Category Archives: Hotel / Restaurant

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Honolulu, HI – Stove at hotel sparked fire, extinguished by fire sprinklers; No injuries reported

Honolulu Fire Department investigators determined that a Waikiki hotel fire Thursday was caused by a stove being left on.

HFD Capt. Scot Seguirant said a fire sprinkler system extinguished the fire within minutes after it started at 1:31 p.m. at the 26-story Ilikai Hotel & Luxury Suites at 1777 Ala Moana Blvd.

The first of six units arrived at 1:35 p.m. and found no signs of smoke or fire from the exterior of the building, but discovered the sprinkler system had activated in unit 2338 and extinguished the kitchen fire by 1:39 p.m., Seguirant said.

Two adults and a child were not in the unit at the time of the fire and no one was hurt.

HFD investigators say the fire was accidental. Damage estimates were not available.

Honolulu police closed two makai-bound lanes on Ala Moana Boulevard, between Hobron and Kahanamoku streets, for about two hours because of the fire.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Wilkes-Barre, PA – Sprinkler system keeps kitchen fire under control at Caribbean restaurant

A kitchen fire damaged a Caribbean restaurant in downtown Wilkes-Barre late Saturday night, according to city fire Capt. Robert Smith.

Firefighters responded to an activated fire alarm at Hartman Jerk Center, 72 S. Main St., at about 10:10 p.m. Saturday, according to Smith.

A sprinkler system in the restaurant’s kitchen had mostly extinguished the fire by the time firefighters arrived, Smith said.

The restaurant is closed for now until heat and water damage is cleaned up, according to Smith. He said he did not know how long the restaurant would need to remain closed.

The cause of the fire had not been determined as of Sunday night, but firefighters had no reason to believe it is suspicious, Smith said.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Erie, PA – Local pizza shop fire contained thanks to fire sprinkler activation

Fire at Summit Township pizza shop brought out firefighters early Saturday morning, but they said an effective sprinkler system put it out, and security camera video showed how it started.

Perry Hi-Way Hose and assisting companies came to Brooklyn Pizza on Rotunda Dr. just before 6 a.m.

Security video shows pizza boxes stored near the oven fell into a pilot light and touched off the fire. That kicked off the sprinkler system, which snuffed out the fire.

Firefighters forced entry from the front and back but found the big problem was water damage

Perry Hi-Way Chief Kip Hayford said a good firewall kept the fire from spreading.

Mariners Insurance had a little water damage, and the cell phone repair store vented a little smoke, but both were able to open for business.

The pizza shop said on Facebook it will be closed until further notice due to the fire.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Vancouver, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system knocks down third floor hotel fire; No injuries reported

A fire forced the evacuation of a Downtown Eastside hotel Saturday morning.

The flames broke out in a suite on the third floor of the Astoria Hotel on East Hastings Street at Hawks Avenue sometime before 9:45 a.m.

“Crews responded to this address for alarm bells ringing,” said battalion chief Dan Nichols of Vancouver Fire Rescue Services. “When they investigated, they found that there was a small fire in one of the suites.”

The fire was contained entirely to possessions within the room and did not spread to the building itself, Nichols said.

“It was mostly knocked down by the sprinkler system, but crews had to do a little bit of overhaul and knock down some of the hotspots,” he said.

No one was injured in the fire. Nichols said some of the suites below the one where it was located may have water damage, but residents were fortunate the building had functioning sprinklers.

“The sprinkler system was running for a while, but it did its job,” he said. “They’re lucky. It’s a good thing. Sprinklers work.”

The Astoria is one of several single resident occupancy (SRO) hotels in the Downtown Eastside operated by the Sahota family.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Vineyard Haven, MA – Sprinkler system activation keeps kitchen fire under control at local restaurant; No injuries reported

A small cooking explosion at Vineyard Carribbean Cuisine drew a full emergency response on Tuesday afternoon, snarling traffic at the Five Corners intersection in Vineyard Haven for an hour.

Tisbury fire chief John Schilling said the explosion happened when a butane single-burner appliance malfunctioned. No one was injured, and damage to the building was minimal.

“The small explosion of the fuel source caught the unit on fire, and the fire extended to surrounding materials on counter top and traveled up the wall,” Chief Schilling said. He added, “The sprinkler system activated and did its job.”

The incident happened near the intersection at about 3:55 p.m. on Tuesday, “on a rainy afternoon in August while the boat’s unloading,” Mr. Schilling said. Tisbury fire, police and EMS responded and staged equipment on the Beach street extension.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Honolulu, HI – Hotel fire sprinkler system keeps fire from spreading; No injuries reported

Honolulu Fire Department investigators have determined that the fire was intentionally set and the investigation has been handed over to the Honolulu Police Department.

