A fire Thursday afternoon at the Hong Kong Buffet shut down the restaurant and disrupted business at other stores in the Grand Teton Plaza.
The owner of the restaurant called 911 about 1:30 p.m. to report the fire, which started near the stove and spread into the exhaust hood and attic of the strip mall, said Jim Tucker, Jackson Hole Fire/EMS battalion chief.
The fire sent smoke pouring into other businesses in the plaza, though most of them re-opened about 5 p.m.
Tucker arrived on the scene first and saw white smoke coming out of the eves on the end of the building, he said.
Police helped evacuate other businesses in the plaza as firetrucks from Jackson, Adams Canyon and The Pines arrived, Fire Inspector Kathy Clay said.
Twenty-six firefighters quickly extinguished the fire in the attic and spent about 3.5 hours clearing smoke and checking the building, Tucker said.
Inspectors preliminarily ruled the fire accidental, Clay said. Hong Kong Buffet likely will be closed for a while, Clay said.
Smoke traveled through the ventilation system, but the fire was contained to the restaurant, she said.
“The fire traveling through that roof system had us very concerned,” Clay said.
Because of winds, the smoke primarily affected Jackson Mattress Shop and Furniture Co., Stone Drug, the Knobe’s businesses and O’Ryan Cleaners, Tucker said.
Jackson Mattress owner Ken Harris wasn’t too worried about the fire until he entered his business about 5 p.m., he said. About 2 feet of thick smoke hung near the floor, he said.
Firefighters helped him set up fans to blow the smoke out, and his worries had eased by Friday, he said.
Some of the fabrics on the furniture in Harris’ showroom smelled slightly of smoke, he said. His insurance will cover the cost of cleaning anything that was damaged, he said.
“I don’t want to sell something and have a customer come back and say something’s not quite right,” he said.
Owners at Knobe’s Radio Shack and O’Ryan Cleaners said they smelled smoke Thursday afternoon but the scent wasn’t noticeable Friday morning. Nothing was damaged at either of the stores, and they’re open for business as usual.
Knobe’s Office Supply had more smoke inside than the Radio Shack but it won’t affect business, Chris Knobe said.
All of the store owners commended Fire/EMS.
“The fire department did a great job,” said Joe Byron, manager at O’Ryan Cleaners. “They showed up quickly. It could have been a lot worse.”
Cleaning Commercial Kitchen Exhaust Systems Since 1971
5734 Bankfield Avenue
Culver City, California 90230
310-636-8361 x 203
Grant Mogford
The owner of the restaurant called 911 about 1:30 p.m. to report the fire, which started near the stove and spread into the exhaust hood and attic of the strip mall, said Jim Tucker, Jackson Hole Fire/EMS battalion chief.
The fire sent smoke pouring into other businesses in the plaza, though most of them re-opened about 5 p.m.
Tucker arrived on the scene first and saw white smoke coming out of the eves on the end of the building, he said.
Police helped evacuate other businesses in the plaza as firetrucks from Jackson, Adams Canyon and The Pines arrived, Fire Inspector Kathy Clay said.
Twenty-six firefighters quickly extinguished the fire in the attic and spent about 3.5 hours clearing smoke and checking the building, Tucker said.
Inspectors preliminarily ruled the fire accidental, Clay said. Hong Kong Buffet likely will be closed for a while, Clay said.
Smoke traveled through the ventilation system, but the fire was contained to the restaurant, she said.
“The fire traveling through that roof system had us very concerned,” Clay said.
Because of winds, the smoke primarily affected Jackson Mattress Shop and Furniture Co., Stone Drug, the Knobe’s businesses and O’Ryan Cleaners, Tucker said.
Jackson Mattress owner Ken Harris wasn’t too worried about the fire until he entered his business about 5 p.m., he said. About 2 feet of thick smoke hung near the floor, he said.
Firefighters helped him set up fans to blow the smoke out, and his worries had eased by Friday, he said.
Some of the fabrics on the furniture in Harris’ showroom smelled slightly of smoke, he said. His insurance will cover the cost of cleaning anything that was damaged, he said.
“I don’t want to sell something and have a customer come back and say something’s not quite right,” he said.
Owners at Knobe’s Radio Shack and O’Ryan Cleaners said they smelled smoke Thursday afternoon but the scent wasn’t noticeable Friday morning. Nothing was damaged at either of the stores, and they’re open for business as usual.
Knobe’s Office Supply had more smoke inside than the Radio Shack but it won’t affect business, Chris Knobe said.
All of the store owners commended Fire/EMS.
“The fire department did a great job,” said Joe Byron, manager at O’Ryan Cleaners. “They showed up quickly. It could have been a lot worse.”
Cleaning Commercial Kitchen Exhaust Systems Since 1971
5734 Bankfield Avenue
Culver City, California 90230
310-636-8361 x 203
Grant Mogford
