Firefighters Respond To Kitchen Fire On Near East Side

The Madison Fire Department was called to an apartment building on the 600 block of East Johnson Street when someone in the neighborhood saw fire coming from the back of the building.
 
Engine Company 1 arrived on scene to find people waiting outside and alarms sounding inside the building. Smoke was showing from a rear second-floor window and from a door that had been propped open.

Firefighters proceeded to the scene of the fire with a water can in hand. They encountered moderate smoke conditions and low visibility as they approached the fire. It was evident that two dry chemical extinguishers had already been used on the fire. They ultimately located the fire under the stovetop and around the burners of an electric stove inside one of the apartments.

After extinguishing the fire, the crew searched for any remaining occupants. Nobody else was inside. Ladder Company 1 began ventilating the apartment as Engine 1 searched for fire extension using a thermal imaging camera.
 
The occupant told firefighters he was heating up two pans of oil on the stove to fry some chicken. He left the kitchen for a minute and returned to find both pans were on fire. He said the fire was starting to spread when he told his friend to go find a fire extinguisher. The two shot extinguishers at the fire before retreating outside to wait for firefighters.
 
There's smoke damage throughout the apartment and fire damage to the stove, refrigerator, cabinets, and ceiling. The apartment was deemed uninhabitable, but the occupant said he had a place to stay until it's repaired.