Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant

Montgomery, AL – Sprinklers help contain grill fire at downtown restaurant; No injuries

A two-alarm fire Wednesday afternoon in the kitchen of Dreamland Bar-B-que in downtown Montgomery’s Alley development caused only light damage, despite sparking a dramatic jet of flame above the city’s skyline. The restaurant expects to reopen within a few days.

Wesley Dillard said he was eating near the kitchen at about 2:30 p.m. when “someone came running out to the table and said, ‘Everybody needs to get out of here immediately! The grill’s on fire!’”

No injuries were reported, and emergency officials said there was no impingement to the interior.

Dillard joined a crowd watching from across the street as all floors of the building were evacuated. A 10-foot jet of flame bellowed from the stack above the restaurant a few minutes later.

Fire officials said the sprinkler system activated. The flame above the restaurant disappeared about 2:40 p.m., and officials confirmed that the fire was under control before 3 p.m.

“I just hope there wasn’t too much damage,” Dillard said.

Dreamland ownership partner Bob Parker said the only damage was caused by the sprinklers. He said the ventilation system functioned properly, and the jet of flame was caused by the grease burning out. The restaurant hopes to reopen by Saturday.

In September, a kitchen fire at Central restaurant in the Alley forced the eatery to close for several days. Dreamland provided free lunch for Central employees as they assessed the damage and cleaned up after that fire.

Dreamland recovered quickly after a kitchen fire in 2013 — the restaurant only closed for part of one day. Fire officials said at the time that they also had responded to fire alarms at Dreamland in 2012 and 2009.

A two-alarm fire Wednesday afternoon in the kitchen of Dreamland Bar-B-que in downtown Montgomery’s Alley development caused only light damage, despite sparking a dramatic jet of flame above the city’s skyline. The restaurant expects to reopen within a few days.

Wesley Dillard said he was eating near the kitchen at about 2:30 p.m. when “someone came running out to the table and said, ‘Everybody needs to get out of here immediately! The grill’s on fire!’”

No injuries were reported, and emergency officials said there was no impingement to the interior.

Dillard joined a crowd watching from across the street as all floors of the building were evacuated. A 10-foot jet of flame bellowed from the stack above the restaurant a few minutes later.

Fire officials said the sprinkler system activated. The flame above the restaurant disappeared about 2:40 p.m., and officials confirmed that the fire was under control before 3 p.m.

“I just hope there wasn’t too much damage,” Dillard said.

Dreamland ownership partner Bob Parker said the only damage was caused by the sprinklers. He said the ventilation system functioned properly, and the jet of flame was caused by the grease burning out. The restaurant hopes to reopen by Saturday.

In September, a kitchen fire at Central restaurant in the Alley forced the eatery to close for several days. Dreamland provided free lunch for Central employees as they assessed the damage and cleaned up after that fire.

Dreamland recovered quickly after a kitchen fire in 2013 — the restaurant only closed for part of one day. Fire officials said at the time that they also had responded to fire alarms at Dreamland in 2012 and 2009.