Tag Archives: Ontario

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/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.

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.

Residential, Residential High Rise

Waterloo, ON, Canada – Unattended cooking pan causes stove fire; Sprinkler system activated

A fire in a highrise student building has caused more than $150,000 in damage and required some of the students to be evacuated from their unit.

Waterloo fire department responded to a call at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Preston House, 315 King St. N., which is between Columbia Street and University Avenue.

The fire was caused by someone cooking on the stove who had left the pan unattended, said platoon chief Earl Reitzel.

The sprinkler system went off and the flow of water created “quite a lot of damage” to that unit, several units immediately below, and to the elevator shaft. A total of seven people are affected.

The building managers will find other places in the building for the tenants to stay, if necessary, while the units are being cleaned up, Reitzel said.

Not paying attention while cooking is one of the major causes of fires, he said.

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Hamilton, ON, Canada – Sprinkler system helps limit damage, saves structure in food warehouse fire

The facility where all food for Fortino’s supermarkets is stored and packaged suffered heavy smoke damage after a multiple-alarm fire broke out in a back storage area Friday morning.  Firefighters were called to the commercial building on Rymal Road East around 9:22 a.m. and found a large fire in a room where cardboard is stored.  The building’s sprinkler system had activated and additional firefighters were called in to take on the flames with an “aggressive interior attack,” according to department spokesperson, Claudio Mostacci.  No injuries reported  Officials say smoke from the fire caused a total of $255,000 in damage, including $233,000-worth of food. Mostacci said the city’s Health Department was called in because of the damaged food. No injuries were reported. The Ontario Fire Marshal has been called in to investigate what caused the fire.