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Good Samaritan fights restaurant fire with garden hose
A fire broke out early Tuesday at Third Wave Café & Wine Bar in New Smyrna Beach. Michael Dieppa, a worker at the neighboring hotel, said a guest told him they smelled smoke. The two walked out onto Flagler Avenue together and then saw the source of the flames. Dieppa fought the flames with a garden hose before firefighters arrived.
NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. - A fire damaged a back room at Third Wave Café & Wine Bar in New Smyrna Beach, owners said.
A good Samaritan was able to fight the flames with a garden hose before firefighters arrived.
The backstory:
Michael Dieppa, a worker at the neighboring hotel, said a guest told him they smelled smoke. The two walked out onto Flagler Avenue together and then saw the source of the flames.
Dieppa said he identified a sparking electrical panel as the source of the fire. He said he grabbed a garden hose and started watering the area around the panel to limit the fire’s spread before firefighters arrived.
Restaurant owners told FOX 35 they plan to honor Dieppa and credit him with preventing even further damage.
The fire damaged a walk-in cooler among other things, according to co-owner Nathan Lundberg.
Lundberg owns the restaurant with his parents. They just invested heavily in a remodel of the main building. It’s 100 years old.
Lundberg said they just unveiled the renovated space last weekend, and it was the restaurant’s busiest weekend ever.
Lundberg said they are trying to reopen as quickly as possible, even if it’s with a limited menu to take care of staff and open up for the community.
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Lundberg said the plan is to reopen Friday at 11 a.m.
What they're saying:
Dieppa said the flames were really hot.
"I grabbed the hose, and I just sprayed the ground, the side of the building, the wooden fence to just stop the spread until the fire department came," Dieppa said.
Dieppa said he knows how much the restaurant means to the community.
"I did what I thought was right and immediately jumped into action," Dieppa said.
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Lundberg said the owners are very appreciative of Dieppa.
"I don’t want to say that we’re lucky because obviously it feels pretty unlucky, but we are lucky that he saw it," Lundberg said.
Lundberg said they can’t afford to be closed long.
"Being closed is about the worst thing we can do especially during the high season," Lundberg said. "It’s a small profit margin business so closing down for a few weeks can kill a business like ours."
What's next:
The restaurant plans to reopen Friday at 11 a.m. Coincidentally, that’s the same day ownership plans to open a second location.
Owners said they want to meet and honor Dieppa for his bravery.
The Source: FOX 35 spoke with the restaurant owners and spoke with the Good Samaritan.