COLUMBUS, Ind. — A quick response by Columbus firefighters prevented significant fire damage in an apartment complex following a Sunday evening kitchen fire. Occupants of the apartment complex evacuated the building without injury.
At 6:36 p.m. Sunday, Columbus firefighters responded to 37 Salzburg Boulevard, Steinhurst Manor Apartments, for a report of a residential fire. The tenant called 9-1-1 to advise dispatchers that smoke alarms within her apartment were sounding and a fire was discovered within the apartment’s kitchen, said Capt. Mike Wilson, Columbus Fire Department spokesman.
Firefighters arrived on the scene within three minutes of the initial dispatch and reported no fire visible from the exterior of the two-story apartment complex. As firefighters assessed the scene, firefighters advised the additional responding units that the occupants of the building were in the process of an evacuation. Crews advanced to a second-story apartment where they located heavy smoke conditions. After entering the apartment, firefighters located a fire in the kitchen and quickly extinguished the flames with a pressurized water-can fire extinguisher.
Columbus Fire Department Investigators spoke with the apartment’s tenant, who stated that she was alerted of the fire by a working smoke alarm in the apartment. The tenant told fire investigators that she had recently prepared a meal in the kitchen and was eating the meal in a bedroom when she heard a smoke alarm sounding within the apartment, Wilson said. The tenant went to investigate the alarm and found a fire on the stove top that was spreading to kitchen cabinets located above the stove. Upon this discovery, the tenant called 9-1-1 and evacuated the apartment.
When firefighters entered the apartment, they found the kitchen cabinets on fire and a melted plastic trash can on the floor. Using a pressurized water-can fire extinguisher, firefighters were successful in extinguishing the flames before the fire could extend into the apartment’s building construction or other uninvolved rooms of the apartment. After speaking with the occupant of the apartment, investigators learned that the plastic trash can was placed on top of the countertop while the tenant was sweeping the kitchen floor following the preparation of the meal. Investigators determined that the plastic trash can made contact with a hot burner which led to the fire. The fire caused approximately $6,500 in damage. Investigators have listed the cause of the fire as accidental.
Damage caused by the fire was isolated to the apartment’s kitchen. Smoke damage was visible throughout the apartment. The occupants, an adult male and an female, will be temporarily displaced and advised investigators that they would be staying with family. Agencies that assisted at the scene include the Columbus Police Department and Columbus Regional Health Emergency Medical Services.
The Columbus Fire Department offers these cooking safety tips to reduce the occurrence of a cooking related fire:
- Stay in the kitchen if for are actively cooking on a stove top.
Keep combustible items – like towels, paper products, plastics and pot holders- away from a hot stove.
- Keep a fire extinguisher near the kitchen ensuring you can access it without placing yourself in harm’s way.
- If you can’t safety extinguish the fire, get out and call 9-1-1.
- Always have working smoke alarms inside your home.
- Plan and practice a home fire escape drill: Know two ways out of every room. Crawl on the floor to escape dangerous smoke. Have an outside safe meeting place designated for the entire family. Once you get out, stay out! Never return inside a burning building.
This incident serves as an example of the importance of working smoke alarms and safe cooking practices. A working smoke alarm increases your chance of surviving a residential fire. It is also important to practice safe cooking habits. According to the National Fire Protections Association, cooking fires are a leading cause of residential fires in the United States.
