Kitchen fire cripples restaurant
A fire in the kitchen is the kind of catastrophe that does not discriminate between rich and poor, home or commercial establishment. On Saturday night a kitchen fire struck at one of the city’s most prestigious eateries–Chef Bob’s Bar and Grill at the Barracks–and while the Fire Department came to the rescue, the incident demonstrated just how easily things can get out of control while cooking.
Jose Sanchez, Reporting
The fire started around 7:30. According to Carol Trapp, the restaurant’s supervisor, everything was fine until she found out that it wasn’t just the chicken that was roasting in the kitchen.
Carol Trapp, Supervisor, Chef Bob Bar and Grill
“I was out here with my other waitress. I heard a loud scream from my kitchen staff so both of us ran in, when I got in, the deep fryer was on fire. So I asked what happened and they told me that they left the fire on and it got overheated. So I said “oh, my God, what are you guys doing?” I don’t really know what to do because I don’t know much about fires. So I took the tablecloth and asked one of the kitchen staff to wet it and put it over it, but that same time my other head cook threw water in the deep fryer and I screamed “no don’t do that!” The whole place got enflamed so quickly.”
Though the situation was chaotic, some of the employees attempted to put the blaze out, but the intense heat and flames thwarted their efforts. According to Fire Chief Henry Baizar, a few minutes after one of the patrons called for help, fire fighters arrived on the scene.
Henry Baizar, Fire Chief
“We quickly got there and put the fire out, not allowing the fire to spread into any part of the building but the kitchen. What happened is that these deep fryers should have a thermostat, this one did not. There was a manual switch that they should have turned off periodically and apparently they did not.”
According to the chief, there are a few things that people should know in case anything burns in the kitchen.
Henry Baizar
“If there is a fire in the kitchen, especially if it’s fat, you don’t throw water on it. If you throw water on it, that will cause it to ignite even more. Fire in the kitchen should be smothered. You should have something like a wet cloth or towel, restaurants should have a fire blanket, just put it over the pot and that will smother the fire.”
Reporting for News 5, Jose Sanchez.
The estimated cost of damage to the kitchen is eight thousand dollars. Though the building was insured by its owner, the restaurant wasn’t.
