Category Archives: Restaurant

Restaurant

McKinney, TX – Sprinkler system keeps restaurant dumpster fire from spreading

The McKinney Fire Department (MFD) responded to an incident at 8 p.m. Thursday at Spring Creek Barbeque, 1993 U.S. 75, where first responders saw smoke and heard the fire alarm upon arrival.

An investigation revealed the fire sprinkler system had activated and suppressed a fire within the dumpster. A single sprinkler head is credited for the minimal fire damage and reinforced the value of fire sprinkler systems in commercial structures.

Twenty five MFD personnel and investigators from the fire marshal’s office responded to the fire. No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire was determined to disposal of ashes into the dumpster.

“This successful sprinkler save continues to demonstrates the effectiveness of automatic fire sprinkler systems in a commercial environment. Had a fire sprinkler system not been present, the outcome may have been very different,” said Deputy Fire Marshal Andrew Barr.

For additional information on fire protection systems, code requirements or other fire prevention topics, visit mckinneyfire.org or call 972-547-2862.

Restaurant

Waterloo, ON, Canada – Suspicious early morning fire at restaurant controlled by sprinkler system

The Ontario Fire Marshall has deemed a fire in a Waterloo restaurant suspicious. Firefighters were called to a restaurant on King Street North, south of University Avenue just before dawn Friday morning. Fire officials say a sprinkler was able to mostly keep the fire under control before firefighters arrived at the scene. No injuries were reported.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Escondido, CA – Kitchen fire at restaurant suppressed by sprinkler system

A kitchen fire damaged a Mexican eatery in Escondido, but a sprinkler system helped suppress the flames before firefighters arrived and made quick work of it, a battalion chief said Thursday. The blaze was reported just after 10 p.m. Wednesday at Paulita’s Restaurant at 636 N. Broadway, Escondido Battalion Chief Art Holcomb said. The first crews on scene found smoke coming from a large vent pipe on the roof of the small diner that was already closed for the night. “The units on scene made access to the building and located a small fire that was being held in check by a commercial kitchen suppression system,” Holcomb said. “Aggressive action by the firefighters contained and controlled the fire in approximately 20 minutes.” The cause of the fire was still under investigation Thursday, but it likely started near a stove in the kitchen, Holcomb said. Firefighters reported moderate damage to the kitchen and minor to moderate smoke damage throughout the rest of the restaurant. No injuries were reported and there was no immediate estimate of the cost of damages

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Bend, OR – Sprinkler system stops ‘ball of fire’ at downtown restaurant

A cooking oil fire ignited on the stove of a downtown Bend restaurant’s kitchen Monday morning, creating what a fire official called “a ball of fire that roared out from under the range hood” — but also setting off a fire sprinkler head that put out the blaze and prevented far worse damage.

Bend Fire Department crews responded around 10 a.m. to the reported fire at Mother’s Downtown Kitchen on Northwest Minnesota Avenue, next door to The Oxford Hotel, said Battalion Chief Dave Howe.

First-arriving crews reported some smoke coming from the building, but soon reported the fire already was out.

Cooking oil in a pot on the stove was ignited, possibly by a few drops of water, which caused the “ball of fire” that  set off the sprinkler head, Howe said. It also activated the range hood extinguishing system, putting out the oil still burning in the pot.

Losses were estimated at $30,000 in contents, but none to the building itself, both of which were insured.

The sprinkler, designed to open at 165 degrees, “saved the structure from what might have been a devastating loss,” Howe said in a news release.

The fire alarm system also quickly notified Deschutes County 911, as did a couple of customers.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Fort Walton Beach, FL – Restaurant fire extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Firefighters from the Fort Walton Beach and Ocean City-Wright fire departments responded to two fires on Tuesday … At 3 p.m. firefighters responded to a grease fire on a stove at the Ocean Buffet at 309 Miracle Strip Parkway S.W., Soria said. By the time they got there, the sprinkler system had extinguished the fire, but the crews remained on the scene to make sure it was out.  Damage was minimal.  Nobody was hurt in either blaze.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Orange, CT – Sprinkler system contains fire at TGI Fridays during busy Saturday night

A fire Saturday night at TGI Fridays was accidental and started in a kitchen exhaust hood, likely because of a malfunction, Fire Marshal Tim Smith said Sunday.

