Category Archives: Restaurant

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Tysons Corner, VA – Sprinkler system extinguishes kitchen fire in restaurant; No injuries reported

Sprinklers prevented a fire from doing much damage at a Tysons Corner Center restaurant Tuesday.

When Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Units arrived to the restaurant in the 1900 block of Chain Bridge Road around 12:07 a.m., the fire had already been put out.

The restaurant was closed at the time, but one employee was present and found the fire. The employee unsuccessfully tried to put out the blaze with a fire extinguisher. The fire had been extinguished when three fire sprinkler heads activated. No one was injured.

Fire investigators determined that the fire started in the kitchen due to a plastic food storage cart being too close to a stove burner. The restaurant was closed pending a health department inspection, which is routine after fires. Red Cross services were not required with damage estimates around $300.

A spokesperson for Fairfax County Fire and Rescue did not specify which restaurant the fire occurred at.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Evanston, IL – Sprinklers keeps fire at Subway restaurant from spreading; Firefighters extinguish blaze

Firefighters quickly extinguished a fire inside a restaurant at an Evanston strip mall Saturday afternoon, preventing injuries and preserving the building with the help of a functioning sprinkler system, according to the Evanston Fire Department. Fire crews were called shortly after 1 p.m. to the 1900 Dempster St. for a report of a fire inside the Subway restaurant during a busy lunch hour. The alarm was soon upgraded to call in firefighters from nearby communities for cover.

Firefighters found heavy smoke billowing from the front of the building and were told of the active fire inside. After entering the building they noticed an active sprinkler system keeping the fire in check and allowing crews to quickly extinguish the blaze, according to Division Chief Paul Polep. All patrons and employees were able to exit the building before the arrival of firefighters, and there were no injuries reported.

The department credited the working sprinkler system and the rapid response of firefighters for saving the Subway and other attached business in the Evanston Plaza shopping center, although the restaurant suffered a significant level of smoke and water damage. There were no signs of foul play and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Des Moines, IA – Fire in restaurant on 2nd floor of high rise limited by sprinkler system

Des Moines firefighters quickly extinguished a kitchen fire at 801 Grand Ave. early Thursday morning.  The Des Moines Fire Department got the call at 5:55 a.m. for a kitchen fire at the 801 Chophouse restaurant on the second floor of the 44-story Principal Building, said Capt. Randy Jones.  When firefighters arrived, there was no smoke or flames showing from the high rise, he said.  The source of the fire was a pot that was burning on the stove. Jones said building employees told him the restaurant typically leaves a pot warming overnight.

The building’s sprinkler system had activated, but it did not reach the pot because the pot was under a shelf, Jones said. Firefighters put a lid on the pot to slow it down and used a fire extinguisher to put out the blaze in about 10 minutes.  Jones said he’s not sure what was burning in the pot.  “I don’t know. It’s burned up beyond recognition,” he said.

While firefighters briefly closed part of Grand Avenue, it has since reopened. Jones said there was “quite a bit of smoke” on the second floor that firefighters were ventilating Thursday morning, but the rest of the building would be open as usual.  Damon Murphy, 801 Chophouse’s general manager, said there wasn’t any damage to the restaurant, just some cleanup that was required.  Murphy said he expected the restaurant to be open as normal Thursday evening, pending an inspection.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Richmond Heights, MO – Early morning fire at St. Louis Bread Company contained with help from sprinkler system

A St. Louis Bread Company store suffered a brief fire in the early hours of Thursday morning.  Around 4:20 a.m., firefighters responded to the store at 6734 Clayton Road in St. Louis County for reports of a fire. Upon arrival, one of the kitchens in the oven had been partially set ablaze.  The investigation is underway, but the Richmond Heights Fire Department believed a gas pocket may have formed inside the over, igniting a small fire within. The sprinkler went off inside the store which caused minor water damage.  None of the employees were injured during the incident.  The store was set to open at 6 a.m., but it will remain closed until the water is cleaned up and an inspection by the St. Louis County Health Department is completed.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Baton Rouge, LA – Trash compactor fire at Golden Corral restaurant limited by sprinkler system

Investigators say something thrown into the garbage compactor at a Golden Corral sparked a trash fire around lunch Wednesday.  The Baton Rouge Fire Department responded to the call on Millerville Greens Boulevard just before 11 a.m. Wednesday. Firefighters say some trash was accidentally ignited after someone tossed an unknown item into the compactor.  BRFD says the fire was contained to the compactor itself, but a sprinkler did trigger just inside the rear entrance of the business.  Firefighters say the restaurant should be able to reopen soon.

Restaurant

Erie, PA – Sprinkler keeps dumpster fire from spreading inside restaurant

A restaurant near the Millcreek Mall had to be evacuated Friday afternoon after a fire broke out in a dumpster. It was reported at Cheddar’s Restaurant on Interchange Road just after 2 p.m. Firefighters arrived to find smoke coming from the back of the building. That’s where the dumpster is located in an attached garage. The fire activated the sprinkler system, which quickly put out most of the flames. The flames did not spread, but they caused heavy smoke in the restaurant, which was open at the time. Firefighters had to ventilate the restaurant. Kearsarge’s assistant fire chief said the cause is under investigation. The Millcreek Township fire inspector and Erie County Department of Health were both called to the restaurant.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Beaverton, OR – No injuries as sprinkler system helps tackle restaurant fire

A fire broke out late Saturday night at Oasis Restaurant in Beaverton — damaging it enough that it was forced to close Sunday.

Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue responded to the small fire at the strip mall around 11 p.m. Saturday. Officials said the accidental fire started after a pot of oil was left on the stove at the popular Lebanese restaurant.

Fortunately, the hood fire suppression system as well as the building’s fire sprinkler system kept the fire from growing.

TVF&R officials said there was limited fire damage, but significant smoke and water damage.

Easter Sunday is normally Oasis Restaurant’s busiest day of the year, but they had to cancel all reservations because of the damage left behind.

There were no injuries reported during the incident.

Restaurant

Mount Prospect, IL – Early morning fire at Culver’s restaurant contained by sprinkler system

The Mount Prospect Culver’s is temporarily closed after a garbage fire Saturday morning, officials said.  The fire broke out about 6:11 a.m. at the restaurant, 1501 Dempster Street, said Battalion Chief Dane Phenegar of the Mount Prospect Fire Department, but the fire was contained by the restaurant’s sprinkler system.  There were no injuries; no employees were present at the time of the fire, Phenegar said, and he doesn’t believe there was structural damage to the building. No damage estimate was available; the cause is under investigation.

Restaurant

Gurnee Mills, IL – Evening fire at Burger King extinguished by sprinkler system

The Gurnee Fire Department responded to a small kitchen fire at the Burger King in Gurnee Mills Saturday evening, officials said. The restaurant’s fire alarm went off just before 6 p.m., according to Battalion Chief Bob Heraver. The fire had been extinguished by the sprinkler head when firefighters arrived, Heraver said, and investigators determined the fire was caused by a flash from one of the stoves in the kitchen. Firefighters helped clean up the kitchen before turning it over to the Lake County Health Department for health and safety checks. There is not yet a final cost assessment of the water damage, but the restaurant is looking to reopen as soon as possible, according to authorities.