Category Archives: Hotel / Restaurant

Redwood City, CA – Possible arson fire at restaurant contained with help from sprinkler system

Investigators say that a restaurant fire in Redwood City early Wednesday morning may have been caused by arson, according to police. Police and firefighters responded to Max’s Cafe in the 1000 block of El Camino Real around 5 a.m. Wednesday.

Smoke was coming from the building and the automated sprinkler system had been activated, according to firefighters. Once inside the building, they were able to contain the fire to the kitchen.  After the fire was out, firefighters began to notice signs that it may have been intentionally set, and investigators later determined that an accelerant was used, according to police.

The restaurant sustained smoke and water damage, police said.

St. Pete Beach, FL – Sprinkler system activates to help control fire at TradeWinds resort hotel

A freak fire set off the sprinkler system at the TradeWinds Resort on Friday night, drenching hotel rooms in the Jacaranda Building, fire officials said. The fire was inside a microwave. A guest put a towel in the microwave to warm it up and instead it caught fire, emitting smoke that set off the fire alarm and activated the sprinkler system. No one was injured.

Blog Note – Only the substantial heat from a significant, advancing fire will activate a sprinkler system (not smoke)

The sprinkler system flooded rooms from the first to fifth floor, forcing those guests to evacuate. A private cleaning crew was being brought in to soak up the water to make the building habitable once again. The hotel was in the process of arranging accommodations at other hotels for the displaced guests.

Fire companies from St. Pete Beach, Treasure Island, South Pasadena and St. Petersburg responded to the alarm.

San Antonio, TX – Sprinkler system extinguishes intentionally-set restaurant fire

Police are searching for two men who skipped out on their dinner tab only to return to a restaurant and set the bathroom on fire. The incident happened on Saturday, September 19 at the Golden Wok located in the 1400 block of SW Loop 410.

Police say the men had lunch at the restaurant then left without paying the bill.

About ten minutes later, the man with a T on his hat walked back inside, headed for the restroom and set a fire, according to investigators.

The automatic sprinkler system put out the fire.

Crime Stoppers has released images of the suspects and is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads to the arrests of the suspects.

Marlborough, MA – Fire at Marriott Courtyard halted by sprinkler system

The Marriott Courtyard hotel on 75 Felton St. suffered heavy water damage Sunday after a dryer fire set off the sprinkler alarm system, said Deputy Fire Chief Jeff Gogan. According to Gogan, firefighters responded to the alarm at 2:11 p.m. and had cleared the scene by 3:30 p.m. A small fire began suddenly in the back of a dryer, and the resulting smoke set off the hotel’s sprinkler system.

“The fire was held in check by the sprinkler system,” Gogan said. “There was minimal smoke and fire damage but significant water damage to the basement of the hotel.” There are currently no cost estimates on the damage.

Virginia Beach, VA – Boardwalk restaurant fire doused by sprinkler system

A restaurant in Red Mill Walk caught on fire early this morning. The Virginia Beach Fire Department responded to a fire alarm at 2277 Upton Drive around 1:22 a.m., a news release from Battalion Chief Eric Wilkerson says. Fire crews forced their way into Suite 714 — home to Back Bay Gourmet, according to Red Mill Commons’ website — and found the fire in a storage room had been extinguished by the sprinklers. The fire was under control at 1:49 a.m. as the crews worked on controlling the sprinkler system and salvage, the release says. Smoke, fire and water damage was contained to the restaurant. No one was hurt, and the fire remains under investigation.

Cookeville, TN – Dryer fire at Hampton Inn controlled by sprinkler system; No injuries

A small fire in a commercial dryer early this morning at the Hampton Inn hotel on Interstate Drive kept the Cookeville Fire Department busy. The call came in around 6:40 a.m., and fire crews were on the scene until after 9 a.m., Lt. Benton Young said.

“At about the same time we got the call, a Cookeville police officer who was refueling at a gas station nearby on Jefferson Avenue noticed smoke coming from the hotel and responded to the location as well,” Lt. Young said.

