Fort Bragg Fire Department saves Princess Seafood restaurant, business will be open for Labor Day weekend
FORT BRAGG, CA., 8/29/24 — Surveillance cameras can be worth the investment. That was the case with an early morning fire at Princess Seafood Restaurant in North Noyo Harbor that caused significant damage to the building but thankfully injured no one. The owners say the restaurant, using a barbecue setup, will be open for Fort Bragg’s biggest annual event, Paul Bunyan Days on Labor Day weekend. The fire was a mystery at first, and arson investigators combed the scene. To make things more suspicious, cash was scattered around the fire area.
Mendocino County Sheriff’s Dept. Captain Quincy Cromer said the case was solved after examining the surveillance video. The video showed that a fire had started smoldering in the kitchen and gradually grew into a conflagration. The restaurant had been closed the previous day when the fire had started its slow burn, so nobody was in the kitchen. The Fort Bragg Fire Department was able to quickly put out the large fire and save the structure. The cash scattered about was because arriving firefighters sent the tip jar flying. And no one noticed at first because the smoke from the extinguishing fire was so heavy.
Cromer sent an email with the following information: “The Fort Bragg Fire Department responded to the Princess Seafood Restaurant at 32096 N. Harbor Drive in Fort Bragg, CA on 8/28/2024 around 4 a.m. Fire personnel were responding to a smoke alarm and discovered a fully involved structure fire upon their arrival. Fire personnel were able to extinguish the fire, but were initially unable to determine the origin or cause of the fire. Fire personnel believed the fire could have been criminal in nature, possibly an arson because they observed some currency on the ground when extinguishing the fire,” the email said.
“Fire personnel requested the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office to respond since they were unable to determine the cause of the fire initially and believed it could have been a criminal act. Sheriff’s Office personnel responded and located surveillance footage, which clearly shows the fire started in the restaurant kitchen at approximately 1430 hours the previous day (8/27/2024). The fire was very small and not detected or noticed by staff at the restaurant because it did not fully ignite or spread until the following morning. After reviewing the surveillance footage, the currency found on the ground in the restaurant was determined to be from a tip jar that was knocked off the counter during fire suppression efforts. Based on the investigation from Sheriff’s Office personnel with the assistance of the Fire personnel, the fire was determined to be accidental and not criminal in nature.”
The fire department stopped the fire after it had blackened the wall between the kitchen and the inside deck to the east. The deck closest to Noyo Bridge is undamaged as is the Lost Coast Rowing Club building, which was being renovated this afternoon.
Jamie Masuda, the human resources director at Princess, was helping set up the Lost Coast Rowing Club building for service this weekend. She said they plan to run the eatery with a limited menu through the weekend and then reassess whether they can continue after the holiday.
Princess Seafood is owned by Heather Sears and Wendy Holloway. They put out a statement on social media:
“We had a structural fire at our restaurant location. Unfortunately, there is considerable damage. This weekend, we will keep the North deck open with a very limited menu, beer and wine. Hours will be from 11:30 am to 5 pm. On the bright side, no one was hurt. The view from the deck is still incredible, and our team is amazing. We’d like to thank the Fort Bragg Fire Department and the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Department for their quick and professional response. We are lucky to have them.”
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