Category Archives: Restaurant

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

San Antonio, TX – Sprinklers activate when oven causes fire at restaurant south of downtown

An oven was to blame for a fire early Monday morning that damaged a building south of downtown, fire officials said.

When firefighters arrived around 6:30 a.m. at the King William Professional Building in the 800 block of South St. Mary’s Street, they found flames shooting from an air conditioning unit above Francis Bogside Pub.

Fire Chief Charles Hood said the fire was quickly extinguished, but there was significant water damage from the sprinkler system, fire officials said.

No one was hurt in the fire.

Hood said the fire doesn’t appear to be suspicious.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Jackson, MI – Suspicious fire at downtown sports bar contained by sprinkler system

Investigators are calling a fire that damaged Chase Sports Bar in downtown Jackson suspicious. The fire started Sunday night just after 9 p.m. then spread to the back of the building.

“It was kinda like your worst nightmare,” said Owner Randy LeMaster. LeMaster was working at his other bar down Michigan Avenue when he got the call.  “The back next to the walk-in freezer was all up in flames,” he said.

Investigators say the fire started in a storage area outside the bar and just kept spreading. “It started to extend up the back side of the building which was a steel sided building. That presents its own problems because there are gaps between the steel and the brick behind it, so the fire mainly got into that gap space,” explained Deputy Fire Chief David Wooden with the Jackson County Fire Department.

Flames even got into the air ducts, but firefighters say the damage stayed to a back bathroom and the kitchen thanks to a sprinkler that went off. Investigators say they’re treating the scene as suspicious. “When you have a fire that started outside of a building, you don’t have the amount of accidental causes that could have started the fire,” Wooden explained.

Security cameras from both the bar and the apartment building next door could be key to helping investigators, they’re looking over all the video and hope it will show them just how the fire started. “We’re just hoping to see if there was anybody in the area to see if there’s something else we need to follow up on,” Wooden said.

Jackson called in 3 other fire departments through mutual aid because the fire was at a commercial building and there was a high-rise retirement apartment building next door. About 30 residents were evacuated but the fire never spread to the inside of the apartment building.

LeMaster says he’s just happy no one was injured. With significant smoke and water damage to the back of the building, he’s now focused on getting it repaired. But LeMaster is counting himself lucky since the flames didn’t spread to the main bar.

Still with the holidays coming up, he can’t afford to be out of business. “I’ve got a crew lined up to move forward on getting things cleaned up,” he said.  Chase will be closed for at least a month.  LeMaster tells News 10 he has about 30 employees at that bar and he’s trying to keep them busy with cleanup or get them extra hours at his other bar.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Hampton Beach, NH – Sprinkler system helps firefighters control fire at restaurant in historic building

Firefighters battled a fire Wednesday morning at the Purple Urchin Seaside Cafe at Hampton Beach.  The Purple Urchin is located on the second floor of 169 Ocean Blvd.

The fire started just before 8 a.m. and took crews an hour to put out. The fire went to three alarms in the iconic building that has been a part of Hampton Beach since the early 1900s.

In February 2010, a fire destroyed an entire block in Hampton Beach, and Fire Chief Jameson Ayotte said that fire was in their minds as they responded to the fire. Ayotte was the first person to spot the fire at the Purple Urchin.

“I was driving into work and saw smoke coming from the building,” Ayotte said. “The smoke was coming from the roof just over the Purple Urchin.”

Firefighters initially battled the fire from the front stairs. Authorities said sprinklers and the fire alarm system activated during the fire.  Firefighters from 16 New Hampshire and Massachusetts towns joined in the fight.  Ayotte said it appeared to have started on the second floor, but it didn’t stay there.

“The fire was in the roof structure and started to run along the underside of the roof, so you can see they’re placing cuts in the roof and going after it under the shingles,” he said.

The chief said the building was built in 1901, so firefighters had to deal with seasoned wood. But the building had a sprinkler system, which helped them get the fire under control.

Donnie Miller, who owns a few businesses in the building, said that his reaction was immediate.  “Panic, immediately,” he said. “You panic, and your mind thinks the worst, obviously. Your heart drops in your stomach, and you want to see what’s happening.”

Eventually, he was able to get a look inside. “What I could see from where we’re at, it’s just smoke damage, not any water damage,” he said.

Several adjacent businesses were damaged by water and smoke. Firefighters said the building was unoccupied at the time, as most of the seasonal businesses were closed for the winter season.

Three firefighters suffered minor injuries and were treated and released. They are all expected to make a full recovery. Hampton fire officials, the state Fire Marshal’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco of Firearms investigated the cause of the fire.

Officials said the cause was a beverage cooler, which had a power cord that short-circuited.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Durango, CO – Sprinkler system helps knock down fire at historic bar

El Moro, a popular downtown bar and eatery, filled with smoke early Wednesday, activating the sprinkler system and closing the 900 block of Main Avenue. (BLOG NOTE: Smoke does not cause a sprinkler system such as this to activate.  Only the substantial heat from a fire will activate a sprinkler).

The fire was reported at 7:11 a.m. at 945 Main Ave. The fire had been mostly knocked down as of 8 a.m., said Karola Hanks, fire marshal with the Durango Fire Protection District.

El Moro was named one of the 12 historic bars to visit in Colorado by The Gazette.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

San Diego, CA – Sprinklers help contain kitchen fire at Chinese restaurant; No injuries

A kitchen fire damaged a Chinese restaurant in Rancho Bernardo Tuesday afternoon and prompted evacuations of the eatery and several adjacent businesses.

The non-injury blaze erupted about 3:45 p.m. at Chef Chin, 11828 Rancho Bernardo Road, according to the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.

