Tag Archives: Fire

by | February 27, 2013 · 7:34 am

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Hawaii Restaurant Fire Caused By Leak From “Corroded Gas Line Fitting”; $25,000 In Fire And Water Damage

“…the fire was started by a gas leak at a fitting to a kitchen table, which had corroded, said Fire Captain Terry Restaurant FireSeelig, department spokesman…a worker, who was cleaning the kitchen after the restaurant had closed, was treated at the scene for burns to the front of his body before being taken to a burn center…”

A 43-year-old man was taken to the hospital in serious condition Monday after he was burned while cleaning the kitchen of a ramen restaurant in the Mililani Town Center. The flash fire was ignited by a pilot light, which also activated the restaurant’s sprinkler system. The fire was brought under control by 10:30 p.m.

The fire and the water from the sprinkler system caused $25,000 worth of damage in the kitchen of New Genki Ramen at 95-1249 Meheula Parkway.

For more:  http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/breaking/193327801.html

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by | January 31, 2013 · 7:43 am

Hospitality Industry Safety Risks: California Hotel Explosion And Fire Caused By “Illicit Drug-Making Operation” In Guest Room; Walls “Blown Out” And Property Evacuated

“…all guests were evacuated and it took firefighters about 35 minutes to fully contain the flames which had reached into the third story and the attic of the hotel…Because of the drug-making substances that had caused Hotel Explosionthe hotel explosion, a hazardous-materials crew and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration were called in to investigate the illegal drug-making operation…”

An apparent drug-making operation in a hotel room caused a hotel explosion in San Diego on Wednesday shortly after 11 a.m. The explosion which happened in one of the hotel rooms blew out several windows and three walls, reported San Diego’s 10News on Jan. 30, 2013.

“An explosion apparently caused by an illicit drug-making process blew out walls and windows at a Midway-area hotel Wednesday and set part of it ablaze, leaving a young man gravely burned and two other people less severely hurt, authorities reported.”

The hotel explosion occurred in a hotel guest room on the second floor at the three-story Heritage Inn on Channel Way, just south of San Diego’s Interstate 8.

The man who was gravely injured during the hotel explosion had apparently lit a cigarette while using a butane spray can to try to extract hashish oil from marijuana. The flame from his lighter ignited the chemical fumes and caused them to detonate powerfully. The man who is in his early 20s suffered life-threatening burns.

Hash oil is made by packing finely ground stems and leaves of marijuana plants in a pipe and pouring butane through it. The liquid typically is then cooked on a stove to separate the butane. Hash oil averages about 15 percent THC, the chief intoxicant in marijuana. A drop or two is about as potent as a marijuana cigarette.

For more:  http://www.examiner.com/article/illegal-drug-making-hotel-room-causes-hotel-explosion-san-diego

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by | January 21, 2013 · 7:25 am

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: New Jersey Restaurant Fire Starts In Basement, Causing Heavy Interior Damage; Renovation “Crawl Spaces And Voids” Help Flames Spread

“…the structure had been renovated a number of times, creating created many crawl spaces and voids thorough which the flames spread. That made it difficult for firefighters to put out the fire…the fire appeared Restaurant Fireto have started near a storage room in the basement, burning through the first floor and then extending to the attic…”

A Goffle Road restaurant may be temporarily shuttered after a three-alarm fire spread from the basement to the attic early Sunday morning, causing significant damage to the interior, the borough’s fire chief said. Local volunteer firefighters rushed to La Cantina Restaurant shortly after 12:40 a.m. on Sunday, after a passerby walked into Engine Company No. 3 and told them that the restaurant was on fire, Fire Chief Joseph Speranza said.

About 30 to 35 firefighters responded to the Mexican restaurant — less than a quarter mile from the firehouse — to find heavy smoke coming from the building, Speranza said.

Firefighters battled the main blaze for about an hour and forty-five minutes, but spent a good portion of the morning chasing hot spots, he said.

