ORDER UP: ONE FLAME BROILED VENT

FIRE CAUSES EVACUATION AT

TURNPIKE PLAZA BUILDING

TMC NEWS PHOTOS / BRIAN WOODS

Call Time: 9:37 a.m. Monday August 3, 2009
Amherst – Employees of the Middle Ridge Service Plaza on the Ohio Turnpike had to evacuate the building Monday morning after a fire broke out in a vent at Burger King.

Assistant Chief Jim Wilhelm of the Amherst Fire Department said it was a grease fire and was contained to the top of the vent. “It did not extend back down into the business itself, but it did do damage to the vent on top. When I pulled onto the scene there was heavy black smoke showing from the rooftop area. There were personnel from the Turnpike on the roof already and they had used 4 dry chemical cans to put the fire out. I sent an Engine crew up there and they popped the vent and found they still had some embers in the vent area so we sent up a couple water cans.”

Wilhelm said that they received mutual aid from Oberlin, Elyria Township, South Amherst and Florence Township.

All Engines were staged according to Wilhelm but he did have the crew from South Amherst move up to the scene to act as a RIT while his guys were working on the fire.

Wilhelm said that when the fire started it was above the automatic censor and the employees at Burger King were told to pull the manual suppression system but they didn’t, they all evacuated the building instead. “They evacuated the entire building, getting everybody outside right away. They did everything they were supposed to do in that situation – except pull the manual lever.”

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