The stove where the fire started. Cooking equipment is the leading cause of home fires and fire injuries, causing 47% of home fires that resulted in 20% of home fire deaths and 45% of the injuries (source: NFPA).
photo by Captain Wadie Suttles
Chattanooga firefighters responded to a kitchen fire around 9:30 p.m. on Thursday, at 3228 Haywood Ave. Captain Wadie Suttles, the incident commander, was the first to arrive on the scene and reported that the fire was out.
The homeowner said she was heating up some oil on the stove to cook some french fries and then left the kitchen. When she returned, the stove was on fire.
The woman said her boyfriend tossed the pot of burning oil out the back door, and used a portable fire extinguisher to put the fire out.
Firefighters with Engine 12 and Quint 16 arrived to confirm that the fire was out. Captain Suttles said the house was full of smoke, so the firefighters used a high-powered fan to ventilate the structure. The dollar loss was estimated at $6,000.
The firefighters suspected the woman may have inhaled some smoke, so she was checked out by paramedics with Hamilton County EMS. They determined that the woman was uninjured. The woman said she did not feel safe staying in the house overnight, so volunteers with the American Red Cross were called in to arrange a temporary place to stay for the woman and her son. The woman's boyfriend said he would stay with the house.
The cause of the fire is being ruled accidental, from unattended cooking.