Salt Life Fire: Electrical outlet likely sparked blaze

FERNANDINA BEACH — A burned-out electrical outlet likely ignited a wooden couch on the second-floor patio of Salt Life Food Shack, causing Monday morning's fire that forced the popular beachfront restaurant to close, according to a Fernandina Beach Fire Department investigation.

The Nov. 2 fire was confined to the outdoor patio at 17 N. Fletcher Ave., but a burst water pipe and water leaking into the kitchen below complicated the damage. The restaurant remains closed and hopes to reopen early next week, according to a Facebook update from the restaurant.

"Getting things shipshape is taking a bit longer than we hoped, but we're making progress and are keeping our fingers crossed to reopen early next week!" the restaurant posted.

The fire department's eight-page incident report, released Nov. 5, identifies two damaged electrical outlets on an exterior wall where a wooden couch with a cushion had been positioned.

"One outlet was completely burned out and the other looked to have exploded outward from the box," Battalion Chief Matt Edison wrote.

Investigators found that burn patterns indicated the fire was concentrated around the couch.

"The completely burned out outlet appeared to be the cause of the fire, igniting the couch next to it," Edison wrote.

Edison sent photographs of the damaged outlets to State Fire Marshal Jeff Yaeger, who agreed with the department's assessment after reviewing the images.

"There was nothing to indicate cause of the fire was malicious or criminal in nature," Edison wrote.

The report does not establish why the outlet failed or whether the restaurant had experienced previous electrical problems.

The fire was reported at 6:15 a.m. Monday after four employees preparing for a delivery smelled smoke. They attempted to extinguish the flames with portable fire extinguishers before firefighters arrived.

Firefighters encountered heavy flames coming from the second-floor patio. Fire crews used exterior stairs on the north side of the building to reach the fire and quickly brought it under control with a single hose line.

The department reported using approximately 375 gallons of water. No rescue or medical response was required, and the flames never penetrated the enclosed second-floor structure.

Although the report classified the structural damage as minor, firefighters encountered substantial water leaking through the kitchen ceiling.

Fire Chief Jeremy Holmes told the Observer that a water pipe had burst. The incident report describes water continuing to leak into the kitchen until firefighters shut off the building's water supply, after which the flow decreased.

Fire personnel also secured the building's electrical systems and natural gas supply to prevent additional hazards.

During their inspection, firefighters discovered four electrical subpanels obstructed by kitchen equipment. They also found floor mats stored in the fire protection riser room, blocking access to equipment used to control the building's fire protection system.

The obstruction in the riser room was referred to the Fire Marshal for further inspection. The report does not connect either condition to the cause of the fire.

The building was equipped with a wet-pipe sprinkler system, which did not activate. Because the fire was confined to the outdoor patio, the report does not establish that the sprinkler system malfunctioned.

Fire personnel also attempted to contact city building and engineering officials because of concerns about the building's structural condition. They were unable to reach them during the incident, and no structural assessment had been provided before the reporting official left the scene.

The report does not indicate whether subsequent inspections have been completed or whether the restaurant has received the necessary approvals to reopen.

Salt Life's Facebook announcement indicates that restoration work is continuing, although the restaurant has not announced a firm reopening date.

"Thanks for hanging in there with us and for all the love and support. We can't wait to welcome you back!"