September 15, 2005

Quick response by fire fighters limits damage to Malibu Grill

By Jeanne Carbone Lewis
Staff Writer

A two-alarm fire erupted at Malibu Grill on Camden Avenue Wednesday, Sept. 7. But thanks to quick thinking by fire personnel and employees, no injuries were reported and the fire was contained to the kitchen.

Camden Avenue was blocked off from Blossom Hill to Hicks Road due to the fire at Malibu Grill on Sept. 7. Photos by Jeanne Carbone Lewis

Joshua Shute was grilling hamburgers in the kitchen when a grease fire in the vent began at the sports grill around 2:15 p.m. Multiple calls were received by the San Jose Fire Department reporting heavy smoke from the roof.

Four-and-half-year employee Elizabeth Lee immediately evacuated customers, telling them they would be given a refund.

“The fire department was here in about five minutes,” said Lee. “I was still getting people out when they showed up.”

And no wonder San Jose Fire Department responded so quickly. Malibu Grill is in a strip mall that includes a 7-11, Classic Cuts Salon, Camden Cleaners, Allstate Insurance and Manley’s Donut Shop. But right to the south on Camden Expressway is an Arco Gas Station, which houses thousands of gallons of gas in underground tanks.

San Jose Fire Department checks to see that every last ember is extinguished at the strip mall on Camden Avenue.

San Jose Police Department was also on the scene in minutes, blocking traffic on Camden Avenue from Blossom Hill to Hicks Road in case the fire could not be contained.

“It went very well,” said San Jose Fire Department Capt. Alberto Olmos. “The fire was contained to the kitchen and flue. It was under control by 3 p.m.”

Olmos stated that seven companies and four support vehicles were involved with 45 personnel at the scene. The fire department’s first concern is saving lives, then containment and extinguishing the fire.

We’ll get it going again,” said Malibu Grill’s owner Carlos Padilla about the damage to the popular eatery. “My wife’s stepmother was stuck in an attic for three days in Mississippi. We didn’t know where she was during that time. She’s now safe in Alabama. The fire is nothing.”

7-11 owner Rahim Parvinshah was concerned about the refrigeration at his store. All electricity had been turned off as a preventive measure. Classic Cuts owner Mike Agha related that there was “lots of smoke” billowing from the rooftop of Malibu Grill when he evacuated his salon. There were no reported injuries and damage was largely contained to the kitchen and the ventilation system with an estimated damage of $150,000.