Local News in Brief : Laguna Beach : Where There’s Smoke There’s, Uh, Beans
A smoking pot of refried beans forgotten on a hot grill at a Taco Bell outlet Wednesday brought 19 firefighters who smashed through a glass door to put out the fire, authorities said.
“There’s a fire sale on burritos today,” joked Fire Department Battalion Chief Joe McClure.
Firefighters, called at 1:08 a.m. by someone who saw smoke, pulled a ring on the smoke hood over the grill that dumped chemical retardant on the hot beans, McClure said. The automatic fire extinguisher in the smoke hood apparently had malfunctioned, he said.
Damage to the restaurant at 699 S. Coast Highway was estimated at $1,500, mostly from smoke and cleanup costs. McClure said.
The pot was undamaged, but the beans “were totally consumed,” McClure said.
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