Category Archives: Fire

by | June 3, 2012 · 6:21 am

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Oklahoma Hotel Fire Caused By "Hail Stone Striking Electric Sign"; Damage Estimated At $1.17 Million

“…a hail stone struck an electric sign on the front of the (hotel). The innkeeper put it out, and then extinguished a flare up in the attic, Lewis said. Believing it was over, the innkeeper did not call 911…a passer-by spotted  flames in the hotel’s roof and called 911, Lewis said. When Edmond fire crews arrived, they found a fully involved fire in the attic…”

A hail stone falling from storms that passed over the city Tuesday evening ignited a fire that burned much of an Edmond hotel, a fire official said.

By about 2:20 a.m. all guests in the front of the hotel had been evacuated, Lewis said. While a total number of guests at the time was not available, an Edmond Fire Department investigator estimated the hotel was about 80 percent full, Lewis said.  There were no injuries to firefighters or hotel guests, Lewis said.

The hotel and real estate are valued at $1.17 million by the county assessor, Lewis said. The structure, built in 1983, appeared to be a total loss, he said.

For more:  http://www.edmondsun.com/local/x234176720/Storm-related-fire-damages-1-17M-Edmond-hotel

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by | May 26, 2012 · 7:35 am

Hospitality Industry Theft Risks: Former Iowa Hotel Assistant Manager Convicted Of Stealing Money From Guest's Wallet

“…Officers reviewed surveillance footage, which showed a woman picking up towels in the pool area along with the man’s wallet. The pool attendant turned over the wallet to Cole, who then was the assistant manager…the footage showed Cole looking through the wallet, then going into a room that did not have surveillance cameras…”

A former local hotel employee a jury recently found guilty of taking money from a guest, albeit on a lesser misdemeanor offense, will not have a conviction on her record.

Judgment for Misty Marie Cole’s offense of third-degree theft was deferred, and she was placed on probation for one year Monday.
A judge ordered her to pay the $1,000 she took.

Cole, 32, of Danville, was tried earlier this year for second-degree theft, which is a felony that could have netted the woman as many as five years in prison.

For more:  http://www.thehawkeye.com/story/Motel-052512

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by | May 25, 2012 · 6:20 am

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Illinois Hotel Fire Starts In "Maid's Closet" And Forces Evacuation

“…The blaze was confined to the maid’s closet and elevator area and did not spread to other floors of the hotel…the venting system for the building was used to clear smoke from the building…”

Fire in a fourth floor maid’s closet at Holiday Inn Express hotel near Mannheim and Higgins roads caused an evacuation and fire department response Wednesday. Rosemont Public Safety spokesman Lt. Keith Kania said a hotel sprinkler system activated but additional firefighters were needed to knock the fire down.

Firefighters were dispatched at 11:10 a.m. Kania said the fire was knocked down by about 11:30 a.m. No injuries were reported. Kania did not have an estimate of the amount of damage caused by the blaze.

Witnesses at the scene reported seeing smoke billow from both the front and rear of the hotel.

For more:  http://www.journal-topics.com/news/article_1fb6b33c-a5c0-11e1-8ed9-0019bb30f31a.html

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by | May 24, 2012 · 6:19 am

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Oklahoma Restaurant Fire Starts On Kitchen Stove And Spreads Through Vent Onto Roof; Inspectors To Determine If Fire Suppression System Functioned Properly

“…Officials were waiting for a code inspector to determine whether the kitchen’s fire suppression system was functioning, which could determine when they would allow the restaurant to reopen…”

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVNyYxPolwc&feature=player_embedded]

The blaze began on a stove at El Tequila Mexican Restaurant and briefly spread through a vent onto the roof. Damage was confined to the kitchen, the vent and a small area of the roof, he said. The restaurant had not yet opened and only a handful of employees were inside.

For more:  http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20120524_11_A8_CUTLIN842188

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by | May 21, 2012 · 6:19 am

Hospitality Industry Legal Risks: Texas Hotel Sued By Woman For "Negligence And Defamation" After Air Conditioning Unit In Room Causes Fire

 “…she lost her laptop, college course materials and “over 30 billable hours worth of work for freelance architecture jobs she was in the process of completing at the time the fire occurred.”

      She seeks damages for negligence and defamation.

A woman claims in court that she had to spend the night in a “fire-ravaged” hotel room among her charred personal belongings, while hotel employees spread false rumors that she had “tried to burn the hotel down.”      LaTanya Stevenson sued Hotel USA Partners LLC dba Crowne Plaza Austin, in Travis County Court.      Stevenson, a state worker, claims she attended a three-day regional administrative service conference at the Crowne Plaza in November 2011.      She says the hotel gave her a room where the air-conditioner was stuck on the coldest setting. Unable to budge the “black and nonresponsive” temperature controls, Stevenson says, she reported the problem to the front desk.

“When Ms. Stevenson was finally given an opportunity to speak to a member of the fire department, she learned from the fire marshal that the malfunctioning air conditioning unit, not her laptop was the root of the fire,” the complaint states. “She got back to her room to find all of her belongings either severely damaged by the water from the sprinkler system or charred by the flames, which emanated from the bad climate control unit.

For more:  http://www.courthousenews.com/2012/05/21/46648.htm

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by | May 7, 2012 · 6:49 am

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: California Extended Stay Hotel Fire Forces Guests To "Flee For Their Lives"; Source Determined To Be Hot Plate Left On In Vacant Room

“…investigators have deemed the fire “accidental” in nature. The room where the fire began was vacant. The previous tenant left a hot plate on…”

Fire ripped through an extended stay hotel in La Habra Sunday afternoon forcing guests to flee for their lives. And the frightening fire was caught on cell phone video.

