COLUMBUS, Ind. — A Columbus restaurant employee was taken to Columbus Regional Hospital with burn injuries following a kitchen fire Saturday afternoon.
Columbus firefighters were sent to the kitchen fire at 12:58 p.m. Saturday at El Nopal restaurant, 3114 N. National Road, said Capt. Mike Wilson, Columbus Fire Department spokesman.
The fire was marked under control upon arrival after another employee extinguished the fire with portable fire extinguishers, Wilson said.
Officers with the Columbus Police Department were the first to arrive and reported seeing flames coming from the commercial kitchen hood-vents located on the roof of the building. When Columbus firefighters arrived, they found that the restaurant was being evacuated and the flames reported by police had been extinguished.
When firefighters reached the kitchen area, they found smoldering materials located near the food prep area that were quickly extinguished firefighters. One male employee who was working in the kitchen when the fire occurred had a serious burn injury to his arm. EMTs with the Columbus Regional Health Ambulance service treated and transported him to the hospital. One additional El Nopal employee was assessed at the scene for a minor burn, but that employee declined transport.
Firefighters learned from management that the fire occurred when water was inadvertently added to a cooking pot containing hot cooking oil. This created flames that injured the employee while also igniting combustible materials nearby.
Another El Nopal employee, who was outside of the kitchen area at the time of the fire, told fire investigators that he used several portable fire extinguishers to extinguished the flames. Investigators said that the kitchen was equipped with a fire suppression system but no evidence was present to indicate that the system activated during the fire. Investigators have classified the fire as accidental, Wilson said
Damage within the kitchen was moderate. The fire did not extend to any of the building’s structural components. Firefighters used large ventilation fans to remove residual smoke. The restaurant will remain closed for an unknown time until repairs and additional inspections are completed, Wilson said. Damage caused by fire is estimated at about $25,000.
