Category Archives: Hotel / Restaurant

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Los Angeles, CA – Hotel fire kept in check by sprinkler system

Two people were hospitalized with minor injuries suffered in a fire Sunday on the 22nd floor of the 33-story Westin Bonaventure Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.

The fire appeared to be largely in or near a utility or service area (trash receptacle, ice machine, etc.) at the iconic structure, authorities said.

A third person treated at the scene declined further care, said Brian Humphrey of the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Firefighters were dispatched at 6:49 a.m. to the greater alarm blaze at 404 S. Figueroa St., Humphrey said.

The fire, which was held in check by the structure’s sprinkler system, was under control at 7:20 a.m., he added.

“Staff and patrons who calmly and safely evacuated the iconic building are now being provided hotel access, with patrol below the 22nd floor being allowed to return to guest accommodations,” Humphrey said. “Many of the 113 firefighters assigned to this incident are now working closely with hotel staff to manage residual smoke on floors 22-66 and localized water removal on floors 21 and 22.”

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Riverside, CA – Sprinkler system activated for arson fire at hotel; No injuries reported

A man was taken into custody for allegedly setting fire to his room at a hotel in Riverside.

Firefighters were sent to the Hyatt Place hotel at 3500 Market St. at 10:09 p.m. Monday regarding “reports of (an) occupant in a hotel room trying to burn down his room he was occupying,” the City of Riverside Fire Department said in a statement.

“Firefighters arrived to find the hotel being evacuated, light smoke on the second floor and the hotel room door locked with a fire sprinkler activation,” the statement said.

“The environment was safe for RPD officers to assist firefighters with opening the door and securing the hotel room. Firefighters discovered a small fire in the hotel room extinguished by the fire sprinkler system.”

The suspect was not in the room but was found in the building and detained by Riverside police officers. His name was not immediately released.

Firefighters assisted hotel staff with water removal from several hotel rooms and a hallway. Four hotel rooms were affected by the water from the fire sprinkler system. Damage was estimated at $100,000, the fire department reported.

About 50 occupants were evacuated from the structure but were allowed to re-occupy their rooms by about 11 p.m., the fire department reported. Hotel management accommodated occupants who were displaced by the water damage to other unoccupied hotel rooms.

City of Riverside Fire Department Arson Investigators responded to the scene and working with RPD conducted an investigation that is still ongoing.

There were no injuries.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Ottumwa, IA – Fire at hotel quickly extinguished with help from sprinkler system

Crews continue to review and repair the sixth floor of Hotel Ottumwa after Monday night’s fire. Residents were evacuated from the building Monday evening as firefighters put out a fire in an elevator storage room and funneled smoke out of the building.

The hotel is now letting residents back in, though at time of publication the power is still off on the 4th, 5th, and 6th floors. The elevator is shut off, with the hotel’s maintenance worker saying it likely won’t be back up until Friday.

Fire Chief Tony Miller says the fire was caused by an electrical issue in an elevator storage closet. An electrical meter corroded, sparking a fire, and catching a roll-up mattress in the room on fire. It activated a sprinkler on the 6th floor, which firefighters say helped in putting out the fire quickly.

However, Chief Miller notes these types of sparks can just happen from time to time. “Hotel Ottumwa is maintained pretty good, but occasionally you have an accident. And that was what this was: nothing but an accident. Between the fire department and health department, we inspect that place on a regular basis. So if there’s anything that’s off kilter, we take care of it and make sure it’s maintained like it should be.”

The fire department is reviewing the fire damage done to the room and sixth floor of the hotel. They also had to kick in a door on the sixth floor to rescue a resident. Chief Miller says they took two people to the hospital, both with smoke immolation.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Berkeley County, SC – Fire at chophouse extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Fire investigators are working to determine what sparked a fire Thursday morning at a restaurant in the Nexton Community.

The C&B Fire Department responded to the Halls Chophouse at Nexton after a call came in to Berkeley County Dispatch at approximately 4:40 a.m.

The C&B Fire Department said its first officers on the scene spotted smoke showing from the fire.

C&B Fire Chief Josh Woodall said the restaurant’s sprinkler system put out the small fire. No injuries were reported in the incident.

Owner Tommy Hall released a statement Thursday morning about the fire:

Early this morning while Halls Nexton was closed, fire crews responded to a small fire contained to the lounge on the first floor of our restaurant. Authorities will be looking into the cause over the next few days. We are thankful that no one was hurt and that there was minimal damage.

The Pine Ridge, Summerville and Dorchester County Fire Departments also responded.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Cincinnati, OH – Sprinkler system activated for grill fire at restaurant; No injuries reported

Red Squirrel Restaurant is closing indefinitely after a structure fire, according to the Colerain Police Department.

Firefighters were dispatched at approximately 5 p.m. to 8227 Colerain Ave. over the weekend. Agencies arrived approximately two minutes later and found heavy smoke coming from the front door of the restaurant and flames were on the roof, according to a press release.

