A gas line that split after being repeatedly jostled during routine cleaning is at the center of a $3.5 million lawsuit over the fire that heavily damaged the kitchen at RingSide Steakhouse in Portland last year. Middlesex Insurance, which paid out nearly $3.5 million to cover the restaurant’s fire losses, filed the suit in Multnomah County Circuit Court on August 31, 2026, naming five businesses it claims share responsibility for the blaze at the corner of Northwest 22nd Avenue and West Burnside Street.
According to the lawsuit, as reported by The Oregonian/OregonLive, Linda’s Janitorial Services moved the restaurant’s gas range once a month for nearly two years to clean behind it, and that repeated movement weakened the gas line until it split. Natural gas then escaped and ignited, according to the suit, heating a stainless steel sheet behind the range that in turn set fire to plywood and insulation behind the sheeting. The resulting blaze caused heavy fire, water and smoke damage inside the kitchen, though the dining room and booths reportedly remained largely intact.
The lawsuit also names Stainless Solutions, which installed the gas range and gas line in May 2023; Sigma Mechanical, which per the lawsuit conducted preventative maintenance on the hot equipment less than two months before the fire; C&S Fire-Safe Services, which the suit says inspected and maintained the kitchen ventilation system, exhaust hoods and exhaust ducts and had last serviced the ventilation system a few weeks before the fire; and Sanderson Fire Protection, which reportedly performed a semiannual fire safety service in the kitchen less than six months before the blaze. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports that the defendants provided no comment when contacted.
Industry Standards Behind the Allegations
The suit’s central claim – that moving heavy equipment repeatedly during cleaning can damage a gas connection – touches on a well-known engineering standard in commercial kitchens. Under commercial fuel gas standards, kitchens are required to use flexible, commercial-grade gas connectors so equipment can be safely pulled away from walls for cleaning without damaging the gas line, according to Tundra Restaurant Supply…