Tag Archives: Canada

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Wallaceburg, ON, Canada – Second floor hotel fire controlled by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Firefighters who broke into a Wallaceburg building to help residents escape a blaze Monday morning said the sprinkler system prevented the situation from becoming tragic.

According to a release from the Chatham-Kent Fire and Emergency Services, they were called just before 8am to a fire at Sam’s Hotel in Wallaceburg. Firefighters could see smoke issuing from a second-floor window when they arrived.

Assistant Fire Chief Adam Walters attended the scene and said things could have been worse if not for the sprinklers.

“The presence of the sprinkler system in this building was a vital safety feature that protected the occupants during this emergency,” Walters said. “The cause of the fire is still under investigation and we are currently working with Police and partner agencies to ensure the occupants are safe and accommodated whilst this matter is being dealt with.”

Firefighters said it was unclear what was on fire and if anyone was still inside, but crews made a quick entry into the building wearing breathing apparatus. After a rapid knockdown of the fire, the release said crews assisted residents in evacuating the building. No injuries were reported.

Chatham-Kent Fire and Emergency Services want to remind residents that when a fire occurs, they need to get out as soon as possible, call 911 and stay out of the building. The service added it is important to sit down with your family to make a step-by-step plan for escaping from a fire.

Chatham-Kent victim services are currently assisting those who have been displaced by this fire.

Government Office, Government/Military, Office Building

Edmonton, AB, Canada – No injuries reported in 11th floor office blaze; Sprinkler system activated to assist firefighters

A fire at a downtown Edmonton office building has displaced hundreds of Alberta government employees and crippled critical online industrial applications handled by government computer servers.  According to Environment and Parks spokesperson Matt Dykstra, 465 government employees across five ministries have been moved to different offices, or are working from home while damage is being repaired.

“There was smoke and water damage from the sprinkler systems that impacted a few different floors as well as the air conditioning system for the building,” said Dykstra.  “The hot weather that we have right now makes it unsafe for employees to be working in that building at this time.”  The July 30 fire, on the 11th floor of the Forestry Building, 9920 108th St., also affected the data centre in the mechanical room.  “It’s rendering the Alberta Environment and Parks server non-operational,” Dykstra said.

He said the public won’t notice any delays, but a notice posted on the Environment and Parks website says that due to the fire, telephone calls to the information centre will not be answered, and all inquiries must be made by email.  There will also be an impact on industry. The damaged computer servers are used by the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER).

The service disruption means online applications that would normally take two or three days to process will be slower. In an online bulletin, the AER said applications done manually will now take up to two weeks to approve.

AER spokesperson Shawn Roth said in an email a workaround has been developed in meantime.  “The AER will be manually processing applications for Temporary Field Authorizations (TFAs), seismic exploration permits, and formal land disposition applications and issuing temporary approvals by email until the systems are restored.”

However, the AER bulletin also indicated some work has been put on hold, until the servers are back in operation. The AER said it is unable to accept new applications for formal land dispositions, or to process TFA applications that require documentation on First Nations consultation. The Alberta government leases the Forestry Building office space from Vancouver-based property management and investment firm, QuadReal Property Group.

Dykstra said he doesn’t know when employees will be back in the building or when the computer servers will be working again. The cause of the fire has not been determined, and there is no estimate of damage.

Other - Retail, Retail

Ohotoks, AB, Canada – Fire at mattress store extinguished by sprinkler system

A small mattress fire in the local Sleep Country store last night was contained thanks to an indoor sprinkler system.  Okotoks Fire Chief, Ken Thevenot, says they were called in a timely fashion thanks to a witness who saw the mattress ignite inside the store.  “There was a person on scene that witnessed the fire on a mattress in the Sleep Country business,” he said.  He says they were called out around 9 p.m., and when crews arrived on scene the indoor sprinkler system had mostly extinguished the small fire.

“When crews arrived, they did see the sprinkler system was activated and the fire was extinguished from those systems. We entered the building, cleared out the smoke and checked the hot spots, and it appeared to be a non-suspicious fire,” said Thevenot. The Okotoks Fire Department is investigating the cause as of today, as there is a possibility it was caused by a short in the store’s track lighting, however, the investigation to determine the cause is indefinite.  The Sleep Country store is closed until further notice, and we’ll update the story as it progresses.

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.

Government/Military, Other-Government/Military

Toronto, ON, Canada – Arson fire at historic building controlled by sprinkler system

Police have taken over the investigation into a fire at Old City Hall on Monday night after investigators determined that it was deliberately set.

