Tag Archives: Canada

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

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

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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.

Other - Residential, Residential

Kelowna, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system extinguishes mattress fire at supportive housing building; No injuries reported

The Kelowna Fire Department responded to a blaze in the northern end of the city’s downtown core Saturday morning, Feb. 3.

A fire on the third floor of Ellis Place, a supportive housing building located at 1055 Ellis Street prompted occupants of the building to evacuate and a road closure between Recreation Avenue and Gaston Avenue.

The building was fully evacuated by the time 17 crew members responded to the blaze at around 10:40 a.m.

Everyone was accounted for and there were no injuries, said Capt. Corrie Lang from the KFD.

“It turned out to be a smoldering mattress in one of the units and the sprinkler system extinguished the fire,” Lang said. “Mostly smoke and water damage now.”

The road has since reopened, with crews currently cleaning up the scene.

Lang said the cause of the fire is unknown.

Hospital/Care Facility, Hospital/Medical Clinic

Charlottetown, PE, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for fire at clinic

Health P.E.I. clinics at the Polyclinic Professional Centre in Charlottetown will remain closed on Thursday following a small fire in the cafe earlier this week. 

The Charlottetown Fire Department said it received a call just after 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The department said the fire was caused by a pot of grease sitting on a stove that was left on accidentally.

“There was smoke and flames visible in a window on the first floor and we managed to extinguish the fire fairly quickly,” said Kent Mitchell, the deputy chief.

“It wasn’t a great big fire, but it doesn’t take much of a fire to create a lot of smoke.”

This is the second day in a row that Health P.E.I.-run clinics are closed in the building. According to a news release from Health P.E.I., crews are still cleaning the area and working to remove the smell of smoke.

This means patients are being contacted about new times and locations for their appointments.

The director of community specialty services with Health P.E.I. said staff were able to get into the building after everything was extinguished to get the information they needed to continue with service.

Mitchell said there were people in the building when the fire started but they all got out when the alarm went off.

“This building had a fire alarm system, sprinkler system, so that’s all good. But in any other building we certainly encourage you make sure you test your smoke alarms,” he said.

“It’s a lesson for everybody because it’s the smoke that really causes damage not necessarily the the size of the fire.”

He estimated it could take a few days minimum to have the building all cleaned up.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Sooke, BC, Canada – Fire at middle school extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Classes resumed Wednesday (Dec. 13) despite a small fire Tuesday evening at Journey Middle School.

The Sooke Fire Rescue was called out for a fire in a utility room during the evening band concert. All students, staff and community members were safely evacuated from the building when the fire alarm sounded and no one was injured, School District 62 said in a news release.

The fire was extinguished by the school’s sprinkler system. Staff and firefighters worked together to clean up the water from the sprinkler system and the systems were reset.

“Thank you to everyone involved in safely evacuating the school,” the statement reads. “We would also like to extend our gratitude to the Sooke Fire Department and the SD62 staff who worked well into the night to ensure the school could open this morning.”

Hospital/Care Facility, Hospital/Medical Clinic

Ottawa, ON, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for arson fire at hospital; No injuries reported

Police charged an Ottawa man with arson Friday after an early-morning fire inside the Civic Hospital emergency department.

The department remained open and operational throughout the day.

Jean-François Lalonde, 43, was to appear in court Friday to face charges of arson endangering life, arson to property, possessing incendiary materials and breach of probation, the Ottawa Police Service said in a news release.

Police said hospital security had already taken a suspect into custody by the time emergency services responded to the fire at 6:34 a.m. The fire was extinguished by the hospital’s sprinkler system.

The Ottawa Hospital declared a “Code Red” at 6:30 a.m. because of the fire. About 30 patients had to be moved to other areas of the facility, hospital spokesperson Rebecca Abelson said.

A spokesperson for Ottawa Fire Services said a sprinkler head was activated when they arrived and firefighters helped clean up the water.

No staff or patient injuries were reported, Abelson said.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Winnipeg, MB, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for at seven story hotel; No injuries reported

The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service (WFPS) has had a busy 12 hours, responding to two recent blazes on Pembina Highway and Main Street.

The first call came just after 7 p.m. Friday, when crews were called to a fire in a three-storey apartment block in the 1600 block of Pembina Highway.

Firefighters arrived to a building full of smoke, and tracked the fire to the laundry room. They attacked the flames, declaring them under control by 7:45 p.m.

Everyone got out of the building safely, no injuries were reported. Investigators believe the fire was accidental, caused by a dryer malfunction.

Twelve hours later, at 7:02 a.m. Saturday, crews responded to a seven-storey hotel in the 500 block of Main Street.

A WFPS spokesperson tells CTV News the fire happened at the McLaren Hotel, but was contained to a suite.

Firefighters arrived to heavy smoke in the building and quickly located the fire. It had been kept under control by the building’s sprinkler system, and firefighters were quickly able to extinguish the remaining hot spots.

Some occupants of the building self-evacuated, while others were able to shelter in place. No injuries were reported.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. Damage estimates are not available.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Winnipeg, MB, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for fire at seven-story hotel; No injuries reported

Winnipeg fire crews were kept busy Saturday battling a pair of high-rise fires.

The first fire broke out just before 1 p.m. on Saturday in a seven-storey hotel in the 500 block of Main Street.

When crews arrived, they found the fire in one of the suites. The fire had been kept under control by the building’s sprinkler system and firefighters were able to quickly put out the remaining hot spots.

Some residents of the building self-evacuated, others sheltered in place. No injuries were reported.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Gatineau, QC, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for fire at long-term care facility; No injuries reported

Ten people have been displaced by a fire at a long-term care home in Gatineau overnight.

Gatineau fire crews responded to CHSLD Lionel-Émond just before 2 a.m. and confirmed a fire in a storage room on the fourth floor.

Twenty five people from the third and fourth floors were safely evacuated from the building and there are no injuries reported.

The fire was under control around 2:45 a.m. largely due to the automatic sprinkler system in the building.

Ten people were relocated to the Hull Hospital due to fire and water damage to their units.

Damage to the building is pegged around $170,000.