Fast food restaurant evacuated briefly
Brian Schaeffer, Assistant Fire Chief, 509.625.7002
Friday, November 13, 2015 at 8:26 a.m.
An overheating electrical motor that services the fountain drink dispenser at a fast food restaurant on Monroe Street caused a scare for employees and customers late Thursday, although all escaped uninjured.
The Spokane Fire Department responded to the report of smoke filling the McDonald’s on Monroe Street at 10:32 pm. Crews arrived to find that employees had reacted quickly to smoke pouring from the fountain drink dispenser.
While employees utilized a dry chemical fire extinguisher to quickly address the issue with the machinery, others did a great job evacuating the store of employees and customers, according to firefighters on scene.
Once firefighters confirmed that the electricity had been controlled and the area around the motor was safe they vented smoke and extinguishing products from the interior air. Due to quick action by employees there was little damage and the issue will be easily mitigated by clean-up efforts, according to firefighters.
The cause was determined to be the result of the overheating motor contacting nearby combustibles and plastic. Damage was estimated at $200.
