Category Archives: Restaurant

Minden, NV – Sprinklers knock down blaze at popular restaurant

A kitchen fire shortly before midnight closed Katie’s Country Kitchen for the breakfast and lunch rush on Tuesday.

The popular Minden restaurant inside the Carson Valley Inn reopened at 5:20 p.m. Tuesday, Marketing Director Bill Henderson said.

“Our sincere thanks to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and the East Fork Fire and Paramedic District who responded very quickly to the alarm,” Henderson said.

East Fork Fire District personnel responded after security called 911 at 11:45 p.m. in response to a fire in the prep cook area.

Deputy Chief Dave Fogerson said the fire sprinkler system extinguished the blaze. When firefighters arrived heavy smoke was still coming from the exhaust system.

The restaurant was evacuated while firefighters confirmed the fire was out and had not spread into the surrounding structure.

Henderson said no one was hurt in the fire and that the system functioned as designed with no major damage.

Lawrence, KS – Sprinkler system activates to help limit fire spread at downtown restaurant; No injuries

Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical crews battled flames at Bigg’s on Mass, 719 Massachusetts St., Tuesday afternoon.  Division Chief Eve Tolefree said fire sprinkler activation inside the restaurant aided in preventing the fire from spreading farther than it did.

Shortly after 2:30 p.m., crews reported the situation “under control.” Around 3 p.m., they began ventilating the restaurant and surrounding businesses.

Damage estimates for the affected businesses were not available Tuesday evening. Investigators remained on the scene as of 5 p.m.  Bigg’s owner Doug Holiday said he would like to reopen his restaurant as early as Saturday.  “We hope to reopen this weekend, if not, as soon as possible,” Bigg’s posted to its Facebook page Tuesday evening. “Thank you to everyone who has sent kind words our way.”

Dayton, OH – Sprinklers keep fire from spreading at Bravo! restaurant

A fire damaged the kitchen at Bravo! by the Dayton Mall. Firefighters forced their way into the restaurant on Miamisburg Centerville Road in Miami Twp. around 1 a.m. No employees were present, but crews found smoke inside, according to Miami Valley Fire District Battalion Chief Steve Meadows.

The sprinkler system kept the flames from spreading, but the fire did moderate to severe damage in the kitchen, Meadows said. Meadows also said the restaurant could be closed for a few days

Brick, NJ – Sprinklers save restaurant after fire breaks out in bathroom

A fire broke out in one of the restrooms at a new Brick Township restaurant. The Flaming Grille, a buffet-style restaurant in the Kennedy Mall shopping center, nearly lived up to its name Tuesday afternoon when a fire broke out about 4 p.m., officials said.

The Breton Woods and Pioneer Hose fire companies responded to the scene and found the fire had already been put out by the restaurant’s sprinkler system, said Kevin Batzel, director of the Brick Township Bureau of Fire Prevention.

Batzel said investigators determined the fire was started when smoking materials had been disposed of in the bathroom trash can. The activation of the sprinkler system helped avert a much larger fire, Batzel said. One sprinkler head activated during the incident.

“It’s an old building,” Batzel explained. “[The fire] would have traveled up pretty fast into that building.” There were a small number of patrons in the restaurant at the time, Batzel said. All were evacuated. The bureau is following up today at the restaurant, which is back in operation. “If it was not for the sprinkler system, that restaurant would be shut down,” said Batzel.

Stratton Mountain, VT – Fire at ski resort lodge controlled with help from sprinkler system

A chimney fire damaged sections of the Stratton Mountain base lodge Tuesday morning. No one was hurt in the fire that started in Grizzly’s Bar and Restaurant, located on the second floor of the lodge, and was discovered around 5:30 a.m. 

Stratton Mountain Resort officials stated that the fire was contained to Grizzly’s kitchen and was put out with help from local fire companies, Stratton employees and the sprinkler system. 

“There was no one in the building,” said Stratton Mountain Marketing Director Myra Foster. “We’re meeting with the fire marshal and the inspector to determine clean-up steps and get an ETA on reopening.”

