BAXTER - Employees at the Lodge Grill & Bar in Baxter smelled smoke Friday afternoon coming from a back room and evacuated the restaurant as a safety precaution.
Brainerd Fire Chief Fred Underhill said the trace of white smoke and smell was likely from a ballast in a kitchen fluorescent light. "It's pretty common," Underhill said.
After firefighters examined the building, including the roof, the restaurant was cleared to be back in operation after a short break. The grill and bar are attached to the Lodge at Brainerd Lakes just off Highway 371 North.
Restaurant staff stood along the sidewalk and the grassy areas outside the building while firefighters examined the building. Restaurant employee David Ludke said they could smell smoke, which had an electrical smell, and pinpointed it to a back room. Outside the restaurant there were a few good humored comments about blackened Cajun cooking for the evening menu. Underhill said the building was in a good position because of the extensive sprinkling system.
Brainerd Fire Chief Fred Underhill (center) talked to firefighters Friday after smoke from a suspected light ballast was discovered inside the restaurant at the Lodge at Brainerd Lakes. On the roof of the restaurant, two firefighters examined an exhaust fan.
Brainerd Dispatch/Steve Kohls
Inside the lodge, hotel guest Shirley Case from San Antonio, Texas, said she heard the alarm while she was in her room napping.
"That was the quickest I've ever gotten these on," she said about her clothing and laughed. The lodge was not evacuated, but setting off the alarm as a precaution in the restaurant also activated emergency markers in the hotel.
Joseph McCurdy, general manager at the Lodge, said they wanted to use an abundance of caution. The restaurant had just finished with most of the lunch service and just a couple of customers were inside. The staff, six in the kitchen and four in the restaurant, were preparing for upcoming events.
McCurdy said firefighters took time to explain their actions and findings in detail. "The fire department around here, they are just wonderful," McCurdy said. "I really felt well served by them."
RENEE RICHARDSON may be reached at renee.richardson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5852.
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