Category Archives: Restaurant

Restaurant

San Diego, CA – Arson fire at restaurant in Gaslamp District put out by sprinkler system

A 21-year-old Marine was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of starting a fire that resulted in $25,000 in damage a restaurant in the Gaslamp District, authorities said.  The blaze at Blue Point Coastal Cuisine at 565 Fifth Ave. near Market Street was reported around 1:45 a.m. and was quickly doused by the building’s sprinkler system, San Diego Fire-Rescue spokeswoman Monica Munoz said.

Investigators determined that the fire was started in the back of the restaurant, which was closed at the time, by an allegedly intoxicated man who was not an employee of the eatery, Munoz said. The suspect came in through an open door, started vandalizing the restaurant and set a few fires in the back, Munoz alleged.  Police identified the suspect as Austin Kokin, a Marine Corps corporal. He was arrested near the eatery and booked into the San Diego Central Jail on suspicion of burglary, arson, carrying a concealed dirk or dagger and vandalism, San Diego police public affairs Officer Billy Hernandez said.

Restaurant

Lexington, KY – Sprinkler system aids firefighters in controlling blaze at popular bar

A beloved Lexington bar was damaged in a fire Friday morning.  The fire broke out at Belle’s Cocktail House in the 100-block of Market Street. The damage is mostly contained to the roof.  The sprinkler system was working and that helped firefighters contain the flames quickly. Investigators believe the fire broke out in the building’s mechanical room.  A firefighter did sustain a hand injury. The lower floors of the building received smoke and water damage. No one was in the building when the fire sparked. Police have shut down the area around Market Street. Blocked intersections include Market at Short, Church at Lime, Main at Lime and Upper at Church.  Owner Justin Thompson credits Lexington Fire for their quick response for saving his business.

 

Restaurant

Stone Harbor, NJ – Kitchen fire at Jersey Shore restaurant knocked down by sprinkler system

A late night fire damaged a Japanese restaurant at the Jersey Shore.  Investigators say this could have been a lot worse.  The fire sprinkler activated, helping knock down a kitchen fire at Water Lily in Stone Harbor.  The restaurant is located on the 9700 block of 3rd Avenue.  Firefighters from several departments eventually put out the fire.  The restaurant was not open when the fire started.  No injuries were reported.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Las Vegas, NV – Fryer fire at sushi restaurant extinguished by sprinkler system

An emergency sprinkler system saved a west valley sushi restaurant early Thursday morning when a fryer caught fire after business hours.

The Las Vegas Fire Department was notified just before 3 a.m. by the alarm system at Sushi Bomb, 10470 W. Cheyenne Ave., near the 215 Beltway, according to LVFD spokesman Tim Szymanski.

The restaurant’s sprinkler system extinguished the fryer fire before crews arrived at the scene, he said. All firefighters needed to do was clear out the smoke and water. Damage to the restaurant was minimal, and the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Woodhaven, MI – Sprinkler system saves Tropical Smoothie and many other businesses from major fire

A store sprinkler system is credited for helping keep a business from going up in flames Wednesday night.

Fire broke out at about 11:10 p.m. inside Tropical Smoothie, 23112 Allen Road.

The Woodhaven Fire Department received a “water flow notification” for the location, which indicated the sprinkler system had been activated.

It initiated an alarm and fire crews rushed to the business.

According to Fire Chief Michael Clark, the best-case scenario possible unfolded out of a potentially costly situation.

Thanks to the installed suppression system, the fire was out before fire crews even arrived, Clark said.

He said the business suffered minimal damage, mostly due to water and smoke.

The chief said it appears that a mop handle situated next to the water heater might have initiated the fire. One was found melted near the water heater.

“I see nothing suspicious in nature about the fire,” Clark said. “We have pretty much completed our end of this investigation.”

He said this is a perfect example of why sprinkler systems are so important and all businesses should have one in working order.

“It saves lives and thousands of dollars,” Clark said. “There are three or four other businesses connected to the store in this strip and they would have been affected.”

Restaurant

Spring Hill, TN – Fire at BBQ restaurant suppressed by sprinkler system

Martin’s BBQ Joint, 55 South and the Salty Goat were evacuated Tuesday night after a fire broke out in one of the kitchens.  There were no injuries or structural damage to the building.  “The sprinkler system did it’s job – that’s what we have sprinklers in buildings for,” said Spring Hill Fire Chief Terry Hood. “When they opened up the pit, it flared up. It was basically a grease fire.”  The source of the grease fire, according to workers on the scene.

The fire broke out on the north end of Martin’s Bar-B-Que at around 8:50 p.m., and smoke quickly filled the building.  Anthony Hall was getting a drink with a friend at 55 South when he first saw the smoke. Hall said he thought it was normal smoke from putting out the ovens, until he noticed the smoke wasn’t stopping. Hall said the fire department arrived about five minutes after the smoke started, ordering everyone to evacuate the building.

Martin’s opened in March in the Spring Hill Station building which shares an outdoor seating area with the other restaurants. All three restaurants have since returned to normal operations.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Washington, D.C. – Sprinkler system activated at roof top bar

Fire broke out late Tuesday night in a commercial building in Washington around the corner from Farragut Square and three or four blocks from the White House.

The blaze broke out in a four story building in the 1700 block of I Street NW, the D.C. Fire and EMS Department said. One firefighter was taken to a hospital with a nonlife-threatening injury.

