Category Archives: Hotel / Restaurant

Chambersburg, PA – Sprinkler system controls fire at La Quinta Inn until fire crews arrive

The fire broke out around 8:20 a.m. Wednesday at the La Quinta Inn and Suites in the 100 block of Walker Road in the borough, said Chambersburg Deputy Fire Chief Dustin Ulrich in a news release.  A sprinkler system helped control the blaze until crews were in place, and the fire was under control around 10:25 a.m., Ulrich said.

Fire crews arrived to find that a mulch fire had extended to the building, Ulrich said. The fire quickly spread to the third floor of the building and the attic before a second alarm was requested around 8:50 a.m.

The state police fire marshal ruled the fire accidental. No estimate was immediately available as to the amount of damage, Ulrich said, adding that the building was uninhabitable until repairs can be made.

No injuries were reported to either firefighters or to the 25 families occupying the hotel. Crews from the Franklin Fire Department, Fayetteville Fire and EMS, Marion Fire Department, Letter Kenny Fire Department, New Franklin Fire Department, Waynesboro Fire Department, Greencastle Fire Department, West End Fire and Rescue, Mont Alto Fire Department, Cumberland Valley Hose Company, Vigilant Hose Company and Holy Sprit EMS responded to the fire.

Purcellville, VA – Restaurant kitchen fire contained by automatic sprinkler system

A Purcellville restaurant sustained damage Monday after someone improperly disposed oil soaked rags. Firefighters arrived at the Rancho Mexican restaurant at 101 S. Maple St. on scene to find smoke coming from the front of the restaurant. Fire and rescue crew’s immediately located a fire in the kitchen area that was held in check by an automatic sprinkler system.

 Firefighters quickly brought hoselines into the restaurant to extinguish what fire remained. Simultaneously, fire and rescue units searched the adjoining occupancies for occupants and any extension of fire or smoke. After the fire was out, firefighters began salvage and overhaul operations to remove smoke and gases from the building.  There were no injuries to civilians, however, one firefighter suffered a minor hand injury.

 The improper disposal of oil soaked rags was determined to be the cause of two other recent fires, one in May and another in June, that caused over $2 million in damages. When oil and stain soaked rags are not disposed of properly they become a fire hazard due to their ability to spontaneously combust, according to Loudoun Fire and Rescue.

Asheville, NC – Sprinkler system assists firefighters in extinguishing overnight blaze at local pub

An early morning fire at Westville Pub has been ruled accidental.  The fire was reported at 1:15 a.m. Sunday, said Asheville Fire Department spokeswoman Kelley Klope.  The fire started in the HVAC duct work, she said.

The pub, 777 Haywood Road, posted on its Facebook page that it will be closed for the next few days for repairs. According to a fire department report, crews arriving on the scene found duct work in the kitchen on fire and smoke banked down to about waist level. The sprinkler system was activated and with water crews were able to extinguish the fire, then open up the duct work with a roof hook to ensure it was out.

Las Vegas, NV – Sprinklers keep fire from spreading at Sands convention center; No injuries

A vendor booth at an ophthalmology convention went up in flames Thursday night at the Sands Expo and Convention Center, no one was hurt.  Clark County Fire District responded to the alarm at 8:15 p.m. at 201 Sands Ave. The sprinkler system already had been activated. It took about seven minutes to extinguish the blaze, according to a news release sent Friday. Thirty firefighters responded.

Sprinklers kept the blaze from spreading, the news release said. The building was evacuated, and firefighters helped air out lingering smoke. Investigators are still trying to figure out how the fire started.

Johnstown, CO – Restaurant fire at truck stop held in check by sprinkler system

A gas leak and small fire temporarily shut down the restaurant portion of Johnson’s Corner Sunday night through Monday morning.  Front Range Operations Chief Bernie Covillo said crews from both his department and Loveland Fire Rescue Authority responded to a small kitchen fire at the restaurant around 6:40 p.m. Sunday.

“Loveland Engine 6 was the first arriving unit,” he said. “They discovered a small fire that was being kept in check in the kitchen. The fire was quickly extinguished and there was minimal damage.” Covillo said the restaurant was shut down because the sprinkler system had been activated. Johnson’s Corner employees had to clean the restaurant to pass an inspection from the Larimer County Department of Health.

The restaurant, which never closes, is located at 2842 SE Frontage Road just off Interstate 25. Employees were stationed at the front of the restaurant Monday morning turning customers away and offering them complimentary cinnamon rolls and cookies.

“This is a really bad thing,” Christy Hall, a Johnson’s Corner cashier said. “So many people come here. I know another month we had a tiny fire — but (the restaurant) was definitely not closed for this long.”

Employees confirmed later on Monday that the restaurant reopened at 12:30 p.m. However, they directed further questions to the restaurant’s corporate office, TravelCenters of America. Requests for comment were not returned.

“It just so happens there was a fire the same day they are remodeling,” Hall said.  Covillo said that Johnson’s Corner officials and their insurance agency would be investigating the cause of the fire.

