Hotel / Restaurant, Restaurant Tallahassee, FL – Restaurant fire caused by malfunctioning burner halted by sprinkler system June 10, 2015 viking210 A popular Midtown restaurant is closed as a result of a fire. The Front Porch opened its Thomasville Road location in early 2013. The restaurant, known for its locally-sourced seafood dishes in an upscale atmosphere, posted a Facebook message to its customers on Monday morning. “We are very sad to announce that our beautiful restaurant suffered a small fire last week and we will be temporarily closed until further notice. Please continue to check back, as our Facebook page will be updated when we have a re-opening day in sight. We appreciate your loyal patronage and can’t wait to serve you all again soon!” Restaurant owners could not be reached for comment Tuesday. The Tallahassee Fire Department arrived at 8:52 p.m. May 30 in response to a fire, the incident report states. Investigators estimate damages at $35,000. No one was injured during the fire and the building was already evacuated by the time firefighters arrived. The internal sprinkler system went off as a result of a malfunctioning Butane burner, according to employee statements in the report. “The burning fuel from the burner was enough heat to activate the sprinkler head directly above it,” the report said. Investigators believe the fire was caused by a leak in the burner’s gas bottle. The report stated no actual fire damage to the building, and all content and structure damage was caused by the water from the sprinkler system.
