Aspen Fire responds to Gravity Haus kitchen smoke

The Aspen Fire Department responded to smoke in the kitchen of Gravity Haus on Friday morning.

The department received a dispatch about the incident at the membership club and lounge, located at 315 E. Hyman Ave, at 11:07 a.m. Friday, according to Aspen Fire Battalion Chief Jake Spaulding. There were no injuries from the incident, Spaulding said.

Gravity Haus Executive Chef Ben Parreira said the smoke was caused by a faulty wire in the kitchen walk-in refrigerator.

“There was actually never even a flame, so we couldn’t even call it a fire,” he said.

He said they called the fire department because the building was old; they were concerned about their staff and everyone in the building, and they didn’t want the incident to become a bigger issue. The kitchen is once again fully operational and open for service.

Fire Marshall Jan Legersky said the cause of the incident was not suspicious, but as per the department’s policy, she could not elaborate on other aspects of the response until concluding the investigation.

The department responded with three fire engines, three utility vehicles, one ambulance, and 15 fire fighters, Spaulding said. An ambulance arrives on the scene of every structure fire for the safety of everyone involved, according to him.

Skyler Stark-Ragsdale can be reached at 970-429-9152 or email him at sstark-ragsdale@aspentimes.com.