A malfunctioning fryer operating system caused a fire in a McDonald’s restaurant in the Belcamp-Riverside area on Sunday afternoon, forcing the restaurant’s temporary closure, fire investigators said. The fire was reported at 4:55 p.m. by employees of McDonald’s No. 12138 in the 1300 block of Riverside Parkway, according to a notice of investigation from the Maryland State Fire Marshal’s Office.
The Abingdon Volunteer Fire Company responded and brought the fire under control in about 10 minutes, according to the Fire Marshal’s Office. Also responding were units from Joppa-Magnolia Volunteer Fire Company, Aberdeen Fire Department and Aberdeen Proving Ground, according to the Harford County Volunteer Fire & EMS Association.
“Crews encountered heavy fire on the interior attack,” the association posted on its Facebook page. After containing the fire to the interior of the building, crews continued to check for extension of the fire into walls and ceiling to extinguish hotspots, according to the post.
No injuries were reported, and the restaurant’s smoke alarms and sprinkler system functioned as intended, according to the notice of investigation. Damage is estimated at $5,000 to the structure and $25,000 to the contents, investigators said. The Harford County Health Department is assisting with reopening procedures, the Fire Marshal’s Office said.
An Oak Ridge hotel that was shuttered after a fire prompted the evacuation of all guests early Saturday morning is expected to reopen either late Monday or early Tuesday, Oak Ridge Fire Marshal Travis Solomon said. The five-story, 112-room Comfort Inn at the corner of Rutgers and Illinois avenues was about 90 percent occupied, mostly with students participating in rowing practice and with off-road enthusiasts, when the fire was reported shortly after 5 a.m. Saturday.
The blaze was in an air-conditioning unit at one end of the fourth floor, Solomon said, and the fire department is still trying to determine what ignited the blaze. The hotel’s sprinkler system was activated by the blaze and helped suppress it, he said. “That shows that sprinkler systems, they not only save property, they save lives. It could have been a lot worse.”
The fourth-floor hallway was filled with thick black smoke, and firefighters had to assist people disoriented by it and help them down the stairwell, Solomon said. Three people were initially missing during the evacuation, and hotel staff “did a fantastic job determining who was missing and needed to be found.”
All were located. One person was evaluated for possible smoke inhalation but didn’t require medical attention. Solomon said hotel personnel found other hotels for the guests. Thirteen firefighters and seven firetrucks responded. The fire department is inspecting the hotel’s fire alarm and sprinkler system, Solomon said.
Reporting on lives and property saved by fire sprinklers
