Category Archives: Hotel / Restaurant

Pierre, SD – Hotel boiler room fire extinguished by sprinkler system

The Pierre Fire Department spent about an hour at the Clubhouse Inn and Suites early this morning after fire alarms sounded in the building around 1:30 a.m.  Pierre Fire Chief Ian Paul says when firefighters arrived at the hotel, light smoke was noted in a boiler room near the pool area on the building’s main floor. 

Paul says a small fire had occurred and that produced enough heat to trip the fire sprinkler suppression system.  Paul credits the system with putting the fire out before it spread.  Guests were temporarily evacuated into the hotel’s lobby until it was determined the fire was completely extinguished.

Paul says he doesn’t have an estimate of damage to the boiler and says water damage from the sprinkler system was confined to the area near the fire and was not extensive.  Firefighters remained at the hotel for a time to make sure the fire was completely out.  As for the cause, Paul says it appears to have been an electrical malfunction in the unit, but says the establishment’s insurance company will investigate further.

Beaumont, TX – Sprinkler douses fire at Candlewood Suites; Guests return to rooms within the hour

At approximately 8:00 AM, Beaumont Fire Rescue units responded to KJP Hospitality Hotel located at 5355 Clearwater Court.   When firefighters arrived, they found a fire in a room on the first floor.  The sprinkler system had activated and controlled the fire, confining it to a small area of one room but there was smoke throughout the first floor.

The manager reported there were 30 rooms occupied at the time of the fire.   All occupants were able to evacuate without injury. The fire appears to have been caused by a heating unit attached to a massage bed.   The smoke was cleared and occupants were allowed to return to their rooms within the hour.

Las Vegas, NV – Sprinkler system douses overnight fire at downtown bar

An automatic sprinkler helped prevent an overnight fire from spreading at a downtown bar, Las Vegas Fire & Rescue officials said. Fire dispatchers were notified at 3:16 a.m. today that the water-flow alarm for the fire sprinkler system activated at Backstage Bar & Billiards, 601 Fremont St., fire department spokesman Tim Szymanski said.

Firefighters forced their way into the three-story building and found clothing and other items too close to a water heater had caught fire, he said. The sprinkler had already doused the fire, he said. Damage was estimated at $5,000, but the blaze could have done substantial damage without the sprinkler system, Szymanski said.

Santee, SC – Sprinkler system activates; Helps limit damage in fire at landmark restaurant

A landmark barbecue restaurant in Santee that was damaged by fire on Thursday is scheduled to reopen soon.  The Santee Fire Department was called to Lone Star Barbecue and Mercantile on State Park Road just after 9 a.m. Firefighters say a sprinkler system in the kitchen sprayed the flames until emergency crews arrived.

Fire Chief Edward Barnett, Jr. says the fire started in a smoke chipper drain under a meat oven.  The amount of damage hasn’t been estimated.  The restaurant is closed temporarily. A sign outside indicates management hopes to reopen on March 19.

Chelsea, MA – Sprinklers help contain late night restaurant fire

On Saturday, March 7, at 12:06 a.m., the fire department responded to the report of a building fire at 17 Fifth St., above the Isla Tropical Restaurant. Crews reported the sprinkler system had activated on the second floor and located the fire inside one of the residential units. Items left on top of the stove ignited and the flames quickly spread to the cabinets above. Crews extinguished the fire and remained on scene checking for extension until approximately 3:30 a.m. Damage is estimated at $30,000. No occupants were injured.

Pearland, TX – Commercial kitchen fire extinguished by sprinkler system

** NO MEDIA COVERAGE – Fire Dept Reported **  The Pearland Fire Department responded to a report of a grease fire in a commercial kitchen at an area restaurant located in the 2800 block of Business Center Dr. on Tuesday, March 10. After arriving, fire department officials discovered that the fire had been extinguished by the fire sprinkler system installed in the building.

