Category Archives: Restaurant

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Portland, ME – Sprinkler system activates to help control restaurant fire

The Portland Fire Department says a fire broke out at the 576 Congress Street location of the pizza chain, Otto’s, on Sunday, August 20.  Crews arrived on scene around 10 a.m. after an oven fire spread into the duct work. The building’s sprinkler system went off but the restaurant has smoke and water damage.  Congress Street was shut down for an hour on Sunday but reopened by 11:00 a.m.  eputy Chief Terry Walsh expects that Otto’s will remain closed for an unknown amount of time.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Conway, NH – Sprinkler system helps douse broiler fire at Burger King

“Flame broiled” was taken to a whole new level on Friday afternoon after a kitchen fire at the Burger King on 1385 White Mountain Highway in North Conway forced the restaurant to be evacuated. The popular fast-food restaurant is expected to be closed for a few days.

“The fire occurred in the exhaust hood for the broilers that cook the hamburgers,” North Conway Fire Chief Pat Preece said, and when firefighters arrived on the scene, they were greeted by thick black clouds of smoke coming from the roof along with flames in the kitchen. Crews were able to use a hand line (hose) to extinguish the blaze.

Preece said the department was toned out at approximately 1:50 p.m. It was a First Alarm fire, which saw North Conway, Conway and Redstone fire departments respond to the scene while the Bartlett Fire Department covered the North Conway station.

“The crews did a real nice job of knocking it down pretty quickly,” Preece said, and added that a sprinkler head near the broiler went off, which also helped douse the fire.

Preece said the fire initially spread from the broiler into the ceiling and onto the roof near the exhaust pipe. The rubber membrane around the pipe also caught fire.

“The Burger King staff did a nice job of not waiting and calling 911 relatively quickly,” Preece said. “The initial call was that there was smoke in the ductwork. They evacuated the building; it was full of thick smoke.”

Preece said based on a preliminary observation, Burger King will be closed “for a couple of days,” in order to clean up and do repairs.

“There is some electrical wiring that needs to be done, and the hood system (for the broiler) needs to be redone,” he said. “It was a good job by everyone from the Burger King staff to the firefighters and Conway police, which handled traffic in a busy, busy parking lot.

You’ve got Burger King and CVS there along with people trying to cut through the lot to get to Eastman Road.”

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Frankfort, KY – Fire at Johnny Carino’s restaurant kept in check by sprinkler system

A west Frankfort restaurant experienced a small fire early Wednesday morning.

Frankfort Fire and EMS responded to an automated alarm for sprinkler system activation at Johnny Carino’s at 12:25 a.m. Wednesday, interim Fire Chief Wayne Briscoe said.

Firefighters found smoke and a little fire coming from the eave of an area on the roof, Briscoe said. A neon sign on a wall had electrical components that appeared to have malfunctioned, causing the fire and the sprinkler system to activate.

Briscoe said structural damage due to the fire was minor and the majority of the damage resulted from the sprinkler system.

Nobody was at the restaurant at the time of the fire and there were no injuries.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Edmonton, AB, Canada – Arson fire in pub at historic building contained with help from sprinkler system

Firefighters were called to a downtown Edmonton pub early Tuesday morning, after several kitchen appliances were turned on during a break-in. Crews responded around 4:20 a.m. to alarms at Mercer Tavern, located inside the Mercer Warehouse on 104 Street near 104 Avenue. “The second call came in stating that the delivery gentleman at the back of the building opened up the back door and found smoke coming out and extensive heat from the building,” district Chief Brian Lees said, adding that at that time, the call was upgraded to a structure fire.

Crews arrived on scene and found what appeared to be smoke billowing out of the kitchen’s back door. When firefighters entered the building, their equipment detected very high levels of carbon monoxide so they quickly went back outside.

“When you get 260 [parts per million] in an old concrete building like this style, there’s no way of ventilating it when the gas gets moving because of the design of the building. They made a good decision to pull out of the building and start ventilating and get the CO levels down,” Lees said.

Firefighters discovered all of the burners on the stoves and gas-fuelled toasters were on when they arrived. Mercer Warehouse spokesperson Justin Archer said after the tavern was closed early Tuesday morning, someone broke in and turned on the gas stoves. The heat from the industrial appliances set off the sprinkler system, which in turn produced steam.

“You know what, it could be that he was hungry and wanted to make himself a meal. I’m not too sure, ” said Mercer Warehouse owner Devin Pope. “The fellow, we do not recognize so we aren’t too sure what he was thinking. The police are going to figure that out.”

