HomeMy WebLinkAboutNR071117FirefightersextinguishfireinPoipurestaurant
C O U NT Y O F KAU A‘I
BERNARD P. CARVALHO JR.
Mayor
WALLACE G. REZENTES JR.
Managing Director
KAUA‘I FIRE DEPARTMENT
News Release
For Immediate Release: July 11, 2017
ROBERT WESTERMAN, CHIEF
Tel (808) 241-4980
Fax (808) 241-6508
Firefighters extinguish fire in Po‘ipū restaurant
PO‘IPŪ – Firefighters extinguished a fire that broke out Monday night in the Olympic
Café restaurant in Po‘ipū.
No injuries were reported.
Crews from the Kōloa, Kalāheo and Līhu‘e fire stations, along with the on-duty Battalion
Chief, were dispatched to the Olympic Café restaurant shortly after 8 p.m. Once on scene
firefighters were told that the restaurant’s kitchen stove caught on fire, and a customer, a visiting
firefighter from the mainland, was able to extinguish the visible flames with a dry chemical
extinguisher.
Firefighters discovered the flames had spread upward into the attic above the kitchen. In
the attic, flames were located behind a plywood-enclosed space, which led firefighters to use
Ladder 4 to access the roof’s vent and fully extinguish the fire.
The scene was cleared at 11 p.m.
Fire inspectors estimate the damage to the structure and its contents to be roughly
$100,000.
The cause of the fire was deemed accidental.
“The use of Ladder 4 was critical under the circumstances firefighters faced on Monday,”
stated Fire Chief Robert Westerman. “I applaud our crews for their diligence to ensure that the
subsequent fire spread did not escalate into a more dangerous situation.”
Pictured above is a Kaua‘i firefighter accessing the roof’s vent to extinguish
the flames in the attic of the Olympic Café restaurant in Po‘ipū on Monday.
Pictured above is a photo of Ladder 4, which firefighters used to access the
rooftop of the Olympic Café restaurant in Po‘ipū on Monday.
###