Tag Archives: Ontario

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Mississauga, ON, Canada – Restaurant fire kept in check by sprinkler system; No injuries

Mississauga Fire is at a scene of a restaurant fire on Shepherd Avenue in the Cooksville area.
Emergency crews responded to a call at approximately 6:11 p.m. for a fire that originated in the kitchen of a restaurant in the area.
The sprinkler systems had been activated and the fire was extinguished by the time the firefighters arrived.
There are no injuries reported.

Hospital/Care Facility, Hospital/Medical Clinic

Richmond Hill, ON, Canada – Sprinkler system controls overnight fire at medical sleep clinic

A dozen patients at a Richmond Hill sleep clinic got a rude awakening early Tuesday morning when a small fire roused them from their beds.

Richmond Hill Fire and Emergency Services responded to the fire in the Oak Ridges Medical Centre at 13291 Yonge St. at 2:43 a.m. Tuesday.

On arrival crews encountered smoke coming from the restaurant in the rear of the building.

Firefighters helped remove 12 people from the stairwell and sleep clinic area, according to Richmond Hill’s fire chief Steve Kraft.

The flames were partially extinguished by the sprinkler system and fire crews extinguished the remaining fire.

“There were no injuries. It was a small fire that was kept in control with the sprinkler system of the building. Our crews arrived and they assisted getting some people out that were at the sleep clinic,” Richmond Hill deputy chief Bryan Burbidge said.

“We got the people out first and then went back in to finish extinguishing the fire and then remove the smoke.”

The patients were fine during the ordeal, despite the early wake-up call, Burbidge said.

“They were fine, other than lack of sleep,” he said.

While the cause of the fire has not yet been determined, it is not considered suspicious, Burbidge said.

Twenty firefighters, the chief officer and York Regional Police and paramedics worked to resolve the incident.

The medical building was expected to be fully operational this morning with the exception of the cafeteria.

Oak Ridges is in northern Richmond Hill, just south of Aurora.

Retail, Shopping Mall

Oakville, ON, Canada – Sprinkler system knocks down fire at shopping mall caused by welding sparks

The Oakville Fire Department says no one was injured after fire broke out at the Oakville Place shopping mall earlier this morning (Tuesday). Fire crews were called to the mall at around 9 a.m.  Deputy Fire Chief George Birtig said the fire started at the building’s south side when sparks from welding, which was taking place on the roof in an area undergoing renovations, dropped down into a storage area on the second floor and ignited some products there.

“That set off the sprinkler system,” said Birtig.  “When we got there, there was still some flame left, but the sprinklers had knocked down the majority of the fire.”

Firefighters quickly extinguished what was left of the blaze.  Birtig said the mall was not open when the fire took place and so no shoppers were impacted.  Oakville Place staff said they were hopeful the mall could be reopened around noon.

Apartment Building, Residential

Petersborough, ON, Canada – Garbage chute fire at apartment building kept in check by sprinkler system

A fire in a garbage bin at an apartment building caused $500 damage and prompted an evacuation of the building.

Peterborough Fire service responded quickly to alarm bells ringing at a high-rise building at 909 Clonsilla Ave. this afternoon.

Upon arrival it was determined that a garbage bin  under the building’s garbage chute was on fire. This activated the  sprinkler system which controlled the  fire until fire crews extinguished the fire.

Smoke had spread throughout the  building and crews were able to remove it.

The building tenants had evacuated the  building upon hearing the  alarms ringing.

The cause of the fire is undetermined, said acting platoon chief Lloyd Dozois.

Auto Dealership, Retail

Brampton, ON, Canada – Sprinklers help douse flames at auto parts shop

One victim was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries after a fire at a Brampton auto parts shop Monday.

Brampton firefighters were called to the unit at 225 Advance Blvd. around 7 p.m. They were met with thick, black smoke and limited visibility, but the sprinkler system inside the business had been activated.

Firefighters’ efforts combined with the sprinkler system doused the flames and the fire was declared under control by 7:30 p.m.

