Responding to their fifth call and third fire of the day, Canton Fire, Canton Rescue, and County Car 4 were toned at 1714 hours to a reported fire on the third floor of Whitman Hall on the campus of St. Lawrence University. Engine 6 was enroute at 1720, arriving on scene at 1724. Arriving personnel were advised by SLU Security of a heavy volume of smoke on the third floor in the area of the laundry room. Personnel found the remnants of a fire in a dryer and an activated sprinkler head above the dryer, discharging water in the laundry room. Personnel completed the extinguishment of the fire using pressurized water extinguishers and secured the sprinkler head to stem the flow of water. Members then commenced a salvage operation to remove and redirect as much of the water from the sprinkler head as possible. The remaining rooms on all three floors of that wing of the dorm were checked for water damage. Canton Fire command personnel worked with SLU officials to coordinate the cleanup and relocation of students. The scene was turned over to St. Lawrence for continued remediation. It should be noted that the sprinkler, which had been part of a retrofit in the last several years, performed just as it was supposed to and held the fire in check until the fire department arrived to complete the extinguishment. Had the sprinkler system not been in place, the fire would have gained a much more significant foothold, resulting in much more damage to the building and the potential for injuries to the residents. The benefits of fire sprinklers was realized today, even though there was some water damage. Everything will dry out, nothing unburns. Canton Rescue, Canton Police, SLU Security, and County Car 10 all assisted at the scene as well.
The 17 nCanton Fire personnel were back in service at 1858 hours. There were no civilian or firefighter injuries. Members again had to battle the bitter cold, with equipment and apparatus bearing the brunt of the affects of the frigid temperatures.