AIRDRIE, ALBERTA – On Thursday, February, 4, 2021 at 5:17 p.m. the Airdrie Fire Department responded to the report of a structure fire located at Creekside Village apartments in the 400 Block of Mackenzie Way SW.
When fire crews arrived on scene they found alarm bells ringing and large amounts of water flowing from the sprinkler system in an apartment located on the second floor of the four-storey apartment complex.
A fire burning in a bathroom garbage can had activated a single, adjacent sprinkler head which then extinguished the blaze.
Once crews ensured that the fire had been fully extinguished they took control of the buildings sprinkler system to stop the flow of water.
The apartment of origin, an adjacent second floor apartment and a commercial business located on the main level directly below the fire scene, suffered various degrees of water damage.
Firefighters worked quickly to deploy salvage tarps in Pinheads Quilting Company to limit damage to stock and computer equipment.
The Fire Prevention Bureau has determined the cause of the fire to be improper disposal of smoking material.
Preliminary damage estimates are $150,000 to structure and contents.
There were no injuries to report.
Six pieces of apparatus and seventeen firefighters were on scene.
Public Safety Reminder
The Airdrie Fire Department reminds the public that all smoking materials must be disposed of properly. Clean, non-combustible ashtrays should always be available where people gather to smoke.
Media contact:
Deputy Chief Garth Rabel
403.948.8800 ext. 7612