5-alarm fire in French Quarter contained, NOFD fear building collapse 5-alarm fire in French Quarter contained, NOFD fear building collapse Share Shares Copy Link Copy Hide Transcript Show Transcript CHRISTINA: I’LL COME BACK. THE LATEST ON THE BREAKING NEWS, THIS IS A FIVE-ALARM FIRE IN THE FRENCH QUARTER. JENNIFER CROCKETT IS LIGHT AT THE SCENE. WHAT DO WE KNOW RIGHT NOW? JENNIFER: WE ARE ABOUT TO FIND OUT. THE CAPTAIN IS JOINING US. WHAT CAN YOU TELL US? >> WE RECEIVED THE FIRST ALARM AT 6:46 THIS MORNING. WE ARRIVED ON THE SCENE AT 6:53. ALARMS HAD BEEN CALLED THROUGHOUT THE MORNING, FINALLY CLIMAXING AT THE FIFTH ALARM. WE’VE GOT 23 UNITS AND APPROXIMATELY 91 PERSONNEL, AND SEVERAL OTHER SUPPORT PERSONNEL LIKE MYSELF. >> WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT HOW IT STARTED? >> WE DON’T KNOW ABOUT ANYTHING ABOUT THAT. IT IS STILL A WORKING INCIDENT. WE HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO PINPOINT THE POINT OF ORIGIN FOR THE FIRE. THE ORIGINAL ALARM WAS CALLED AT AT 739. >> IS IT OUT RIGHT NOW? >> CURRENTLY, NO. WE ARE STILL HITTING FIRES. >> IS THAT BETWEEN OCEANA AND MONKEY? >> IT IS MORE BETWEEN THE CONDOS AT 725 AND 739, THE COOKERY. >> HAVE THE CONDOS BEEN EVACUATED? >> YES, THEY HAVE BEEN EVACUATED , MOSTLY BEFORE WE ARRIVED. I BELIEVE ONLY THE THIRD FLOOR WAS OCCUPIED. THERE WERE THREE MEN THAT CAME OUT AT SOME POINT DURING THE THIRD ALARM. THEY WERE UNAWARE THAT IT FIRE WAS GOING ON. THEY WERE IN A BACK BUILDING. THEY ESCAPE SAFELY. EVERYBODY HAS ESCAPED SAFELY. >> WHAT IS YOUR FEAR AT THIS POINT? DARK OF THE CONDITIONS OF THE BUILDING RIGHT NOW. THE AMOUNT OF WATER BEING PUMPED INTO THE BUILDING, THE FACT THAT WE HAVE BEEN WORKING NOW FOR THREE HOURS, THE AMOUNT OF OVERHAUL THAT WENT INTO TRYING TO GET TO WHERE THE FIRE IS. RIGHT NOW IT IS MORE THE CONDITION, WHETHER THE STRUCTURE IS SOUND FOR THE GUYS TO BE WORKING INSIDE. >> IS A THREAT AT THIS POINT OF THE FIRE SPREADING BEHIND THOSE BUILDINGS? >> NO, WE HAVE GOT IT CONTAINED. >> CAN YOU DESCRIBE WHEN YOU FIRST ARRIVED WHAT YOU SAW, WHAT THE CONDITION WAS. >> IT WAS A LOT OF SMOKE AT THAT POINT. I WAS NOT HERE AT THE TIME WHEN THEY ARRIVED ON SCENE, BUT FROM WHAT I BEEN TOLD, -- THERE WAS A LOT OF SMOKE. IT WAS HARD TO DETERMINE WHERE IT BEGAN WE FIRST ARRIVED. BECAUSE OF THE CLOSE PROXIMITY, ALL THESE BUILDINGS ARE INTERCONNECTED, AND SOME HAVE COMMON MEMBERS, SO JUST AS A PRECAUTION, WE STRIKE SECOND ALARMS, BUT IN THIS SITUATION IT WAS A LOT MORE THAN JUST PRECAUTION. >> TALK TO US ABOUT THE FIGHTERS THAT YOU HAVE OUT HERE. >> YEAH, JUST PHYSICALLY, THESE GUYS HAVE TAKEN A POUNDING. THEY ARE DOING SO MUCH OVERHAUL, TRYING TO GET TO WHERE THE FIRE IS. SOME OF BEEN ON THE SCENE SINCE THE FIRST ALARM WAS STRUCK AT 6:45 FOR THEY HAVE BEEN WORKING HARD, SOME OF THE ALARMS, MAYBE THE FOURTH OR FIFTH WAS MORE OF A MANPOWER ISSUE JUST TO GIVE THESE GUYS A BREAK, BUT BECAUSE THIS IS EXTENSIVE. >> WE HEARD FROM SOME PEOPLE THAT THE FIRE COULD’VE STARTED IN THE FIRE. >> WE DON’T HAVE ANYTHING ABOUT THAT RIGHT NOW. WE ARE STILL WORKING THE FIRE APPEARED WE ARE TYING TO PUT OUT THE FRIAR -- FIRE, AND THE