Archer said several bottles of alcohol were also stolen. He said the tavern would be open at 5 p.m. Tuesday. Crews ventilated the building, got the gas turned off, and put the fire out with the help of the sprinkler system. The Mercer Warehouse is home to several eateries, over a dozen small businesses, and entrepreneurial mentorship company StartUp Edmonton. There’s no word on how much damage was caused.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Richmond, VA – Sprinkler system keeps fire at restaurant from spreading

Richmond Fire crews are on the scene of a fire at the Peking Restaurant. This is happening in the 1300 block of East Cary Street. The fire marshal says the sprinkler system activated, keeping the fire in check. Crews are dealing with a lot of smoke as they search for hot spots in the rest of the building. The extent of damage is unknown at this time. Investigators are still looking into the cause. The Health Department is inspecting the restaurant. No word on how long it will be closed or when Peking will reopen.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Yuma, AZ – Restaurant kitchen fire extinguished by sprinkler system

The Yuma Fire Department said Saturday at about 7:30 am an audible fire alarm was reported going off at the Yuma Palace restaurant, 350 East 32nd Street, by a Yuma Police officer patrolling in the area. Yuma Fire Department personnel arrived and confirmed the alarm was signaling water flow to the fire suppression sprinkler system, they also found the smell of smoke coming from the building. The business had not opened for the day and there were no employees on the property.

Firefighters forced entry into the kitchen area finding a sprinkler head was flowing water over the stove area. The water flow was shut down and a fire investigator was called to the scene. It was found that a pot of water had been accidently left heating on the stove top when the business had closed. The water boiled away and the heat ignited material around the cooking surface. The heat from this fire triggered the sprinkler head over that cooking area, stopping the fire spread and extinguishing it.

Fire sprinkler systems can keep fires from spreading and can also extinguish them. Fire spreads quickly and can double in size every minute. Even small fires can cause significant damage to property and endanger those nearby. Contrary to many Hollywood portrayals, only sprinkler heads directly exposed to the heat activate, not those in the rest of the room, building, or complex. Sprinkler systems save lives and protect property.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Maryville, TN – Sprinkler system helps firefighters put out possible arson fire at BBQ restaurant

A fire that disrupted dinner Buddy’s Bar-B-Q in Maryville Saturday evening may have been deliberately set, according to Maryville Police Department. Maryville Fire Department received reports of a small fire at Buddy’s Bar-B-Q, 2020 Bridgeway Drive, at 7:58 p.m. Saturday. The first Maryville units arrived on the scene within three minutes, and firefighters quickly had the situation in hand.  According to Maryville police and fire chief Tony Crisp, the fire started in a toilet paper dispenser in the women’s bathroom. The fire appeared to have been deliberately set, Crisp said, and police are investigating it as an arson.  The restaurant’s sprinkler system did its job, Crisp added, kicking in and extinguishing much of the blaze by the time firefighters arrived on the scene.  Although the restaurant was evacuated during the crisis, the fire was ultimately contained within the bathroom. Crisp said the damage was relegated to a section of bathroom wall.  No one was hurt in the incident. The arson investigation is ongoing, as Crisp said there are currently no suspects

Other Business, Restaurant

Vaughan, ON, Canada – Suspicious overnight fire at bakery is kept from spreading by sprinkler system

A bakery in Vaughan was heavily damaged in what appears to be a “suspicious” fire overnight. York Regional Police say there are circumstances around the fire that require further investigation.  “It’s being considered suspicious and further investigation is required to determine the cause,” a YRP duty inspector said.  Fire crews were called to the scene at 10 Buttermill Ave., near Jane Street and Highway 7, just after 1:30 a.m. Vaughan Fire Services were quickly able to extinguish the flames but police say the bakery likely suffered extensive damage.  A sprinkler inside the bakery helped prevent the fire from spreading to adjacent units.  No one was inside the bakery at the time the fire broke out.

A broken window and objects found on the lawn in front of the bakery are part of the evidence in the case. The objects appear to be caps and nozzles for gas cans though officials have yet to confirm that. Police did say that it appears a canister containing an accelerant had been thrown inside.  Investigators with the Fire Marshal’s Office have been called to the scene.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

College Station, TX – Early morning fire at BBQ restaurant controlled by sprinkler system

Rudy’s Barbecue in College Station had a fire scare early Wednesday morning. College Station Fire officials say people saw smoke coming from the building around midnight.  The building’s sprinklers were activated; keep the fire under control until firefighters arrived.  Officials say the fire was contained to the wooden fence outside of the building, and did not damage the inside of the restaurant.   No injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Aurora, IL (No Media Coverage) – Kitchen fire at restaurant fully extinguished by one sprinkler head

FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTED – NO MEDIA COVERAGE *** At 3:12 a.m. on 3-9-17 the Aurora Fire Department responded to an activated fire alarm at 85 Executive Drive on the city’s far eastside.

Upon arrival firefighters found a restaurant/bar with the fire alarm activated and light smoke seen through the front windows. Upon making entry and upon investigation firefighters found that a small fire started on the cooking surface in the kitchen area which activated one sprinkler head that fully extinguished the fire.

A total of 10 firefighters were on scene and there were no injuries to civilians or firefighters.

The total estimated dollar loss is $10,000. The cause of the fire is under investigation.