Category Archives: Hotel / Restaurant

Apartment Building, Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant, Residential

Kamloops, BC, Canada – Fire sprinklers keep fire under control at hotel; No injuries reported

A fire last night at the Sandman Inn and Suites left 65 people without a place to sleep.

Around 8:20 p.m., Kamloops Fire Rescue (KFR) was called to the hotel (which also has apartments), says Platoon Capt. Troy Grant.

“Arriving a couple of blocks away, we could see flames on the roof of the building,” he tells KamloopsMatters. “The fire was in the attic and going through the roof in a couple of spots.”

KFR was able to quickly knock the fire down, using hoses from the outside and a ladder truck. They did have to remove a six-foot-by-12-foot section of the roof to get to it.

No injuries were reported, but the building remained empty overnight.

“65 residents were displaced,” Grant says. “Those have been taken care of by emergency support services.”

He adds that some will likely be able to return to their homes tonight, but others won’t be so lucky. The fourth floor, where the fire took place, has apartments, he adds. Along with some smoke damage and the removed section of the roof, he says there’s extensive water damage in some units, and likely more below.

“The cause of fire was in the attic itself; it appears electrical in nature,” Grant says. “The fire was kept small by the sprinkler system — the sprinklers were on for some time.”

Because of that, the roof collapsed in one unit and is sagging in others.

While the fire was knocked down relatively quickly, Grant says KFR stayed on the scene for a couple of hours to help guests and residents move out of the building.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Bullhead City, AZ – Sprinkler system limits damage to restaurant after fire starts on range; No injuries reported

A properly working fire suppression system is being credited for limited the damage at a Bullhead City restaurant Wednesday morning.

Units from the Bullhead City Fire Department were called to the Hibachi Buffet, in the 2200 block of Highway 95, around 11:18 a.m. Arriving crews found smoke coming from the rooftop and an audible fire alarm sounding.

According to a news release from the Bullhead City Fire Department, firefighters confirmed that all employees and diners had left the building before gaining access to the roof. Additional firefighters went inside, going to the kitchen area

“Fortunately, this building is equipped with a fire sprinkler system that properly activated when the fire broke out, keeping the blaze contained with minimal damage,” the news release said.

No injuries were reported.

Investigators determined the fire started on the cooktop range, activating the hood extinguishment system and one sprinkler head, confining the damage to the immediate area.

“Contrary to many movie portrayals, only sprinkler heads directly exposed to the heat activate,” the release said. “Having a fire sprinkler system can keep a fire from spreading and aid with extinguishment. Fire spreads quickly and can double in size every minute. Even small fires can cause significant damages to property and endanger those nearby.”

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Sponkane Valley, WA – Sprinkler system helps put out fire that started outside of restaurant

The Longhorn BBQ restaurant in Spokane Valley was damaged in an early morning fire Monday.

The Spokane Valley Fire department responded to the scene at 2315 N. Argonne Rd. just before 4:00 a.m.

Fire crews said the exact cause of the fire is still under investigation, but firefighters have a few leads. Metal cans were found near the site of the fire, leading firefighters to believe it could have been a warming fire started by homeless people in the area. Crews said it could have also started in the heating and air conditioning unit. The fire has been put out and crews are now mopping up.

The fire started outside, on the west side of the building. It quickly spread into the second floor office space, which activated sprinklers.

E. Montgomery is closed at N. Hutchinson because of thefire but Argonne Rd. is not affected. It is unclear if the restaurants plans to open on Monday. This is the second time in recent months that Longhorn BBQ locations have suffered from fire damage. The Airway Heights location of Longhorn BBQ caught fire in August and was sparked by an accident in an electrical area behind one of the interior walls.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Mooresville, NC – Sprinkler system successfully extinguishes grease fire at hotel

Mooresville fire officials are crediting a hotel sprinkler system at the Hilton Garden Inn for protecting occupants and $11 million in property after it successfully extinguished a grease fire Sunday.

The March 1 grease fire began around 5:30 a.m. in the kitchen of the hotel located at 159 Gateway Boulevard in Mooresville.

“Although the hood suppression system activated, the fire spread to nearby cardboard boxes but was successfully extinguished by the building’s fire sprinkler system when three sprinkler heads activated,” and put the fire out before firefighters arrived on the scene, Mooresville Fire-Rescue said Monday morning in a statement.

Damage was limited to a small area of the kitchen, according to fire officials, who say the incident is a reminder to stay vigilant about fire safety when traveling.

“According to the US Fire Administration, each year, there are an estimated 3,900 hotel and motel fires that cause 15 deaths, 100 injuries, and $100 million in property losses,” MFR said. The hotel has a fire sprinkler system because building codes required it at the time it was built in 2007.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Jeffersonville, IN – Electrical malfunction fire at brewery controlled by fire sprinklers

Goodwood Brewing is working to rebuild after a fire damaged the building where they planned to open a new restaurant on March 8. 

