Fumes from a gas-powered generator a contractor was using in the cart barn at Stonehenge golf course triggered an alarm that led to the evacuation of diners at the restaurant above it, according to Fairfield Glade Fire Department.
Moments after the alarm rang through Stonehenge Grille shortly after 5 p.m. on May 15, management asked diners to move to the adjacent outdoor patio.
Firefighters responded to a 911 call at 5:15 p.m., by which time the restaurant had already been evacuated, Don Arbuckle, the department’s public information officer, told the Glade Sun.
Firefighters checked the restaurant and found “no issue,” Arbuckle said, adding that they then went to the lower level where they determined that carbon monoxide levels “were almost three times the safe level.” They were wearing breathing apparatus, and workers there were asked to evacuate.
Arbuckle said further investigation found that the contractor was using the gas-powered generator in the cart barn.
“Prior to the alarm the contractor was asked several times to move his generator outside,” Arbuckle wrote in an email statement to the newspaper. “He did not comply.”
Firefighters were on site for 45 minutes.
After diners were permitted to return to their tables, restaurant management gave them complimentary desserts and gift cards for appetizers to compensate for their inconvenience.