Fire damages Columbus restaurant

A Columbus restaurant was closed for several hours Tuesday after a fire. Captain Mike Wilson, Spokesman for the Columbus Police Department, says Firefighters were called to the Kentucky Fried Chicken on Brentwood Drive, after a chicken fryer caught fire when employees were preparing to open for the day.

Wilson says that store owner Kelley Poindexter told investigators that two employees were working in the store when the incident occurred. He said that part of their duties include turning on three deep fryers used to cook chicken. The fryers sit close together. Poindexter reportedly told investigators that an employee had just successfully turned on two of three fryers, which use natural gas. When an employee attempted to ignite the burner of the third fryer, flames reportedly erupted from under it.

One the employees reportedly told firefighters that he retrieved a fire extinguisher to put out the flames. He said that he extinguished the fire briefly, but it flared up again. The employee added that when the fire reignited, it spread to two more fryers that were nearby. He said that he made a second attempt to extinguish the fire, but was unsuccessful. The employee told investigators that he then turned off the power to all three fryers and moved to the rear of the store, while another employee called 911. As the flames intensified, both employees reportedly escaped the building through a rear delivery door.

Wilson says that investigators believe that the spread of fire was due to grease residue that was inside the internal fryer components. Along with some minor smoke damage throughout the restaurant, he says that the fire damage was confined to the three fryers. Wilson adds that the restaurant’s hood system fire suppression system did not activate. Investigators say they believe that was due to the fire being located within the fryers and not the actual grease that was located above the flames.

No injuries were reported at the scene and no damage estimate was made available. Wilson says the cause of the fire is undetermined and added that the investigation is ongoing. Wilson adds that the restaurant opened later in the day with a limited menu.