Tag Archives: Canada

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Salmon Arm, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for arson fire at Walmart

Police are investigating after a fire ignited Sunday afternoon inside the Salmon Arm Walmart.

The fire prompted the store’s evacuation around 4 p.m. on Aug. 4. Two employees outside the store said the blaze had allegedly been started by individuals who’d been using the changing rooms in the clothing area.

“The flames were shooting to the roof,” said one of the employees.

The Salmon Arm Fire Department and RCMP responded.

Salmon Arm RCMP spokesperson Const. Andrew Hodges confirmed police are investigating the suspected arson.

Salmon Arm Fire Chief Brad Shirley said the fire department received a report of a commercial structure fire just after 4 p.m. Firefighters from three fire halls were dispatched to the scene.

“Upon arrival, the fire involving hanging cloths had been mostly extinguished by staff and the sprinkler system,” said Shirley via email.

Shirley said damage from the fire was somewhat minor, though there was also smoke and water damage.

Grocery Store / Super Center, Retail

Vancouver, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system contains arson fire at Walmart; No injuries reported

The Walmart near the Vancouver-Burnaby border is closed until further notice after a suspicious fire.

Brad Hesse, assistant chief of operations for Vancouver Fire Rescue Services, said an emergency call came in around 10 a.m. Saturday.

He said it’s too early to confirm the fire was arson, but it was “strange” that videos from customers’ phones showed it appeared to spark on a sofa in the store’s furniture department.

Hesse said the store was quickly evacuated and there are no reports anyone was injured.

Firefighters had trouble pinpointing the source of the blaze because of the thick black smoke emanating from the furniture department.

He said the sprinkler system helped keep the fire contained to that section and that crews were able to fully douse it after about 45 minutes.

However, the store in the 3500-block of Grandview Highway has extensive smoke and water damage. Hesse said it’s likely a lot of the product in the store is compromised by the thick smoke that circulated during the fire.

Hesse said about 40 firefighters and nine fire trucks were called in to the second-alarm blaze.

Vancouver police are also investigating to determine the cause of the blaze.

“We urge anyone who witnessed anything unusual in the store around the time of the fire to contact investigators immediately,” said Const. Tania Visintin, in a news release on Sunday afternoon.

The company released a statement to media that said the fire was set deliberately.

“This appears to be a criminal act of arson that will unfortunately and unfairly impact our customers, associates and the local community who rely on the store,” Walmart said.

“Setting a fire in a public setting is shocking, dangerous, and shameful.”

The store will re-open as soon as the necessary clean-up and repairs are complete.

“We will do everything we can to ensure the arsonist is identified and held accountable, including assessing our legal options to seek compensation from the arsonist for the damages caused by this act,” reads the statement.

Damages are estimated to be in the millions.

Though Walmart has over a dozen outlets around Metro Vancouver, the Grandview location is the only one in the city proper.

Apartment Building, Residential

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

A Saturday evening balcony fire was quickly prevented from spreading after a sprinkler activated and doused the blaze.

Just after 5 pm, the Kelowna Fire Department received a call about a fire on the balcony of an apartment building in the 1200 block of Richter Street.

Upon arrival, the crews could see an activated sprinkler on the fourth-floor balcony, with no smoke or flames visible.

Crews went to investigate and found there had been a small fire on the balcony, which was contained by a sprinkler.

There was minor damage to the contents and the exterior of the apartment. No injuries were reported and all residents were able to return to their suites.

KFD responded with three engine companies, one ladder truck, a rescue truck and a command vehicle.

Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Kelowna, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for car fire in underground garage

The sprinkler system helped control the blaze until fire crews could put it out.

The West Kelowna Fire Department was able to stop a car fire in an underground parkade from causing extensive damage to the building.

Crews were called to 4215 Gellatly Road South just before 6 p.m. on June 21.

The vehicle was engulfed in flames and heavy black smoke upon arrival.

The overhead sprinklers activated and helped to contain the blaze until the fire department could extinguish it.

Residents of the building were evacuated safely and were able to return to their unit once it was deemed safe.

Residential, Townhouse / Condominium

Calgary, AB, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for cigarette fire on condo balcony; No injuries reported

A condo building in northwest Calgary had to be fully evacuated on Wednesday morning due to a balcony fire.

The Calgary Fire Department (CFD) says crews were called to a four-story residential building on Royal Oak Plaza NW near Country Hills Boulevard NW and Royal Birch Boulevard NW around 7:50 a.m.

Fire crews arrived to find a fire on a south facing balcony on the fourth floor. Officials say an outdoor balcony sprinkler activated and contained most of the fire.

The fire department says flames made their way into the attic space of the unit. The resident of the unit made attempts to extinguish the blaze but found it was too large.

“Fire crews hit the fire quickly with a master stream from a deck gun and then also deployed other apparatus including a ladder truck to continue firefighting efforts,” reads a release from CFD.

The entire 120 unit building was evacuated. The resident in the unit that caught fire escaped without injuries. Officials say no other injuries were reported.