The Jeffersonville Fire Department says they believe the flames on Friday were sparked by an electrical malfunction. 

Firefighters were able to contain the fire quickly, and say it was the well-trained crew and a working sprinkler system that saved the building, which dates back to 1870.

Even though the historic building is still standing, there’s a lot of work to be done. 

“You can smell the smoke,” said James Corbin, the director of operations for Goodwood Brewing, as he stepped into the building on Monday. 

The fire was contained on the third floor, but the first and second floor have water damage. 

Corbin was in the building when it caught fire. He said watching those flames was a “helpless feeling.”

“All I could think about was this is going to push back our opening a little bit,” he said. 

He’d planned a multilevel entertainment complex in the building along Spring Street. He says he was prepared for the challenges of launching a business in a building that old. 

“When you go into things like this, you prepare for the worst, you hope for the best,” he said. “You don’t prepare yourself for a fire. That’s something that I would have never prepared myself for.”

After three days he says he’s still struggling with the sight. 

“Coming back up and seeing it like this, it’s kind of a punch in the gut,” said Corbin. “It slows us down a little bit but we will rebuild and we’ll come back stronger than ever.”

He’s still waiting on insurance assessments to know for sure, but hopes to open soon. 

“I would like to be open by June 1, but I don’t know if that’s going to be feasible or not,” he said. “The goal is to rebuild and get this open as soon as possible.”

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Mackinac Island, MI – Fire at local restaurant put out by fire sprinkler system

Investigators are looking into what started a fire at a restaurant on Mackinac Island.

Crews were called to the Village Inn just around 10:45 Wednesday night.

Firefighters evacuated several people on the second floor of the building.

Fire fighters were able to put out the fire on the first floor with help from the restaurant’s sprinkler system.

There is no word on what started it, but the Mackinac Island Fire Department says it is not considered suspicious.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Santa Barbara, CA – Hotel fire kept in check thanks to sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Firefighters responded Sunday to a fire in an area under renovation at the Hyatt Centric Hotel on the beachfront in Santa Barbara.

Crews were dispatched shortly after 10 a.m. to the hotel at 1111 E. Cabrillo Blvd., Santa Barbara City Fire Chief Eric Nickel told Noozhawk.

The fire was on the roof in an area of the hotel being remodeled, Nickel said, adding that when firefighters arrived, they found workers attempting to put out the blaze.

The fire likely was caused by the roofers, Nickel said, noting that a propane tank and a hot torch were found near the ignition point.

Firefighters used a ladder truck to make access to the roof, and pulled apart some of the roofing material to gain access to the flames.

The fire was declared under control at 10:52 a.m., Nickel said.

He noted that the flames were kept in check by the hotel’s sprinkler system.

“With the building under construction and the walls all opened up, we could have lost the whole thing if not for the sprinklers,” he said.

Crews searched the first and second floors of the affected area to make sure everyone was out, Nickel said.

Firefighters remained on scene late Sunday morning doing overhaul, and an investigator was called in to search for the cause of the fire.

No injuries were reported.

With all of the city’s fire engines and trucks assigned to the incident, crews from Santa Barbara County and Montecito were called in to provide coverage in the city, Nickel said.

Check back with Noozhawk for updates to this story.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Erie, PA – Fire sprinklers extinguish fire after man sets bed on fire at hotel

A Corry man was charged with setting fire to a Summit Township motel bed and damaging the motel room’s sprinkler system.

Patrick Hanlin Jr., 30, was staying at the Microtel Inn, 8100 Peach St., on Tuesday when he set fire to his bed, state police said in a news release. Hanlin then left the room without notifying authorities about the fire.

The room’s fire suppression system extinguished the fire but state police discovered that one sprinkler head had been broken before it was activated. The fire caused about $15,000 in damage, state police said.

Troopers also found drug paraphernalia in the room.

Hanlin was arrested in the motel lobby and later charged with causing or risking a catastrophe, criminal mischief, arson, reckless endangerment and possession of a controlled substance–paraphernalia.

Hanlin was taken to the Erie County Prison on $50,000 monetary bail.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

West Goshen, PA – Fire sprinklers contain hallway fire at hotel; No injuries reported

A fire in a hallway forced the evacuation of the Microtel on the 500 block of Willowbrook Lane Thursday evening.  

West Chester firefighters were alerted just after 8 p.m. and arrived to find the alarms sounding and the building evacuated.

Chester County Fire Marshal Latta White said there were no injuries, however power was out to the building so no residents would be able to return to the building. He said the building has 90 rooms of which more than 70 were occupied, most with multiple guests.

White said the fire was contained by sprinklers, and firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze which was located on a first floor hallway.

The fire alarm went off, and the desk person checked the fire alarm and found smoke on the first floor and called the fire department, White said. 

Multiple guests could be seen leaving the scene with assistance from firefighters.

White said the cause of the fire was under investigation.