Category Archives: Hotel / Restaurant

Novato, CA – Single sprinkler prevents fire from spreading at restaurant

An automatic sprinkler located above a dumpster next to a restaurant put out a fire Wednesday that could have spread to the restaurant, according to the Novato Fire District.

Firefighters responded at about 10:30 p.m. to the fire in the dumpster in the 100 block of Vintage Way and verified that the fire was out.

“This is a great example of how automatic fire sprinklers protect property, and keep businesses open,” Novato Battalion Chief, Fire Marshal Bill Tyler said in a statement. “If there was no fire sprinkler present, we could have had a large structure fire.”

Crews replaced the sprinkler head and restored the automatic sprinkler system to its regular operating condition.

Restaurant employees had discarded mesquite and hot coals into the dumpster, igniting the paper and cardboard inside. The sprinkler that put out the fire is on a wood trellis above the dumpster.

Reno, NV – Sprinkler system activates to help contain hotel fire

An investigation is underway into a fire Tuesday night in the Ponderosa Hotel in Reno’s Midtown district.  Crews responded around 8 p.m. after a fire was reported in one of rooms at the Ponderosa on South Virginia Street. 

(The fire sprinkler system activated and helped contain the fire to one room.)

About 20 people had to be evacuated but the fire was contained to just the one room.  Firefighters say they got a quick jump on the fire and were able to keep the damage to a minimum.

“We were able to evacuate the people out of the floor the fire was on,” Battalion Chief Tim O’Brien said.  “We were able to quickly shut down the sprinkler system once the fire was out and prevent any further water damage to the structure,” he said.

The residents who had to be evacuated later were allowed to return to their rooms. As of late Tuesday, the fire’s cause had not been determined.  No one was hurt.

Paia, HI – Firefighters credit sprinkler system in controlling restaurant blaze

Maui fire officials credit fire sprinklers for keeping a fire from spreading at a year-old Paia restaurant last Friday. At 11:11 a.m., firefighters responded to a reported structure fire at the Rock & Brews restaurant, at 120 Hana Highway.

Firefighters were on scene two minutes later and saw light smoke coming from the restaurant, according to fire officials. Employees reported hearing a loud pop then saw smoke in the air, and workers and patrons were evacuated.

Investigation found that the fire sprinklers had been activated in the attic space above the restaurant. Fire crews quickly entered the ceiling area and had the fire extinguished by 11:27 p.m, officials said.

Fire Capt., Ben Bland, said “It’s a true testament that fire sprinklers really do work and can make a difference to extinguish or slow a fire until fire department arrival. Fire sprinklers effectively prevented this fire from spreading throughout the attic and to the rest of the building.”

The fire was determined to be accidental and caused by a fault in electrical wiring. Damages were estimated at $10,000 to structure, $10,000 to contents. No injuries were reported.

Napa, CA – Sprinkler puts out fire in hotel caused by unattended candle

A lit candle on Friday morning ignited a hand towel in a guest room at the River Terrace Inn on Soscol Avenue, according to the Napa Fire Department.  The hotel was evacuated. There were no reported injuries.

Firefighters, who responded to the fire at 11:17 a.m., found an operating fire sprinkler-head in the bathroom of an occupied room on the third floor, said Fire Marshal Darren Drake.

The sprinkler put out the fire, he said.  One room was damaged, and 74 out of 105 rooms were rented when the fire broke Friday morning, Drake said.

Suffolk, VA – Overnight fire at Hilton Garden Inn extinguished by sprinkler system

Officials had to evacuate the Hilton Garden Inn on Harbour View Boulevard after a fire broke out at the hotel overnight.  Suffolk Fire & Rescue and Suffolk Police responded to the hotel in the 5900 block of Harbour View Boulevard, shortly after 2 a.m. Friday.

When firefighters arrived, the building had already been evacuated and the sprinkler system had extinguished the flames.  Officials say the fire started in the kitchen and the guest lobby was filled with smoke. However, there was no structural damage. There were no injuries and all guests on the first floor were relocated.

Cartersville, GA – Sprinkler system suppresses possible meth lab fire at hotel

An explosion that left a bathroom door lying in the middle of a hotel room had markers of a methamphetamine lab, according to a drug official.

Emergency officials responded about 8 p.m. to Cartersville North Inns & Suites, 11 Kent Drive in Cartersville, after reports of an explosion blew the door off and activated the sprinkler system. “We responded to a possible meth lab explosion. It has some signatures of a meth lab explosion, but I won’t know until we get a search warrant to be able to get into the room and isolate that,” Bartow-Cartersville Drug Task Force Commander Capt. Mark Mayton said, declining to detail the signatures present at the scene.

