Fire Hits Paula Deen's Lady and Sons Restaurant

Soiled linens spontaneously combusted in an upstairs hallway at Food Network celebrity cook Paula Deen's Lady and Sons restaurant on Sunday night. At approximately 11 pm Sunday night, a bag full of aprons, towels and tablecloths began smoldering in a third floor hallway, creating clouds of billowing smoke at Paula Deen's flagship restaurant but thankfully no flames or permanent damage. Paula Deen, her husband Michael Groover, and her two sons, Jamie and Bobby Deen raced to the restaurant from their east Savannah homes to inspect the damage. Paula arrived in her bathrobe and slippers in her haste.

A spokesperson from Savannah Fire and Emergency Services blamed the incident on spontaneous combustion, explaining that when soiled linens contain oils, including cooking oil, decomposition occurs that can trigger heat and ultimately combustion. He did not rule out a chemical reaction from the mixing of multiple cleaning chemicals as the cause.

Thick smoke permeated the stairwells and main dining rooms of the restaurant but the smoke was cleared quickly. The fire suppression systems in the restaurant were not activated thereby minimizing damage to the facilities. Savannah Fire was able to remove the smoldering bag quickly. This is the first fire at one of Paula Deen's restaurants in twenty years. Paula's son Jamie expressed his relief that it was such a minor fire and that it was in a strategically unimportant area of the restaurant.

"It's business as usual," he said.

The Lady and Sons was open for business Monday morning with the typical crowd of fans lined up along Congress Street waiting for the 11 o'clock lunch bell. The fire and smoke did not affect the Paula Deen Retail Store next door to the restaurant.