Shops in the village were operating along with lifts, Foster told the Reformer around 9:15 a.m. At that time, yellow caution tape was keeping people out of the lodge. Members of the Stratton Mountain Volunteer Fire Department were seen walking into the first floor from a rear access near the parking lot while a Winhall Fire Department truck was parked near another access by the gondola with hoses running into the building.

Damage beyond the kitchen was mostly due to water and clean up was under way. Guest services, ticket windows, Stratton Sports, bag check and rentals will be open in the base lodge.

Officials hope to have the building, besides the kitchen, fully operation by the weekend. But that will depend upon fire marshal approval.  Foster said the Stratton department was the first to respond.

“There was damage to the food and beverage office in getting access to the fire and we’re assessing damage,” she said. “The east wing was unaffected. There is water damage in the west wing.”

Visitors to the ski resort were being directed to park at Sun Bowl, another section of the mountain with parking and a base lodge. Skiers and snowboarders could then get back to the main base area where other services were still in operation. According to a snow report, eight lifts and 97 trails were open.

Harvey, LA – Dumpster fire outside TGI Friday’s extinguished by sprinkler system

A dumpster fire outside a Harvey restaurant Friday morning (Feb. 20) was quickly extinguished by a sprinkler system, an official said. The incident was reported around 9:40 a.m. inside a structure attached to the TGI Fridays, 1201 Manhattan Blvd., according to Capt. Michael McAuliffe of the Harvey Volunteer Fire Co. No. 2. Workers inside the restaurant smelled smoke and found the trash bin ablaze. One person attempted to use a portable fire extinguisher but could not get close enough because of the smoke, McAuliffe said.

The sprinkler system activated, triggering an alarm that notified the fire department, McAuliffe said. The system suppressed most of the blaze, with firefighters extinguishing a few remaining hot spots upon their arrival. “A little smoke got into the restaurant, which was ventilated,” McAuliffe said. “The restaurant was able to open by lunchtime.”

 

Marengo, IL – Overnight fire in restaurant mostly extinguished by sprinkler system

Reports of a possible structure fire at Joe’s Place, 19716 E. Grant Highway, came in to the Marengo Fire Protection District at about 12:50 a.m., Capt. John Kimmel said. The small dryer blaze activated one sprinkler head, which had largely extinguished the flames prior to firefighters’ arrival, Kimmel added.

“We used pump cans to extinguish the rest, then it was more about ventilating the smoke,” he said. Kimmel continued, saying there were no occupants in the restaurant at the time of the fire and no firefighters were injured during the hour-and-a-half response.

“There was significant smoke damage and they’re probably going to lose some product that was in the area,” he added.

Rehoboth Beach, DE – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire at country club; No injuries reported

Firefighters were called last Friday afternoon to fight a fire at the Kings Creek Country Club near Rehoboth Beach.   Rehoboth Beach Volunteer Company spokesman Warren Jones says the fire was discovered in the bar area of the clubhouse and that it spread in the attic area until a sprinkler system activated and extinguished most of the flames. Jones says there were no injuries.

Irvine, CA – Sprinkler system prevents restaurant fire from spreading

At 8:15 a.m. Monday, firefighters responded to a report of a grease fire at Taco’s and Company in the 18000 block of Culver Drive in Irvine, OCFA Capt. Steve Concialdi said. The fire started in a grease vat while a restaurant employee was making french fries, Concialdi said. Flames quickly spread to ducting and vents that also had grease buildup, he said. A sprinkler activated, however, stopping the fire from reaching adjoining restaurants. There were no injuries in the blaze

Yuma, AZ – Fire at downtown eatery contained by sprinkler system

For the second time in as many months a sprinkler system had mostly extinguished a fire in a commercial building — this one in historic downtown Yuma — by the time firefighters arrived on scene.

Yuma Fire Department spokesman Mike Erfert said that just before 2 a.m. Monday, a water flow alarm was received, indicating the fire sprinkler system had activated at the Prison Hill Brewing Company, 278 S. Main St.

Erfert explained that once firefighters made their way inside the building they found that the fire had been contained and mostly extinguished by an activated sprinkler head.

Firefighters ensured the fire was completely out and assisted with cleanup. Damage from the fire was limited to a small area around a container of rags where the fire was believed to have originated.