Category Archives: Restaurant

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Horseheads, NY – Sprinkler system and quick-thinking manager stop fire at Outback Steakhouse

The Outback Steakhouse at 200 Colonial Drive in Horseheads closed Sunday following an electrical fire at about 12:30 a.m.

Bill Degraw, Big Flats Fire Department chief, said the fire was caused by the failure of an electronic label printer, and nobody was hurt. He added the building’s sprinkler system put out the fire before officials arrived on the scene.

The fire remained isolated to one small wall in the facility and caused minor damage, said restaurant proprietor Dan Collins.

A manager on duty who was in the restaurant when the fire started “saved the day,” Collins said.

He unplugged the equipment that was on fire and then called 911, Collins said. He also insured all of the restaurant employees working at the time made it out of the restaurant safely.

Collins said the restaurant will open again after its sprinklers are reinspected by a fire marshal.

The Outback Steakhouse is scheduled to open at 5 p.m. Monday, according to director of media and community relations for Bloomin’ Brands Elizabeth Watts.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Phoenix, AZ – Nightclub fire doused by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

*** Blog Editor Note – The tragic Station Nightclub fire in Rhode Island occurred 13 years ago this month.  It claimed 100 lives ***

A rockabilly band set fire to the floor of the Rebel Lounge Saturday, triggering the venue’s sprinkler system and forcing the venue to close until Wednesday.

Los Angeles band Three Bad Jacks, which judging from their press photo appears to be as straight-up rockabilly as you can imagine, complete with a singer named Elvis, has a history of using fire in their live shows, but this one appeared to go downhill fast.

Instagram user evilchavo was there Saturday night. Evilchavo posted videos of the incident, which appear to show singer Elvis Suissa pouring a bottle of lighter fluid onto a raging fire just in front of the stage. After a rather robust squirt, the flames appear to get five or six feet high. Everyone in the crowd cheers. But then the second video shows the aftermath. Everyone is cheering until the venue’s sprinkler system kicks in, instantly turning cheers into gasps of shock as the sprinklers douse the flames — and everyone in attendance.

 

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Sioux City, IA – No injuries at McDonald’s restaurant after fire is extinguished by sprinkler system

Crews were called just before 5 p.m. to a grease fire in the McDonald’s store on Sunnybrook Drive in Morningside. When they arrived the fire was mostly already out thanks to automatic sprinkler systems in the restaurant, but the store was still filled with smoke.

Firefighters say the cause of that fire is unknown at this time. “We had a fire in the kitchen, unknown origin at this time, fire has been extinguished,” said Capt. Richard Andersen, Sioux City fire department. “We are waiting for the fire prevention bureau to show up, to do an investigation. At that time they will determine what the cause is. And we will turn the building back to the owners and they can start cleanup process to reopen the building.”

Everyone in the store evacuated safely before firefighters arrived. At this time damage appears to be confined to the store’s fryers.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Wauwatosa, WI – Laundry dryer fire at Dave & Buster’s contained by sprinkler system; 2nd save in Wauwatosa in one week

For the second time in a week, a functioning sprinkler system is credited with preventing significant fire damage to a Wauwatosa business.

The Wauwatosa Fire Department responded to an automatic fire alarm at Dave & Buster’s, 2201 N. Mayfair Road, around 2:10 a.m. Jan. 25. Fire crews found smoke in the business’ kitchen and storage area and found a large, commercial dryer with an active fire inside, according to a news release.

The fire was quickly extinguished by fire crews, according to the release. An automatic fire sprinkler system contained the fire and smoke damage to the area using just one sprinkler head.

The exact cause of the fire is unknown but appears to have started with the contents inside the dryer. The Wauwatosa Health Department was contacted and assisted the business owner with cleaning requirements for reopening the kitchen.

Damage estimates were not immediately available. Dave & Buster’s was able to reopen by lunch time Monday

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant, Retail

Hermosa Beach, CA – Sprinkler system helps control pizza shop fire; Neighboring businesses spared

The Hermosa Beach Fire Department responded to a fire inside Pedone’s Pizza and Italian Food, near 14th Street, about 6 a.m., said HBFD Capt. Mike Garofano. Authorities were alerted to the fire by an alarm linked to the restaurant’s automatic sprinkler system, Garofano said. Four engines, one truck and a battalion chief from HBFD responded to the blaze, and the sprinkler system was keeping the fire in check when they arrived.

Because the business was closed, firefighters had to break down the business’ front door to fight the fire, Garofano said. Units from fire departments in Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach and Torrance arrived shortly thereafter, and the group knocked down the fire after about 15 minutes. As of 9 a.m. Monday morning, Pedone’s was sealed off with red caution tape. There were no visible marks to the exterior, but the smell of burnt wood lingered in the air.

