Category Archives: Hotel / Restaurant

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Dover, NH – Restaurant fire held down by sprinkler system; Eatery reopens following day

A minor fire at Tucker’s Restaurant in Dover on Sunday night has forced the establishment to close on Monday.  According to Dover Fire Chief Eric Hagman, dispatchers received a fire alarm from the location at 11:33 p.m. followed by a caller from the nearby Applebee’s restaurant who reported heavy smoke in the rear of the building.

Firefighters and paramedics arrived by 11:37 p.m. and found a fire under a canopy outside at the back of the restaurant where it receives deliveries, Hagman said. The building’s sprinkler system also covers that area of the building, which the chief said held down the fire until firefighters arrived and extinguished the fire within about 10 minutes.  “Without the sprinkler system it would have been a much bigger event,” Hagman said.  Some of the food inside the kitchen was exposed to smoke and had to be discarded, he said.

The popular breakfast and lunch eatery, which operates four locations in New Hampshire, opened in early June in the former Uno Pizzeria and Grill. Tucker’s is located near the New Rochester Road intersection with Indian Brook Road.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Boise, ID – Sprinkler system helps douse fire at BBQ restaurant; No injuries reported

The Meridian Fire Department is investigating after smoke engulfed a Dickey’s Barbecue Pit restaurant on Saturday afternoon.  

It happened just before 5 p.m. on the 2800 block of Overland Road. 
No one was injured and the sprinkler system was activated. The fire department says two units were training just blocks away and were able to get to the scene in a matter of minutes. 

Crew cut holes in the roof for ventilation in to make sure fire had not spread to the attic.
While a small fire was found inside the restaurant, crews are still investigating to find out what happened.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Farmers Branch, TX (No media coverage) – Fire originating in commercial smoker quickly doused by sprinkler system

***No media coverage – Fire Department reported***  On October 7, 2017, Farmers Branch and Carrollton Fire Departments were dispatched to a structure fire at a commercial building located at 13801 Diplomat in Farmers Branch. The Carrollton Fire Department made entry and discovered a kitchen fire had been extinguished prior to their arrival by a single 25 gallon per minute sprinkler head.

An employee on the scene reported that chicken in a commercial smoker caught fire, and when she opened the smoker door a “fireball” rolled out and set off the sprinkler head. Fire damage was prevented by the quick activation of the fire sprinkler. The water damage was limited to a small area of the kitchen.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Riverbank, CA – Sprinkler system assists firefighters in controlling restaurant fire

Cool Hand Luke’s in Riverbank is expected to stay closed for about a week after a fire last Tuesday night.  The fire broke out at the restaurant on Patterson Road at about 7 p.m., setting off the sprinkler system in the kitchen and prompting the evacuation of dozens of diners.  The fire was accidental, said Lt. Dave Hutchison, supervisor of the Fire Investigation Unit.  It started on a stove in the kitchen, got into the heating and air conditioning system and spread into the attic.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Shelton, CT – Sprinkler system activates to contain restaurant fire

On 10/05/17 at 10:26 am the Huntington Co. #3, Echo Hose Co. #1 and the Pine Rock Co. #4 responded to a fire alarm sounding at the Red Lotus Restaurant #880 Bridgeport Avenue. Upon arrival firefighters found the occupancy filled with smoke and the fire sprinkler system activated. Further investigation by firefighters found a fire had occurred in a pot of food in the rear of the restaurant. The fire sprinkler head that activated kept the fire contained until firefighters arrived. The restaurant sustained smoke and water damage while adjacent stores sustained water damage. Two engines and one ladder truck responded.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Destin, FL – Sprinkler system helps contain deck fire at seafood restaurant

Crews responded to a fire that broke out at Tailfin’s Seafood House and Oyster Bar on the Destin harbor early Thursday morning.

According to Destin Fire Department Batallion Chief Jimmy Taylor, the call came in at 4:37 a.m. and crews from the Destin Fire Department and the Okaloosa Island Fire Department responded.

Taylor said no one was inside the building at the time the fire began and there were no injuries. The cause of the fire has not been determined and is under investigation by the DFD. The fire damage is estimated at $25,000.

 The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office said the fire began on the back deck. The restaurant’s sprinkler system contained most of the fire before crews arrived and extinguished the remainder of the fire, and there was no known damage to the interior of the business.
A woman who answered the phone at Tailfin’s said the second and third floor of the restaurant are open.
Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Tyler, TX – Sprinkler system helps contain electrical fire at Golden Corral; No injuries reported

The smell of smoke was in the air Wednesday, and a portion of the west side of Tyler’s Golden Corral building near the roof showed where a fire had burned the night before. An exterior door and some windows were also boarded up.

