Kitchener (ON) fire dispatch toned out Baden and New Dundee stations for an attached garage fire at 1 Deerfield Extension in Petersburg, May 8 at 18:55. Baden requested a full response from New Hamburg while en route to the fire and reported smoke showing minutes before they arrived on scene.
Heavy fire was venting from a two-car, attached garage. Multiple small and large hand lines were pulled and knocked down the bulk of the heavy fire in 15 minutes with some extension into the attic of the house. There were several of propane tanks in the garage and a propane BBQ. Water was shuttled from the nearest hydrant four miles from the scene. Very good stop keeping the fire to the garage. Box 690 provided rehab. Photos taken 20 minutes into fire.
Woolwich Township (ON) firefighters were dispatched to a fully involved shop fire May 11th at 4:40 at 1088 Wittick Road. Floradale station reported they could see heavy fire from the station approximately 2.5 miles from the scene. Firefighters arrived to a fully involved 100’ x 30’, steel sided shop, which was attached to a large barn. Fire had extended into the barn.
Floradale pumper set up beside the barn and had their tanker drop a port-a-tank, dump their load, and drop their LDH to the road. Elmira’s pumper set up two port-a-tanks on the road for the five tankers to fill. Elmira’s aerial was at a hydrant in Elmira approximately 3.5 miles from the scene to fill tankers. Multiple lines were pulled around the structure.
The owners of the property were able to get most of the cattle from the barn. The interior crew was able to knock the fire down in the hay mow and the main floor of the barn. Crews outside cooled two large propane tanks and were able to hit the fire on the exterior of the barn. One fuel tank bled off just as I walked up to the scene.
Gary Dinkel photo
Gary Dinkel photo
Gary Dinkel photo
Firefighters made a very good save on the property. No cattle were lost and the barn is still standing. One or both of the silos may need to be replaced. Damage has been pegged between $500,000 and $1,000,000. Box 690 and the Floradale Women’s Auxiliary provided rehab to the 50 firefighters on scene.
Gary Dinkel photo
Gary Dinkel photo
Gary Dinkel photo
Gary Dinkel photo
Gary Dinkel photo
Gary Dinkel photo
Woolwich stations on scene:
Floradale pumper, rescue, tanker (3,000 US gallons)
Elmira pumper, rescue, aerial, pumper-tanker (2,500 US gallons)
Kitchener (ON) fire dispatch toned out Wellesley, St Clements, and Linwood for a barn fire at 4176 Lobsinger Line, April 29 at 17:51. St Clements reported a thermal column on route and requested St Jacobs’ tanker. The barn had had numerous additions over the years and measured approximately 200×50’ at the front, with a second section at the rear approximately 100×70’, and a third 50×50’ section added on to the middle section. The barn was mostly to the ground on arrival with a favorable strong wind blowing away from a large driving shed and harness making shop, and two large houses.
St Clements’ pump set up by the barn, running numerous lines around the structure, and feeding Wellesley’s aerial. A four-inch line was laid in from the road. The Wellesley pumper drafted from three port-a-tanks to feed St Clements’ pumper. Water was initially shuttled from nearby fire department cisterns, and then from a hydrant in St Clements. A number of cattle were removed from the barn before firefighters arrived.
170 pigs, 250 piglets, and 30 cows perished in the blaze. Damage has been set at $700,000. Box 690 provided rehab. Photos taken 35 minutes after dispatch.
Kitchener (ON) fire dispatch received multiple calls for a house fire at 116 Kingswood Drive April 24 at 2:40. P11, P15, A11, R11, and Car 123 were dispatched on the first alarm. P14 was added to the assignment due to multiple phone calls. Crews arrived to heavy fire through the roof of a six-unit townhouse complex. P11 pulled in from the Kingswood side of the building and had A11 set up their aerial on Alpine Road. P11 and A11 both caught hydrants.
