News Details
FIRE DAMAGES DOWNTOWN RESTAURANT DULUTH 3140 MAIN STREET
(Duluth, Ga., Feb. 26, 2021) – Firefighters responded to the report of a business fire at Backstreet Eatery Bar & Grill located at 3140 Main Street in Duluth. The 9-1-1 caller was working at a neighboring business and tried to assist in giving the correct location of the restaurant in the downtown strip area.
When crews arrived, they found a two-story commercial structure with heavy smoke rolling from the top of the building. As the officer in charge looked for additional hazards, the rest of his crew deployed a 1 ¾” hoseline and started making preparations to force entry into the basement. With no additional hazards identified besides the smoke-stained windows, the crew forced one of the basement doors open. They were immediately met by dark, pressurized smoke pushing its way outside. The fire attack team saw flames in two separate areas of the restaurant and moved quickly to bring them under control. A search team ensured the basement area did not have any victims while the fire was being extinguished.
Per Battalion-4, an additional search team cleared the separate business on the first floor. Officers from the Duluth Police Department helped firefighters evacuate the adjacent businesses. Members of the Technical Rescue Team (TRT) responded to the incident in case fire conditions escalated to the point of a structural collapse. They were able to return to service shortly after their arrival. Hazmat technicians identified and secured a carbon dioxide leak caused by the fire. Fire personnel initially tried using positive pressure ventilation fans but found hydraulic ventilation to be much more effective in pushing smoke residue out of the restaurant.
The Rapid Intervention Team (RIT) temporarily secured the electricity and gas to the building until utility companies could arrive. The goal was to isolate the electrical disconnect to the basement only. But after speaking with the Georgia Power representative, the decision was made to secure the electricity to the entire building. Investigators determined the cause of the accidental fire to be spontaneous combustion of oily rags. No injuries were reported.
EQUIPMENT AT THE SCENE INCLUDED: 6-Fire Engines, 3-Ladder Trucks, 2-Squads, 1-Air & Light Truck, 1-Medical Units, 2-Battalion Chiefs, 1-District Chief, 4-Fire Investigators, and 1-PIO.