Edward Lawrence, reporting for CBS2 and KCAL9, said three people had to be rescued from the third floor by Los Angeles County Firefighters. The three people were reportedly overcome by smoke and had to be treated for smoke inhalation.

A total of 50 people have been displaced. After putting out the stubbon blaze, firefighters spent hours looking for potential hotspots.

Window rescues were necessary because the hotel guests made the mistake of opening their front doors. “You can see they left their doors open. And the rooms have a moderate amount of smoke damage. Smoke was rolling over their heads and they were waving white flags and white pieces of clothing.”

For more:  http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2012/05/06/caught-on-tape-extended-stay-hotel-fire-has-guests-fleeing-for-their-lives/

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by | May 6, 2012 · 7:23 am

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Minnesota Restaurant Fire And Water Damage Results In $1 Million Reconstruction; "Discarded Cigarette" On Wood Deck Determined As Cause

“…a cigarette discarded in a flower pot on the deck sparked the fire that, coupled with the water used to extinguish it, caused more than $1 million in damage and closed the restaurant for more than six months…”

Even though the fire was mostly confined to the deck and part of the bar, the damage turned out to be much more severe than originally thought. It was February before the contractor could start reconstruction by gutting the remaining structure.

But Casper’s Cherokee of Eagan, the familiar barn-shaped restaurant and bar on Nicols Road, is on its way back. The restaurant opens Monday, completely refurnished and with some tweaks to the menu. Among them: A Blazin’ Barn Burger — proof that owner Rick Casper has a sense of humor — and Eagan’s Firehouse No. 5 Burger — named in honor of the department that responded to the blaze Oct. 9.

As the staff prepared for reopening last week, there were still lots of details to pin down. Chairs had not yet been delivered. A cement patio soon will be added where the deck once stood.

There was a flurry of staff training, initiating 50 new crew members and refreshing the roughly 20 people who waited for Casper’s to reopen, even though there wasn’t money to pay them past December.

For more:  http://www.startribune.com/local/south/149897095.html

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by | May 2, 2012 · 6:53 am

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Georgia Restaurant Fire Destroys Building; Cause Determined To Be "Careless Smoking"

 “The fire marshal’s office determined the cause of the fire was careless smoking, an improperly discarded cigarette,”

Fire destroyed the Long John Silver’s restaurant at 1281 Thompson Bridge Road Saturday afternoon. “The building is a total loss,” Gainesville Fire Chief Jon Canada said.

When firefighters arrived, Canada said smoke was showing from the entrance side of the restaurant as well as the eaves and roof. Flames broke through the roof, which began collapsing inward, he said.

Firefighters set up a defensive attack with two ladder trucks, Canada said. He said crews were able to knock down the fire just before 4 p.m.

For more:  http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/section/6/article/66809/

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by | April 22, 2012 · 7:20 am

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Texas Motel Damaged By "Wind-Fueled Fire" That Momentarily Traps Firefighters; Firewall Proves Useless In Windy Conditions

“With the winds, even if you have firewalls, if somebody puts a cable hole — every little breach of a firewall for cable, electric, whatever is going to be a void. That firewall’s not intact anymore.”

San Antonio firefighters had a close call Friday afternoon when the rear of a burning motel collapsed on them. Crews responded to the fire reported at the Studio 6 motel at Highway 281 and Rhapsody to find flames shooting through the structure, according to WOAI-TV.

The wind-fueled fire originated on the first floor of the hotel, extended to the attic and then spread to a neighboring building. Fire Chief Charles Hood said that his firefighters had to rely on their training when the blaze quickly became out of control and a Mayday was called.

“That’s one of those moments when your heart just goes to your feet because we have reports of firefighters trapped,” he told the news station. Luckily, all of the firefighters made it out safely and no injuries were sustained.

Hood said that winds played a big role in helping the fire grow, and that if the building did have firewall, they wouldn’t have stopped it. Around 100 firefighters were on the scene and after the collapse, crews switched to a defensive fire attack to put out the blaze.

For more:  http://www.firehouse.com/news/10704188/san-antonio-firefighters-have-close-call-at-motel-blaze

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by | · 7:20 am

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Texas Motel Damaged By "Wind-Fueled Fire" That Momentarily Traps Firefighters; Firewall Proves Useless In Windy Conditions

“With the winds, even if you have firewalls, if somebody puts a cable hole — every little breach of a firewall for cable, electric, whatever is going to be a void. That firewall’s not intact anymore.”

San Antonio firefighters had a close call Friday afternoon when the rear of a burning motel collapsed on them. Crews responded to the fire reported at the Studio 6 motel at Highway 281 and Rhapsody to find flames shooting through the structure, according to WOAI-TV.

The wind-fueled fire originated on the first floor of the hotel, extended to the attic and then spread to a neighboring building. Fire Chief Charles Hood said that his firefighters had to rely on their training when the blaze quickly became out of control and a Mayday was called.

“That’s one of those moments when your heart just goes to your feet because we have reports of firefighters trapped,” he told the news station. Luckily, all of the firefighters made it out safely and no injuries were sustained.

Hood said that winds played a big role in helping the fire grow, and that if the building did have firewall, they wouldn’t have stopped it. Around 100 firefighters were on the scene and after the collapse, crews switched to a defensive fire attack to put out the blaze.

For more:  http://www.firehouse.com/news/10704188/san-antonio-firefighters-have-close-call-at-motel-blaze

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