Brisbane’s Port Office Hotel Closed Indefinitely after Kitchen Fire

January 24, 2019

A heritage-listed Brisbane pub has been saved from major structural damage after a kitchen fire spread from the grill and through into the exhaust vent.

A kitchen fire occurred from within and spread into the roof according to Brisbane Times.

The kitchen fire occurred on Wednesday, 23 January 2019 at the Port Office Hotel in the CBD at about 12.10pm, a Queensland Fire and Emergency Services spokesman said.

“The fire on the grill went up through the exhaust vent and the radiated heat spread to the air conditioning unit.” He said it was so hot that plastic tubing around the air conditioning unit had ignited.

Port Office Hotel chef David Lindsey said he thought it was a fire drill at first. “The alarms started to go off and we were all told to leave the building. I didn’t see any flames,” he said. “We were all just told to sit and wait out here.”

A QFS spokesman said crews contained the fire within minutes.

Mr Carrigg said there were no major structural problems but there was “significant” damage to electrical cabling and air conditioning system. He said the work of fire crews saved the heritage-listed building from further damage.

Everyone was evacuated from the hotel safely.

The venue is closed indefinitely but owners are determined to re-open.

The importance of cleaning exhaust systems

A genuinely unfortunate event that once again highlights the need to keep kitchen ducts grease-free. Not only kitchen ducts but exhaust systems in general!

As we come to the end of peak season for the hospitality industry, we highly recommend food-service businesses to check and arrange a routine kitchen duct clean. It is advised that businesses keep it clean by installing the Shepherd Filters solution. The #1 choice on the market when it comes to kitchen grease filters. See the benefits here.

Start the New Year off with the peace-of-mind that you are doing your best to protect your business! Avoid becoming the next kitchen fire headline.

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