Tag Archives: Night (9pm-5am)

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Montreal, QC, Canada – Arson fire at pizzeria extinguished by sprinkler system

When eating out at a pizzeria in Montreal you can typically expect certain things to happen. First, you get your giant pizza pie and sit down at a diner-like table. Then, you can totally expect to get some of the sauce on at least one article of clothing.

Third, a Molotov cocktail hurls through the window and sets the restaurant on fire.

That last point may seem bizarre, but it’s exactly what’s been happening in pizza shops in the city. 

Around 3:30AM this morning one of the bombs was thrownthrough a window at California Pizza, in the Côte des Neiges neighbourhood. Firefighters arrived to find the flames dying out, thanks to the sprinkler system in the restaurant.

This isn’t the first time this has happened, unfortunately. In fact, over the past two weeks three known fires have been started by an arsonist in the city, according to CTV. They remain on the loose, so who knows what pizza shop they’ll be targeting next.

Thankfully, however, no one has been injured.

Not-so-surprisingly, Montreal actually has a bit of a problem with people setting things on fire. Just so you get an idea of how bad it is, below is a visual aid of firebombings in the city since 2009.

So, needless to say, we have a lot of arsonists running around the city. Montreal’s arson squad will be meeting with California Pizza today to examine security footage and attempt to identify who keeps setting pizzerias on fire.

So far, there’s no apparent motive.

Until the perpetrators are caught, you might want to stick with ordering delivery.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

College Hill, OH – Duct fire in air handling system at elementary school extinguished by sprinkler system; School in session next morning

A College Hill school suffered minor smoke and water damage after a fire Tuesday night.  Crews were called to Pleasant Hill Academy on W. North Bend Road just before 10 p.m. after an air handler reportedly overheated and caught fire.  Officials said the fire was contained and a sprinkler located in the air duct extinguished it.  The flames caused an estimated $15,000 worth of damage.  One classroom had significant fire damage and another had water damage.  No one was hurt.  School will still be in session Wednesday.

College/University (on campus), School / University

Victoria, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for arson fire at Camosun College

A 30-year-old Victoria man was arrested and could face charges after he was believed to have sparked fires at Camosun’s Interurban Campus and at the Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence early Sunday morning.

The incident has caused Camosun to close their PISE, Centre for Business/Access and Trades Centre buildings on their Interurban campus for assessment. Any classes Monday in those buildings are canceled for the day.

All other buildings on the campus are open.

The University of Victoria is allowing any paid PISE members to use their CARSA facilities on Monday and Tuesday, your current membership card is all that is required.

The Saanich Fire Department says they responded to the PISE building following a general alarms activation at 2:20 a.m., when they arrived they discovered a broken glass door and two small fires set. They were able to extinguish both quickly with help of the sprinkler system.

Around 15 minutes later an intruder and fire alarm were both tripped in the nearby Camosun College Interurban Campus at the Centre for Business and Access building. Saanich police were called to the scene and searched the building before allowing Saanich fire to extinguish the single small fire.

Officials say the man was apprehended after a K9 unit was called in.

Police are recommending serval charges of break and enter, arson, mischief and theft. The man is still in custody.

All of the fires are under investigation. One of the fires in PISE was set in the foyer at a bulletin board and was about one square-metre, the other was in the weight room and was three square-metres.

The fire in the CBA building was around one square-metre and was  from bulletin and poster boards set on fire.

As a result there was water damage for PISE in the specific areas and minimal damage to the CBA.

“Our major concern is health and safety of student and staff,” said Joan Yates, Camosun’s vice president of student services.

“We are continuing to ascertain the impact on buildings and air filtration… we are glad no one was hurt [but] it’s getting near the end fo term, not great timing but safety first.”

Most classes on the campus end next week.

The Saanich fire department says they were able to contain the fires quickly

“You never know what your going to get at a large building,” said Saanich Deputy Fire Chief Dan Wood.

“We often go to these buildings for false alarms… although our crews are trained to be ready for anything.”

As the sprinklers activated in the specific areas the alarms were activate, widespread water damage to the buildings did not occur.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

North Haven, CT – Sprinkler system activated in fire at manufacturing plant

Chief Paul Januszewski reports that the North Haven Fire Department battled an early morning fire at an industrial facility on Saturday, according to a news release.

Firefighters responded to the Parker-Hannifin Corporation, located at 33 Defco Park Road, at 3:11 a.m., after receiving a call from a police officer working a paid detail nearby. The officer reported smoke showing in the area. Upon arrival, firefighters had flames coming from the rear of a 32,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility.

The building’s sprinkler system had activated, but the fire alarm was not activated.

Fire was showing through the roof, and firefighters began an aggressive attack to attempt to limit the damage and keep the flames from spreading. Despite the cold weather doing its best hamper efforts, the crews were successful in stopping the fire, and containing the most serious damage to about 10 percent of the structure. The fire was declared under control at approximately 5 a.m.

No one was injured, but during firefighting efforts, it was determined that a large quantity of acids and other chemicals used in the manufacturing process were present at the scene and had spilled or leaked during the fire.

Chief Januszewski has declared a hazardous materials incident. The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection and a private environmental contracting company were called to the scene to access and clean the chemicals, and the North Haven Fire Department is providing decontamination for workers, as is standard procedure in these types of incidents.

