Firefighters put out commercial kitchen fire at Hastings College

HASTINGS, Neb. — A quick response by Hastings firefighters limited damage from a commercial kitchen fire over the weekend.

According to a news release, fire crews responded to the fire at a Hastings College kitchen around 1:30 Saturday afternoon. Employees had pulled a fire alarm, notifying everyone in the building of the fire. The blaze was contained to a commercial grill area and there were no injuries.

Community Risk Reduction Officer Anthony Murphy says this was the fifth cooking equipment fire in Hastings in 2023.

“In light of this, Hastings Fire-Rescue urges businesses to ensure regular cleaning of hoods and grills, proper maintenance of extinguishing systems, and keeping all staff trained in fire response,” Murphy said.

The release says the fire was caused by cooking grease. Fire crews arrived on scene within six minutes of the initial call.