The Tyler Fire Department received the call shortly before 11:30 p.m. Tuesday that heavy smoke and flames were coming from the restaurant at 5602 S. Broadway Ave. Firefighters reported smoke and flames when they got to the scene, but got the fire under control.

A total of four engine companies, two ladder companies, an investigator and a District Chief were dispatched to Golden Corral, according to the Tyler Fire Department news release.

Units were cleared from the incident at 1:05 a.m.

Investigators determined the fire started near the southwest corner of the building in the exterior eave. Fire officials said the only ignition source in that area is lights. Fire investigators noted that the breaker controlling the lights had been tripped, and that an electrician had recently worked on the lights.

Most of the fire damage was to the outside of the building, with smoke and light fire damage to the interior.

The inside of restaurant sustained water damage from the building’s fire sprinkler system as well as from the firefighters putting out the blaze.

No injuries were reported.

The restaurant will be closed for at least three or four days for repairs and cleaning.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Silver City, NM – Electrical fire at crowded Denny’s restaurant put out by sprinkler system

An electrical fire in the ceiling above the kitchen at Denny’s sent customers and staff scrambling out into the parking lot Tuesday night, leaving their pancakes and burgers behind. The Silver City Fire Department got called out at 8:21 p.m. said Capt. Nathan Schwarz, but when firefighters arrived, the fire was already out.  “There was an electrical short in the back over the kitchen and the sprinkler system did its job and put the fire out,” he said.

Fifty to 60 customers were in the restaurant at the time, along with 20 employees, said Jennifer Noperil, one of Denny’s managers. One Denny’s employee said they heard a pop.  “I was cooking and I looked to the left and smelled smoke,” said cook Tyler Yarbrough.  Another employee popped the ceiling tile up to find where the smoke was coming from. He said he then saw flames in the ceiling.

“He tried putting it out with a fire extinguisher but it was just too much,” said cook Daniel Murillo.

That’s when staff called 911 and told the customers to evacuate the restaurant.

Customer Miguel Alvarado said he was sitting near the kitchen and had just gotten his meal when he heard the alarm go off and then the sprinkler went off.

People left the restaurant in a mostly calm fashion but some of the kids were crying, an employee said.

An ambulance had been dispatched to the restaurant minutes earlier for an unrelated medical call, Schwarz said. Employees had the restaurant completely evacuated by the time firefighters arrived. The fire was completely contained to the attic above the kitchen, Schwarz said. Six firefighters worked to pull soggy, burned insulation from the ceiling.

“Denny’s is going to be closed down for a few days until they can get an electrician in here and make repairs to the ceiling,” he said.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Astoria, OR – Fire in mechanical room at Comfort Suites Hotel contained with help from sprinkler system

Monday night Astoria Fire Department and an Officer from Astoria Police Department were dispatched to the Comfort Suites in East Astoria for a report of a natural gas leak behind the building.  While the fire department was evacuating the building the gas leak ignited from an unknown source.  An intense fire broke out igniting the hotel triggering a working fire response.

Astoria fire department was able to quickly address the fire after the evacuation of the hotel. The fire had minimal penetration into the buildings mechanical room where a sprinkler activated.  A large water supply pipe burst inside the hotel flooding the first floor.  Displaced hotel patrons were relocated to other area hotels. Multiple agencies responded as mutual aid, including Olney Wulluski Fire Department, Lewis and Clark Fire Department, Warrenton Fire Department, Knappa Fire Department, Medix Ambulance and Clatsop County Sheriff’s Department.

The cause of the original gas leak and ignition source are under investigation. Members from the Clatsop County Fire Investigation Team and Oregon State Police Arson investigators will be meeting this morning to continue the investigation.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Christiana, DE – Kitchen fire at TownePlace Suites hotel knocked down by sprinkler system

A fire inside a guest room at a Christiana hotel on Thursday was ruled accidental by officials later that day. The Delaware State Fire Marshal determined the cause of the blaze—which was reported around 4:30 p.m., on the fourth floor of the TownePlace Suites by Marriott, located at 410 Eagle Run Road—was a cardboard box that had been placed on top of a working stove.  According to state fire investigators, as the box was placed on the appliance, it accidentally turned on a burner by contacting the burner control knob.  The building’s fire sprinkler system had been operating properly, officials advised, allowing a nearby sprinkler head to detect and, subsequently, extinguish the flames.  Officials reported no injuries among hotel guests, who were alerted to evacuate by the building’s fire alarm system. Alternate accommodations were provided to guests at other Marriott properties, until the hotel could be reopened.  No estimate of damages was provided.