Category Archives: Fire

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Florida Hotel Room Fire Caused "Box On Top Of Stove Burner"; Water Damage From Sprinkler System

“…someone had placed a box on top of a stove burner and then turned the burner on. The box caught fire and activated the hotel’s sprinkler system, which put out the fire…the sprinkler system drenched the top floor and water seeped down to the first floor, which could have compromised the hotel’s electrical systems…”

The Value Place hotel at the corner of Racetrack Road and Eglin Parkway was evacuated after a small fire started in a room on the second floor about 4:20 p.m. Monday.

Firefighters made sure everyone was cleared out of the hotel and then stayed at the scene until about 9 p.m. to make sure there were no immediate electrical issues that could start another fire.

The hotel’s occupants were sent to other hotels in the area overnight until an electrician can come today to make sure the electrical system is working properly.

Most of the damages the hotel sustained were from the sprinkler water, although there was a small amount of damage from the fire, Wagner said.

For more:  http://www.nwfdailynews.com/local-news/hotel-evacuated-after-fire-1.55276

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Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Kansas Restaurant Fire Starts In Grease Fryers And Spreads To Attic; $150,000 In Structural And Contents Damage

“…The fire started in the grease fryers area, quickly got into the building’s attic area…of the estimated $150,000 loss, $100,000 was structural damage, the other $50,000 with the building’s contents…”

A grease fire Sunday afternoon caused an estimated $150,000 in damage to a Mexican-food restaurant on the city’s west side. Topeka Fire Department crews were sent about 3:15 p.m. to the Taco John’s restaurant, 1015 S.W. Wanamaker, on a report of a fire.

Capt. Greg Degand, acting battalion chief for the Topeka Fire Department, said at the scene that the initial call indicated the fire was under control. Degand, who was first on the scene, said he saw heavy smoke coming out of the Taco John’s flue area as he approached the restaurant.

However, when he entered the building, Degand said he saw flames in the kitchen area extending from the floor to ceiling. Because grease was involved in the fire, crews at first used a dry chemical extinguisher to get the blaze under control.

For more:  http://cjonline.com/news/2012-11-25/taco-johns-fire-causes-150000-damage

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Hospitality Industry Fire Risks: New York Restaurant Kitchen Workers Seriously Burned As "Gasoline Stored In Container" Spills And Ignites

“…the sushi chef… had asked a dishwasher to carry a five-gallon soy sauce container filled with gasoline through the kitchen to his car…The gasoline (had been acquired) a day earlier from an acquaintance and had been stored in the restaurant’s basement…as the dishwasher was carrying the gasoline through the kitchen, it spilled and ignited. Another chef was immediately engulfed in fire, receiving first- and second-degree burns to his face, neck, arms and legs before bystanders extinguished the flames…”

A sushi chef has been arrested after a soy sauce container he had filled with gasoline ignited at a restaurant close to Sutton Place in Manhattan, starting a blaze that severely injured three people.

The fire, which occurred about 10 p.m. Friday, raced through the kitchen of Eno Asian Bistro and Lounge on 1066 First Avenue at East 58th Street, the Fire Department said.

A busboy and another woman also sustained second- and third-degree burns to their legs. As of Saturday, the victims were still recovering at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

For more:  http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/10/chef-charged-in-fire-at-restaurant/

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Filed under Fire, Insurance, Labor Issues, Liability, Maintenance, Risk Management

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Iowa Restaurant Fire Burns "Undetected For More Than An Hour"; More Than $450,000 In Damage

Fire fighters crawled through the restaurant and extinguished small fires and burning embers throughout the interior…They spent hours on scene dealing with hot spots in the above-ceiling crawl space and attic of the one-story building…the building didn’t have a sprinkler system and damage is estimated at more than $450,000.

A fire in a Des Moines restaurant likely burned for more than an hour before being detected and it took firefighters several more hours to completely extinguish all the hot spots, officials said. Crews responded to Montana Mike’s, 5030 NE 14th St., around 5:10 a.m. Tuesday to find dark gray smoke from floor to ceiling, fire officials said.

Heavy smoke and heat made seeing initially impossible and limited the use of a thermal imaging camera, officials said.

The fire started in the back of the restaurant, near office equipment, storage and laundry machines, authorities said. The cause is still under investigation.

For more:  http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/index.php/2012/11/07/fire-burns-undetected-for-an-hour-at-local-restaraunt/article?nclick_check=1

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Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Indiana Hotel Fire Caused By "Electrical Malfunction Of Room's Heating Unit"

“…investigators discovered an electrical malfunction in the room’s heating unit…the sprinkler system put the fire out, saving a large portion of the building from catching fire…”

An electrical malfunction forced several occupants of the Fort Wayne Marriott to evacuate after a fire broke out in a second floor room. Fort Wayne firefighters were called to the hotel on East Washington Center Road just after 11:30 Monday night.

According to Fort Wayne Fire Department Battalion Chief Mike Pinkham, the fire was confined to a second floor room on the hotel’s west side.

Fire officials and hotel management didn’t know how many occupants were in that wing of the building, but 12 to 14 rooms were occupied. No one was inside the room where the fire started.

Heavy smoke filled the entire wing on the second floor. Fire alarms sent most occupants outside into frigid temperatures. Pinkham said officers with the Fort Wayne Police Department helped evacuate several occupants while fire crews were arriving.

