By Ashley Legassic

VIDEO: Kamloops recycling centre fire highlights importance of sprinklers: KFR

Mar 20, 2019 | 12:04 PM

KAMLOOPS — After a fire at a Kamloops recycling centre, Kamloops Fire Rescue is reminding business owners that sprinkler systems can save lives and property.

KFR Platoon Capt. Darryl Cooper says a fire at Emterra Environmental in Valleyview was sparked shortly after 4 p.m. on Tuesday (March 19).

“We caught a hydrant and sprayed some water on it. That fire was carried into the building by a conveyor belt which activated the sprinkler system in there. So we were on scene for about three hours, just getting it confined and cleaned up,” Cooper says.

When crews responded black smoke was coming from a significant amount of cardboard burning. Crews were on scene for about three hours, but Cooper says there was no extensive damage.

“Not to the building itself, the conveyor belt burnt which is unfortunate but the sprinklers did their job and kept the fire confined,” he says. 

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RAW VIDEO: Emterra Environmental fire on March 19, 2019. Contributed by Ethan Milobar.

Cooper says that good, working sprinkler systems can save lives, but the official cause of the fire is unknown.

“The cause will be undetermined. Just because of the nature of the cardboard and having to sift through and find where it would be,” Cooper says. “Talking to employees at Emterra, they said quite often they get a mix of recyclables that aren’t supposed to be in there. People recycle batteries or metals that aren’t supposed to be in. It can have a chemical reaction and start some heat, which starts the fire, but we can’t determine that for sure that’s why the official cause is undetermined.”

“Sprinkler systems are saving lives, they’re working,” Cooper says. “It’s really good.”