Category Archives: Hotel / Restaurant

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant, Retail, Shopping Mall

Ottumwa, IA – Sprinkler system extinguishes kitchen fire in strip mall

A fire alarm and the smell of smoke kicked the Ottumwa Fire Department into action. They arrived at about 7:30 a.m. Tuesday at 1111 N. Quincy Ave. in Quincy Plaza.

However, a press release from the city says that when firefighters arrived on scene, they found no active fire or smoke being emitted from the structure. Due to the age of the fire suppression system, it didn’t show exactly where the alarm was coming from.

Firefighters used their key system to gain access to the shops of the strip mall in attempts to locate the source of the smoke smell. That’s how they found the source, which was located at the Little Caesars Pizza section of the strip mall.

Yet the fire suppression system was sufficient to extinguish the fire by itself: Firefighters located an active sprinkler head which had suppressed a small fire in the kitchen area of the business.

According to the city statement, the damage to the entire complex would have been much greater without a properly working fire sprinkler system.

The business suffered water, smoke and fire damage.

The cause, the OFD says, looks to have been spontaneous combustion of oily rags kept in a container in the back of the kitchen.

The Ottumwa Fire Department was assisted by the Ottumwa Police Departments dispatchers to gain communications with the building owner and tenants.

Hotel / Motel

Myrtle Beach, SC – Fire in 9th floor maintenance office of high-rise hotel contained with help from sprinkler system

Myrtle Beach Fire Department crews responded to a 2-alarm fire at a hotel in downtown Myrtle Beach shortly before 2 p.m. on Friday. MBFD Deputy Chief Tom Gwyer believes the fire started in a maintenance office on the 9th floor of the Monterey Bay Suites on Ocean Boulevard. The sprinkler system went off and the 9th and 10th floors were evacuated. Crews were able to get the fire under control.  Gwyer also says there were no injuries but initial crews who responded to the fire are recovering from the heat and climbing stairs in their gear. An Horry County ambulance is on scene in case crews need medical attention.

Residential, Restaurant, Townhouse / Condominium

Rochester, NY – Sprinkler system limits spread of fire into condominium building; Fire started in outside patio

Rochester fire investigators are looking into the cause of an early morning fire Friday that caused damage to a business and nearby condominiums.  No injuries were reported in the second-alarm fire at about 1:30 a.m. at Side Bar located downtown at 242 South Avenue.  Firefighters responded after a resident at the Capron Street Condominiums felt the heat and saw the glow from the fire and pulled the fire alarm, said Capt. Ted Kuppinger of the Rochester Fire Department.  The condos, that are next to the building the bar is located in, also overlooks the outdoor patio where the fire started. No one was in the outdoor patio.

Condo residents felt the heat and saw the glow from the fire and pulled the fire alarm.  One to two condos aren’t inhabitable due to water damage after their sprinklers went off, Kuppinger said.  The interior of the bar also received water damage as well as smoke and heat damage.  “If it had not been for the sprinkler system we would have had a much bigger fire,” Kuppinger said.  The fire was under control in 20 minutes.

Restaurant

Des Moines, IA – Evening restaurant fire suppressed with help from sprinkler system

Des Moines fire captain Randy Jones said the grease fire began once a hot pan was transferred from a stovetop to a sink. Sprinklers installed in the ceiling put out the flames, but the eatery, located at 310 Court Ave., had to be evacuated and closed for the day — about three hours earlier than usual. The sprinklers went off at about 6:20 p.m. Thursday.

“We had quite a bit of water to remove,” Jones said. “The fire was out — it’s more or less just water damage. They need to have the sprinkler system activated again and they also need to have the health department come out and inspect everything before they reopen.”

A couple dozen people were standing outside the more than 30-year-old Court Avenue fixture when the fire department arrived. Officials say they’re not sure how many customers were in the restaurant at the time of the fire.

Spaghetti Works managers said they plan to reopen the restaurant Friday.

