Fire breaks out in basement of Hungry Pelican Crossing at Lake Ashtabula
March 12th a fire broke out in the basement of the Hungry Pelican Crossing Lake Ashtabula Restaurant and Bar.
Owner Lance Peltier shared with the Times-Record that he, an employee, and 4-5 guests smelled smoke about 10 p.m. that night. Peltier says, “I opened the door to the basement and just a big boom of smoke hit me in the face.” Peltier reacted by slamming the door shut, immediately evacuating the building and calling 9-1-1. He said that fire department volunteers told him later that his quick response in closing the basement and restaurant doors were most likely what kept the fire from growing. In fact it actually starved the fire from gaining more oxygen they said.
Although there has not been an exact cause of the fire determined, Peltier says an electrical outlet in the basement has been mentioned as possible cause of the fire. He will be meeting with a fire investigator and insurance company representative on Monday and hopes to find out more information as to damages, repairs and re-opening date.
“We were able to get a lot of the emergency power turned back on but we melted a bunch of our plumbing down there from the blaze and we have a lot of water damage,” Peltier says. “The restaurant floor is quite charred as the fire was right below that area so we have a contractor coming in to visit and we are going to look at the stability of that and see if we are going to have to replace it or not.”
Thankfully there were no injuries with the exception of Peltier having some issues with smoke inhalation in which he says he is much better now.
Peltier expresses his gratitude to all the emergency responders and firefighters, “If I could just take a moment to say thank you to all the firefighters and folks that helped that night. They were amazing. They came quick and were able to get things under control right away which was so appreciated, especially in such a stressful situation.”
Ironically enough one of the main issues in calling two fire departments in, Peltier says the fire fighters told him, was in not having a fire hydrant available on site and the lake was frozen so Chief Daryl Kunze of the Dazey Fire Department called in Valley City Fire Department for backup just in case they needed more water to battle the blaze. Chief Kunze says, “Knowing the water situation and the road conditions, and travel that night, I felt it was best to have another company on scene just in case.”
The Dazey and Valley City Fire Departments were on site, along with several other local first responders who assisted with the emergency.
Watch for more details to come involving the fire and reopening of the Hungry Pelican Crossing at Lake Ashtabula.