Salmonella Traced to Vegas Restaurant

LAS VEGAS (CN) - Salmonella poisoning cases from a popular tapas restaurant continue to rise in Nevada's largest outbreak of the illness in a decade - and so do the lawsuits.

The Southern Nevada Health District closed Firefly Tapas restaurant and bar on April 26 after reporting that about three dozen people had become ill with salmonella from eating there.

That number has since swelled to more than 196 patrons and four employees who ate the restaurant between April 21 and 26, the Health District reported .

The first lawsuit against Firefly Partners LLC was filed in Clark County District Court on April 30, four days after the state closed the restaurant. Eight more lawsuits followed, the latest one on Tuesday.

Las Vegas law firms are seeking plaintiffs.

"Poisoned at Firefly?" asks one ad found when typing "salmonella Firefly" into Google. "Salmonella From Firefly?" asks another, adding, "You have rights. We represent Firefly victims."

In its report, the Southern Nevada Health District said that its Office of Epidemiology received reports of stomach illness from eight independent groups of patrons at the restaurant.

"Ill patrons reported symptoms of diarrhea and/or vomiting after they consumed food from Firefly restaurant, and many sought medical care for their illness," the agency said.

Inspectors reported several health violations that could have contributed to the outbreak, including employees not washing hands properly, workers using bare hands to dispense ready-to-eat foods, foods contaminated by debris-filled liquids, improper cooking practices, improper holding temperatures and storage of animal products, and improper storage of utensils.

The restaurant received 44 demerits.

According to officials, those affected with the illness come from 20 states, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah and Washington, plus Canada and the United Kingdom.

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