Red Lobster Fire Caused By Smoking Materials: Officials

BEL AIR, MD — Fire at the Red Lobster on Bel Air Road over the weekend was traced to smoking materials that were not properly disposed of outside the restaurant, according to the Office of the State Fire Marshal. Officials said the blaze caused $4,000 in damage.

Staff and patrons discovered the fire at 12:52 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 28, the fire marshal said. Smoke was seen and smelled inside the bathroom at the restaurant at 615 Bel Air Road, where the source was found to be a smoldering mulch bed adjacent to an exterior wall, according to authorities.

Red Lobster employees tried to use a bucket of water to put out the fire and started evacuating the building.

Approximately 10 firefighters from the Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company responded and had the blaze under control within 10 minutes, officials reported.

"Quick action by the staff and fire department facilitated a timely mitigation of the emergency," the fire marshal said in a statement. "The Office of the State Fire Marshal would like to remind citizens to be cautious when discarding smoking materials and avoid discarding into dry vegetation."

Related: Red Lobster Fire Under Investigation In Bel Air

The fire marshal advises people to dispose of smoking materials using sturdy ash trays and to make sure anything lit is completely extinguished before it is left unattended.

The fire marshal estimated there was $3,000 in structural damage, while $1,000 in items inside the Bel Air restaurant were also lost.

Red Lobster was closed on Saturday and reopened on Sunday, staff reported.

Image courtesy Office of State Fire Marshal.