INVESTIGATION HAS NOT BEGUN YET. WE DON’T HAVE ANYTHING DEFINITIVE AS FAR AS WHERE IT ORIGINATED. >> OTHER THAN THE CONDOS IN THE RESTAURANTS, HAVE YOU EVACUATED ANY OTHER BUILDINGS? >> THE HOTEL HERE, THEY HAD TO BE EVACUATED AS A PRECAUTION. >> DO KNOW HOW MANY FLOORS WERE AFFECTED? HOW MANY LEVELS ARE IN THIS BUILDING? >> ALL THREE HAVE BEEN AFFECTED. THE FIRE HAS GONE THROUGH THE ROOF, MOSTLY ON THE THIRD OR, BUT MOST -- WHEN IT GETS INSIDE THE WALLS, IT WILL RISE. WE ARE NOT SURE WHERE IT STARTED, BUT IT ROSE THROUGH THE WALLS, THROUGH COMMON MEMBERS UP INTO THE ROOF. >> RIGHT NOW THERE IS NO FEAR OF SPREADING BEYOND THESE BUILDINGS, BUT YOU ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THE INTEGRITY? ? FOR THE MOST PART WE HAVE IT CONTAINED. WE ARE NOT CONCERNED ABOUT EXTENSION, BUT JUST BEING ABLE TO PUT IT OUT WHERE IT IS IS OUR MAIN CONCERN. >> WHAT IS THE CONDITION -- >> I HAVE NOT BEEN IN, SO I DO NOT KNOW, BUT THE DAMAGE WILL BE EXTENSIVE. >> ANY INJURIES? >> NONE REPORTED, NO CIVILIAN OR NONE ARE ON OUR END. >> ANY IDEA HOW EARLY THIS STREET -- >> WE WILL BE HERE ALL DAY. AT THE VERY LEAST, ALL DAY, THIS WILL BE CLOSED ALL DAY AND MAYBE EVEN INTO TOMORROW, DEPENDING ON THE CONDITION OF THE BUILDING. IF WE HAVE WORRIES ABOUT COLLAPSE, AND MAY BE CLOSED FOR A LITTLE WHILE, BUT DEFINITELY ALL DAY TODAY. >> BOURBON? IT WAS BLOCKED OFF HER LITTLE BIT. >> PRETTY MUCH JUST THIS BLOCK, NOT SO MUCH -- IN THE 700 BLOCK, YES, THAT WILL BE BLOCKED. >> THANK YOU. THAT WAS THE CAPTAIN WITH THE NEW ORLEANS FIRE DEPARTMENT, AND AS YOU CAN SEE, RESTAURANTS ARE COMING OUT. THIS GENTLEMAN IS HERE TO HELP OUT THE FIREFIGHTERS WITH FOOD AND WATER. AS YOU ARE THE CAPTAIN SAY, NEARLY 100 FIREFIGHTERS AT HERE AND THEY HAVE BEEN HERE FOR HOURS, SINCE ABOUT 6:30, FIGHTING THIS FIVE-ALARM FIRE. HE SAID THEY ARE NO LONGER AFRAID THAT IT WILL SPREAD BEYOND THE TWO BUILDINGS BEING CONSUMED RIGHT NOW. HE SAID THIS FIRE IS NOT AT YET -- NOT OUT YET. THE BUYER HAS GONE THROUGH THE ROOF AND THEY ARE AFRAID IT COULD COLLAPSE. WE WILL STAY GET LOCAL BREAKING NEWS ALERTS The latest breaking updates, delivered straight to your email inbox. Submit Privacy Notice<doc-sep>NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - The New Orleans Fire Department is currently on the scene of a fire in the French Quarter in the 700 block of Conti St. First responders were first called to the area around 6:45 a.m. on Saturday (May 11). The fire started at 729 Conti St., the Olde N’Awlins Cookery, and expanded to the apartments above Copper Monkey Bar and Grill, according to the NOFD. The restaurant is located next to Oceana Grill. Oceana Grill’s owners also own Olde N’Awlins Cookery. Everyone got out safely, but there has been extensive damage to the building. Crews were still fighting the flames as of 10 a.m. Vehicle traffic is closed from Bourbon St. to Conti St. and from Dauphine St. to Royal St. Pedestrian traffic is not advised. Autoplay Caption NOFD says two people who escaped the fire from the first floor kitchen of Oceana Grill were treated for smoke inhalation. The fire was considered under control around 10:45 a.m, but as of 3 p.m., the scene remained very active. Vehicles and pedestrians are asked to avoid Conti St. between Bourbon St. and Royal St. NOFD is working to determine what caused the fire. The investigation into the fire is ongoing. Copyright 2019 WVUE. All rights reserved.