Category Archives: Hotel / Restaurant

Restaurant

Spring Hill, TN – Fire at BBQ restaurant suppressed by sprinkler system

Martin’s BBQ Joint, 55 South and the Salty Goat were evacuated Tuesday night after a fire broke out in one of the kitchens.  There were no injuries or structural damage to the building.  “The sprinkler system did it’s job – that’s what we have sprinklers in buildings for,” said Spring Hill Fire Chief Terry Hood. “When they opened up the pit, it flared up. It was basically a grease fire.”  The source of the grease fire, according to workers on the scene.

The fire broke out on the north end of Martin’s Bar-B-Que at around 8:50 p.m., and smoke quickly filled the building.  Anthony Hall was getting a drink with a friend at 55 South when he first saw the smoke. Hall said he thought it was normal smoke from putting out the ovens, until he noticed the smoke wasn’t stopping. Hall said the fire department arrived about five minutes after the smoke started, ordering everyone to evacuate the building.

Martin’s opened in March in the Spring Hill Station building which shares an outdoor seating area with the other restaurants. All three restaurants have since returned to normal operations.

Hotel / Motel

Victoria, BC, Canada – Fire in fifth floor hotel suite contained to room of origin by sprinkler system

Fire crews were able to contain a small fire in a suite on the fifth floor of 844 Johnson St. late Saturday (July 28) evening.  Three engines, a ladder truck, a rescue truck and a command vehicle from Victoria Fire Department responded to a call shortly after 11 p.m. and firefighters were on the scene for about an hour. Deputy Fire Chief Dan Atkinson said the cause of the fire is still under investigation but no injuries were reported.  “The sprinkler activated so that was able to aid in confining it to the suite of origin,” he said. “No occupants were found in the suite of origin so everyone was able to exit,” he added, referring to the evacuation of the 147-unit residential building operated by Portland Hotel Society.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Washington, D.C. – Sprinkler system activated at roof top bar

Fire broke out late Tuesday night in a commercial building in Washington around the corner from Farragut Square and three or four blocks from the White House.

The blaze broke out in a four story building in the 1700 block of I Street NW, the D.C. Fire and EMS Department said. One firefighter was taken to a hospital with a nonlife-threatening injury.

According to the department, the fire broke out in a rooftop bar, and came to involve parts of the walls and flooring. Sprinklers helped contain it, and it was “knocked down” by about 10 p.m., the department said. It was not clear whether anyone was in the bar when the blaze began.

As of late Tuesday no cause had been determined, the fire department said. Investigators were trying to find it, according to the department.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Fort Lauderdale, FL – Fifth floor hotel parking garage fire contained by sprinkler system

More than 100 guests were evacuated from a Fort Lauderdale hotel early Friday when a smoke and flames were seen in the parking garage, according to fire rescue officials.

A car caught fire about 7 a.m. on the fifth floor of the garage at the Conrad Fort Lauderdale Beach hotel, at 551 N. Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd., fire officials said.

“The sprinkler system had activated and the fire was contained to that one vehicle,” said Battalion Chief Steve Gollan. “The hotel staff had already started to evacuate the building.

The evacuated guests waited on the sidewalk across the street on the beach while firefighters ventilated any lingering smoke from the hotel and the garage.

The smoke and water affected the fourth, fifth and sixth floors of the parking garage but people reported smelling smoke inside the hotel, he said.

“One of the biggest challenges we have is it’s basically a high-rise fire,” Gollan said. “We have to get all the gear and [firefighters] up there and it’s an enclosed parking garage so we had some difficulties getting all of the smoke out of the building.”

The evacuation lasted about 90 minutes but there were no reports of any injuries. The cause of the car fire is under investigation, he said.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Loveland, CO – Sprinkler system doused flames at a sushi restaurant

A fire struck the Sushi JOOA restaurant at 198 E. 29th St. on Tuesday night, although the sprinkler system doused the flames before they threatened adjacent businesses in the Palmer Gardens shopping center.

The Loveland Fire Rescue Authority was dispatched to the restaurant at 11:19 p.m. after being alerted by an automatic fire alarm, according to operations chief Greg Ward.

Loveland Fire’s first engine arrived on scene at 11:25 p.m.

The alarm was upgraded to a structure fire when firefighters saw smoke and sprinkler flow within the restaurant, he said.

Just after midnight, firefighters located the area of the extinguished fire in the space above the ceiling, Ward said Wednesday.

A sign on the front door of Sushi JOOA on Wednesday lets customers know the restaurant at 198 E. 29th St. in Loveland is closed after a fire broke out there Tuesday night. (Jenny Sparks / Loveland Reporter-Herald)

By Wednesday morning, crews had left Sushi JOOA, which will need clearance from the building and health departments before opening its doors to customers.

The Marine Corps Career Center adjacent to the restaurant suffered minor water damage, Ward said.

Dozens of businesses and offices in Palmer Gardens were unaffected and open for business, according to Loveland Fire Capt. Carie Dann, thanks to the single sprinkler head that contained the flames.

That sprinkler head activated when the air around it reached 160 degrees, she said.

“The whole building is going to be safe now,” Dann said. “People have jobs; the entire rest of the building remained open (Wednesday).”

Dann said even Sushi JOOA would be able to clean up and reopen “in a pretty rapid manner.”

That may not have been the case if the sprinkler system hadn’t been installed throughout the building when it was erected years ago.

