Category Archives: Hotel / Restaurant

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Lower Heidelberg, PA – Fire at BBQ restaurant held in check by sprinkler system

Crews responded to a fire at a Berks County restaurant early Friday morning. Firefighters battled a fire at The Bar-B-Q Pit along Penn Avenue in Lower Heidelberg Township.  Berks County dispatchers say the flames broke out at about 5:30 a.m.

Fire officials say police arrived first and saw smoke and flames in the kitchen through a window. The sprinkler system held the fire in check while firefighters went in and put it out. No one was hurt.

Crews had to close Penn Avenue for about 15-20 minutes but have since reopened it. Investigators are trying to figure out what caused the fire.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Waldorf, MD – Overnight fire at Marriott Courtyard hotel put out by sprinkler system; No injuries

A small fire caused an estimated $10,000 in damages to the interior of the Courtyard by Marriott in Waldorf around 2:03 a.m. today. The 3 story hotel is located at 3145 Crain Highway, Waldorf.

A hotel employee was alerted by the fire alarm. The sprinkler system activated and extinguished the fire.  The one alarm fire involved 40 firefighters from the Waldorf VFD and took approximately 5 minutes to bring under control.

There were no injuries or deaths.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Myrtle Beach, SC – Cooking fire at extended stay hotel extinguished by sprinkler system

A small fire sparked by french fries cooking on a stove in a first-floor hotel room at the Suburban Extended Stay Hotel in Myrtle Beach led to smoke inhalation and an evacuation Monday afternoon.

The Myrtle Beach Fire Department was dispatched to the hotel at 730 Frontage Road E. at 1:18 p.m. for a fire alarm. “The first unit on scene found smoke in room 145 and then they requested structure (fire) response,” said Battalion Chief Ian Maxwell with the Myrtle Beach Fire Department.

A sprinkler system in the hotel extinguished the fire, he said. Several units were on scene Monday afternoon dealing with the water mitigation issues that remained after the emergency that evacuated residents and left one guest with minor smoke inhalation. The guest was treated on scene.  No other injuries were reported.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Olathe, KS – Early morning fire at Residence Inn extinguished by sprinkler system

Guests at the Residence Inn on South Strang Line Road were temporarily forced out Thursday morning after light smoke filled the lobby. The Olathe Fire Department was called to the hotel about 5:45 a.m.

Firefighters said an overheated furnace caused an air filter to catch fire. The sprinkler system put out the fire. The Fire Department said there is minor damage.  Guests were able to stay warm in their cars. They were allowed back in after about an hour.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Toronto, ON – Hotel sprinkler system stops storage room fire; No injuries

Hotel guests were out on the street after a fire at the Fairmont Royal York hotel late on Sunday night.

A couch in a third-floor storage room caught fire around 11:45 p.m. Luckily, the heat and smoke activated the sprinkler system, and the fire was quickly extinguished.

“Damage was minimal,” Toronto fire district chief Mike Swift said.

One hotel guest got a little wet while making his escape: “The water was running out of the roof. We walked through the water to get out of there.”

Not all guests had to evacuate the building. Others stayed warm in the lobby. Everyone has been allowed back in and no injuries have been reported.

It’s not yet clear how the fire started. Only the couch was damaged.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Horseheads, NY – Sprinkler system and quick-thinking manager stop fire at Outback Steakhouse

The Outback Steakhouse at 200 Colonial Drive in Horseheads closed Sunday following an electrical fire at about 12:30 a.m.

Bill Degraw, Big Flats Fire Department chief, said the fire was caused by the failure of an electronic label printer, and nobody was hurt. He added the building’s sprinkler system put out the fire before officials arrived on the scene.

The fire remained isolated to one small wall in the facility and caused minor damage, said restaurant proprietor Dan Collins.

A manager on duty who was in the restaurant when the fire started “saved the day,” Collins said.

He unplugged the equipment that was on fire and then called 911, Collins said. He also insured all of the restaurant employees working at the time made it out of the restaurant safely.

Collins said the restaurant will open again after its sprinklers are reinspected by a fire marshal.