The restaurant had been evacuated of all employees and customers.

The fire began on the restaurant grill, officials said. The Colerain Fire Department was assisted by crews from North College Hill and Mount Healthy. 

The building had extensive smoke damage and water damage from the activated sprinkler heads, according to the Colerain Fire Department.

No injuries were reported.

The entire hood system and suppression system will need to be replaced, the fire department said.

Damages are estimated at approximately $20,000, according to the Colerain Fire Department.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Herndon, VA – Sprinkler system extinguishes countertop fire; No injuries reported

Fairfax County Fire and Rescue were called out early Monday morning for the report of a fire in the Herndon area of the county, according to a post on the department’s official Twitter account.

Units were dispatched around 7:22 a.m., after a passerby reported a fire at building in the 2400 block of Centreville Road, according to the tweet. A fire sprinkler extinguished a small blaze on the countertop in the building. After determining that the fire had not extended, crews remained on the scene for remove smoke from the building.

Investigators determined the cause of the fire was an electrical event involving a power strip. No injuries were reported and damage was estimated to be $6,000.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Austin, TX – Sprinkler system extinguishes restaurant kitchen fire

Austin Fire Department’s latest station is officially in service as of noon Sunday.

AFD says its Fire Station 51, located at 5410 Highway 290, will serve citizens in the Travis Country and Sunset Valley areas of southwest Austin.

Firefighters from Station 51 also responded to their first fire Sunday, which was in the kitchen of the CK Thai Cuisine located at 5207 Brodie Lane.

Structure fire 5207 Brodie Lane, small fire in kitchen of CK Thai Cuisine was extinguished by sprinkler system. Crews mitigating smoke and water. The inaugural run for brand new Station 51 in Sunset Valley.

This is the second of five new high priority Fire-EMS stations approved by Austin City Council. The first opened last year for Del Valle and southeast Austin.

When construction started in 2019, AFD told KXAN response times to most calls in that area fell between 13 and 14 minutes, considerably slower than its goal of eight minutes.

The plan was to keep people and property safe, and also reduce insurance rates.

In 2018, a report found 175 homeowners were at risk or had already seen their rates rise as much as $1,000 because they lived more than five miles from a fire station.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Las Vegas, NV – Sprinkler system activated for fire at luxor hotel; No injuries reported

Fire crews are investigating a fire that started inside a hotel room at the Luxor on Wednesday afternoon.

According to the Clark County Fire Department, the Combined Communications Center was notified of the fire around 3 PM.

Crews headed to the hotel’s fire control room upon arrival, where control panels indicated sprinkler activity coming from the 12th floor.

Fire personal headed up to the 10th floor by elevator then proceeded to walk up the stairs to the 12th floor.

Crews headed inside the room where the fire was reported and found an extinguished mattress fire that was put out by the sprinklers.

The room occupant was taken downstairs where she refused medical treatment. No injuries were reported.

The cause of the fire, as well as the estimated damage, is still under investigation.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Newport, OR – Sprinkler system controls laundry room fire at hotel

The automatic sprinkler system at the Best Western Plus Agate Beach Inn controlled a fire in the laundry room believed to have been started by spontaneous combustion.

The Newport Fire Department responded to a commercial fire call at 3019 North Coast Highway at about 12:45 a.m. Monday. Fire Chief Rob Murphy said responding firefighters found a blaze in the laundry room that had largely been extinguished by the facility’s sprinkler system, and they were able to quickly put down smolders and clear smoke from the building.

The entire hotel was briefly evacuated as a precaution — Murphy praised management for their execution of that process — but there was no damage to the main building, and guests were able to return to their rooms.

Murphy said the fire started by spontaneous combustion in a pile of laundry. Even after washed, the chief said, cloth can retain residue of oils and other chemicals. When that material is piled in large stacks, especially if it contains moisture, the oxidation of those chemicals releases heat with no place to escape, eventually building to ignition.

This kind of fire can be prevented by spreading laundry out as opposed to piling it, the chief said, adding that the incident was a great example of the value of fire alarm and suppression systems.

In an email to the News-Times, hotel manager Joshua Conrad thanked emergency personnel for their response and support.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Laredo, TX – Sprinkler system activated for suspected arson fire at hotel

Arson is suspected in a fire reported at a local hotel, according to the Laredo Fire Department.

LFD crews responded to a structure fire at about 3:26 a.m. on June 1 at the Amerik Suites in the 6500 Block of Metro Court. Firefighters said they encountered an active fire on the first floor bathroom and the west wing hallway.

First responders said the fire activated the sprinkler system, causing flooding to the affected area. There was minimal fire damage to the building, according to first responders.

The building was evacuated at the time of the incident. A fire watch was initiated until the sprinkler system was reactivated. Crews turned over the building to hotel management.

LFD officials are investigating the fire as a possible arson. To provide information on the case, call 795-2800 or Laredo Crime Stoppers at 727-TIPS (8477). Information provided via Crime Stoppers may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000.