“It could’ve been closed down for months,” Dann said. She said Loveland Fire encourages the owners of new buildings to install sprinkler systems for that very reason.

“A lot of times, people are hesitant to install sprinklers because they think there will be an accidental activation of the system,” she said, noting that accidental activation is extremely unlikely. “It’s not like in the movies, when every single sprinkler head goes off.”

Dann said Tuesday night’s fire was a good example of the value of sprinkler systems.

“You can always dry things out,” she said, “but you can’t unburn them.”

Hotel / Motel

Las Vegas, NV – Kitchen fire at Hilton Grand Vacations on the Strip controlled with help from sprinkler system

A kitchen fire in one of the rooms at the Hilton Grand Vacations on Las Vegas Boulevard caused evacuations on three stories of the resort Saturday afternoon.  The fire began around 11:40 a.m. on the 16th floor. Firefighters with the Clark County Fire Department ordered evacuations on the 15th, 16th, and 17th floors. Guests had to stay in the lobby.  Firefighters knocked out the fire, and some guests were allowed to return to their rooms. Investigators are now assessing the water damage caused by the sprinkler system.  This is a developing story. Please check back later for updates.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Port Alberni, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system confines restaurant fire to one room

The Port Pub and CJ’s Place restaurant are closed indefinitely following a fire in a room above the pub on Saturday morning (July 7).

The Port Alberni and Cherry Creek fire departments responded to an alarm activation at the pub at around 8:30 a.m. “We found a fire had started in one of the rooms and the sprinkler had activated,” Port Alberni deputy fire chief Wes Patterson said. “Firefighters extinguished the fire.”

Patterson said there were no injuries in the fire, and it was caught early. “Fire and smoke damage was confined to one room, however with the water damage, power was shut off to the building,” he said.

“Thankfully the fire started in a sprinklered area of the building and the sprinkler minimized fire and smoke damage. It shows the importance of having a well-maintained sprinkler system.”

The fire happened in a room right above CJ’s Place and the kitchen. Manager CJ sat in the middle of her darkened restaurant late Saturday morning, tears filling her eyes as she looked around and thought about the damage. She opened her restaurant on May 1, taking over the former Port Sushi location and transforming it into a family restaurant.

“I’m devastated,” she said. “It’s my kitchen that got totally damaged; it’s all flooded.” Water was pooling in the area behind the front counter, down the hallway and in the kitchen. Water was dripping from the light fixtures in the storage room behind the kitchen.

CJ had come to the restaurant early to prepare an order for the Alberni Charity Golf Classic, taking place today at the Alberni Golf Course, but she wasn’t able to fulfill the order due to the water damage. She gave them a gift certificate instead.

“I’m sad because my staff aren’t working,” CJ said. She has four employees who work with her at the restaurant. “That’s my main thing. There’s going to be thousands and thousands of dollars of damage, I know.”

Patterson said the fire department is still investigating how the fire started. Fire restoration crews were in the pub by lunchtime, assessing damage.

CJ said she isn’t sure how long her restaurant or the pub will be closed, but said she will be ready to reopen as soon as she can.

“We’re going to rock this thing. I just want it open.”

Hotel / Motel

Rapid City, SD – Fire at Ramada hotel suppressed by automatic sprinkler system

A sprinkler system helped quell a fire Thursday afternoon in the kitchen area of the Ramada Rapid City on North Lacrosse Street. Rapid City firefighters responded to reports of flames coming from the kitchen just after 2 p.m. A preliminary check indicated that the fire was not ignited by a cooking appliance, according to Lt. Jim Bussell of the Rapid City Fire Department.  “The fire was knocked down by the sprinkler system when we arrived,” Bussell said. “It sounds like the sprinkler system did its job, and it’s a really good example of why we are very much advocates for fire sprinkler protection.”  He said fire crews were clearing the kitchen and lobby area of residual smoke and shutting down the sprinkler. The hotel convention center complex was evacuated, with no reports of injuries to staff, guests or firefighters.

Restaurant

Clifton, NJ – Sprinkler system hold early morning restaurant fire in check

A Lexington Avenue restaurant’s sprinkler system kept an early Wednesday morning fire in check until firefighters arrived and extinguished it, officials said.  Firefighters found smoke coming from Ya Hala restaurant on Lexington Avenue upon arrival at 4:39 a.m., said Deputy Chief Frank Prezioso  Firefighters investigated a hissing sound at first believing it to be a gas leak, Prezioso said. The hissing was coming from the sprinkler system, he said.  Sprinklers limited the fire to the kitchen area, Prezioso said.  The fire took a while to extinguish as it had worked its way above the drop ceiling, Prezioso said.  The deputy chief also said fire crews searched the property for possible victims but found none.  The fire was out by 6:30 a.m. Paterson and Passaic, assisted.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Erie, PA – Sprinkler system helps keep loading dock fire at restaurant from spreading inside

A smoky dumpster fire at Cheddar’s Saturday temporarily closed the Millcreek Township restaurant.  Smoke poured out of the loading dock area of the Interchange Road business.  A sprinkler extinguished most of the smoke, according to firefighters. Kearsarge and West Ridge firefighters cleared the scene within an hour.  Because one sprinkler head went off inside the restaurant, it was closed to clean things up.  We’re told no smoke entered the business, and will not have to be inspected by the Health Department. The manager told Erie News Now Cheddar’s expects to reopen Sunday.