the restaurant confirmed the fire was contained to a single piece of kitchen equipment and the restaurant is temporarily closed to investigate the exact cause and to determine what is required to quickly restore regular operations.

“Our plan is to re-open as soon as possible,” the statement said. “In the meantime, we appreciate the patience and understanding of our staff and guests while we quickly work to remedy the situation.”