Fire officials also provided the estimate of fire damages at $1,765,650 to the building and no injuries were reported for this incident. 

Nearly 60 firefighters rushed to put out a high rise fire in Waikiki on Monday night.

The fire began just after 8:30 p.m. at the Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel on Kalakaua Avenue and was discovered in a storage room on the 14th floor. 

According to the Honolulu Fire Department, fire sprinklers kept the flames from spreading.

Those staying at the hotel told KITV4 that the loud speakers that went off during the fire said, “This is not a drill” and instructed them to stay in their units.

The cause of the fire and the extent of the damage are being investigated.

No injuries have been reported at this time.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Arnold, MO – Fire sprinkler system activated for grease fire at local restaurant

Firefighters rushed to a two-alarm fire at a Mexican restaurant in Arnold overnight.

The call came out for the fire at the Las Fuentes Mexican Restaurant around 11:30 p.m. Monday. When crews arrived on the scene, they reportedly found smoke and a small amount of fire inside the restaurant that was being contained by the sprinkler system.

Because the building is large and houses multiple businesses, the fire quickly struck a second alarm. The fire extended from the kitchen area to the roof through the vent system but was knocked down quickly.

Most of the damage was from smoke and water but there was minor fire damage in the kitchen. Some smoke extended into a neighboring business but there were no damages.

The fire was caused by a pot of grease left unattended after the restaurant closed, according to authorities. 

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Virginia Beach, VA – Hotel fire contained to single room thanks to sprinkler system

A fire in a room on the 11th floor of a Virginia Beach hotel caused extensive water damage on Sunday.

Fire crews were called to a fire at the Westin Hotel around 9:44 a.m., Battalion Chief William S. Skelaney said.

Crews discovered the fire in a housekeeping room on the hotel’s 11th floor.

The sprinkler system was activated, containing the fire to the room.

It did cause extensive water damage from the 11th floor to the lobby.

Fire crews worked with the building managers to get people back in the hotel, Skelaney said.

Investigators determined the cause of the fire is accidental. 

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Indianapolis, IN – Hotel fire caused by cigarette butt kept in check by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

A fire outside a hotel forced the early Saturday morning evacuation of the Extended Stay America near the Indianapolis airport.

Guests woke up to a fire alarm, smoke and sprinklers. Many people and their wet stuff are looking for somewhere else to stay tonight.

The Wayne Township Fire Department thinks someone discarded a cigarette butt in the bushes outside the hotel that started a fire that displaced some 200 people staying at the hotel.

“I was laying in the bed and the smoke was coming in the window,” said Scott Beckham, a construction worker from Florida who has lived at the hotel for about two months. “Then the alarms went off and they told everybody to evacuate.”

Firefighters quickly knocked down the flames, but not before the fire leaped into the attic and set off the sprinklers.

“I never really felt super in danger once firefighter staff and stuff got here,” said hotel guest Autumn Heidenthal.

No guests were injured but the building suffered extensive damage, including standing water in several hallways and rooms. 

“Just smoky and everything,” said Beckham, whose room is right above where the fire started. “The ceiling fell down in my room from the water damage.”

Heidenthal has lived at the hotel for a couple months during a summer internship. Her PT Cruiser was parked right by the fire and was covered in dusty debris. Most of that was washed away when she returned to the hotel after a car wash.

“I’m really lucky my car still runs, still drives,” said Heidenthal. “It just needed a little bit of a cleanup. That’s just about the bulk of it. At first, I thought, ‘Oh my gosh! Did my car start the fire?’ because where the flames were from my angle it looked like it was right by my car.”

Heidenthal doesn’t smoke cigarettes and she was asleep in her room when someone’s cigarette apparently ignited a burning bush.

102 of the 105 rooms at the Extended Stay America were occupied, some by people in town for Gen Con. The American Red Cross of Indiana was on hand to provide shelter if needed.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Chicago, IL – Fire sprinkler system keeps hotel fire contained to single room; No injuries reported

A fire broke out Thursday evening in a room at the luxury Hotel Felix in River North.

The Fire Department called a still-and-box alarm for the fire in Room 313 at the Hotel Felix, at 111 W. Huron St. Numerous fire units rushed to the scene.

The fire was confined to one room and was held in check by an automatic sprinkler that was set off, the Fire Department said.

Fire crews easily extinguished the blaze, and no one was injured.

The 225-room Hotel Felix opened in 2009. Its building dates from 1926, but was renovated with organic materials and renewable resources, according to the hotel website.