Firefighters with St. John’s Regional Fire Department were kept busy last evening following reports of two structure fires.

The first came at about 9:00 pm after thick black smoke was seen coming from the chimney of a commercial building on Kenmount Road. Acting Platoon Chief Charlie Quick says a malfunctioning furnace was the cause of the smoke. Firefighters shut off the furnace and cleared residual smoke from the building.

Then, shortly before 10:30 pm, fire crews were called to St. Clare’s Mercy Hospital in the centre of the city after fire was reported in a storage room. The ballast of an overhead fluorescent light fixture caught fire, causing molten plastic to drop to the floor. Hospital staff quickly extinguished the small fire using an extinguisher. Crews used a fan to clear the air of dry chemical used.

Neither incident resulted in any injuries or significant damage.