Tag Archives: Canada

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.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

London, ON, Canada – Fire at retirement community extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

A heating pad is getting the blame after a small fire broke out a retirement community in London.  The London Fire Department said on Monday around 7:25 p.m., a smoke alarm notified fire crews of the fire in an apartment unit at The Manor Village at 230 Victoria St. When firefighters arrived, smoke could be seen coming from the apartment but the fire had already been extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system.  According to fire officials, the fire was caused by a heating pad that had been left too close to combustibles and resulted in a living room chair catching fire.

All of the residents affected were safely moved from the area by staff at the retirement home before firefighters arrived. No injuries have reported.  The fire and smoke damage were contained to the one apartment unit.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Niagara Falls, ON, Canada – Fire in high rise hotel quickly extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Multiple crews from Niagara Falls Fire Department were called to the Fallsview Boulevard highrise hotel about 3 p.m. Officials say the fire was quickly extinguished by the hotel’s sprinkler system. When police arrived, employees and guests had already evacuated the building. “If you are a guest in a hotel and hear the alarm system going, it’s safer to stay in your room and wait until you get instructions from the fire department on whether to leave or stay,” Boutilier advised. Just less than 30 firefighters were called to the scene, including volunteers from Station 4 in Chippawa. “We had Station 6, Crowland, to come in to cover the rest of the city while firefighters were at the hotel,” Boutilier added. No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire remains under investigation. No damage estimate was available but the Office of the Fire Marshal is investigating the incident.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

St. Catharines, ON, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for suspicious fire at sports bar and grill

Police and fire officials are investigating a suspicious fire at a bar on Glendale Avenue in Merritton early Monday.

St. Catharines firefighters were called to The Beach Sports Bar and Grill at 290 Glendale Ave. around 3:50 a.m. Monday.

The building was surrounded by yellow tape later that afternoon and the Ontario Fire Marshal’s office was on scene investigating with Niagara Regional Police.

A damage estimate was not immediately known. The sprinkler system activated and damage was not visible from the outside of the building. No other information was available.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Brantford, ON, Canada – Fire following explosion at paint factory is extinguished by sprinkler system

Investigators from the Ontario Fire Marshal’s office, Ministry of Labour and Brantford Fire Department are trying to determine the cause of a Thursday explosion that sent one person to hospital.  The explosion occurred at the Sherwin-Williams paint factory at 140 Garden Ave. at about 6:30 p.m.

The injured worker, a woman, was cleaning a vat when the explosion occurred, said Janet Deline of the Ministry of Labour.  The worker was taken to a Hamilton hospital for treatment. The spokesperson for the company said she’s OK.  No other injuries were reported.

“The incident remains under investigation,” Mike Conway, director, corporate communications for Sherwin-Williams, said in a statement sent to The Expositor. “Sherwin-Williams is working closely with Brantford officials to determine the cause.  “There is no impact to air or water supplies.”

Brantford firefighters were called to the plant, located in an industrial area, just after 6:30 p.m.  Firefighters confirmed an explosion had taken place and a fire had been extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system. Firefighters remained on the scene overnight and were still there Friday morning.  The Ontario Fire Marshal’s office was called immediately and investigators started work on Thursday and were continuing their investigation on Friday.

The blast caused a wall relief panel on the side of the building to pop open, fire prevention officer Scott Hardwick said Friday.  Walls in buildings like the paint factory are designed to pop out to relieve built-up pressure and prevent entire buildings from exploding, he added.

There are a lot highly inflammable materials in the plant, including solvents and paints.

The fire marshal’s office is called in to investigate incidents involving an explosion, Hardwick said.

Firefighters were called to the plant on Dec. 18, 2014 following an explosion and small fire. One male worker sustained minor bruises to his shoulder after being pushed into a wall during the explosion.

The worker didn’t require medical attention.

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.