Category Archives: Hotel / Restaurant

Lake George, NY – Basement fire at Courtyard Marriott hotel extinguished with help from sprinkler system

One person was hurt and dozens of guests evacuated late Friday after a fire broke out in the basement of the new Courtyard Marriott hotel on Canada Street, officials said. At least 15 firetrucks from around the region responded to the hotel for the 8:40 p.m. call as smoke filled parts of the building.  The fire was out within minutes, and Lake George Fire Chief Jason Berry said guests were expected to be able to return to their rooms late Friday. But they had to wait for a few hours for the building to be ventilated and for sprinkler system heads that were activated to be replaced, the chief explained.

Warren County sheriff’s Sgt. Ben Geisler said one person was taken to Glens Falls Hospital after they were hurt during the evacuation, but the injuries were not considered serious The fire broke out in an industrial trash can in the southwest corner of the basement of the building, apparently from spontaneous combustion of construction materials in it, the chief said. That area is unfinished and construction has been ongoing.  Berry said firefighters arrived to find material on fire and smoke in the building, but the fire did not damage the structure itself. He said it was unclear what was in the trash container.

“The sprinkler system definitely did its job,” he said. Sprinklers went off only in the area where fire was detected, but sprinkler heads that activate have to be replaced before the building can be re-opened, Berry said.  Among the guests in the hotel were 30 or so members of the New York State Fire Districts Association, who took the situation in stride as they watched firefighters deal with the situation. They stood near the main entrance on the west side of the building, watching their brethren handle the situation. Some still had their bar drinks.

We got up and got out in an orderly fashion,” said Kit Thompson of Baldwinsville. “We knew what we had to do.” Jerry DeLuca, a fire chief from Ravena and executive director of the state fire chiefs association, was among the hotel guests, and he said there was no smoke evident on the side of the building where he was as he evacuated.  He praised the local fire department response.  “You guys did a great job,” he told Chief Berry.  Two blocks of Canada Street were closed for several hours, as firetrucks from around the region lined up in front of the building. Mutual aid came from North Queensbury, Bolton, Warrensburg, Queensbury Central, Bay Ridge, Luzerne-Hadley and South Queensbury. Several tower trucks were among the apparatus called to the scene.

College Station, TX – Early morning fire at BBQ restaurant controlled by sprinkler system

Rudy’s Barbecue in College Station had a fire scare early Wednesday morning. College Station Fire officials say people saw smoke coming from the building around midnight.  The building’s sprinklers were activated; keep the fire under control until firefighters arrived.  Officials say the fire was contained to the wooden fence outside of the building, and did not damage the inside of the restaurant.   No injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

Nashua, NH – Sprinkler system helps contain hotel fire to one room; No injuries reported

A fire at a hotel Sunday morning caused damage to three rooms and left three occupants displaced.

Nashua Fire and Rescue said they responded to the Temple Street Hotel at 23 Temple St. at about 9:30 a.m. after an alarm was activated.

Upon arrival, they discovered there was a fire in one of the rooms within the rooming house and smoke showing from a third-floor window in the rear of the building.

Officials said a fire sprinkler was activated that helped keep the fire contained to the room of origin until they could completely extinguish it.

The room of origin and two rooms below suffered significant water damage, and three occupants were displaced. Officials said no injuries were sustained during the blaze.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Yellowknife, NT, Canada – Sprinkler system contains fire at hotel caused by young person playing with lighter

A young person playing with a lighter caused Monday’s fire at the Explorer Hotel in Yellowknife.

City officials say a minor lit a book on fire in a room on the second floor, activating the hotel’s sprinkler system.

Fire crews arrived to find heavy smoke in the second floor room, but the sprinkler system had put out most of the fire. Firefighters extinguished the remaining small fire.

No one was hurt in the fire, but there is extensive water damage to the hotel’s second floor and lobby.

Guests were initially evacuated from the hotel during the fire, but were sheltered in the hotel’s conference rooms once it had been put out.

After the sprinklers stopped flowing, they were allowed to return to their rooms using the stairwell.

Guests on the second floor have been moved to rooms on other floors.

Marion, IA – Fire at hotel contained to one room by sprinkler system

Guests evacuate a hotel in Marion due to a fire Sunday morning. Marion Fire Department responded to a fire report from the Microtel Inn and Suites in the 5000 block of Dryer Avenue. Crews arrived as light smoke was coming from the building. The Marion Fire Chief says the fire was coming from one of the rooms on the first floor. The fire sprinkler system did go off, and the fire was contained to just the one room.

Everyone evacuated the building and waited in the parking lot, no one was injured.

The cause remains under investigation. 