Bartow County Fire Department Capt. Mike Kimbrel said crews responded to the third floor room to find no fire but other indicators of what may have occurred. “There was no fire. We suspect the sprinkler system suppressed it … worked like it was supposed to,” he said. “… There was an odor they encountered. Everything we were doing was just precautionary, making sure no one was contaminated, everybody was accounted for.

“We’ve been told it was an explosion. … I don’t know that somebody didn’t just kick the door in. According to my crews, the door was off the hinges. I was just up there and there was a door laying in the floor of the bedroom.” Authorities conducted a partial evacuation and hotel employees on scene Wednesday night were shifting guests to other floors as necessary.

“We have secured the immediate area to make sure there was no contamination to other guests that were in the building. We’ve evacuated the entire floor that this happened on,” Mayton said. The occupants of the room were not at the scene and, as of press time, were not in custody. Mayton declined to comment on their identity.

While waiting for a search warrant for the room, Mayton said the investigation would determine whether the room’s occupants were indeed manufacturing meth. “It’s going to depend on what we find in there. The air is going to have to be sampled. We have to use air monitoring equipment just to make sure there’s no explosive levels of gases in there,” he said. No injuries were reported, although authorities were in contact with area hospitals for possible patients with chemical burns.

Vallejo, CA – Sprinklers help limit damage in early morning restaurant fire

Vallejo’s Rubio’s Fresh Mexican Grill will be closed for a week or more after suffering damage from a fire early Sunday that was still under investigation Monday, Vallejo Fire Department officials said.

Firefighters responded to a reported structure fire at the Plaza Drive restaurant at about 5:22 a.m. Sunday and arrived to find the sprinkler system activated, Fire Prevention Manager Vince Sproete said.

“The sprinklers kept the fire contained until crews arrived” and extinguished the small blaze that remained, he said. Fire damage was minimal and water damage, moderate, he said.

All the surrounding establishments — Kaiperm Federal Credit Union, GameStop and Cold Stone Creamery — remain open for business, Sproete said.

The fire’s cause is officially undetermined at this time, and Fire Department officials are working with the Vallejo Police Department on the ongoing investigation, he said.

Fort Myers, FL – Storage room fire at Crestwood Suites hotel contained by sprinkler system

A small fire in a storage room at the Crestwood Suites hotel forced dozens of people to evacuate overnight. That’s located off U.S. 41 just north of Gladiolous Drive.

Belden, CA – Sprinklers help keep fire from spreading at guest lodge

A fire of unknown origin burned a cabin and mobile home adjacent to Belden Town’s guest lodge Sunday, April 19, crackling to life in the wee hours of the morning.   Quincy Fire Chief Robbie Cassou said a sprinkler system helped to keep the fire contained. He said the owner was also spraying water on the building when fire crews arrived.

Apartments connected to the main lodge also suffered damage.  According to resort manager Richard Folen, guests were evacuated as soon as the fire was discovered.   Folen said there were three rooms with guests in them. He said there were also guests in cabins on the far side of the lodge from the fire, but they were allowed to stay in their rooms.

The fire affected Cabin 8 and the west side of the lodge. It included the master suite, which owner Ivan Coffman calls home.  Firefighters from communities all over the county responded to the fire along with the U.S. Forest Service and a Cal Fire crew from Butte County.

Hays, KS – Laundry fire at Holiday Inn Express extinguished by sprinkler system

At 10:04 p.m. Saturday, the Hays Fire Department, assisted by the Hays Police Department, was dispatched to an automatic fire alarm at the Holiday Inn Express, 4650 Roth.  First arriving police officers reported there was a fire in the building and that occupants were evacuating. At the same time, Holiday Inn Express staff called 911 to report a fire in the laundry room. At that time, additional fire crews and Ellis County EMS were alerted to respond.

Police officers immediately began assisting with the evacuation of the building. Ellis County EMS assisted one guest with limited mobility in evacuating the hotel. There were no injuries as a result of the fire.

Firefighters advanced one attack hose line to the laundry room and found the fire had been extinguished by two automatic fire sprinklers. After confirming that the fire was extinguished, firefighters worked to clear the smoke and shut down the fire sprinkler system.

The laundry room suffered fire, smoke and water damage. The lobby area and portions of the first floor of the building suffered water and smoke damage. The most probable cause of the fire was the spontaneous combustion of laundry inside a clothes dryer. Five fire trucks and 18 firefighters responded. The last fire crew left the scene at 12:31 a.m. Sunday.