When firefighters arrived on the scene, he said, smoke could be seen coming out the front lobby doors, all the way from the laundry room located farther back inside the building. Guests of the hotel were evacuated while firefighters assessed and responded to the situation.

“There was a lot of smoke. We had to use thermal cameras in the laundry room just to see to get to the source,” he said.

That source proved to be only one commercial dryer that appeared to have several mop heads drying inside it, firefighters reported.

The hotel’s sprinkler system activated when the dryer fire began to smoke, and the blaze was contained to that appliance.

After firefighters arrived, they worked quickly to extinguish the blaze.

“We didn’t have to put a whole lot of water on it to put it out, maybe 15 or 20 gallons,” Lt. Young said.

The tasks that followed, however, included resetting the fire alarm system, getting the abundance of smoke dissipated from the building and verifying that all of the hotel occupants were evacuated and accounted for. All four Cookeville stations responded to the scene.

No one was reported injured in the incident. Capt. Matt White said he expected the business to reopen later this morning following the incident.

 

Daytona Beach, FL – Mattress fire at residential building put out by sprinkler system

Firefighters responded to a mattress fire at the Three Oaks Inn at 331 S. Palmetto Ave. about 12:40 a.m. Wednesday. The fire is believed to have started because of someone smoking in bed, Daytona Beach fire spokeswoman Julie Maddux said. The building’s sprinkler system put the fire out. About 35 people were displaced. The displaced residents were assisted by the Red Cross.

Westminster, CO – Damage from restaurant fire minimized thanks to sprinkler system

A sprinkler system helped prevent major damage after an electrical fire in Westminster. Firefighters responded to an alarm at 11300 Westmoor Circle just before 10 p.m. Wednesday. Security at the building at the site reported smoke an electrical smell.

When crews arrived they found a room in the Oasis Café filled with smoke and the sprinkler head activated. The firefighters quickly extinguished the remaining fire, shut off the sprinkler system and ventilated the first floor of the building.

The fire was started by a series of lithium batteries that were in a large charger. However, because of the building sprinklers the damage was limited to the charger, minor smoke damage and water damage in the immediate area of the sprinkler head. According to the fire department, there could have been a much larger fire without the sprinkler system.

Beaufort, SC – Fire at Hilton Garden Inn extinguished by sprinkler system

A fire at Hilton Garden Inn on Thursday was extinguished by the hotel’s sprinkler system by the time firefighters arrived, according to a news release. Firefighters responded to the fire about 4:30 p.m. and found all of the hotel’s tenants evacuated to the parking lot. A room on the third floor caught fire before the sprinklers doused the flames.

All 115 hotel rooms were occupied at the time of the fire, the release said, The full house was related to Friday’s graduation ceremony at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island. “The hotel was filled with Marine recruit families and friends, and they all got out fine,” Beaufort-Port Royal Fire Chief Sammy Negron said in the release. “It was a good ending to a potentially very bad situation.”

Tenants in 47 rooms had to be relocated until the rooms affected by the sprinkler system could be cleared for use, Negron said.

Sarasota, FL – Arson fire at nightclub is prevented from spreading by sprinkler system

Sarasota deputies are looking for a man who they say set fire to a gay nightclub Sunday morning.  Surveillance video shows a man wearing a dark long-sleeved shirt and light colored shorts approaching Throb Nightclub, 2201 Industrial Blvd., at 9 a.m. Sunday, according to a release.

The man walked up to the door carrying a gas can and unsuccessfully tried to light the building on fire with a lit cigarette, deputies said. He walks away and then re-approaches the business, successfully lights the fire and walks away again.  The sprinkler system prevented the fire from spreading, according to a report.

When the flames cleared, Throb Nightclub had suffered $10,000 in fire and water damage. Owner Brian Zickafoose wasted no time making repairs, and opened the club for a regular Sunday evening just hours after the flames had been put out.

Anyone with information can contact criminal investigations at 941-861-4934 or the State Fire Marshal’s arson hotline at 877-662-7766. Anonymous tips can be submitted to Crime Stoppers of Sarasota County by calling 941-366-TIPS (8477) or online at www.sarasotacrimestoppers.com