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Heated pipe blamed for Irvine restaurant fire, evacuation

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Diners and employees had to evacuate an Irvine restaurant Wednesday when a two-alarm fire tore through the ventilation system.

A waiter at McCormick & Schmick’s in the 2000 block of Main Street noticed smoke pouring from a vent and called 911 at about 2:20 p.m., said Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Steve Concialdi.

About 20 employees and 15 customers evacuated the building. When firefighters arrived, the blaze had spread through most of the three-story restaurant’s duct system and into the attic, Concialdi said.

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To get at the flames, crews cut holes in the building’s roof and into the walls.

“They had fire blowing out the roof when they did that,” Concialdi said.

Fifty-five firefighters responded and had the blaze under control by 3:10 p.m.

The fire started because of a steam or ventilation pipe that heated up an enclosed space near the attic, Concialdi said. Over time, it dried out wooden support structures to the point that they ignited.

“This could take a long period of time,” Concialdi said. “It could take years.”

Sprinklers in the area kept the fire from spreading quickly or much more of the restaurant would have been affected, Concialdi said.

The flames caused about $300,000 of damage to the contents of the restaurant and $400,000 to the structure itself, according to the OCFA.

— Jeremiah Dobruck

Twitter: @jeremiahdobruck

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