Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant Rome, GA – Overnight restaurant fire extinguished by sprinkler system; Damage minimized January 5, 2017 viking210 Even though passersby saw smoke and flames at Ryan’s Restaurant, 2305 Shorter Ave., early Saturday morning, a fire official said that when his first engine company arrived, they got inside and saw that the sprinkler system had activated and the fire was out. According to Rome-Floyd County Fire Department Battalion Chief Roger Haggard: The call came in just before 3 a.m. Saturday. The caller said they could see smoke and flames coming from the roof of the building. The investigation, he said, tentatively points to something sparking flames in the ductwork. “It burned off dust and some of the ductwork and plastic grills in the ceiling,” Haggard said. What triggered the fire could not be pinpointed. “It smoked the building up pretty good,” Haggard said. “Some ceiling tiles did fall to the floor.” Estimated damages to the structure itself were minimal. A sign on the door of the restaurant simply indicates the restaurant will be closed indefinitely.