Aided by built-in sprinklers, firefighters were able to contain the flames to the kitchen, attic and roof of the restaurant and had them under control within 35 minutes, SDFRD spokesman Lee Swanson said.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Troy, MI – Fire at Korean barbecue restaurant stopped by single sprinkler head

A fire inside the Korean BBQ Dae Jang Keum at 2947 E. Big Beaver demonstrated the importance of commercial sprinkler systems.  According to Assistant Fire Chief Chuck Riesterer the fire was reported at 9:21 pm.

“Upon arrival, firefighters reported that the fire sprinkler system was active, all occupants were out of the building and that the fire had been extinguished. The fire was located in the Korean BBQ restaurant at the west end of this large, one-story strip mall,” Riesterer said.  “Firefighters turned off the water flowing from the sprinkler system. The fire sprinkler system contained the fire damage to the immediate area.  No extension was found in the adjoining spaces. Damage was located in a small dining area in the restaurant. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation. Damage estimates are incomplete at this time.”

Sprinklers are not required in all restaurants, but because Dae Jang Keum was located in a large strip mall it was necessary.

“The requirement for sprinklers comes from the Michigan Building Code, which is based upon the International Code Council’s Building Code,” Riesterer said.  Factors include height and area limitations, type of materials in the building and the ease of occupant egress.

“The fire was contained to the one space, and only one sprinkler head was used to contain the fire. Had the fire sprinkler system not been in place, patrons may have been injured, and a more severe impact to the community would have been felt with the possible loss of several businesses.  As it is, with a small amount of clean up, Dae Jang Keum should be open for business this week, if not already.”

The benefits of sprinkler systems have been well-documented, including by demonstrations in Rochester Hills and Ferndale.

Watch video of a side by side burn demo with a sprinkler system at http://oaklandcounty115.com/2013/11/22/burn-demo-shows-value-of-residential-sprinklers-video/.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Madison, WI – Overnight restaurant fire contained by sprinkler system; Business reopens next day

An automatic sprinkler system saved a Downtown restaurant from significant damage after a kitchen fire early Wednesday. Aichan Weng, who goes by “Wendy,” said she should have her restaurant, Dragon I, 422 State St., back open by 2 p.m. Thursday after meeting with her insurance adjuster and the city health department. 

Her insurance agent Brad Dillman of Dillman Insurance said Weng just needs to replace a sprinkler head and clean up a bit.   A passerby noticed a fire inside Dragon I just after 12:30 a.m. and called 911, said fire department spokesperson Cynthia Schuster. The caller said the fire was in the back kitchen and that the sprinkler system had already been activated.

Upon arrival, firefighters saw the fire and broke a glass door to enter the restaurant, Schuster said in a release.  In the kitchen, they found a large pot with something burning inside and around it. They believe what was burning was a plastic cutting board laid on top of the pot while the stove burner was still set on “low,” she said.

Firefighters extinguished the fire, and turned off the burner and the automatic sprinklers. “Fire damage had been well contained thanks to the automatic sprinkler,” Schuster said, adding that there was no water damage to the restaurant because of a floor drain under the activated sprinkler head.

Weng, who also owns Ichiban on Park Street, bought Dragon I in 2014 from Ray Sze, who also used to own Nam’s Noodle restaurant on Regent Street.  She said she couldn’t yet put a price tag on any damage to the restaurant. “It’s no big deal,” she said. “It’s so lucky there are no big problems.”

The 4-year-old Dragon I serves all types of Southeast Asian cuisine: Vietnamese, Thai, Indonesian, Singaporean and Malaysian. It also offers some Korean, Japanese and Chinese selections. 

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Ocean City, MD – Restaurant fire extinguished by sprinkler system; Business reopens same day

A mid-morning fire was quickly extinguished thanks to fire sprinklers and a kitchen extinguishing system yesterday. Just before 11:30 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 29, the Ocean City Fire Department was dispatched to an automatic fire alarm at The Crab Bag Restaurant located on 130th Street.

Firefighters arrived and found the two story restaurant evacuated and the fire alarm system ringing. Upon entry into the building, firefighters discovered one single fire sprinkler actively flowing water near the propane oven. In the kitchen area and upstairs, crews found light smoke conditions and evidence of a fire that had been extinguished by the kitchen extinguishing hood and the fire sprinkler system.

“There is no doubt in my mind that fire protection systems saved lives and property at The Crab Bag,” said Fire Marshal David W. Hartley. “This is one example why the Office of The Fire Marshal maintains our Fire Protection Quality Assurance Program, to ensure all fire protection systems work as intended during an emergency.”

Because of the quick response of the fire sprinklers, employees of The Crab Bag, firefighters, and fire protection contractors, The Crab Bag was able to open for business the same day with an adjusted menu and is expected to be open for a full menu tomorrow.

The on-scene investigation by the Ocean City Fire Marshal’s Office revealed that the fire started as the result of a propane line being damaged with an ignition source in the area. The fire is classified as accidental.

Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Las Vegas, NV – Restaurant kitchen fire extinguished by sprinkler system

An automatic fire sprinkler system doused a stove fire in a Centennial Hills restaurant Sunday morning. Las Vegas Fire and Rescue said damage was kept to a minimum and there were no reported injuries.

Fire dispatchers received several 911 calls at 10:35 a.m. Sunday that flames and smoke were showing from the roof of the Fire Rock restaurant at 5990 Centennial Center Blvd., near U.S. 95. On arrival, only a haze was showing on the inside of the one-story building. Firefighters discovered there was a fire on the stove, flames and smoke extended up the exhaust pipe from the vent hood over the stove to the roof.

The fire on the stove was extinguished by automatic fire sprinklers. The flames went up the vent pipe to the roof and damaged an air conditioner and some of the roof decking. The restaurant is closed and will remain closed until repairs are made and an inspection is completed by the health department.

A damage estimate was not immediately available.