By Lindsay Suchow Poughkeepise Journal
FISHKILL - A fire in the kitchen of an empty restaurant Tuesday morning could have been far worse had it not been for the automatic sprinkler system, said Kevin Barry, public information officer for the Rombout Fire Company.
At 1:38 a.m. Tuesday, the Rombout Fire Company was dispatched to an alarm at the Seasons II restaurant in the Dutchess Park shopping center at 1545 Route 52. Chief John Lucariello, the first to arrive on the scene, saw smoke coming from the building and sounded the first alarm, Barry said.
Additional engines from Rombout arrived at the scene, along with mutual aid from Hughsonville’s Firefighter Assist and Search Team, and it was determined the fire was coming from the rear kitchen area of the restaurant, Barry said.
Firefighters gained access through a rear door and quickly located the fire in the kitchen area. Barry said an automatic sprinkler system which had been activated in the restaurant thoroughly helped firefighters contain the blaze.
” Without this system going off and containing the fire, this company would’ve had to battle a major fire at this restaurant, so it was very good things happened this way,” Barry said.
One firefighter sustained a minor injury while battling the fire and was evaluated at the scene, Barry said.
The Dutchess County Fire Investigation team ruled the fire accidental in nature, Barry said.
Seasons II had been closed for about two and a half hours before the fire started and the building was empty during the fire. The restaurant is now closed for repairs and it has not yet been determined when they will reopen, Barry said.
The Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office and Alamo Ambulance assisted at the scene and Central Hudson Gas and Electric Corp. also came to turn off the electricity and the gas to the building.
From: Mid-Hudson News
Sprinkler system saves business from disaster
Fishkill - Rombout Fire Department officials said that had it not been for a working sprinkler system in a restaurant kitchen, the business would have gone up in flames.
Fire officials received a call of smoke in the rear of Seasons Two restaurant at the Dutchess Park Shopping Center on Route 52 shortly after 1:30 a.m. Tuesday.
When Chief John Lucariello arrived on the scene, he called a first alarm with back up from Hughsonville Fire Department.
As firefighters entered the building from a rear door, they observed that the sprinkler system had activated and suppressed the flames. Without that, there would have been a serious fire.
The cause has been determined by the Dutchess County Fire Investigatory Team as accident; however, local fire officials would not elaborate as to the suspected cause.