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined. One occupant of the unit was taken to Brampton Civic Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

An estimate of damage is not yet available.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

London, ON, Canada – Possible arson fire at school activates fire sprinkler system

London police and fire inspectors are investigating a case of arson at a northwest London elementary school Tuesday morning.  Firefighters were called to Wilfrid Jury Public School at 950 Lawson Road at around 5:06 a.m. after alarm bells sounded.

Upon arrival, smoke was visible inside the building and sprinklers were activated. Fire officials say there was a broken window at the back of the building, along with signs of forced entry inside. There was fire set inside a classroom, which was extinguished by the sprinkler system.

An early estimate pegs the damage at around $20,000.  There are currently no suspects in custody, or suspect descriptions at this time. The Thames Valley District School Board says all summer programs and childcare will be open, with some classroom adjustments.

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Brampton, ON, Canada – Fire in 800,000 ft² Unilever warehouse extinguished by sprinkler system

Sprinklers are being credited with averting a potentially major fire at a massive warehouse in Brampton Wednesday night.  Flames broke out under some racking in the 800,000-square-foot Unilever building on Airport Road south of Steeles Avenue East around 10:30 p.m.

Firefighters were called to the warehouse, where they had to force open a rear door closest to the fire. But the building’s sprinkler system had been trigged, and extinguished the blaze. Damage was limited to 40 skids out of potentially millions of dollars worth of product, which includes soap and mayonnaise, according to Platoon Chief Gord Fowler.

“That type of fire is very difficult to fight,” Fowler noted, saying getting hose lines into a large, enclosed area like that is one of the many issues firefighters face in such a situation. Employees inside the building were evacuated and no injuries were reported.   It’s a good news stories that highlights the effectiveness of sprinklers, Fowler said.

Apartment Building, Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential High Rise

Windsor, ON, Canada – Fire at senior high-rise apartment building controlled by sprinkler system

Fire broke out late Wednesday night in a unit in a high-rise apartment building across from Coventry Gardens in Windsor. John Lee, with Windsor Fire and Rescue, says no one was injured.

“We got a call about 10:15 p.m. to the Amica building. It is a vulnerable occupancy [building]. It’s a nursing [and] rest home, senior’s living. There was a fire on the second floor in one of the units. The sprinkler system activated. The resident got out safely,” he said.

Windsor Fire and Rescue says because the sprinklers activated and kept the fire under control. An investigator will look into what started the fire on Riverside Drive, near Pillette Road.

Manufacturing, Other - Manufacturing

Brantford, ON, Canada – Overnight foundry fire contained with help from sprinkler system

Brantford Fire Department Platoon Chief Herb Van Der Made said at 1:25 a.m. firefighters from station 4 were called to the McLean Foundry at 247 Colborne St. W., where they could see smoke coming from the roof. A 911 call had come in from the foundry’s fire alarm company.   Van Der Made said the fire appears to have started in the older section of the foundry, which was built in the 1930s.  “We were met with a lot of heavy smoke going in, so we had to retreat,” he said.

The firefighters found another way in, through a rear bay door, where they proceeded to extinguish “a really intense” fire over the following two hours.  Holes were punched in the steel roof of the building’s younger section for ventilation, enabling aerial truck 9 to attack the fire from above.

 Van Der Made said a sprinkler system helped get the fire under control.  Part of the building’s back roof fell due the fire damage.  No one was working in the foundry overnight, and no one was hurt fighting the fire, according to Van Der Made.  The business owners showed up and helped firefighters to access the building.  Brantford police closed Colborne Street West from Shellard Lane to Lyndsay Street until at least 7 a.m.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Cambridge, ON, Canada – Fire at high school extinguished by sprinkler system

Fire crews were called to Preston High School shortly after 1 p.m., after being notified of fire alarms going off inside the building. When they arrived, they found that the school had been evacuated.

According to Cambridge Fire Department platoon Chief Brad Churchill, crews entered the building to find that its sprinkler system had extinguished the fire, but heavy smoke persisted in a corridor and stairwell at the back of the building.

One staff member was taken to hospital, to be treated for symptoms of smoke inhalation. Firefighters spent much of the afternoon at the school, ventilating the building.  After being allowed back in to pick up their belongings, students were sent home for the rest of the afternoon.

Churchill said the evacuation went off “like clockwork” because the school regularly practiced fire drills. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.