Because the fire sprinkler system installed at the restaurant worked as it was designed, no property damage or loss of life occurred during this incident. According to National Fire Prevention Association, cooking fires make up approximately 55 percent of the fires that occur in restaurants and are responsible for 59 percent of the civilian deaths related to restaurant fires. The fires can cause the secondary ignition of grease that has accumulated on the vent hood from grease-laden vapors that are produced normally during the operation of the kitchen.

These fires can travel through the kitchen ductwork and result in a devastating fire that, depending on the amount of fuel present, can be greater in intensity and particularly difficult for firefighters to extinguish.

Minden, NV – Sprinklers knock down blaze at popular restaurant

A kitchen fire shortly before midnight closed Katie’s Country Kitchen for the breakfast and lunch rush on Tuesday.

The popular Minden restaurant inside the Carson Valley Inn reopened at 5:20 p.m. Tuesday, Marketing Director Bill Henderson said.

“Our sincere thanks to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and the East Fork Fire and Paramedic District who responded very quickly to the alarm,” Henderson said.

East Fork Fire District personnel responded after security called 911 at 11:45 p.m. in response to a fire in the prep cook area.

Deputy Chief Dave Fogerson said the fire sprinkler system extinguished the blaze. When firefighters arrived heavy smoke was still coming from the exhaust system.

The restaurant was evacuated while firefighters confirmed the fire was out and had not spread into the surrounding structure.

Henderson said no one was hurt in the fire and that the system functioned as designed with no major damage.

Shreveport, LA – Fire on sixth-floor of Holiday Inn contained to one room by sprinkler system

Heavy smoked filled a sixth-floor room at the Holiday Inn Shreveport on Monday afternoon, activating the sprinkler system and triggering an alarm that resulted in at least 20 fire units being dispatched to the hotel (blog note: fire sprinklers are only activated by heat, not smoke).

The exact cause of the smoke and fire was unknown late Monday as fire investigators worked the scene. No injuries were reported. The room is unusable, but most of the building was not damaged.

“The fire was contained, basically, to one room on the sixth floor and there were other rooms that sustained smoke damage,” said Fred Sanders, assistant to the fire chief. The sprinklers immediately activating helped minimize damage to the room, Sanders said. Firefighters also doused the room as a safety precaution.

Ed Socha, Holiday Inn Shreveport general manager, said employees and about 40 guests staying at the hotel were evacuated. As a standard procedure, some employees were checked out by EMS at the scene.

The room at the center of the smoky scene was rented, but the guest wasn’t there when the fire started, Socha said. Socha said he didn’t see flames. “Just because of the smoke damage, it’s (the room) going to have to be completely redone,” he said. The hotel was to undergo an annual inspection today but it will be postponed, Socha said.

Duluth, GA – Sprinkler system extinguishes overnight fire at Hilton Garden Inn

A basket of rags caught fire in the kitchen of a Gwinnett County hotel Monday morning.  The hotel’s sprinkler system extinguished the flames, which broke out at around 2:30 a.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn in the 2000 block of Sugarloaf Circle.

Gwinnett County Fire Lt. Jerrod Barrett said the fire started in a basket of cooking oil rags.   About 60 guests and hotel staff members were briefly evacuated from the building while firefighters investigated the source of the fire.  Barrett said the guests were soon able to return to their rooms.

Investigators believe the fire was caused by spontaneous combustion of the rags in their plastic cart.

Lawrence, KS – Sprinkler system activates to help limit fire spread at downtown restaurant; No injuries

Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical crews battled flames at Bigg’s on Mass, 719 Massachusetts St., Tuesday afternoon.  Division Chief Eve Tolefree said fire sprinkler activation inside the restaurant aided in preventing the fire from spreading farther than it did.

Shortly after 2:30 p.m., crews reported the situation “under control.” Around 3 p.m., they began ventilating the restaurant and surrounding businesses.

Damage estimates for the affected businesses were not available Tuesday evening. Investigators remained on the scene as of 5 p.m.  Bigg’s owner Doug Holiday said he would like to reopen his restaurant as early as Saturday.  “We hope to reopen this weekend, if not, as soon as possible,” Bigg’s posted to its Facebook page Tuesday evening. “Thank you to everyone who has sent kind words our way.”