‘Little fireball’ in kitchen of Halifax restaurant sends employees to hospital

A well-known Halifax restaurateur is dealing with the aftermath of a fire that sent two of his employees to hospital.

Economy Shoe Shop owner Victor Syperek said a gas explosion in the kitchen was “a little fireball” that did not damage the property. However, he said he has never seen an incident like it in his 21 years in the business.

“They’ve just done an investigation, we’re not sure what happened,” he said. “It doesn’t seem to be a leak but it could be. It’s likely a pilot light blew out and the burner was left on and the gas built up.”

He said a line cook was burnt and the chef ran to help him and also was burnt “on the forearms”. In all, three employees were involved in the accident. Two were sent to hospital with suspected second-degree burns while the other was treated on scene.

By the time Halifax Regional Fire Service arrived, the flames had been extinguished.

“The emergency shut-off had been activated on the stove. The patrons and the people in the restaurant basically said that there was a kitchen fire, a flash fire from the oven,” Division Commander Llyod Currie said.

The Nova Scotia Department of Labour is investigating the cause and has placed a stop-work order on all gas appliances in the kitchen until the case is resolved.

“The restaurant and kitchen industry doesn’t get the headlines that the construction or fishing industry gets, but incidents happen in kitchens,” department senior director Scott Nauss said. “There are hazards, and employees and employers need to manage those risks.”

The Workers’ Compensation Board of Nova Scotia says the food and beverage industry had the highest amount of work-loss claims in the past three years, filing 110 cases due to burns.

Syperek says his restaurant will keep its patrons updated with the latest information on social media.