Fire Department

On location, Engine 1 was met outside by the owner of Cranberry Creek Takeout. He stated that they had a small fire in a chicken rotisserie machine, and that the fire was out. There was an audible alarm sounding. The owner led E1 to the location of the equipment. The equipment was n a rolling stainless cart in the kitchen area next to a dumb waiter elevator and appeared to be undisturbed prior to E1's arrival. There was a small amount of dry chemical from an extinguisher on the bottom of the machine near a vent, as well as on the cart and ground. There was also a extinguisher on the floor next to the cart. The chef that was in the kitchen preparing food and was alerted to the fire. He states that he saw flame coming from the bottom vent area of the machine and that he grabbed the extinguisher and sprayed into the vent where the fire was. This action appeared to suppress the fire. The machine was in operation at the time of the fire. There was no fire damage to anything other than the appliance. The worker noticed the fire prior to the fire alarm sounding. The breaker in the electrical panel for this outlet was also tripped according to staff, and they had turned the breaker into the off position. E1 pulled the appliance out from the wall and disconnected the plug from the wall outlet. The fire did in fact appear to be extinguished and there were no suppression actions taken by E1. The company officer had 911 contact the City Health Department to notify of this  incident in the food preparation area. A fire investigator was notified of the incident by radio.

The City of Madison has seen several high profile restaurant fires in recent years. In June, 2011, fire destroyed the Underground Kitchen restaurant and the apartment building in which it was housed. In December of that year, the Bonfyre American Grill on the West Beltline was briefly closed in the lead-up to the New Year holiday. Within the last year, restaurant kitchen fires have caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in direct fire loss and lost business to the W. Badger Road Burger King last March, the Eastside location of the Great Dane in November, and the Eastside location of the Red Robin in December.
　
Commercial cooking operations present a significant fire risk to a property owner for property loss because of the availability of ignition sources (e.g. burners) and a high fuel-load (e.g. fats and grease). The following information can assist in assessing the fire exposures of commercial cooking operations:

• Are cooking appliances, such as ranges, deep fat fryers, and steamers, installed in compliance with fire codes?
• Is kitchen equipment inspected on a regular basis?
• Are hoods and ducts for collecting cooking vapors and residues constructed of steel or equivalent material, and equipped with easily accessible and removable noncombustible grease filters?
• Are trash containers made from non-combustible materials and equipped with a self-closing lid when the capacity exceeds 20 gallons?
• Are hoods and ducts vented to the exterior of the building, and provided with an accessible opening for inspection and cleaning?
• Are grease traps located under filters and pitched to drain into a metal container?
• Are cooking appliances installed with adequate clearance to prevent overheating of adjacent surfaces?
• Are deep-fat fryers installed with at least a 16-inch space between the fryer and surface flames of adjacent cooking equipment?
• Are deep-fat fryers equipped with automatic fuel cutoff valves?
• Are racks, trays, spacers, or containers placed inside ovens made of noncombustible materials that can be easily cleaned?
• Are class K fire extinguishers provided within 10 feet of any cooking equipment?
• Are employees trained in the safe operation of cooking equipment, including combustion of fuel-air mixtures; explosion hazards; sources of ignition; and functions of control and devices?

City of Madison fire inspection staff and firefighters routinely inspect restaurant properties to ensure code compliance, but the first line of defense is the safety culture of the restaurant management and staff.