For more:  http://www.wane.com/dpp/news/local/marriott-hotel-evacuated-after-electrical-fire

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Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Nevada Restaurant Fire Caused By "Overheated Commercial Stove" That Led To Wood In Attic Catching Fire; $75,000 In Damage

“…Investigators say over the last year or so, overheating from a commercial stove led heat to creep up a wall and into the attic of the building, getting wood hot enough to finally catch fire…”

An overheated stove led to the fire that caused $75,000 in damages to a Genoa restaurant Friday morning.

Douglas County investigators say shortly before 9AM, they got the call about the fire at the Genoa Station Grill and Bar, a business about 18 months old near Genoa Town Hall.

The fire broke out in the kitchen area and was contained to the kitchen and attic area. SR 206, which runs through Genoa , was closed for about two hours. No one was hurt.

For more:  http://www.kolotv.com/home/headlines/Fire-Damages-Genoa-Restaurant-176039641.html

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Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Iowa Restaurant Kitchen Fire Starts In "Under-The-Counter Appliance"; $40,000 In Structural And Equipment Damage

“…The cause…was believed to derive from a small under-the-counter appliance in the kitchen… total assessed damage is around $40,000, half in structural damage and another $20,000 in restaurant contents, including cooking equipment and televisions…”

A Wednesday morning fire caused an Iowa City late-night Greek-American restaurant to close suddenly. According to Iowa City Fire Department Battalion Chief Brian Greer, a small kitchen fire began in Mega Bite at the Towers apartment complex at 335 S. Gilbert St. at approximately 10:08 a.m.

“We’re really grateful the sprinkler system was in place,” Greer said. “It took less than 15 minutes for the fire to be out.”

The building, owned by Michael’s Properties, which owns several other buildings downtown, is worth well over $4 million and the damage was mostly contained to Mega Bite, Greer said.

Minor water and smoke damage resulted in the apartments on the first floor as well.

For more:  http://www.dailyiowan.com/2012/10/25/Metro/30543.html

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Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Mississippi Hotel Fire Causes $4 Million In Damage As Roof And Most Of Third Floor Rooms Destroyed; Heavy Water Damage To Lower Floors

“…Three-quarters of the roof is gone, along with the tower over the elevator shaft, which collapsed… Most of the third floor rooms were damaged or destroyed by fire and the lower floors inundated by water from the fire hoses…”

Federal investigators have joined the investigation into Wednesday’s fire at a Howard Johnson Inn on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

The fire burned through the roof of the three-story hotel, doing an estimated $4 million in damage. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms will help state and local officials determine the origin and cause of the fire, says Joel Lee, who leads the ATF’s Gulfport field office.

Four Jackson County fire departments responded to the blaze at the hotel Wednesday, which is in the unincorporated St. Martin community north of Ocean Springs. The fire burned for more than three hours.

Officials said the fire spread because the older building lacked the fireproofing required by building codes in newer structures. Another fire damaged the hotel in 2010.

For more:  http://www2.wjtv.com/news/2012/oct/20/federal-agency-joins-hotel-fire-investigation-ar-4794171/

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Hospitality Industry Property Risks: North Carolina Hotel Fire Caused By "Electrical Short In Air Conditioner"; 18 Rooms And $15,000 In Damage

“…Officials said 18 rooms were destroyed after an electrical short in an air conditioner unit caused a fire in a room on the third floor…about $15,000 in property damage and about $30,000 in content damage was reported…”

Fire officials said 18 adults were displaced and one injury was reported after a hotel fire Tuesday night in Winston-Salem. Authorities said 24 firefighters from various units had the situation under control within about 30 minutes.

Authorities said the Red Cross responded and the victims were moved to the Quality Inn in Winston-Salem and the Village Inn in Clemmons. Details on the reported injury were not released.

For more:  http://myfox8.com/2012/10/17/officials-18-adults-displaced-in-winston-salem-hotel-fire/

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Hospitality Industry Property Risks: New York Restaurant "Broiler" Fire Spreads Through Walls Into Third Floor Attic

“…the building did sustain serious damage but it won’t be a total loss. The restaurant will remain closed while the repairs are underway, but the hotel next door will remain open…”

Several customers and employees were inside Fred’s Inn Sunday afternoon as a fire broke out inside the broiler. But for a short time, no one knew. “It was really only a few minutes probably by the time they discovered it, but it had gone up through a wall into an attic,” said A. Wesley Jones, the Public Information Officer for the Norwich Fire Department.

Staff immediately cleared the restaurant. No one was injured. Meanwhile the flames were quickly spreading through the historic building, built in 1933.

“There’s a full attic in there, a third floor of the structure, the fire had kinda gotten up into there, there’s also a couple additions onto the structure, which made it difficult to fight,” said Jones.

That’s why it took nearly an hour and a half to get the flames under control. The restaurant is an local landmark. As news of the fire spread, customers began gathering at the scene, like Bill Strong.

“I’m a life long resident of the area, it’s always been a staple of the area, and we were just here recently and we were very impressed with the service and the food…and we had to come check it out,” said Strong.

Now firefighters say this could have been a lot worse. “An evening, even this evening this place would have been packed with dozens if not a couple hundred people in here dining and it certainly could’ve caused a problem,” said Jones.

For more:  http://centralny.ynn.com/content/top_stories/604375/fire-damages-historic-chenango-county-restaurant/

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