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Show Crease fire damages A fire which started in the kitchen of the Claimjumper Restaurant caused an estimated $15,000 to $20,000 damage Friday evening before it was brought under control by Park City firefighters. fire-fighters. According to Fire Department Captain Kelly Gee, the blaze was started by a grease fire on a cooking surface which spread into the ventilation ventila-tion system. Gee said a dry chemical extinguisher was activated, but did not stop the flames from igniting grease inside the ducts. Gee said a crew was on duty when the call was received about 6 p.m., and reached the f Claim jumper Hotel on lower Main Street in about four minutes. He reported that the fire in the kitchen itself was quickly knocked out, but that flames inside the ventilation system were harder to reach. When flames were seen coming through the vent in the roof, a second alarm was sent out to crews as far away as Summit Park. Gee said that a hotel manager could not be located, so firefighters went through the hotel kicking in doors to make sure no one was still inside.' "I was worried, as well as Chief (Jim) Berry, that the fire could have gotten out of hand," he said. The fire spread from the ventilation system into the wall between the kitchen and the north dining area, according to Gee. He said crews hadl to break through the drywall to reach the blaze. Gee estimated that firefighters used less than 100 gallons of water on the fire. However, the heat melted a joint in a copper water pipe inside the ventilation system, flooding the kitchen area and seeping into the bar downstairs. He said that 23 firefighters spent about two hours controlling the blaze. "If our response time had been slower or if our actions had been slower inside the building, the building would have been destroyed," he said. Lloyd Stevens, owner of the hotel and restaurant, said the ventilation system is cleaned regularly, but that a certain amount of grease will accumulate in the vents and filters in the course of only a few hours. Stevens said the ventilation system apparently was not installed properly when the kitchen was remodeled four years ago that solid-weld construction was not used, and that the vent was too close to combustible materials. According to Stevens, the installation installa-tion was inspected by the city at the time. "The city inspector apparently didn't catch it," he said. Stevens estimated that the restaurant restau-rant would be closed for about three weeks while repairs are being made. However, he said the Down Under private club in the basement of the building had already reopened. |
