# After a customer catches on fire, city red-tags rooftop fire pits.



## mark handler (May 26, 2016)

After a customer catches on fire, city red-tags rooftop fire pits.
Sara Rubin  May 24, 2016
http://www.montereycountyweekly.com...cle_75c6628c-220c-11e6-aa29-2306f735f261.html

Carmel Building Official Joe Headley walked out of City Hall Monday afternoon with a red tag in his hand, and headed a few blocks up Ocean Avenue to Vesuvio. 

The restaurant and bar—named for the Italian volcano Mt. Vesuvius that buried Pompeii—has a rooftop bar, and Headley beelined his way up there, along with owner Rich Pepe. 

Headley was there to inspect the rooftop for basic safety compliance issues, unrelated to food. While he agreed the rooftop can remain open, he did issue a notice for failure to comply and pull the proper building permits.

The Carmel Fire Department had called Headley to notify him that a customer at Vesuvio received second-degree burns on the evening of May 18 as she stood up to walk away from a fire pit. 

Pepe wasn't there, but says his staff reported that she wore a long, flowing scarf that caught fire. 

"We've never had an issue in five years. This is the first time something like this has happened," Pepe says. 

The woman's friend fortunately reacted quickly, pushing her to the ground and smothering the flames. She received treatable burns on her back. 

The red tag will allow Veusvio's rooftop to remain open—just as Carmel's tourist season unofficially begins Memorial Day weekend—but no fire pits, no wall heaters and a maximum capacity of 49 people are currently allowed up there. 

Pepe had an appointment with Del Monte Glass to look at installing glass enclosures around his rooftop, and was also checking with a locksmith about getting one of his two exit doors modified. (That could allow for a higher occupancy up top.) 

"I look at it as a positive thing," says Pepe, who also owns Little Napoli and Carmel Bakery among other food and wine businesses in town. "Let's get everything up to code, no danger."

The issue, Headley says, is that Pepe didn't pull building permits back when he first remodeled the restaurant space.

"It's a very common mistake," Headley adds.

Many business owners pull permits from the city Planning Department, not realizing there's a separate process for more technical approvals like proper exit doors and gas hook-ups.    

For example, Headley hasn't seen architectural drawings showing the lines that hook up to the gas fire pits, which would normally be part of that process of granting building permits. Without reviewing those drawings, he says, he can't comment on whether they're properly installed. 

The notice he issued Pepe will allow the business—and the rooftop—to stay open for now, until those safety features are reviewed and addressed.

"My goal is to keep businesses open in a manner that's safe," Headley says.


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## cda (May 26, 2016)

Go ahead Red Tag me,

Do you feel lucky punk;


http://www.missionranchcarmel.com/restaurant.htm


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## mark handler (May 27, 2016)

cda said:


> Go ahead Red Tag me,
> 
> Do you feel lucky punk;
> 
> ...


So what does the Mission Ranch have to do with the story?


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## JBI (May 27, 2016)

mark handler said:


> So what does the Mission Ranch have to do with the story?



Heated patios?


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## steveray (May 27, 2016)

I guess you would have to see the level of work done w/o permits....I would not be so easy to allow a place of assembly with illegal gas piping and egress and maybe guards to remain occupied....But that is an AHJ call...


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## cda (May 27, 2016)

Clint Eastwood town and ex-mayor


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## cda (May 27, 2016)

from yelp


http://www.yelp.com/biz/vesuvio-carmel


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## JBI (May 27, 2016)

Pictures speak a thousand words...
The first one that comes to mind is 'Wow', followed closely by 'Damn", then 'What the f@#$ were they thinking?'


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## fatboy (May 27, 2016)

And.........oh my...........


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## cda (May 27, 2016)

Well you see them inside buildings at the ski lodges ??


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## JPohling (May 27, 2016)

we have lots of similar fire features around town.


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## cda (May 27, 2016)

*CLUES TO LOSS of Situational Awareness*
The loss of Situational Awareness usually occurs over a

period of time and will leave a trail of clues. Be alert for
the following clues that will warn of lost or diminished
Situational Awareness:
•
Confusion or gut feeling.
•
No one watching or looking for hazards.
•
Use of improper procedures.
•
Departure from regulations.
•
Failure to meet planned targets.
•
Unresolved discrepancies.
•
Ambiguity.
•
Fixation or preoccupation.


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## steveray (May 27, 2016)

FYI, most of those patio heaters say not to be used on a combustible floor right on them...


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## jdfruit (May 27, 2016)

Ok, now for some personal knowledge. I live about an hour from Carmel, been to the rooftop at Vesuvio a bunch of times over the years for happy hour and a few dinners. Every time I went, I had to ask the head waiter to turn down the flames on the fire pit, if I am lucky enough to get seated by one. The place can be "breezy" as it is only a couple hundred yards to the ocean and not much to shelter the roof top deck from the ocean breeze. There is a valve control on the unit and the unit bottom is about 5 to 6 inches above the floor. I quit going about a year & half ago, it seems staff just doesn't get the message on properly operating the fire pits. I did call the Fire Department about 2 years ago and apparently nothing happened.


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## TJacobs (Jun 5, 2016)

All I can say is wow...like Planning never told them building permits were required?


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