Officials say one resident slept through the entire incident because he was wearing noise cancelling headphones.

“This is an important reminder that if people choose to use devices that significantly diminish their senses, this can put them at significant risk of missing lifesaving signals that there is an emergency and that they need to evacuate the building immediately,” reads the release.

CFD says most residents were being allowed back into their units by Wednesday afternoon.

Investigators determined the fire was unintentional and was cause by a cigarette butt being put in a planter pot. The fire department is reminding smokers to adhere to the following guidelines when disposing of smoking materials:

  • Use a deep, wide, sturdy metal container with a lid, filled part way with sand or water that should be emptied regularly.
  • Ensure all butts and ash are out by soaking them with water prior to putting in the trash.
  • Never put out cigarettes or smoking material in flower planter, peat moss, your lawn or garden.
  • Extreme caution should be used in the city’s natural areas and green spaces where extremely dry vegetation covering the ground provides readily combustible fuel if an ignition source is applied.
Other / Not Specified, Other Business

Penetanguishene, ON, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for suspicious fire in former hospital; No injuries reported

Fire officials say they battled flames at a former hospital in Penetanguishene on Monday, believing it suspicious.

Around 9:30 p.m., the Penetanguishene Fire Department responded to a report of a structure fire at 58 Church Street, fire chief Richard Renaud wrote in an email to Barrie 360.

He says crews arrived to find smoke and flames coming from the front door.

“The building, a sprinklered former hospital (Beechwood Hospital), was vacant and for sale at the time of the fire,” said Renaud. “Initial reports were that people were possibly inside. That information turned out to be false.”

Firefighters quickly knocked down the blaze and searched the building.

“The building’s operating sprinkler system kept the fire isolated to the area of origin,” said Renaud. “There were no operating smoke alarms in the building.”

The fire is considered suspicious, according to Renaud. The fire marshal has been contacted and OPP are securing the scene.

He added that there were no injuries to civilians or firefighters.

“[I] would like to remind everyone to make sure they have working Smoke and Carbon Monoxide alarms in their homes,” said Renaud. “Early detection is key in surviving a fire. Test your devices today.”

Other - Residential, Residential

Swift Current, SK, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for fire at multi-tenant building

A small late-night fire yesterday at a multi-tenant building in Swift Current was tackled mostly by the building’s fire suppression system.

The Swift Current Fire Department was called into action at 8:30 p.m. as alarms were ringing on the 300 block of 2nd Avenue Northwest.

Fire crews arrived to evacuation already underway but assisted two occupants from the building to safety.

Light smoke was seen coming from the building with the sprinkler system activated.

“They’ve been shown time and time again that they’re effective and they really help contain a fire until we get there,” Swift Current Fire Department Deputy Fire Chief Dean Diguer said.

Structural and content damage was noted but Diguer chalked that up mostly to water damage, not the fire itself.

The cause of the fire is unknown and is under investigation.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Vancouver, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for fire at hotel; No injuries reported

Some residents were displaced and several units had water damage after a fire broke out in another Vancouver single-room occupancy hotel on Monday morning.

The fire was reported just after 7 a.m. Monday at the Walton Hotel, at 261 East Hastings St. in the Downtown Eastside.

Vancouver Fire Rescue Services crews had the fire mopped up after about 90 minutes and left a notice for building managers to reactivate the sprinkler system right away.

“Firefighters isolate and turn off the sprinkler as close to the affected area as possible to limit water damage to the building as well as trying to keep as much of the system operational,” said Vancouver Fire spokesperson Capt. Matthew Trudeau.

“A service technician is required to put the system back in working order as soon as possible.”

Trudeau said no injuries were reported but “water damage has affected multiple units” leaving an unknown number of Walton hotel residents displaced.

He said searching rooms was difficult due to “extensive hoarding throughout many units.”

Residential, Townhouse / Condominium

Winnipeg, MB, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for fire at condo building; No injuries reported

No one was injured following a fire Monday evening in a Leila North condo building. 

The fire broke out just after 8 p.m. in a four-storey condo building in the 1200 block of Leila Avenue.

The condo’s sprinkler system knocked out most of the fire before crews arrived. Firefighters finished putting out the fire and it was declared under control about an hour later.

Residents took shelter in the lobby while crews put the fire out. No one was injured.

It’s believed the fire was accidental, related to lithium-ion batteries.

Other - Storage / Warehouse, Storage / Warehouse

Winnipeg, MB, Canada – Sprinkler system contains fire at industrial building; No injuries reported

At 8:34 p.m. on Thursday, February 15, 2024, the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service responded to a monitored fire alarm in an industrial building in the 1200 block of Fife Street.

When crews arrived to the scene, they found smoke coming from the structure. The fire was quickly brought under control, having been contained by the building’s sprinkler system.

There were no occupants in the building at the time of the fire. No injuries were reported.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. The building sustained smoke, fire, and water damage. Damage estimates are not available at this time.