Patrons Evacuated, Firefighter Injured in Coach Grill Fire

One Wayland firefighter sustained minor injuries responding to a ventilation system fire that emptied the of its dinner guests at about 8:45 Monday night.

Wayland Deputy Fire Chief David Houghton said firefighters arrived to find flames shooting 8 to 10 feet into the sky out of the restaurant's exhaust system on the roof. A grease fire had spread into the exhaust system above the kitchen cooktop.

"The employees here did everything perfectly," Houghton said, explaining that employees had pulled the restaurant's alarm and evacuated guests.

The parking lot of the restaurant teemed with fire personnel and Coach Grill employees at about 9 p.m., though the fire itself was out.

Coach Grill Manager Joann Flores said pulling the alarm activated the sprinklers in the kitchen, but merely sounded an alarm in the dining room where patrons were finishing their meals. Everyone evacuated calmly and safely, Flores said.

“Luckily, we have great guests who understand,” Flores said. “The guests were so pleasant."

Rick Loughlin was part of a going away party that had nearly reached the dessert course when the alarm sounded. He said the party evacuated, leaving the going-away gifts inside, and completed a small ceremony for the guest of honor in the parking lot. The rest of the party departed, but responding fire trucks blocked Loughlin’s car so he remained behind watching the action.

Houghton said the fire was contained to the ventilation system, but firefighters had to pull down portions of the ceiling and cut a hole in the roof of the restaurant to ventilate the fire. Flores said the employees were allowed back inside to retrieve their keys, but a full assessment of the damage would come later.

Houghton explained that the Board of Health had been contacted to evaluate whether food had been contaminated by smoke or water. Both the Board of Health and the Building Department were on-site before 10 p.m.

Houghton could not offer a damage estimate, but said there would be significant loss of food and the entire ventilation system would have to be replaced. He said he found it unlikely that Coach Grill would reopen Tuesday.

Weston Fire assisted with the response.