MEC&F Expert Engineers : GREASE BUILDUP IN KITCHEN DUCTS OF WIND &SEA RESTAURANT AT DANA POINT, CALIFORNIA CAUSES EARLY-MORNING FIRE, $120K IN DAMAGES; WIND & SEA MUST CLOSE FOR REPAIRS

Monday, April 6, 2015

GREASE BUILDUP IN KITCHEN DUCTS OF WIND &SEA RESTAURANT AT DANA POINT, CALIFORNIA CAUSES EARLY-MORNING FIRE, $120K IN DAMAGES; WIND & SEA MUST CLOSE FOR REPAIRS





APRIL 6, 2015 

DANA POINT, CALIFORNIA
 
An early-morning grease fire damaged a Dana Point restaurant Monday but did not cause any injuries. 

Thirty Orange County Fire Authority firefighters responded around 1:50 a.m. to the Wind & Sea Restaurant, 34699 Golden Lantern Street, Dana Point, California 92629.

When they arrived, a large fire was coming from the roof, OCFA Capt. Steve Concialdi said. 

Firefighters made an aggressive attack and knocked down the blaze by 2:35 a.m. 

Authorities said the majority of the restaurant was not damaged, but the fire did cause about $100,000 of structural damage and destroyed about $20,000 of the building's contents. 

Investigators suspect a large amount of grease buildup in the hood and duct system above the kitchen ignited the flames, Concialdi said. 

No one inside the restaurant at the time of the fire. The restaurant is expected to be closed until repairs are made.

Wind & Sea officials posted on their Facebook page that the fire damaged parts of the restaurant’s bar, patio and banquet room, and as a result is closed until further notice.

“Dear Friends & Family of the Wind and Sea Restaurant,
We deeply regret to inform you that there was a fire last night in our Cafe Grill kitchen... Fortunately due to the excellent efforts of the Harbor Patrol and the Orange County Fire Authority the fire was contained quickly but has damaged parts of our bar, the patio, and the banquet room. As a result, our restaurant will be CLOSED today for the time being. We will post daily updates on the status of our restaurant, and we apologize for the the inconvenience. Thank you for understanding, and we hope to see our friendly customers soon!”

Clean those ducts, folks.  Simple maintenance work and you could have avoided a lot of damages.