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.
Reporting on lives and property saved by fire sprinklers