Park City, UT – Sprinkler system puts out electrical fire at hotel; No injuries reported

A fire in an electrical panel at a Park City hotel forced the evacuation of part of the building on Wednesday morning, the Park City Police Department said.

The incident occurred at a little bit before 6 a.m. at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Park City – The Yarrow on Park Avenue. The Police Department said nobody was injured.

The Park City Building Department investigated, finding that water leaking from a circulation pump attached to a boiler went through the floor and into the level below. The water leaked onto the electrical panel, shorting the panel, Kurt Simister, the fire marshal at City Hall, said. The panel then caught fire.

He said the fire burned insulation off wiring. The fire-sprinkler system was triggered and extinguished the flames, Simister said. He said the fire was determined to be accidental.

Simister said people staying in the southeast wing of the hotel were ordered out of their rooms for several hours during the emergency response. Phil Kirk, a police captain, said people staying in more than 50 rooms were ordered out of their rooms during the evacuation. The hotel provided food for the people who needed to leave their rooms, Kirk said.

The hotel recently underwent a major renovation. Simister said the electrical system, though, was not upgraded as part of the project. It is “as built, years ago” in the 1970s, Simister said about the electrical system.

“We treat these like they’re real every time,” Simister said about the fire and the decision to order people to leave part of the building.

Vail Resorts, the Colorado-based owner of Park City Mountain Resort, manages the hotel. A PCMR spokesperson said the hotel has resumed normal operations. The damage was “minimal” and is expected to be repaired quickly, the spokesperson said.

Aurora, IL (No Media Coverage) – Kitchen fire at restaurant fully extinguished by one sprinkler head

FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTED – NO MEDIA COVERAGE *** At 3:12 a.m. on 3-9-17 the Aurora Fire Department responded to an activated fire alarm at 85 Executive Drive on the city’s far eastside.

Upon arrival firefighters found a restaurant/bar with the fire alarm activated and light smoke seen through the front windows. Upon making entry and upon investigation firefighters found that a small fire started on the cooking surface in the kitchen area which activated one sprinkler head that fully extinguished the fire.

A total of 10 firefighters were on scene and there were no injuries to civilians or firefighters.

The total estimated dollar loss is $10,000. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

St. Charles, MO – Overnight restaurant fire controlled with help from sprinkler system

An overnight fire caused damage to a popular restaurant in St. Charles.  Fire officials were called to Lewis and Clark’s Restaurant on South Main Street after a fire started in the kitchen just after midnight Wednesday.

St. Charles Fire Department Battalion Chief Dan Casey said the building’s sprinkler system played a role in keeping the fire under control, but left behind water damage.

“Fire alarm system and sprinkler system really saved this building,” said Chief Casey. “Saved this restaurant, saved this business for the folks down here on South Main.”

The chief also said the concern with the old building was that the wood could burn fast.  “These old buildings, we have a three-story masonry building, been here for years, little worried about fire in void spaces, so we went ahead and called for a second alarm,” Chief Casey said.

The owner of the restaurant told News 4’s Paige Hulsey they plan to reopen the restaurant, but are still assessing damage and a timeline.  The cause of the fire is still under investigation. No one was injured during the fire.

Hanover, NJ – Suspicious fire at Marriott Hotel extinguished with help from sprinkler system

An investigation is underway in an effort to determine who started a fire in a hotel by wrapping a cigar inside a towel and placing it in a linen cart, police said. On March 4, Sgt. John Schauder along with Patrolman Dominic Kaiser responded to the Hanover Marriott for a fire alarm activation. The ensuing investigation revealed that someone had placed a lit cigar in a rolled up towel which was then put in a linen cart that was located on the eighth floor by the service elevator, police said.

The cigar eventually lit the contents of the linen cart on fire resulting in the fire sprinklers being activated which extinguished the fire along with the help of employees from the hotel, police said. There was fire damage to the linen and the walls in close proximity of the linen cart. There was also water damage to the area due to the sprinkler system being activated, police said.

The Cedar Knolls Fire Department as well as a police detective responded to assist with the investigation. The Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Arson Unit was notified as well. An investigation is ongoing, police said. No injuries were reported.

Henderson, NV – Overnight restaurant fire suppressed by sprinkler system

A sprinkler system prevented a fire from expanding at a Henderson restaurant early Tuesday morning. Firefighters with Henderson Fire Department arrived at Giada’s Italian Cucina, 2540 Anthem Village Drive, Suite 100, shortly after 3 a.m. to find a sprinkler system had suppressed a fire, spokeswoman Kathleen Richards said.  “That’s the beauty of sprinkler systems,” Richards said.  Damage was not yet estimated, she said, adding the fire didn’t extend to other restaurants. She said it was a contents fire. Its cause was not yet known.  Giada’s is in a strip mall near South Eastern Avenue and Anthem Village Drive.