Two-alarm Gaslamp restaurant fire started in kitchen flue
January 22, 2011
A two-alarm fire at the Star of India restaurant in the Gaslamp District Friday night started in a flue under a kitchen hood, officials said.
A fire investigator said that grease and debris in the flue apparently ignited, said Maurice Luque, spokesman for the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.
The fire prompted the evacuation of all three other restaurants on the same side of the block on F Street between Fourth and Fifth avenues.
The fire was reported at 5:52 p.m. at the restaurant, a half-block from the Horton Plaza parking garage, in an area always packed with people on Friday nights because of its abundance of restaurants and bars.
The small restaurant is in a two-story building with apartments above it. No patrons, residents or firefighters were injured, Luque said.
The other businesses on the same side of the block that were evacuated were the two-story Tipsy Crow bar and restaurant; Cafe Lulu, which is adjacent to the Star of India and also has apartments above it; and Sushi Itto.
The fire was declared a two-alarm, meaning more resources are sent, because of the potential for it to spread through the restaurant and the crowded adjoining businesses, Luque said.
About 60 firefighters responded, with nine engines and five trucks, he said. The fire was knocked down in about 30 minutes.
Patrons of businesses in the area said they saw smoke coming from the roof of the building but did not see flames.
Luque said there was “virtually no fire damage” in the restaurant itself, but some fire damage on the roof. There was water and smoke damage to the restaurant and the apartments. Damage was estimated at $100,000, he said.
Luque said the flue was not straight, but had “lots of twists and turns,” making it difficult to reach.
Firefighters used a ladder and cut holes in the roof to access the flue.
Nick Tarbell, a parking valet at the Keating Hotel across the street, said smoke was coming from the roof of the restaurant and billowing down F Street, making the street look “foggy.” He said no restaurant patrons panicked. People were stopping along the sidewalk across the street and taking pictures with their cell phones.
Also across the street, patrons from the Hard Rock Hotel & Cafe, Croce’s Restaurant and Patrick’s II, a bar and nightclub, stood outside and watched as water ran down the street and firefighters dragged hoses nearby.
January 22, 2011
A two-alarm fire at the Star of India restaurant in the Gaslamp District Friday night started in a flue under a kitchen hood, officials said.
A fire investigator said that grease and debris in the flue apparently ignited, said Maurice Luque, spokesman for the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.
The fire prompted the evacuation of all three other restaurants on the same side of the block on F Street between Fourth and Fifth avenues.
The fire was reported at 5:52 p.m. at the restaurant, a half-block from the Horton Plaza parking garage, in an area always packed with people on Friday nights because of its abundance of restaurants and bars.
The small restaurant is in a two-story building with apartments above it. No patrons, residents or firefighters were injured, Luque said.
The other businesses on the same side of the block that were evacuated were the two-story Tipsy Crow bar and restaurant; Cafe Lulu, which is adjacent to the Star of India and also has apartments above it; and Sushi Itto.
The fire was declared a two-alarm, meaning more resources are sent, because of the potential for it to spread through the restaurant and the crowded adjoining businesses, Luque said.
About 60 firefighters responded, with nine engines and five trucks, he said. The fire was knocked down in about 30 minutes.
Patrons of businesses in the area said they saw smoke coming from the roof of the building but did not see flames.
Luque said there was “virtually no fire damage” in the restaurant itself, but some fire damage on the roof. There was water and smoke damage to the restaurant and the apartments. Damage was estimated at $100,000, he said.
Luque said the flue was not straight, but had “lots of twists and turns,” making it difficult to reach.
Firefighters used a ladder and cut holes in the roof to access the flue.
Nick Tarbell, a parking valet at the Keating Hotel across the street, said smoke was coming from the roof of the restaurant and billowing down F Street, making the street look “foggy.” He said no restaurant patrons panicked. People were stopping along the sidewalk across the street and taking pictures with their cell phones.
Also across the street, patrons from the Hard Rock Hotel & Cafe, Croce’s Restaurant and Patrick’s II, a bar and nightclub, stood outside and watched as water ran down the street and firefighters dragged hoses nearby.
