Friday, September 5, 2003
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Friday, September 5, 2003 |
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Fire marshal: Ruby Tuesday should have called firemen, evacuated building By JOHN
MUNFORD
The general manager of the Ruby Tuesday restaurant in Peachtree City faces city ordinance charges for failing to report an Aug. 6 fire that broke out in a trash can in the men's room that reignited after employees thought they had extinguished it, officials said. Mary Milliken has been charged with failure to report a fire, failure to evacuate a building and obstruction of fire personnel. Fire Marshal John Dailey said failing to report the original fire endangered the safety of the restaurant's patrons and employees. "There was a 20-minute delay in contacting us," Dailey said. It was fortunate no one was hurt, Dailey added; it was senior citizen's night at Ruby Tuesday when the fire broke out, officials said. The fire began in a trash receptacle in the men's bathroom of the restaurant, and restaurant employees attempted to put out the fire, Dailey said. But minutes later the fire sparked up again and the restaurant had to call 911 to summon firefighters. "I'm not sure if they thought they had it out or not," Dailey said. Dailey contends firefighters should have been called the first time, particularly because they know how to put out the fire and make sure it didn't spread anywhere else. Dailey said the store manager allowed the store to be evacuated when fire officials ordered an evacuation, but the building should have been cleared out well before that when the initial fire broke out. Richard Johnson, a corporate spokesman for Ruby Tuesday, said Milliken followed the company's emergency procedures and made a judgement call that the fire in the trash can had been put out with a fire extinguisher and was contained to the trash can. Johnson said he didn't expect the company to discipline Milliken, but he would not comment on the charges filed against her. Johnson noted that the restaurant replaced the old plastic trash can with a metal one and put a partition near the trash can in the bathroom at the request of safety officials. The restaurant also complied with other requests from the fire department, health department and building inspector, Johnson added. "Our first concern is always for the safety and welfare of our guests and employees," Johnson said. Investigators were unable to determine how the fire started in the wastebasket, Dailey said, adding that it could have been caused by a cigarette that wasn't fully extinguished. The fire did not cause any significant structural damage to the restaurant, and officials allowed it to open the following day.
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