Posted on 09/13/2024 12:27:57 PM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom
The Idaho State Fire Marshal’s Office said Thursday that grease accumulation was the cause of the Labor Day fire that destroyed the iconic Wolf Lodge Steakhouse.
"It was determined that a breach in the flue pipe above the kitchen’s wood-fired grill allowed an accumulation of grease to form on the flue piping and inside the attic. This build-up of grease ignited and spread to the remainder of the building," a press release said. "The fire was classified as accidental."
Jason Blubaum, state deputy fire marshal, was one of the investigators of the scene the day after the blaze.
(nothing left of the Wolf Lodge but ashes).
In better days...
(Excerpt) Read more at cdapress.com ...
The fire was reported to 911 by a passerby at 11:58 am, who happened to be an Idaho Deputy Fire Marshal. The deputy discovered staff on the roof of the building attempting to extinguish the fire with a garden hose. Fortunately, the deputy and the employees immediately began evacuating the inn, which was accomplished prior to the arrival of fire units. Their quick action resulted in saving patrons’ lives.It was a great restaurant with excellent steaks and a fun old-West setting. It's a huge loss to the CDA area.Investigators from the State Fire Marshal’s Office, Kootenai County Fire & Rescue, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) arrived the following day to investigate. Thanks to the observations made by the deputy and other interviews, an area of interest was quickly identified. It was determined that a breach in the flue pipe above the kitchen’s wood-fired grill allowed an accumulation of grease to form on the flue piping and inside the attic. This build-up of grease ignited and spread to the remainder of the building. The fire was classified as accidental.
Ping
That happened just a few weeks ago?
This Labor Day period?
Sad. It looked like a very charming place.
People need such places to go, share a drink, a meal or a joke.
Maybe it will be rebuilt, but likely on a different piece of property. That property may need a new foundation.
The workers were on the roof trying to put the fire out.
That sounds extremely dangerous. Acting before really thinking about how that roof could have collapsed.
I know a guy that steam cleans restaurant exhaust systems for a living. Good money nasty job.
He said most managers/owners wait until it’s fixing to be a problem. For him, more grease=$$$.
Yep, around Labor Day. On Monday September 2.
It’s amazing that they couldn’t perform regular inspections of their stove grease traps and exhaust flue through the attic. The flue pipe got disconnected and grease built up on the outside of the flue pipe.
It just shows that you need to regularly clean the grease trap on your own vent hood above your kitchen stove.
Grease is the word.
“most managers/owners wait until it’s fixing to be a problem”
Yep, “out of sight, out of mind.” People just don’t do preventative maintenance until something breaks and it interferes with sales.
The Wolf Lodge paid the ultimate price for neglecting simple maintenance. The flue pipe had gotten disconnected in the attic and grease fumes were pouring into the attic and grease accumulating on the outside of the flue pipe.
How the fire marshall could determine that from that smolder ruin is beyond me.
I live in Spokane, close to Idaho. I’ve been to that restaurant, but not recently. Hate to see the old place go.
That kind of maintenance is gritty, greasy, boring and not at all conveniant, but someone’s got to do it and on a regular basis. Same as checking the Last Inspected date on the fire extinguisher tabs.
You would think that owners and managers would watch Kitchen Nightmares religiously and occasionally look at the issues they see on the show that Ramsay finds and goes nuts about, for instance this one that freaks him out about building destroying uncontrollable fires when he finds it.
Or the “Last serviced” date in the Porta-Potty. ;>)
Consequences of delayed or postponed servicing = “El Yucko!”
Classic place, ate there several times. The live news report showed a blaze of remarkable intensity - it looked like a giant blowtorch; one look and you knew that it was going completely to ashes. Wood structure, grease-infused, no chance. Some talk locally that the owner isn’t going to rebuild on that site but nothing is settled yet, at least to my knowledge.
I’d never heard of “Kitchen Nightmares” — just started watching an episode about a pizzeria in Denver. Good show!
I’ll have my old 96er well done please
Grease fires are the worst. I’ve seen a couple very small ones in kitchens. I would hate to have one in a large wooden structure.
ATF needs to add a letter if they are now investigating grease fires.
Chimney creosote fires are awful, too. My folks had one once and dad quickly grabbed a piece of plywood to cover the fireplace opening and cut off the oxygen. It worked.
I saw one in a small town in Brazil. From the outside, it looked like a ramjet engine exhaust stream. It sounded like a ramjet, too. Wow.
This was sad!
We were planning to make our first visit to the restaurant.
“””the kitchen’s wood-fired grill allowed an accumulation of grease to form”””
and that is what made the steaks taste so great
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