Bridgeport, WV – Fire at TownePlace Suites hotel contained to 3-by-3 foot area by sprinkler system

The TownePlace Suites on Platinum Drive in Bridgeport caught fire Monday morning. Crews were dispatched to the hotel at approximately 9:20 a.m. after receiving a fire alarm activation notification and a call from the front desk advising there was something on fire on the fourth floor.

The Bridgeport Fire Department Chief said a candle left unattended in one of the rooms caught fire. The fire was contained in a 3-by-3 foot area on the fourth floor.  The third and fourth floor rooms are uninhabitable due to water damage. The fire chief said the sprinkler system kicked on as it should have, and the hotel is trying to get a water restoration company to come in and get the water cleaned up.

The Bridgeport Fire Department responded. The Anmoore, Nutter Fort, Clarksburg and Mount Clare Fire Departments, Harrison County EMS and Bridgeport Police assisted on scene.

Valdosta, GA – Fire at night club put out by sprinkler system

The Valdosta Fire Department responded to a fire call early Saturday morning, before dawn, at Club Deja Vu. Reports stated the sprinkler system in the club operated as designed, extinguishing the fire before the fire department arrived.

Fire crews opened the building, removing smoke and turned off the sprinkler system. Damage was estimated to by $10,000.  The club was closed at the time of the fire, per reports, and no injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Hampton, VA – Early morning fire at InTown Suites Hotel controlled with help from sprinkler system; No injuires

Hampton firefighters battled a fire at a hotel on W. Mercury Blvd. early Friday morning. The hotel, which had at least 105 registered guests, was evacuated as a result of the fire. Crews found alternative accommodations at area hotels for the displaced guests, and even provided transportation for guests who were unable to drive themselves to the new location.

Friday afternoon, fire investigators determined the cause of the fire was unattended cooking in one of the rooms. Firefighters say the fire started on the second floor of the InTown Suites, and was contained to that area. The hotel guests were evacuated due to safety reasons. Dominion Power turned off power to the building as a safety measure and will determine when it is safe to turn it back on.

According to Asst. Fire Chief Maurice Wilson with the Hampton Fire Division, crews responded to the InTown Suites in the 2100 block of W. Mercury Blvd. around 3:30 a.m. after receiving notice of a fire alarm. “I opened the door it was just pure fire,” resident Eddie Rife said. “It was on fire and we couldn’t do anything about it so we just started getting everybody out.”

Eddie Rife said he ran from floor to floor with hotel workers trying to get people out. But, he found a woman in a wheel-chair other people forgot. “I ended up running into her room grabbing her putting her in her wheelchair,” he explained. “I tried to go down the elevator but it was too smokey and the elevator was out so I have to take her by the steps.”

Firefighters arrived to find the fire on the second floor in room 221. Wilson says the sprinkler system activated which helped firefighters bring the fire under control in about 10 minutes.

When the sprinkler system went off, it also leaked water into a few first floor rooms and caused smoke and water damage. Wilson says the hotel was evacuated and two people complained of smoke inhalation. Both were evaluated on the scene and didn’t go to the hospital.

According to Wilson, no one has claimed to be staying in the room where the fire started.

InTown Suites released this statement about the fire:

“ InTown Suites is aware of a small and isolated fire that occurred this morning in one of our rooms. Our fire suppression systems worked as designed and the fire was quickly extinguished.  According to Hampton fire officials, no persons required medical attention as a result of this incident. The safety of our guests is of utmost importance and we thank the Hampton Fire Department for their quick response.   We are working with authorities and local contractors to fully restore services and will continue to make as our guests as comfortable as possible while we resolve this issue.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Waterloo, IA – Fire at Ramada Hotel contained to housekeeping closet by sprinkler system

Authorities are continuing to investigate a fire that closed down a downtown hotel over the weekend. No injuries were reported when a fire started in a maid’s closet at the Ramada Hotel, 205 W. Fourth St., at 9:27 a.m. Sunday.

Smoke triggered a sprinkler in the closet, and water flowed all the way to the lobby, said Battalion Chief Marty Freshwater with Waterloo Fire Rescue. He said there also was smoke on other floors, and the smell could be detected on the ground floor.

Ramada was evacuated and remained closed for Sunday to allow for repairs and cleanup, Freshwater said. The cause hasn’t been determined, but investigators have ruled out electrical reasons and traditional causes.

Flames damaged boxes of paperwork that were stored in the closet but didn’t spread outside the room. Freshwater said the door and sprinkler kept the fire in check but didn’t put it out. Firefighters extinguished the blaze.

At the time of the hotel fire, crews were busy fighting a garage fire, Freshwater said. A neighbor called in the garage fire at 621 Peek St. at about 8:53 a.m. Sunday.

 

The fire gutted the double-stall detached garage. No vehicles were inside, but heat damaged a Chevrolet Corvette parked next to it. The garage was a total loss, and the cause is under investigation. The garage was fitted with a wood burning stove, Freshwater said.