Tag Archives: Canada

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.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Montreal, QC, Canada – Sprinkler system limits spread of fire at Atwater Market

The Atwater Market has reopened following an early morning fire at one of the food stands attached to the exterior of the building.

The structure is a temporary extension to the market during the winter months, built with removable walls and awning.

Firefighters were called to the scene at 3:30 a.m. on Friday.

Martin Farmer, chief of operations for the Montreal fire department, said flames and smoke could be seen jutting from the side of the building.

No one was injured, but damages are estimated at around $50,000.

Farmer said the building’s sprinkler system did its job, helping limit the spread of fire.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Chilliwack, BC, Canada – Kitchen fire at assisted living facility extinguished by sprinkler system

There were some nervous moments last night as the Chilliwack Fire Department (CFD) responded to reports of a fire at an assisted living facility on McIntosh Drive.  Neighbours reported on social media on Feb. 21 after 8:30 p.m. some visible smoke at Cascade Manor Assisted Living.  When firefighters from Halls 1 and 4 arrived they found a stovetop fire in the kitchen of a residential unit that had been completely extinguished by the facility’s automatic sprinkler system.

The CFD said the sprinkler system significantly limited fire damage to a small area around the stove and the kitchen cabinets. “Without a working sprinkler system in place, this fire had the potential of causing extensive fire, smoke and water damage to the care facility,” the CFD said in a press release.

There were no civilian or firefighter injuries reported.

The cause of the fire is under investigation by fire officials and is believed to be accidental in nature.

“The Chilliwack Fire Department strongly promotes the installation of automatic fire sprinkler systems in homes. The presence of an automatic fire sprinkler system in conjunction with a working smoke alarm greatly reduces the risk of being injured or dying in a fire.”

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Lake Country, BC, Canada – Overnight fire at high school contained by sprinkler system

Fire broke out at a Lake Country high school overnight.  Lake Country Fire Chief Steve Windsor says firefighters were called to George Elliot Secondary just after 10 p.m. Friday.  A fire caused considerable water and smoke damage to a classroom.  The fire started in a waste paper basket and was contained by the school’s sprinkler system.  The school district had a restoration company en route as of late Friday, to mitigate the damage.

Hotel / Motel

Fort St. John, BC, Canada – Laundry fire at Super 8 Hotel put out by sprinkler system

Firefighters in Fort St. John were called out to a small laundry room fire at the Super 8 Hotel.  Fire Chief Fred Burrows said that crews were called out to the hotel in the 9500 block of Alaska Road North at approximately 6:30 in the morning. Burrows said that a small fire had broken out in the hotel’s laundry room and that the small fire was extinguished by the hotel’s sprinkler system by the time firefighters arrived.  Burrows said the hotel’s occupants were evacuated to the hotel’s lobby when the fire alarm sounded and were given the all-clear to return to their rooms once crews ensured that the fire was put out. The hotel’s General Manager Lourdes Samodio said that the incident lasted only roughly five minutes and that no one was hurt in the incident. She declined to comment further on the matter.  Burrows said that the laundry itself sustained minor damage and that apart from the appliances and cleaning supplies stored in the room, the rest of the hotel was unscathed. According to Burrows, the cause of the fire is still under investigation, but that the fire at this point is not deemed suspicious.

Manufacturing, Paper Mill / Saw Mill

Quesnel, BC, Canada – Early morning fire at sawmill controlled by plant’s sprinkler system

A fire at Tolko Mills on Two Mile Flat had Quesnel Volunteer Firefighters out in force at 2:30 a.m. today (Jan. 17).  A total of 18 fire department personnel attended, along with three engines and one ladder truck, says director of emergency services Sylvain Gauthier.  The fire was in the main sawmill, and was contained to this area by the mill’s sprinkler system. There was some damage to the mill’s structure and to electrical wiring.  Gauthier told the Observer that the fire was caused by a spark from a welder.  The Quesnel Fire Department was on the scene for just over three hours. Representatives at Tolko have said they are doing their best to get the mill back up and running as quickly as possible. This could happen as early as this afternoon or tomorrow (Jan. 18).

Apartment Building, Residential

Chilliwack, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system contains apartment fire caused by cooking illegal drugs

Cooking illegal drugs led to an explosion in a unit at a downtown Chilliwack apartment building Sunday evening.

The two occupants of the suite escaped without injury, but at least two units in the New Mark are damaged after the incident just after 7 p.m.

“We are just fortunate that nobody was injured,” RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Mike Rail said Monday.

The Chilliwack Fire Department (CFD) and Mounties were called to the scene after the report of an explosion in the Yale building of the New Mark condo complex.

Fire Chief Ian Josephson said that upon arrival they found a sprinkler head had activated extinguishing the fire.

“[The] majority of the damage in the unit was related to the vapour explosion with minor fire, smoke and water damage contained to the kitchen,” according to a CFD press release.

And while some residents on social media reported a drug lab exploded, or the incident was caused by a methamphetamine operation, Rail said it was a minor incident and not a meth lab.

Rail said an investigation is underway but no one was arrested Sunday evening.

The CFD said the fire was caused by the cooking of illegal drugs on the stove using a flammable gas.

Many of the residents of the New Mark were forced out on the street Sunday night, and some said there was a bad smell coming from the unit.

One resident who attended the unit after the explosion said the “kitchen was blown apart and there’s a huge hole in the wall.”

A photo posted on Facebook shows exposed beams of a wall inside one unit in the apartment.

A resident who said she lives below the unit in question said much of her property is seriously damaged by water after the fire was put out.

Speculation on social media quickly went towards the fire’s cause coming from illegal drug cooking of some kind in the apartment.

“[It’s] definitely really suspicious as the guy in the unit was saying something was on the stove and then the explosion happened but the female from the unit said they were just cooking spaghetti,” one neighbour said.

 

Residential, Residential High Rise

Halifax, NS, Canada – Fire on 26th floor of high rise apartment building controlled by sprinkler system

Fire crews responded to reports of a fire at Fenwick Tower in Halifax on Wednesday. They were called at about 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday after a fire broke out on the 26th floor. Deputy Chief Roy Hollett says the building’s sprinkler system controlled the fire, and firefighters were able to put it out completely. Power was shut off to the building and there is water damage from the 26th floor and below. While the Canadian Red Cross was called in to prepare emergency shelter for residents, the city said late this afternoon that the decision had been made to allow tenants to remain in the building. Power is being restored one floor at a time, while building electricians make repairs.

Restaurant

Waterloo, ON, Canada – Suspicious early morning fire at restaurant controlled by sprinkler system

The Ontario Fire Marshall has deemed a fire in a Waterloo restaurant suspicious. Firefighters were called to a restaurant on King Street North, south of University Avenue just before dawn Friday morning. Fire officials say a sprinkler was able to mostly keep the fire under control before firefighters arrived at the scene. No injuries were reported.