According to the department, the fire broke out in a rooftop bar, and came to involve parts of the walls and flooring. Sprinklers helped contain it, and it was “knocked down” by about 10 p.m., the department said. It was not clear whether anyone was in the bar when the blaze began.

As of late Tuesday no cause had been determined, the fire department said. Investigators were trying to find it, according to the department.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Loveland, CO – Sprinkler system doused flames at a sushi restaurant

A fire struck the Sushi JOOA restaurant at 198 E. 29th St. on Tuesday night, although the sprinkler system doused the flames before they threatened adjacent businesses in the Palmer Gardens shopping center.

The Loveland Fire Rescue Authority was dispatched to the restaurant at 11:19 p.m. after being alerted by an automatic fire alarm, according to operations chief Greg Ward.

Loveland Fire’s first engine arrived on scene at 11:25 p.m.

The alarm was upgraded to a structure fire when firefighters saw smoke and sprinkler flow within the restaurant, he said.

Just after midnight, firefighters located the area of the extinguished fire in the space above the ceiling, Ward said Wednesday.

A sign on the front door of Sushi JOOA on Wednesday lets customers know the restaurant at 198 E. 29th St. in Loveland is closed after a fire broke out there Tuesday night. (Jenny Sparks / Loveland Reporter-Herald)

By Wednesday morning, crews had left Sushi JOOA, which will need clearance from the building and health departments before opening its doors to customers.

The Marine Corps Career Center adjacent to the restaurant suffered minor water damage, Ward said.

Dozens of businesses and offices in Palmer Gardens were unaffected and open for business, according to Loveland Fire Capt. Carie Dann, thanks to the single sprinkler head that contained the flames.

That sprinkler head activated when the air around it reached 160 degrees, she said.

“The whole building is going to be safe now,” Dann said. “People have jobs; the entire rest of the building remained open (Wednesday).”

Dann said even Sushi JOOA would be able to clean up and reopen “in a pretty rapid manner.”

That may not have been the case if the sprinkler system hadn’t been installed throughout the building when it was erected years ago.

“It could’ve been closed down for months,” Dann said. She said Loveland Fire encourages the owners of new buildings to install sprinkler systems for that very reason.

“A lot of times, people are hesitant to install sprinklers because they think there will be an accidental activation of the system,” she said, noting that accidental activation is extremely unlikely. “It’s not like in the movies, when every single sprinkler head goes off.”

Dann said Tuesday night’s fire was a good example of the value of sprinkler systems.

“You can always dry things out,” she said, “but you can’t unburn them.”

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Port Alberni, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system confines restaurant fire to one room

The Port Pub and CJ’s Place restaurant are closed indefinitely following a fire in a room above the pub on Saturday morning (July 7).

The Port Alberni and Cherry Creek fire departments responded to an alarm activation at the pub at around 8:30 a.m. “We found a fire had started in one of the rooms and the sprinkler had activated,” Port Alberni deputy fire chief Wes Patterson said. “Firefighters extinguished the fire.”

Patterson said there were no injuries in the fire, and it was caught early. “Fire and smoke damage was confined to one room, however with the water damage, power was shut off to the building,” he said.

“Thankfully the fire started in a sprinklered area of the building and the sprinkler minimized fire and smoke damage. It shows the importance of having a well-maintained sprinkler system.”

The fire happened in a room right above CJ’s Place and the kitchen. Manager CJ sat in the middle of her darkened restaurant late Saturday morning, tears filling her eyes as she looked around and thought about the damage. She opened her restaurant on May 1, taking over the former Port Sushi location and transforming it into a family restaurant.

“I’m devastated,” she said. “It’s my kitchen that got totally damaged; it’s all flooded.” Water was pooling in the area behind the front counter, down the hallway and in the kitchen. Water was dripping from the light fixtures in the storage room behind the kitchen.

CJ had come to the restaurant early to prepare an order for the Alberni Charity Golf Classic, taking place today at the Alberni Golf Course, but she wasn’t able to fulfill the order due to the water damage. She gave them a gift certificate instead.

“I’m sad because my staff aren’t working,” CJ said. She has four employees who work with her at the restaurant. “That’s my main thing. There’s going to be thousands and thousands of dollars of damage, I know.”

Patterson said the fire department is still investigating how the fire started. Fire restoration crews were in the pub by lunchtime, assessing damage.

CJ said she isn’t sure how long her restaurant or the pub will be closed, but said she will be ready to reopen as soon as she can.

“We’re going to rock this thing. I just want it open.”

Restaurant

Clifton, NJ – Sprinkler system hold early morning restaurant fire in check

A Lexington Avenue restaurant’s sprinkler system kept an early Wednesday morning fire in check until firefighters arrived and extinguished it, officials said.  Firefighters found smoke coming from Ya Hala restaurant on Lexington Avenue upon arrival at 4:39 a.m., said Deputy Chief Frank Prezioso  Firefighters investigated a hissing sound at first believing it to be a gas leak, Prezioso said. The hissing was coming from the sprinkler system, he said.  Sprinklers limited the fire to the kitchen area, Prezioso said.  The fire took a while to extinguish as it had worked its way above the drop ceiling, Prezioso said.  The deputy chief also said fire crews searched the property for possible victims but found none.  The fire was out by 6:30 a.m. Paterson and Passaic, assisted.