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Oily rags ignite blaze at Bo-Peeps

Robert C. Reed | Hickory Daily Record

Teresa Beard, owner of Bo-Peep Grill on South Center Street in Brookford, examines the remains of a milk crate containing grill rags, which was the cause of a fire at the restaurant Tuesday afternoon.

By Sarah Newell Williamson | Hickory Daily Record

Published: June 4, 2009

BROOKFORD - Teresa Beard was in bed Tuesday when she found out her restaurant was on fire.

"I was in bed at 8:30 p.m. when we got the call and I started hyperventilating," she said. "I told Bob to wake up, that Bo-Peeps was on fire."

Bo-Peep Grill, a restaurant on South Center Street that has been in Catawba County for nearly three decades, caught fire at about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.

The fire started in the laundry room that separated Bo-Peeps from Hair Quarters and Tanning Salon, which is owned by Beard's sister, Debbie Foster.

"The owners of the grill set oily rags in there on Tuesday, planning to wash them today (Wednesday) and they self-ignited," said Jason Boggs, an investigator with the Catawba County Fire Marshal's Office. "It's not uncommon. Most cooking oil, when rags have been soaked in them and stored in a container, can generate heat, and can get hot enough for spontaneous combustion."

He recommended keeping rags in a metal container with a self-closing lid, rather than the milk crates the rags were stored in, or washing them immediately.

The fire burned the milk crates and the walls behind the crates, Boggs said. The doors to the laundry room were closed, keeping most of the damage inside.

Beard said when they closed the restaurant at 2 p.m., everything seemed fine.

"We always do a walk-through before we leave, double-checking everything twice to make sure nothing's running," she said.

She didn't think the grill towels used to clean up grease would cause a fire.

Beard is a second-generation worker of the restaurant. She said her dad initially owned the restaurant, from 1980 to 2002, when she took it over. He moved Bo-Peep Grill to its current location in Brookford, off N.C. 127, in 1990. On Tuesday, the sign outside that frequently advertises tasty lunch specials simply said, "Fire damage."

"We're hoping to get Bo-Peeps back up and running in two weeks," Beard said. "We just have to wait for the electricians, the plumber, insurance. The health department's already been here."

Hair Quarters may open sooner, because the damage wasn't as bad. The Mountain View Fire Department had to cut a hole in Bo-Peep's ceiling in the kitchen for ventilation, but left the salon alone.

The hot water heater has a leak, but is OK for the most part.

Beard said friends are helping them get back on their feet. Darlene's catering is helping her store more than 100 dozen eggs, since she doesn't have electricity at her restaurant. They're donating many other perishables, like lettuce and hash browns, to the soup kitchen.

Beard said they were lucky.

"We're very fortunate. God was looking after us," Beard said. "If the doors hadn't been shut, it would have been worse."