The Outback Steakhouse is scheduled to open at 5 p.m. Monday, according to director of media and community relations for Bloomin’ Brands Elizabeth Watts.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Phoenix, AZ – Nightclub fire doused by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

*** Blog Editor Note – The tragic Station Nightclub fire in Rhode Island occurred 13 years ago this month.  It claimed 100 lives ***

A rockabilly band set fire to the floor of the Rebel Lounge Saturday, triggering the venue’s sprinkler system and forcing the venue to close until Wednesday.

Los Angeles band Three Bad Jacks, which judging from their press photo appears to be as straight-up rockabilly as you can imagine, complete with a singer named Elvis, has a history of using fire in their live shows, but this one appeared to go downhill fast.

Instagram user evilchavo was there Saturday night. Evilchavo posted videos of the incident, which appear to show singer Elvis Suissa pouring a bottle of lighter fluid onto a raging fire just in front of the stage. After a rather robust squirt, the flames appear to get five or six feet high. Everyone in the crowd cheers. But then the second video shows the aftermath. Everyone is cheering until the venue’s sprinkler system kicks in, instantly turning cheers into gasps of shock as the sprinklers douse the flames — and everyone in attendance.

 

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Sioux City, IA – No injuries at McDonald’s restaurant after fire is extinguished by sprinkler system

Crews were called just before 5 p.m. to a grease fire in the McDonald’s store on Sunnybrook Drive in Morningside. When they arrived the fire was mostly already out thanks to automatic sprinkler systems in the restaurant, but the store was still filled with smoke.

Firefighters say the cause of that fire is unknown at this time. “We had a fire in the kitchen, unknown origin at this time, fire has been extinguished,” said Capt. Richard Andersen, Sioux City fire department. “We are waiting for the fire prevention bureau to show up, to do an investigation. At that time they will determine what the cause is. And we will turn the building back to the owners and they can start cleanup process to reopen the building.”

Everyone in the store evacuated safely before firefighters arrived. At this time damage appears to be confined to the store’s fryers.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Fayetteville, NC – Sprinklers contain hotel fire started by unattended cigarette

The Fayetteville Fire Department responded to the Red Roof Inn on Bordeaux Park Drive Thursday morning for a fire alarm call.

Cleaning crews saw black smoke coming from a room after the fire alarm was activated.

According to Battalion Chief Richard Whiteside, fire crews arrived shortly after 11:00 a.m. to find around twelve guests and workers evacuating the four-story hotel. When firefighters entered the hotel, they found smoke throughout the third floor hallway.

Investigators determined a hotel guest checked out, but left an unattended cigarette behind.

Whiteside said the sprinkler system contained the fire to one room. No injuries were reported.

The Fayetteville Fire and Emergency Management Department was assisted by the Cumberland Road Fire Department.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Louetta, TX – Early morning fire at Comfort Suites motel limited by sprinkler system

The fire broke out about 3:30 a.m. at the Comfort Suites motel on Highway 249 near Louetta, said Ricky Bange of the Klein Fire Department. Bange said when firefighters arrived guests were evacuated and the building was searched to make sure everyone got out safely. He said firefighters found the blaze had erupted in a third-floor room. The motel’s sprinkler system had doused the flames. But smoke lingered in the building. The fire did not spread to any other parts of the motel.

The guest who was staying in the room were the fire began was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation. The person’s condition was not released. Bange said investigators determined the fire started in the room’s air-conditioning unit.

It was a hectic morning for guests. One hotel patron, Carl Wiedenfeld, said he was asleep in his third-floor room when he woke to the blaring fire alarm. Then his friend who was also staying at the motel called him on the telephone and told him about the fire.

Wiedenfeld, of Port Arthur, said he opened his door to leave his room but smoke filled the hallway. He closed the door, soaked a towel in water and pressed to his face like a gas mask. Then he dashed into the smokey hallway, hurried to the fire escape and safely got outside. In town on business, he appeared unfazed and philosophical about the ordeal as he stood outside the building.

“It’s not your normal hotel stay,” Wiedenfeld said.