Restaurant

Nashville, TN – Kitchen fire at downtown restaurant controlled with help from sprinkler system

Merchants in downtown Nashville is indefinitely closed due to a fire on Thursday morning.  The Nashville Fire Department responded to the Broadway establishment during the 8 a.m. hour to put out the fire.  The owners of Merchants said there was a small fire on the third floor kitchen caused by a smoker. The fire set off a sprinkler system and crews are busy at work cleaning all three floors and getting the building back in shape.  “The good news is, this building has seen much worse than this in the 100-plus-years that its been around, so we’ll be up and running in no time! We are trying to reopen for service tomorrow, June 1.” – Merchants  Currently, cause of the fire and extent of the damage has not been released.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Sacramento, CA – Sprinkler system contains restaurant fire; No injuries reported

Cosumnes Fire investigators determined that a discarded cigarette sparked a fire that damaged the BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse on May 11. The restaurant was evacuated that night and it was reopened the next day. No injuries were reported.

This fire first burned bark outside the restaurant on Laguna Springs Drive around 5 p.m. and then spread to the building. Cosumnes Fire Chief Mike McLaughlin said that evening’s strong winds fueled the fire and caused flames to burn a wall and spread into the attic.

“The fire sprinkler system worked as designed and contained the fire when one head activated,” he said.

Cosumnes, Sacramento City, and Sacramento County Metropolitan firefighters extinguished the fire.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Tysons Corner, VA – Sprinkler system extinguishes kitchen fire in restaurant; No injuries reported

Sprinklers prevented a fire from doing much damage at a Tysons Corner Center restaurant Tuesday.

When Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Units arrived to the restaurant in the 1900 block of Chain Bridge Road around 12:07 a.m., the fire had already been put out.

The restaurant was closed at the time, but one employee was present and found the fire. The employee unsuccessfully tried to put out the blaze with a fire extinguisher. The fire had been extinguished when three fire sprinkler heads activated. No one was injured.

Fire investigators determined that the fire started in the kitchen due to a plastic food storage cart being too close to a stove burner. The restaurant was closed pending a health department inspection, which is routine after fires. Red Cross services were not required with damage estimates around $300.

A spokesperson for Fairfax County Fire and Rescue did not specify which restaurant the fire occurred at.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Evanston, IL – Sprinklers keeps fire at Subway restaurant from spreading; Firefighters extinguish blaze

Firefighters quickly extinguished a fire inside a restaurant at an Evanston strip mall Saturday afternoon, preventing injuries and preserving the building with the help of a functioning sprinkler system, according to the Evanston Fire Department. Fire crews were called shortly after 1 p.m. to the 1900 Dempster St. for a report of a fire inside the Subway restaurant during a busy lunch hour. The alarm was soon upgraded to call in firefighters from nearby communities for cover.

Firefighters found heavy smoke billowing from the front of the building and were told of the active fire inside. After entering the building they noticed an active sprinkler system keeping the fire in check and allowing crews to quickly extinguish the blaze, according to Division Chief Paul Polep. All patrons and employees were able to exit the building before the arrival of firefighters, and there were no injuries reported.

The department credited the working sprinkler system and the rapid response of firefighters for saving the Subway and other attached business in the Evanston Plaza shopping center, although the restaurant suffered a significant level of smoke and water damage. There were no signs of foul play and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Des Moines, IA – Fire in restaurant on 2nd floor of high rise limited by sprinkler system

Des Moines firefighters quickly extinguished a kitchen fire at 801 Grand Ave. early Thursday morning.  The Des Moines Fire Department got the call at 5:55 a.m. for a kitchen fire at the 801 Chophouse restaurant on the second floor of the 44-story Principal Building, said Capt. Randy Jones.  When firefighters arrived, there was no smoke or flames showing from the high rise, he said.  The source of the fire was a pot that was burning on the stove. Jones said building employees told him the restaurant typically leaves a pot warming overnight.

The building’s sprinkler system had activated, but it did not reach the pot because the pot was under a shelf, Jones said. Firefighters put a lid on the pot to slow it down and used a fire extinguisher to put out the blaze in about 10 minutes.  Jones said he’s not sure what was burning in the pot.  “I don’t know. It’s burned up beyond recognition,” he said.

While firefighters briefly closed part of Grand Avenue, it has since reopened. Jones said there was “quite a bit of smoke” on the second floor that firefighters were ventilating Thursday morning, but the rest of the building would be open as usual.  Damon Murphy, 801 Chophouse’s general manager, said there wasn’t any damage to the restaurant, just some cleanup that was required.  Murphy said he expected the restaurant to be open as normal Thursday evening, pending an inspection.