Kitchener, Ontario firefighters battled an auto scrapyard fire at 956 Guelph Street August 31 at 11:20. Pump 2, Pump 3, Aerial 2, Rescue 1, and the Platoon Chief were sent to the fire. Dispatch advised they were receiving multiple calls. Crews from all three stations could see the black smoke from their halls. Pump 2 arrived on scene reporting two cars on hoists fully involved, extension into a building, and numerous exposure problems. P1 was then added to the call as the third pump. P2 firefighters pulled two 2.5” lines to fight the heavy fire. Additional firefighters pulled two 1.5” lines also off P2 . Haz Mat 1 was added to the call due to gas tanks and oil drums on fire in the building. Pump 3 picked up a second hydrant and pulled into the adjacent business to the fight the fire from the rear.
The fire was knocked down in 30 minutes. A second building on site also caught fire but was extinguished quickly. Firefighters were able to save 65% of the main fire building. The fire was started by a worker drilling holes in cars to drain oil. A spark started the fire which workers tried to knock down with numerous extinguishers before firefighters arrived. Box 690 provided rehab. Photos taken 10 minutes into the call.
I was leaving Activa Arena August 14 at 22:00 and had just turned my radio on when I heard Kitchener dispatch calling P1. They advised the crew that they had a second call confirming a fully involved car fire at the Peter Hallman ball yard parking lot. The ball field is right across the street from the arena. The entrance to the parking lot is half a block from where I was. I arrived a couple of minutes ahead of the pumper. I confirmed with dispatch the car was fully involved and there were no exposures. There were a number of explosions from the tires, air bags and struts letting go so I stayed well back. The video is a little grainy due to the distance I stood from the fire. Note the strut exploding caught the firefighters attention just as he was getting ready to attack the fire. Also appeared to possibly be magnesium or some other reaction a little later in the video when the inside of the Dodge Journey lights up very white.
Few shots from an accident July 10, 2017 in Cambridge Ontario. A car ran into a gas meter on the side of a house. The accident cracked a pipe and a fire started on impact. Firefighters used two 1.75” lines on fog to move in and shut the gas meter off. There was no extension into the house. Box 690 provided rehab.
Kitchener (ON) fire dispatch toned out St Clements and Wellesley for a confirmed structure fire at 4404 Hessen Strasse, July 15 2017 at 19:55. St Clements requested a full turnout from Linwood on route to the fire. St Clements pumper arrived on scene with heavy smoke and fire showing from a bungalow. The fire was located in the basement storage room and sauna which was also used for storage. Firefighters pulled multiple lines to the rear of the building to enter the basement via patio doors to attack the fire. Command requested mutual aid for a pumper and rescue from Wilmot Township Baden Station. Wellesley’s pumper set up at a cistern approximately a quarter mile up the road to fill tankers. St Clements and Baden’s pumpers both drafted from port a ponds. The bulk of the heavy fire was knocked down in 20 minutes. Overall took a couple of hours of heavy slugging. Pictures were taken approximately 25 minutes into the fire. Box 690 provided rehab.
Kitchener (ON) fire dispatch received a 9-1-1 call for a structure fire at 169 Elmridge Drive, unit 29, July 1, 2017, at 3:55. The fire is half a block from station five which is also Box 690’s home. P5 had smoke and a glow in the sky when they opened their door. They arrived a minute later to a fully-involved garage fire with extension into the upstairs unit. The town houses have a main floor unit with attached garage on one side, and an upstairs unit with attached garage on the other side. Firefighters pulled numerous 1.5″ and 2.5” lines to fight the fire. Eight residents were treated for smoke inhalation, four being transported to a hospital. The fire was knocked down in 20 minutes. Four units were damaged in the fire. Box 690 provided rehab. Shots taken 25 minutes into the fire. Happy 150th anniversary to Canadian viewers, and for all U.S. viewers have a safe July 4 holiday.
Waterloo (ON) firefighters were dispatched to a 4” gas main that had been hit by a back hoe, June 12, 9:10 am, at King St North, and Hickory Street. P1, A1, P3, and Car 23 responded to the call. Firefighters evacuated area businesses and homes and had both universities tweet out warnings to students to stay clear of the area. Area schools were also asked to advise students to avoid the area.
Union gas was called to shut the gas down. They had difficulty accessing shut offs, and had one valve that malfunctioned. Union Gas advised command that they were going to have to dig up the road in a number of areas to access the main line as well as four other lines that were feeding it.
Box 690 responded to the call on this information as the temperature with the humidex factored in was 100 Fahrenheit. Command advised to set up rehab one block north of the leak. Photos and short video shot an hour into the call.
Kitchener ON, fire dispatch received 19, 9-1-1 calls reporting a house fire at 66 West Ave at 8:38 June 13, 2017. P2, A2, P5, R1 and Car 23 were dispatched to a confirmed structure fire. Responding crews all reported smoke showing as they left their stations. P1 and A1 were added to the call before P2 arrived on scene. Pump 2 arrived to a fully-involved, empty, story and a half house with extension into occupied houses on either side. Large and small lines plus a monitor were quickly deployed to attack the fire.
The bulk of the fire was knocked down in 25 minutes. The house on the E2 side of the fire had a steel roof which made accessing the attic very difficult. Firefighters cut a large hole in the front of the house to gain access to fight the attic fire. Another team of firefighters entered the house on the E4 side to extinguish a fire in the upstairs bedroom. P7 was added to the call for manpower. I was at an appointment and got to the fire a half an hour in. Box 690 provided rehab, our third call in less than 24 hours, having responded to a house fire in Cambridge the previous night, and a Waterloo gas leak the previous morning.