Multiple lines were pulled to fight the fire. The fire appeared to start under the car port and spread up the wall to two units. One resident was transported to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The fire stop between units E and D did its job preventing the fire from spreading into the other four units. Heavy fire was knocked down in 20 minutes, with overhaul lasting 1.5 hours. Damage has been pegged at $500,000. The Ontario Fire Marshall is investigating the cause of the fire with Kitchener Fire Prevention officers. Box 690 provided rehab, photos taken 25 minutes into the fire.
Cambridge, (ON) P31, P35, A33, A34, R31, and Car 323 were dispatched to a structure fire at 201 Beverly St April 24 at 9:55. P35 reported they could see heavy smoke while responding to the fire. P35 arrived on scene reporting a large vacant building with heavy fire on the C – D side of the building extending from the first floor to the roof of the building.
Due to multiple previous fires at the former Joy Manufacturing building, all firefighting was defensive. There were holes in floors and needles throughout the structure. Police reported 12 homeless individuals were known to be living in the building.
Firefighters laid in from two hydrants to A34 and P35. A34 set up their aerial to attack the fire in the roof, while P35 pulled numerous lines to the rear of the plant. A33, a 60’ quint was replaced by A36, a 110’ platform which could reach the roof to pull off the fiberglass siding. Two piercing nozzles where used on the D side to get at the stubborn fire.
The fire was declared under control two hours after arrival. Primary and secondary searches where completed once the visibility in the building allowed firefighters safe access. Damage was set at $200,000. Box 690 provided rehab, photos taken 30 minutes into the fire.
Kitchener Ontario fire dispatch received a call for a basement fire at 603 Mill Park Drive at 1:40 February 15, 2019. P6, P1, A1, R1, and Car 23 were dispatched to the call. P6 arrived on scene and reported they had smoke showing and a 360 showed they had a fire in the basement. Command reported all five students in the basement were out of the house and that the owner of the house was out of town.
Station 7 was added to the call, they were running in the tanker for the shift. Multiple lines were pulled into the building. Crews encountered a very cluttered house, full of furniture on every floor and even the garage was full of furniture which prevented access as it was so full. There were three pianos in the bedrooms on the second floor and an organ in the living room which was not accessible due to all of the furniture.
Firefighters were pulled from the basement due to untenable conditions, and the first floor became well involved minutes later. It was not long before the entire building was alight. Two hydrants were picked up to feed the pumper and aerial. Small and large lines as well as an aerial master stream were used to fight the fire.
Gary Dinkel photo
Due to the tremendous amount of furniture in the house, it took hours to knock the bulk of the fire down. The day shift replaced the tired crews, and worked till 12:30 to fully extinguish all the spot fires. Due to the severe damage in the house, all overhaul had to be done from outside. Crews even pulled a cellar piercing applicator to use on hot spots. That is the first time I have seen this tool used in 31 years on the canteen. Damage has been set at $800,000, cause has not been determined yet. Box 690 provided breakfast and lunch at the fire. Photos and videos shot 35 minutes into the fire.
Gary Dinkel photo
Gary Dinkel, Box 690
[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”69″ gal_title=”Mill Park Drive”]
Cambridge (ON) fire dispatch received a 9-1-1 call for fire in a large industrial complex February 22, 2019 at 19:25. A3, P1, A6, P2, R1, and Car 6 were dispatched on the first alarm. A3 arrived on scene reporting light smoke showing from a middle unit of a 225 x 60’ industrial building. The fire had a good hold of the roof. The roof was steel on top and bottom and had multiple layers of asphalt from repairs and new roofs added to the building over the years.
Both aerials and multiple hand lines were pulled to attack the fire as firefighters did what they could to peel the roofing off to get at the fire. The roof was buckling, so no firefighters were allowed near the seat of the fire. Trench cuts were made to stop the fire from spreading to adjacent units. This was a very stubborn fire. Overtime crews were called in to staff spare apparatus. All six stations and the overtime crews were rotated to the scene to fight the fire. The fire was not declared out until 8:25 the following morning after a lot of hard word. Box 690 provided rehab at the fire. Photos and video taken two hours into the fire.