Toronto Fire Chief Matthew Pegg told CP24 on Tuesday morning that investigators with the Ontario Fire Marshal and Toronto Fire Services made the ruling after wrapping up an extensive investigation at the historic building at around 4:30 a.m.

“I can confirm that the fire was intentionally set. It is now in the hands of the detective at Toronto police,” he said.

The one-alarm blaze broke out in the southeast corner of Old City Hall at around 8 p.m.

Pegg said that crews first became aware of the fire after the building’s sprinkler system went off.

He said that the damage from the blaze is estimated at about $100,000, which he called “extraordinarily low” given the circumstances.

“We are very fortunate that that this building has sprinklers and that the system worked as designed. It would have been a much different scenario had that not been the case,”: he said. “We had three sprinkler heads activate last night. The sprinkler system controls the growth, development and spread of the fire so in essence it keeps it in check until our firefighters arrive and can suppress the fire.”

Pegg said that there is smoke and water damage from the fire but no structural damage.

According to a spokesperson from the Ministry of the Attorney General, the fire impacted the Provincial Offences Act appeals office but did not damage any paperwork related to criminal cases.

“The Provincial Offences Act appeals office and matters scheduled in one courtroom have been moved within the building. The courts remain operational at this time,” Brian Gray said.

No information has been released about potential suspects at this point.

Food Processing, Manufacturing

Leamington, ON, Canada – Fire at food processing facility limited by sprinkler system

The Leamington Fire Department responded to a call at Top Line Farms, on the 500 block of Essex Road 18 around 6 p.m. Saturday.  Flames were pouring through a large portion of an outside wall when fire crews arrived.  Fire officials say the blaze appears to have been caused by an improperly discarded cigarette.  They have put an initial damage estimate of $2.3 million on the fire, but say damage to product inside the facility is still being assessed.  The Leamington Fire Department credits the facilities sprinkler system with helping to contain the fire.  Topline Farms markets a variety of hothouse specialty produce.

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 - Manufacturing

Tilbury, ON, Canada – Industrial fire confined to point of origin by sprinkler system, Fire Chief says

Chatham-Kent firefighters tackled an industrial fire Saturday in Tilbury.  Officials say they first got the call shortly before 4pm, on a report of an activated fire alarm at 28 Mill St. W.  When firefighters arrived, they found the building filled with smoke and upgraded the call to a structure fire.  C-K Fire Assistant Chief Philip Thorburn said crews put a hose line into the building and found fire inside a piece of equipment. The fire was soon put out with the building’s sprinkler system confining it to the point of origin. Two C-K Fire companies responded to the incident. No injuries were reported. Damage estimates are at $10,000.

Office Building, Other Business

Penticton, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system helps limits spread of fire in 75-year old building

A fire in Penticton’s Cannery Trade Centre was contained before it could spread through the heritage building.  John Cain, one of the owners, said there was no downtime for businesses located in the building. They were able to open Monday morning.

“Everybody has co-operated marvelously, and our tenants have been outstanding and understanding. Everybody is working,” said Cain. “Jill Bateman, the administrator, has been looking after this miraculously.”

Penticton firefighters were called to the Cannery, which houses a variety of businesses in the 75-plus-year-old building, at about 1 a.m. on June 25. They arrived to find alarms ringing and the sprinkler system activated.

When they entered the building, they also found smoke, which they were able to trace to the second-floor residence.  Crews were able to fight the fire from the interior and contain it to the area of origin, though it was scaled up to a third alarm. Capt. Dennis Smith of the Penticton Fire Department said that was because of the potential of the fire to grow into a major event, especially considering the size and age of the building.

“We were travelling right through the building,” he said. “We just called out some help sooner rather than later.

“It’s always a bit of a challenge to figure out what the structure is composed of when we are into those buildings. Especially an older one like that. It’s been here for decades, with lots of additions and alterations.”

Smith said the fire sprinkler system played a big part in helping contain the fire to a limited area. “We have fire inspections regularly, and I can tell you the building management down there is on top of things there as far as fire systems and maintaining their building,” said Smith. “That’s one of the reasons that fire was handled efficiently and quickly, and without a huge loss. The fire prevention aspects were all functioning well.

Smith said the fire appears to have started on the exterior of the building, spreading up through the soffit and into the attic. But the exact cause will have to come from the fire inspector, who was on scene Monday morning.