For more:  http://www.northjersey.com/hawthorne/La_Cantina_Restaurant_in_Hawthorne_might_be_temporarily_shuttered_after_fire.html

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by | January 17, 2013 · 10:06 am

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Michigan Motel Fire Starts In Bathroom Fan And Results In “Complete Loss” To Building

“…it appears the fire started in a bathroom fan on the motel’s second floor, although a direct cause wasn’t immediately identified…(firefighters) made an initial handline attack and were able to stop it from spreading Motel Firesouth, but the fire did come around and spread indoors through the additional building…”

A metro Detroit motel that has been around since the 1960s is now a complete loss after fire tore through the building early Thursday morning. WWJ’s Ron Dewey reports the fire broke out around 2 a.m. at the Flamingo Motel on Groesbeck Highway in Fraser.

Firefighters from Fraser and Roseville responded and worked for about two hours before the fire was extinguished. Fraser Public Safety Lieutenant Dan Kolke said damage to the building is extensive.

All 10 of the motel’s occupants were able to get out safely and uninjured. Lilly Eilem said she saw the firetrucks outside her window, but didn’t put two and two together until she heard Meeks pounding on her door, telling her to get out.

Two firefighters were taken to the hospital for minor smoke inhalation.

For more:  http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2013/01/17/two-firefighters-injured-in-motel-fire/

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by | January 14, 2013 · 8:31 am

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Texas Restaurant “Natural Gas Fire” Caused By Faulty Water Heater; Damage Estimated At $15,000

“…When firefighters got to the scene, the cook there told them that he heard the hot water heater pop and Restaurant Firethat’s when they saw the fire… Crews immediately evacuated the restaurant and the surrounding businesses, but they also had to cut the gas off before they could put out the fire, which was located in the restaurant’s mechanical room…”

Fire officials said a hot water heater is to blame for a natural gas fire at a Chinese restaurant on the city’s northwest side. The fire broke out at about 4:18 p.m. Sunday afternoon at the Hunan Chinese Restaurant.

Fire officials said this natural gas fire caused about $15,000 worth of damage.

Nobody was hurt in the fire and the surrounding businesses opened back up later that Sunday.

For more:  http://www.ksat.com/news/Officials-Water-heater-causes-fire-at-Chinese-restaurant/-/478452/18116632/-/dt62eg/-/index.html

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by | January 13, 2013 · 8:00 am

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Massachusetts Motel Fire Starts In “Old Sauna Room” Used For Storage; “Extensive Smoke Damage” Estimated At $50,000 To Concrete Building

“…The fire started in an old sauna room on the first floor next to the main office…the room was being used by Motel Firethe owner for storage…several second-floor motel rooms received extensive smoke damage…”

The Travelodge on Rte. 9 in Natick was evacuated Saturday morning after a two-alarm blaze struck, forcing occupants outside and damaging several rooms. Fire Chief James Sheridan said the department responded to the 1350 Worcester St. motel after receiving multiple 911 calls for a fire beginning at 11:11 a.m.

Sheridan said the building was evacuated, as the first firefighters on the scene saw heavy smoke and fire. They aggressively suppressed the fire and knocked it down quickly.

Sheridan said the department struck a second alarm upon getting to the motel, with firefighters from Framingham and Wellesley covering the central station.

He estimated roughly $50,000 in damages to the concrete building. As of 1:30 p.m., the department was still cleaning up at the scene, he said.

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by | January 6, 2013 · 7:06 am

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Louisiana Hotel Laundry Room Fire Causes “Heavy Water Damage” And Forces Evacuation Of Entire Building

“…The fire was found to have originated in a laundry room on the fourth floor of the hotel. The third and fourth floors sustained heavy water damage, as the sprinkler system helped to squelch the blaze…(additional Hotel fire and smoke damagefirefighters were needed) to assist with getting materials that were burned and water-damaged out of the building…”

A Saturday night fire at the CBD’s Hotel Intercontinental (444 St. Charles Ave.) damaged the middle floors of the 14-story structure, and moved guests to a nearby ballroom, according to the New Orleans Fire Department.