<doc-sep>Fire in New Orleans French Quarter restaurant; 2 injured NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Two people have been injured after a fire broke out in a restaurant in New Orleans' tourist-heavy French Quarter. New Orleans Fire Department spokesman Louis Carrier says it happened just before 7 a.m. Saturday at the Oceana Grill. News outlets report two people were taken to an area hospital after complaining about smoke inhalation. Nearly two dozen fire units and more than 90 firefighters battled the flames before officials ruled the blaze under control around 10:45 a.m. The Copper Monkey Bar & Grill and Olde N'Awlins Cookery as well as several other nearby businesses were also affected. Fire Capt. Edwin Holmes says the damage is going to be extensive. A cause has not been determined.<doc-sep>
The fire broke out near the intersection of Conti and Bourbon streets and was contained around 10:45 a.m., NOFD officials say NEW ORLEANS — Two people were taken to the hospital after a five-alarm fire broke out in a French Quarter restaurant early Saturday, sending restaurant workers scurrying and closing down traffic to what is normally a busy block of eateries. Two people were transported to a local hospital after complaining about smoke inhalation, according to information released Saturday afternoon. A nearby hotel was also evacuated. The New Orleans Fire Department learned of the fire just before 7 a.m. Saturday morning at the Oceana Grill near the intersection of Conti Street and Bourbon Street in the French Quarter through a 911 call. Story continues under video Oceana Grill, the Copper Monkey Bar & Grill and Olde N'Awlins Cookery, as well as several other businesses, were affected by the fire, NOFD spokesman Louis Carrier said. The fire was originally reported as a 2-alarm blaze before being upgraded to a 4-alarm shortly after it was discovered and upgraded again to a 5-alarm just before 10 a.m. After several hours, 23 fire units and more than 90 firefighter battling back the flames, officials ruled the blaze under control around 10:45 a.m. "The damage is going to be extensive," said New Orleans Fire Captain Edwin Holmes. "We're going to be here all day. The 700 block of Conti will be closed all day and possibly into tomorrow." French Quarter fire damages Oceana Grill, Olde N'awlins Cookery, shuts down Conti Street 1/5 2/5 3/5 4/5 5/5 1 / 5 Conti Street was closed by emergency responders from Dauphine to Royal streets. Bourbon Street has been closed off from Bienville Street to Saint Louis Street. City officials have not given an estimated time for the re-opening of the streets. Fire officials have not provided any details about the cause of the fire, but a couple of men who said they were workers at Ocean Grill said the fire started at the fryer and the flames were intense. Holmes said they went up through the roof.