Document text
Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend July 3, 2005 A tale of two fires Indoor sprinklers saved a Medford restaurant; a truck stop without them had major damage By JACK MORAN Mail Tribune What a difference a spray makes. Managers of the Olive Garden restaurant in Medford found that out the morning of March 20, when a fire sparked inside an employee bathroom. An indoor sprinkler system detected smoke and snuffed out the small blaze before it had a chance to spread to the rest of the building. "The business was basically unaffected," said Dan Patterson, fire marshal with the Medford fire department. "The sprinkler head was replaced, and they didn’t miss lunch. With a system like that, you’re basically getting a firefighter on duty 24 hours a day." About an hour before the Olive Garden fire started, another blaze broke out — this one inside a clothes dryer at the Pilot Travel Center in Central Point. With no sprinklers in the building, smoke quickly filled the structure. After it cleared and fire officials had a chance to check out the damage, the total loss had exceeded $1 million, said Mark Moran, deputy fire marshal with Jackson County Fire District No. 3. "If a sprinkler system had been in place, it would have held that fire in check and it would have been a similar outcome to the Olive Garden," Moran said. "It’s amazing how one little sprinkler head can control a fire." Advertisement Moran said District 3 officials have met several times with Pilot managers during the past few months, and that the company believes installing sprinklers is a good idea. But because their top priority was getting the East Pine Street business back up and running, Pilot brass decided to have the damaged building repaired without an indoor system. "They have been very open to putting in sprinklers, but it would have delayed the store’s opening by a couple of months," Moran said. "It’s a timing issue, but it’s not a dead issue. They’re still entertaining that option. "In Pilot’s situation, it’s not something that’s required." Moran explained that while Medford’s building code requires the Olive Garden to have indoor sprinklers, the travel center was built before Central Point instituted similar requirements for some commercial structures. Pilot, which offers gas and diesel services along with fast food from Subway and Taco Bell, did install four firebreaks that would slow the spread of smoke and flames if another blaze ever broke out inside the building, Moran said. "If that’s all we get out of it, then it’s better than before," he said. "I really think they’re doing some great things that will enhance our ability to stop a fire there, if it ever happens again." Dean Haugset, Pilot’s general manager, said the chances of another damaging fire are minimal, since the business is an around-the-clock operation. He called the March 20 blaze "a freak accident." "We’re open 24 hours a day, and there’s somebody pretty much everywhere at all times," Haugset said. "I don’t think we’re jeopardizing anything" by not installing sprinklers. Moran guessed it might cost about $20,000 to set up a sprinkler system inside a building the size of Pilot. One section at a time, the travel center was repaired and reopened during the last three months. The final piece is Taco Bell, which reopened Saturday. Before the fire, about 4,000 people visited the travel center every day, officials said. Reach reporter Jack Moran at 776-4459, or e-mail A tale of two fires ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Ztech Media Hosting Sports Equipment Online Casino Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation Online Pharmacy Online Casino Reviews Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Rogue Valley Travel Discount Hotel Reservations Southern Oregon Loans Online Casino News Casino Gambling Sites Budget Website Templates Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Advertisement s