Firefighters went door-to-door at the 410 rooms to ensure that all guests evacuated the building. Initially, the fire was at two alarms, but the third and fourth alarms were struck to provide more manpower. A total of 31 trucks and 98 NOFD personnel were at the scene.

The fire was largely contained to the area where the fire originated, but smoke damage was reported on the floors above the fourth.

The fire was under control by 7:30 p.m. The only reports of injury in the blaze were from a guest who told authorities they were having trouble breathing. The guest refused medical assistance. The displaced guests were relocated to the second-floor ballroom in the Hilton New Orleans, which is located across St. Charles Ave.

For more:  http://noladefender.com/content/four-ala76rm-fire-dam98ages-st-charles-ave-hotel

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by | December 19, 2012 · 8:48 am

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: West Virginia Restaurant Fire Caused By "Malfunction Of Freezer Compressor Unit"; Court Rules Owners May Not Seek Damages To Rebuild Business

After an investigation, the cause of the fire was found to have been a malfunction of the compressor unit and/or power cord…the plaintiffs claim the freezer was not safe for its intended use and also made claims of Restaurant Firedefective design, breach of implied warranty and negligence.

Porker’s made claims for destroyed property and lost business during restoration, but Goodwin’s Dec. 7 ruling concerned three types of other damages requested. They were the cost to build a new Porker’s, lost franchise and royalties fees and the cost of preparing the franchise agreement…Goodwin wrote Porker’s was harmed by the fire but not destroyed, and the insurance payouts were designed to get business resumed. The company requested $105,935 to rebuild in its lawsuit.

After being told it could not seek damages to rebuild itself, Porker’s Bar-B-Q settled its lawsuit against General Electric and Wal-Mart on the eve of trial. The lawsuit claimed they were responsible for property damages from a fire caused by a freezer GE made and Wal-Mart sold. It was filed in 2011 by Jack Bruer and Pam Napier, the owners of Jack and Pam’s who operated Porker’s, and the settlement was entered 10 days after U.S. District Judge Joseph Goodwin granted the defendants’ motion for summary judgment.

The plaintiffs claimed a General Electric freezer bought three years earlier at a Sam’s Club store caught fire and destroyed the business premises of Porker’s, located in Cross Lanes, on Aug. 19, 2009.

Despite insurance company payouts, Porker’s has been out of operation since the fire. During its years of operation, Porker’s never turned a profit, Goodwin wrote.

“The defendants rightfully point out that the plaintiffs stated in their deposition testimony that Porker’s restaurant closed not because of the fire but because the landlord refused to renew their lease,” Goodwin wrote.

Bruer planned to go back to business after repairs were completed, but they never got the chance. The plaintiffs claim the fire was still the proximate cause of the restaurant because it led to the breakdown in the relationship between them and the landlord.

Goodwin found that a reasonable jury could not agree with that argument.

For more:  http://wvrecord.com/news/256425-bbq-restaurant-settles-case-over-fire

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by | December 2, 2012 · 7:15 am

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Texas Hotel "Stairwell Fire" Forces Evacuation Of Nearly 400 Guests; Building Remains Without Power

“…Dallas Fire Rescue said the fire happened in the south stairwell on the third floor…electricity was shut off Hotel fire and smoke damageand the hotel remains without power…”

Hotel management said 387 people were listed as guests at the time of the fire and everyone evacuated.

A Downtown Dallas hotel fire caused the evacuation of nearly 400 guests on Saturday afternoon.

One person was taken to the hospital for further evaluation of possible burns.  Their name and condition have not been released. Paramedics treated some other people on scene for non-life threatening issues.

As of 5:30 p.m., the fire is extinguished but electricity has been shut off to the hotel.

Management is now allowing all guests to gather their belongings and transfer to another local hotel. Investigators are searching for the hotel fire’s cause.

For more:  http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Hundreds-Evacuated-In-Downtown-Dallas-Hotel-Fire-181695311.html

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by | November 25, 2012 · 5:47 pm

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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