Category Archives: Hotel / Restaurant

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Ocala, FL – Sprinkler system activated for arson fire at hotel

A 16-year-old girl has been arrested after setting a couch on fire at a hotel and causing guests to be evacuated early in the morning following a fight with her mother, police say.

Ocala Fire Rescue in Ocala, Florida — located some 80 miles northwest of Orlando — received a call Tuesday at approximately 3:24 a.m. to reports of a structure fire at the Hilton Ocala hotel located on 3600 SW 36th Ave.

“Units arrived at the nine-story hotel to find audible and visual alarms, an active sprinkler system, and Ocala Police Department members assisting guests in evacuating the premises,” Ocala Fire Rescue said in a statement on social media.

Firefighters encountered “moderate smoke” as they entered the lobby of the hotel and began to make their way down a first-floor hallway near the banquet rooms to try and find the source of the fire which was worsening as they approached, authorities said.

“Using a thermal imaging camera, crews located the seat of the fire,” Ocala Fire Rescue said. “In conjunction with the sprinkler system, crews used a water can to smother the flames, which consumed a couch and scorched an adjacent wall.”

The fire was extinguished entirely within seven minutes of arrival, officials said, but given the deliberate nature of the blaze, the Ocala Police Department treated the fire as arson.

Following a brief investigation, Ocala Police ended up arresting a 16-year-old girl who was visiting from Peoria, Illinois. Police said she allegedly started the fire after fighting with her mother, though authorities did not say what caused the fight and what could have led her to allegedly set a sofa on fire in the building because of it.

“The damage to the hotel is estimated to be a couple hundred thousand dollars,” Ocala Police said. “Thankfully, no one was injured … and hotel guests were able to return to their rooms the same morning.”

Authorities credited an effective evacuation plan carried out by hotel staff in the early hours of the morning for helping to keep the situation under control and the estimated 320 guests safe.

The teenage girl has been charged with arson and the investigation into the incident is ongoing.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Grand Forks, ND – Sprinkler system activated for fire at restaurant and bar; No injuries reported

A restaurant and bar in the northern valley is damaged after a fire started in the building.

The Grand Forks Fire Department was called to the Crooked Pint Ale House on S. Columbia Rd. around 10:42 p.m. on Sunday, July 23.

Authorities say they saw smoke coming from the back of the building and could hear the sprinkler system going off. Firefighters eventually found the fire started on top of the coolers and spread to parts of the ceiling.

Officials say they put out the fire quickly, but some fire damage was already done to parts of the restaurant and most of the building had some smoke damage.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation and the business will remain closed until repairs can be made.

No one was injured in the fire.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Great Falls, MT – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire at hotel; No injuries reported

Great Falls Fire Rescue responded to a small fire at the Sleep Inn & Mainstay Suites at 520 Country Club Boulevard on Tuesday, July 11, 2023.

Assistant Fire Chief Mike McIntosh said in a news release that GFFR received a water flow alarm at 9:25pm, and Engine 4 arrived at the scene at 9:32pm.

Firefighters saw people vacating the hotel, but they did not see any visible smoke or fire.

Firefighters discovered that a small fire occurred in room 318. The fire started in a nightstand located next to a bed, which was close to an exterior wall.

The fire had generated enough heat to activate the building’s fire sprinkler system, which functioned as designed, and quickly extinguished the fire.

The fire damage to the room was minimal, but there was significant water damage to the second and third floors.

Hotel management was able to move the majority of guests affected by the water from the sprinkler system to other rooms within the hotel; one guest was relocated to another hotel.

There were no injuries as a result of the fire, and restoration crews are are continuing to assess the damage.

The occupant of room 318 could not be located when GFFR and Great Falls police officers were at the scene of the fire. They have tried to contact the room occupant, but have not yet been successful.

The cause of the fire is still being investigated. We will update you if we get more information.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Boone, NC – Sprinkler system extinguishes electrical fire at restaurant

This past Saturday, June 24th, at 4:00am Station 2 was alerted to an automatic fire alarm activation on Watauga Village Drive. Engine 6 arrived to find the sprinkler system activated and smoke coming from a restaurant at the end of the building. Capt. Wilson immediately upgraded the incident to a working structure fire.

Crews deployed hose and forced entry into the building. Upon entry, it was found that the sprinkler system had put out a small fire in the kitchen.

Upon investigation, it was deemed to be an electrical fire that had spread to nearby combustible materials.

This incident highlights the importance of sprinkler systems in reducing fire growth and saving lives!

Responding Units:

Engine 6, Engine 4, Ladder 1, Squad 1, Tanker 2, Chief 21, Bat. Chief Propst, Bat Chief Brown, and numerous off-duty personnel.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Nantucket, MA – Sprinkler system activated for fire at restaurant; No injuries reported

The Nantucket Fire Department responded to The Gaslight restaurant at 3 North Union Street at approximately 9 a.m. Sunday morning to combat a basement fire.

The initial report from dispatch was a general fire alarm  but once NFD members arrived on scene, they were able to smell smoke from the outside of the restaurant – prompting dispatch to call extra personnel to the station to respond.

“When our first engine showed up they saw heavy smoke coming from the basement and once they made entry into the basement, they determined there was a fire,” fire chief Michael Cranson said. “The sprinkler system had activated and held the fire from getting any worse. The crews were able to pretty quickly knock the fire down but we just had a ton of clean up, smoke, and carbon monoxide throughout the entire building.”