“It had nothing to do with cooking,” Smith said.  An alarm at the restaurant set off by the sprinklers being activated came into fire headquarters just about the same time an astute manager noticed water dripping from the ceiling was discolored, indicating fire, Smith said.

Smith said that because it is a wooden building, the restaurant at 348 Boston Post has sprinklers above and below the ceiling, as required by law.  He said that while the fire was contained to the ceiling area and extinguished quickly between sprinklers and firefighters, there is extensive smoke damage to the entire restaurant, the electricity had to be cut off and the food can’t be kept, so there is no saying when the business will reopen, Smith said.

 It was a busy Saturday night and all customers and employees evacuated safely, as employees handled the event well, he said. “If that building didn’t have sprinklers, it would have been a different outcome now,” Smith said. He said even if not required by code, sprinklers are a great idea.

Fire agencies from Orange, Woodbridge and West Haven responded to the call that came in at 8:44 p.m., Smith said.

Although the sprinkler system worked as it should have, firefighters had to open the roof up to locate the fire and assure the fire was out.

Smith said cleanup by a restoration company is underway.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Dover, NH – Restaurant fire held down by sprinkler system; Eatery reopens following day

A minor fire at Tucker’s Restaurant in Dover on Sunday night has forced the establishment to close on Monday.  According to Dover Fire Chief Eric Hagman, dispatchers received a fire alarm from the location at 11:33 p.m. followed by a caller from the nearby Applebee’s restaurant who reported heavy smoke in the rear of the building.

Firefighters and paramedics arrived by 11:37 p.m. and found a fire under a canopy outside at the back of the restaurant where it receives deliveries, Hagman said. The building’s sprinkler system also covers that area of the building, which the chief said held down the fire until firefighters arrived and extinguished the fire within about 10 minutes.  “Without the sprinkler system it would have been a much bigger event,” Hagman said.  Some of the food inside the kitchen was exposed to smoke and had to be discarded, he said.

The popular breakfast and lunch eatery, which operates four locations in New Hampshire, opened in early June in the former Uno Pizzeria and Grill. Tucker’s is located near the New Rochester Road intersection with Indian Brook Road.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Boise, ID – Sprinkler system helps douse fire at BBQ restaurant; No injuries reported

The Meridian Fire Department is investigating after smoke engulfed a Dickey’s Barbecue Pit restaurant on Saturday afternoon.  

It happened just before 5 p.m. on the 2800 block of Overland Road. 
No one was injured and the sprinkler system was activated. The fire department says two units were training just blocks away and were able to get to the scene in a matter of minutes. 

Crew cut holes in the roof for ventilation in to make sure fire had not spread to the attic.
While a small fire was found inside the restaurant, crews are still investigating to find out what happened.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Farmers Branch, TX (No media coverage) – Fire originating in commercial smoker quickly doused by sprinkler system

***No media coverage – Fire Department reported***  On October 7, 2017, Farmers Branch and Carrollton Fire Departments were dispatched to a structure fire at a commercial building located at 13801 Diplomat in Farmers Branch. The Carrollton Fire Department made entry and discovered a kitchen fire had been extinguished prior to their arrival by a single 25 gallon per minute sprinkler head.

An employee on the scene reported that chicken in a commercial smoker caught fire, and when she opened the smoker door a “fireball” rolled out and set off the sprinkler head. Fire damage was prevented by the quick activation of the fire sprinkler. The water damage was limited to a small area of the kitchen.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Riverbank, CA – Sprinkler system assists firefighters in controlling restaurant fire

Cool Hand Luke’s in Riverbank is expected to stay closed for about a week after a fire last Tuesday night.  The fire broke out at the restaurant on Patterson Road at about 7 p.m., setting off the sprinkler system in the kitchen and prompting the evacuation of dozens of diners.  The fire was accidental, said Lt. Dave Hutchison, supervisor of the Fire Investigation Unit.  It started on a stove in the kitchen, got into the heating and air conditioning system and spread into the attic.