Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant Belcamp, MD – Sprinkler system assists firefighters in extinguishing fire at McDonald’s restaurant March 30, 2016 viking210 A malfunctioning fryer operating system caused a fire in a McDonald’s restaurant in the Belcamp-Riverside area on Sunday afternoon, forcing the restaurant’s temporary closure, fire investigators said. The fire was reported at 4:55 p.m. by employees of McDonald’s No. 12138 in the 1300 block of Riverside Parkway, according to a notice of investigation from the Maryland State Fire Marshal’s Office. The Abingdon Volunteer Fire Company responded and brought the fire under control in about 10 minutes, according to the Fire Marshal’s Office. Also responding were units from Joppa-Magnolia Volunteer Fire Company, Aberdeen Fire Department and Aberdeen Proving Ground, according to the Harford County Volunteer Fire & EMS Association. “Crews encountered heavy fire on the interior attack,” the association posted on its Facebook page. After containing the fire to the interior of the building, crews continued to check for extension of the fire into walls and ceiling to extinguish hotspots, according to the post. No injuries were reported, and the restaurant’s smoke alarms and sprinkler system functioned as intended, according to the notice of investigation. Damage is estimated at $5,000 to the structure and $25,000 to the contents, investigators said. The Harford County Health Department is assisting with reopening procedures, the Fire Marshal’s Office said.
Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant Seaside, CA – Sprinkler system keeps fire at In-N-Out Burger from spreading March 29, 2016 viking210 A fire broke out at the new In-N-Out Burger restaurant in Seaside about 11 a.m. Sunday. Firefighters said someone threw oil in a trash can containing paper towels before the oil had enough time to cool down. The restaurant is closed for the Easter holiday, so no one was inside when the fire started. The restaurant’s emergency sprinkler system put out the fire and alerted the fire department. Restaurant officials have not said whether the business will be open Monday. The burger joint opened Tuesday
Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant Richland, WA – Fire in storage room at hotel knocked down by sprinkler system March 29, 2016 viking210 Firefighters have extinguished a fire reported just before noon Easter day at the Shilo Inn in Richland. They arrived to find guests being evacuated, said Richland Battalion Chief Ron Duncan. A space heater in a second-floor maintenance room had malfunctioned and set fire to furniture and walls, he said. Two fire sprinklers activated to control the fire before firefighters arrived and Richland firefighters quickly put it out, he said. The water from the sprinkler system damaged the reception area on the first floor below the maintenance room, but the business remains open, he said. Far more damage could have been caused by the fire if the sprinklers had not activated, he said.
Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant San Antonio, TX – Storage room fire at Comfort Inn & Suites put out with help from sprinkler system March 28, 2016 viking210 A storage fire at Northwest Side hotel displaced dozens of guests Thursday night, officials said Friday. The incident occurred just before 10 p.m. at the Comfort Inn & Suites found in the 6000 block of Interstate 10 West near Vance Jackson Road. Firefighters said the fire started in a storage room on the top floor of the building. The sprinkler system helped put out the fire. Fire officials said the fire affected about 36 hotel rooms out of a total of 85 in the building. Arson is investigating the cause of the fire.
Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant Huntsville, AL – Sprinkler system keeps overnight hotel fire from spreading; No injuries reported March 28, 2016 viking210 A fire in a Huntsville hotel room caused guests to be evacuated overnight after it activated the business’ sprinkler system. Firefighters were called to InTown Suites Extended-Stay, located just off of University Drive, just before 1:30 a.m. after the fire caused sprinklers on the second floor to go off. Several rooms were left with water damage. The fire was ruled to be accidental and guests and staff were allowed back in the building a short time later.
Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant Pinole, CA – Sprinkler system keeps fire at vacant restaurant from spreading to other businesses March 23, 2016 viking210 Commercial structures worth $4 million sustained only $75,000 in damage from a Friday morning fire in Pinole, according to the Pinole Fire Department. The fire was reported at 8:09 a.m. at 1570 Fitzgerald Drive at a recently closed HomeTown Buffet restaurant. The restaurant is part of a larger structure consisting of a Big 5 Sporting Goods store and an adjoining strip mall. When firefighters arrived, they found the restaurant’s sprinkler system on and smoke coming from the attic, fire officials said. Firefighters were able to contain the fire to the parapet area of the roof. They also ensured that water did not damage the sporting goods store’s merchandise. Fire officials said the cause of the fire was an electrical short. The short occurred where electrical work had been done to remove the restaurant’s sign. No one was injured and none of the other businesses sustained damage by fire or water. Big 5 Sporting Goods opened a couple of hours late as electricity had to be shut off as firefighters extinguished the fire, according to fire officials
Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant Oak Ridge, TN – Fire in air conditioning unit at Comfort Inn suppressed by sprinkler system March 23, 2016 viking210 An Oak Ridge hotel that was shuttered after a fire prompted the evacuation of all guests early Saturday morning is expected to reopen either late Monday or early Tuesday, Oak Ridge Fire Marshal Travis Solomon said. The five-story, 112-room Comfort Inn at the corner of Rutgers and Illinois avenues was about 90 percent occupied, mostly with students participating in rowing practice and with off-road enthusiasts, when the fire was reported shortly after 5 a.m. Saturday. The blaze was in an air-conditioning unit at one end of the fourth floor, Solomon said, and the fire department is still trying to determine what ignited the blaze. The hotel’s sprinkler system was activated by the blaze and helped suppress it, he said. “That shows that sprinkler systems, they not only save property, they save lives. It could have been a lot worse.” The fourth-floor hallway was filled with thick black smoke, and firefighters had to assist people disoriented by it and help them down the stairwell, Solomon said. Three people were initially missing during the evacuation, and hotel staff “did a fantastic job determining who was missing and needed to be found.” All were located. One person was evaluated for possible smoke inhalation but didn’t require medical attention. Solomon said hotel personnel found other hotels for the guests. Thirteen firefighters and seven firetrucks responded. The fire department is inspecting the hotel’s fire alarm and sprinkler system, Solomon said.
Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant Desert Hot Springs, CA – Sprinkler system holds back attic fire at Castañeda’s restaurant March 18, 2016 viking210 Riverside County firefighters responded to a fire at Castañeda’s restaurant in Desert Hot Springs Thursday. At around 2:29 p.m., CalFire received a report of an active fire alarm and a smell of smoke at the restaurant, which is in the 13-900 block of Palm Drive. First responders to the fire reported nothing showing from the exterior, but upon further inspection found a fire in the attic of the building, according to CalFire. The fire was being held back by a sprinkler system. Firefighters were able to contain the fire by around 3 p.m., according to CalFire. No one was hurt in the fire.
Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant Annapolis, MD – No injuries in fire at Extended Stay America hotel controlled by sprinkler system March 15, 2016 viking210 A fire in an Annapolis hotel room last Tuesday resulted in damage to nearly a dozen rooms, a county fire department spokesman said. Firefighters were dispatched at 6:50 p.m. to the Extended Stay America hotel in the 100 block of Admiral Cochrane Drive. The hotel’s sprinkler system primarily controlled the fire, a fire spokesman said. It took about 13 minutes to extinguish the blaze. Nine rooms in the hotel sustained smoke and water damage. Nobody was injured, the spokesman said. The fire caused an estimated $2,500 worth of damage, said county fire department spokesman Capt. Russ Davies. The fire was ruled accidental.
Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant Lower Heidelberg, PA – Fire at BBQ restaurant held in check by sprinkler system March 12, 2016 viking210 Crews responded to a fire at a Berks County restaurant early Friday morning. Firefighters battled a fire at The Bar-B-Q Pit along Penn Avenue in Lower Heidelberg Township. Berks County dispatchers say the flames broke out at about 5:30 a.m. Fire officials say police arrived first and saw smoke and flames in the kitchen through a window. The sprinkler system held the fire in check while firefighters went in and put it out. No one was hurt. Crews had to close Penn Avenue for about 15-20 minutes but have since reopened it. Investigators are trying to figure out what caused the fire.