“Nobody got hurt. Nobody got killed. The sprinkler system did its job so that is a big boost for the push for sprinkler systems,” Cranson added. “That is a perfect example of how they save lives and they save properties.”

The NFD began to ventilate the building with fans and after the fire was extinguished, began to pump water out of the building.

“Our fire prevention officers were on scene doing the investigation. The Health Department, the wiring inspector was on scene. Everyone was doing their due diligence to make sure that everybody was safe and everything was being done according to code.”

Cranson said the cause of the fire is still under investigation at this time, but confirmed that there is a large amount of smoke and water damage.

“There is a ton of smoke and water damage in the basement,” Cranson said. “Then there is some smoke damage throughout the rest of the building but hopefully they can get that resolved and fixed rather quickly.”

Three engines, two fire cruisers, one ambulance, one police truck, and one police cruiser were on scene. Over a dozen NFD personnel responded.

Gaslight manager Devin Perras confirmed to the Current that The Gaslight will not be open today due to the fire.

Cranson said they will be “closed up for a while” but there is no timetable for when they will reopen.

The Gaslight later posted on their social media that they would be closed Sunday and for “the next few nights” while expressing their gratitude for the NFD.

“We are so grateful to the Nantucket Fire Department for their quick response to the basement fire (Sunday) morning,” they said. “They had it under control in no time. Sprinkler systems work and ours definitely saved our restaurant and venue from heavy damage or total loss. Back to feed you and rock out soon.”

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Maryville, TN – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire at restaurant

An electrical fire broke out in the kitchen of Two Doors Down, 118 E. Broadway Ave., Maryville, Monday, May 22, but had been extinguished by the time firefighters from Maryville and Alcoa arrived.

Mike Caylor, deputy chief of Maryville Fire Department, said that a call regarding the fire came in at 1:33 p.m. Monday. Firefighters arrived 3 minutes later, to find that the fire was out. The sprinkler system extinguished it, he said.

“The updated sprinkler system did its job and assisted in keeping damages to a very small minimum. No damage to the main level at all. We just have to clean up some water in other areas and double check for any other old neglected electrical components to ensure this never happens again,” a post published to Two Doors Down’s Facebook page states.

Five engines and two support vehicles responded to the fire, along with 12 personnel from MFD and three from Alcoa Fire Department.

Firefighters remained at the scene to assist with water removal and smoke mitigation.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Alton, IL – Sprinkler system activated for fire in hotel room; No injuries reported

Firefighters were called to the Best Western Premier hotel at 3559 College Ave. in Alton at 9:18 p.m. Friday for a one-room fire.

According to authorities, a fire in the couch of an unoccupied room set off the hotel’s sprinkler system, which extinguished the blaze before firefighters arrived. The hotel immediately evacuated more than 100 people including those who had gathered for a function in a meeting room and a 10-year-old’s birthday pool party.

Tired guests wanting to sleep stood and sat outside of the hotel on all four sides. Firefighters scrambled to shut off the sprinkler system as water poured out of the room and into the first floor hallway.

The room was reported to have been heavily damaged. Fire department officials on Friday night said they had not determined how the fire started in the unoccupied room.

Firefighters made sure the fire was completely out before guests were allowed back in the hotel at 10:01 p.m.

The night wasn’t a complete disappointment, as firefighters let the birthday girl and her guests sit in a fire truck before they left.

The cause of the fire is under investigation; no injuries were reported.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Treasure Island, FL – Sprinkler system activated for kitchen fire at restaurant

Treasure Island Fire Rescue responded to a small fire in the kitchen at Sea Dogs Brewing Company, 9610 Gulf Blvd, shortly before noon on Friday.

Officials say the fire was contained with the help of a sprinkler system inside the kitchen.

One employee received minor injuries related to smoke inhalation. The business will be closed for the remainder of the day.

TIFR is working with the restaurant to assist them in opening back up on Saturday.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Oshkosh, WI – Sprinkler system controls fire at restaurant; No injuries reported

Oshkosh firefighters said a fire at a restaurant was caused by “the spontaneous combustion of deep-fried tempura flakes.”

On Monday at 5:49 a.m., the Oshkosh Fire Department responded to a water flow alarm at Sakura Japanese Steakhouse, located at 330 North Koeller Street in Oshkosh.

Engine 16 and Ladder 15 responded initially and upgraded the alarm to a structure fire response after seeing smoke coming from the building. The fire activated the fire sprinkler system which controlled the fire until it could be fully extinguished.

“The fire was caused by the spontaneous combustion of deep-fried tempura flakes,” the Oshkosh Fire Department said in a news release.

No injuries were reported.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Grand Chute, WI – Sprinkler system activated for laundry room fire at hotel; No injuries reported

The Hampton Inn in Grand Chute was evacuated Saturday after a first-floor laundry room caught fire.

According to a release from the Grand Chute Fire Department, crews were dispatched to the scene after an employee found a fire located in the hotel’s main laundry room.

The fire was being controlled by the building’s automatic sprinkler system. Fire crews from GCFD and the City of Appleton and Village of Fox Crossing Fire units worked to locate and extinguish the remaining pocked of fire.

Despite being contained to a small area of the hotel, smoke extended to all floors and the building was evacuated as a precaution. Personnel remained on scene for several hours ventilating the building to remove the smoke and overhauling the fire area to ensure the safety of the hotel’s guests and staff.

There were no injuries reported and fire investigators are continuing to determine the cause of the fire.

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