“This was a challenging fire, with a large facility, bitterly cold conditions and the added element of unknown and potentially dangerous chemicals present at the scene,” Chief Januszewski said in a news release. “I would like to commend our overnight fire crews and mutual aid partners for working diligently to contain this fire to only one portion of the building, despite the fire’s head start with a non-functioning alarm system present in the building. Additionally, had it not been for the alert police officer in the area, the outcome may have been much worse.”

Officials believe at this time that the design of the building worked to mitigate any exposure of the chemicals to the ground and environment.

Interior operations and the fire investigation will begin a soon as all of the chemicals are identified and removed by the contractor.

Fire crews from Wallingford and Hamden also responded to the scene to provide mutual aid, and the North Branford Fire Department provided station coverage.

Once the cleanup is finished and fire investigation are underway, investigators will also look into why the fire alarm system, which had been inspected in the past calendar year, failed to notify the fire department. Chief Januszewski indicates that remodeling and construction work was taking place at the facility, and officials will investigate if that played any role in either the failure of the fire alarm of the outbreak of the fire.

Parker-Hannifin is a manufacturer of gaskets and seals for aircraft.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Wilkes-Barre, PA – Overnight fire in senior living center extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

City Fire Chief Jay Delaney said Wednesday a commercial dryer fire forced the evacuation of 61 residents from a senior living facility on North Sherman Street late Tuesday.  Residents returned to North Penn Manor at approximately 1 a.m. Wednesday, about three hours after the fire broke out in the laundry area of the facility.  Delaney praised building staff for a “well-coordinated evacuation” of residents, many wearing nightgowns and bed clothing when the fire broke out at about 10 p.m. Tuesday.

Residents initially were outside in two separate parking lots in cold temperatures. A sprinkler system extinguished the blaze that was contained to the laundry room.  Delaney said after conversing with the code enforcement office, it was decided it was safe for residents to go inside another part of the building.

“The staff did an excellent job at removing the residents in an orderly manner,” the chief said. “Given the time of night, residents were outside in nightgowns and bed clothing and hypothermia could quickly set in. After meeting with the city code enforcement, it was (determined to be) safe to place them in another wing of the building.”  Residents were then moved next door where the Wyoming Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross has its building.  No injuries were reported. Ambulance companies from Hanover Township, Kingston and Plains Township plus TransMed assisted at the scene.

Other - Manufacturing

Lodi, NJ – Fire in industrial building doused by sprinkler system

Sprinklers helped douse a fire in a Lodi industrial building last Sunday night  Firefighters “were met with heavy smoke and an activated sprinkler head,” the borough fire department said.  Crews stretched a hose line into the building, located the source of the fire and extinguished it, the department said.  No injuries were reported.  Firefighters from Garfield, Saddle Brook and Wallington assisted their colleagues at the Del Glenn Avenue blaze. Their Rochelle Park and Maywood colleagues covered the borough for them.  The Lodi Fire Prevention Bureau was investigating the cause.

Apartment Building, Residential

Grapevine, TX – Overnight apartment fire kept under control by automatic sprinkler system

One person was transported to a hospital after a fire at an apartment home in Grapevine early Monday morning.  The fire was contained to a downstairs unit at the Cross Creek at Grapevine apartments on Grapevine Mills Boulevard.  All units had sprinkler systems, so the fire was under control when firefighters arrived shortly after 1 a.m., officials said.  One person was transported to Baylor Scott & White Medical Center in Grapevine with minor smoke inhalation.

Restaurant

Lakeland, FL – Sprinkler system activates to help control fire over BBQ smoker at restaurant

An early morning fire Sunday over a barbecue smoker at Mojo Federal Swine & Spirits in downtown Lakeland caused about $30,000 in damages to the restaurant. Lakeland Fire Department Investigator John McGrath said Sunday the structure fire at 130 S. Tennessee Ave., was reported about 3 a.m. by Lakeland Police Department officers. The officers were dispatched for a burglar alarm and once they arrived, saw smoke in the kitchen area and called the fire department. McGrath said the LFD downtown station and Station 2 were dispatched and the fire was found in the crawl space above the smoker. After a forced entry and removing some of the roof area, firefighters were able to contain the blaze. He said one fire sprinkler was activated at the scene.

Other Business

Fairfield, OH – Overnight business fire knocked down by sprinkler system; Fire started in cardboard boxes

Crews called for assistance at a fire inside a Fairfield business early Tuesday morning.  Firefighters responded to a fire inside Innomark Communications inside Distribution Circle just before 1:30 a.m. Tuesday.  Fire officials say some cardboard inside the business caught on fire, causing heavy smoke inside the building.  A sprinkler system knocked down the fire and crews were able to finish putting it out quickly.  Fire officials say they called for extra crews as a precaution.  No one was injured.  The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Restaurant

Orland Park, IL – Sprinkler system extinguishes overnight restaurant fire

A sprinkler system at the Patio restaurant in Orland Park is being credited with limiting the damage caused by an early morning fire Thursday, officials said.  Firefighters were dispatched to the 7930 W. 159th St. business about 1:30 a.m. for an activated fire alarm and found smoke inside the building, a release from the Orland Fire Protection District said.  However, a sprinkler head had extinguished the fire that had started in one of the cooking oil fryers. Some fire remained in the ducts above the fryers and was extinguished by a hose, the release said.  “Orland Fire Protection District officials noted the sprinkler the important role the sprinkler played in preventing the fire from spreading and destroying the restaurant,” the release said.  “The sprinkler immediately activated as the fire began to spread to combustibles nearby saving the business from more extensive damage.”