Pedone’s Pizza is one of several businesses located in the structure at 1332 Hermosa Ave., including a Pilates studio across a common hallway, but damage from the fire was confined to the restaurant, Garofano said. No one was injured in the blaze.

The cause of the blaze is under investigation, Garofano said. Standard procedure requires bringing in an arson investigator to examine heat signatures and determine the blaze’s point of origin. Initial examination suggests an electrical fire, but this has not been confirmed

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Stillwater, OK – Sprinklers prevent overnight fire from spreading at popular restaurant

A small kitchen fire at El Vaquero early Sunday morning has forced the restaurant to temporarily close. A pot with oil in it was left on a lit gas burner after all the employees had gone home for the day, according to General Manager Gustavo Villasenor, who Monday said he may need to get more strict with his closing procedures.

The hood above the stove and ventilation system suffered the brunt of the damage from the fire, which started about midnight Sunday morning, about an hour after the last employee had left for the night. Villasenor said a sprinkler system above the stove turned on and prevented the fire from spreading.

Fire Marshal Neal Moore said the fire was pretty much out when firefighters arrived on scene. This isn’t the first time the business has been impacted by fire.

A 2003 electrical fire in the walls of the Mexican restaurant forced them to close for a year as they worked to rebuild the front of the building. “I feel fortunate that it wasn’t worse and that everybody is okay,” Villasenor said.

If all goes well with the cleanup effort and minor repairs, Villasenor said he hopes to reopen Wednesday evening or Thursday in time for lunch.

Restaurant, Shopping Mall

Las Vegas, NV – Fire in mall food court extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Las Vegas firefighters said they are investigating after a fire broke out at the food court in Meadows Mall Friday. The incident occurred Friday morning at Panda Express, located inside the mall on 4300 Meadows Lane. The fire department said the fire sprinkler put out a grill top fire. No injuries were reported, the fire department said.

Other Business, Restaurant

Wauwatosa, WI – Small businesses spared damage after water heater catches fire

An automatic fire sprinkler system Monday spared three businesses in Wauwatosa from a potentially devastating blaze that would have closed the businesses for a significant length of time, according to the city’s fire department. Shortly before 9 a.m., a gas-fed water heater near a ceiling started on fire at Jersey Mike’s Subs, 2571 N. Mayfair Road, according to a news release from the Wauwatosa Fire Department.

According to the release, an employee who noticed the fire warned workers in a neighboring business to evacuate but the fire was controlled by the sprinkler system before firefighters arrived. Water damage occurred in the three businesses.  However, there was little fire damage and the neighboring businesses were expected to reopen within hours, according to the release.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Brownwood, TX – Christmas day arson fire at McDonald’s put out by sprinkler system

Brownwood Police and Brownwood Fire Marshal Buddy Preston were called to McDonald’s restaurant on Christmas Day, located on E. Commerce in Brownwood, to investigate a burglary and fire. A fire was initially reported at approximately 6:45 p.m. on Friday.  When firefighters arrived, the sprinkler system had put out a small fire which had been started in the manager’s office, according to Preston.  Police were called to investigate a case of burglary as well.

“It appeared that a suspect had broken into the building and set the fire to destroy any evidence of the burglary,” said Brownwood Assistant Chief of Police James Fuller. According to police, an eye witness gave a description of a suspect who was located a short time later.  The suspect was identified as 23-year-old Jerry Herrera, who was arrested after the witness made a positive identification.  Herrera was charged with burglary of a building, arson and possession of a controlled substance penalty group 1 equal or greater than 1 gram less than 4 grams.

Fuller stated, “There was some good work and great luck involved” regarding the quick arrest of the suspect. The arson and burglary are pending further investigation according to police and fire officials.  The fire was small and McDonald’s was open for business on Saturday.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Staten Island, NY – Sprinkler system activates to help control restaurant fire

Firefighters are on the scene at Bocelli Restaurant in Grasmere after a report of a grease fire, according to an FDNY spokesman. Several units responded to the restaurant, located in a shopping center at 1250 Hylan Blvd., after the fire was reported at 1:03 p.m., the spokesman said.

No injuries have been reported and the incident appeared to be minor, the spokesman said. An employee said the sprinkler went off in the restaurant.

Several FDNY engines were inside the shopping center, and blocking the right lane of northbound Hylan. According to a patron inside the establishment at the time, the restaurant was fairly crowded when customers began smelling a strong gas odor. Workers asked everyone to leave and once the patrons were outside, the sprinkler system went off.