Grease fire breaks out in East Grand Hardee’s kitchen

A grease fire broke out Tuesday night at the Hardee’s fast-food restaurant off East Grand Avenue in the eastern part of the city, but firefighters were able to quickly get the situation under control.

A fire incident report provided by the Rocky Mount Fire Department stated that arriving firefighters saw flames coming from the restaurant’s roof hood system vent.

A fire crew, upon entering the restaurant’s kitchen, found the fire in the hood system over the broiler and responded by unplugging the broiler and shutting off a natural gas valve, the report stated.

Apparently, the fire suppression system for the hood appeared to have activated but failed to control the fire, the report stated.

The restaurant manager told firefighters that employees noticed more flames than normal coming from the broiler and subsequently heard a loud pop and roaring sound coming from the hood system, the report stated.

The manager said that employees responded by activating the natural gas shutoff and got out of the building, the report stated.

Damage to the property is estimated at $10,000, according to the report.

A spokeswoman for the fire department said that units were dispatched at 8:15 p.m.

The spokeswoman said that 21 firefighters responded, that units were able to get the fire under control in about 10 minutes and that the last firefighters at the scene left around 9:45 p.m.

The spokeswoman also said that an investigation concluded that what had happened was a grease fire.