Unattended Cooking Sends Firefighters to West- and North-side Apartments

Firefighters responded to a pair of cooking-related incidents Thursday. In each case, nobody was home while food was left cooking.

At 12:10 p.m., Engine Company 9 was dispatched to the 500 block of N. Franklin Ave. to investigate alarms sounding inside an apartment and neighbors reporting the smell of smoke. Building maintenance staff ushered firefighters into the apartment, where they found the remains of a pepperoni pizza inside the oven with the oven still on. Firefighters removed the pizza pan from the oven and turned it off. They ventilated the apartment before leaving.

The sound of smoke detectors also prompted a response to the 2400 block of Monterey Drive just before 10:30 p.m. Engine Company 10 located the apartment in question and found the oven on “low” with an overdone Salisbury steak inside. Light smoke had been filling the apartment. Firefighters ventilated the unit and removed the steak from the oven. They were unable to locate the tenant while on scene.

Unattended cooking accounts for 33% of reported cooking-related fires in the home, according to the National Fire Protection Association. Before leaving home, always make sure your cooking appliances are turned off.

Other cooking-related safety tips:

• Do not use the stove or stovetop if you’re feeling sleepy or have consumed alcohol
• Stay in the kitchen while cooking
• Check your food regularly while it’s cooking, and use a timer to remind yourself to keep an eye on your food
• Keep anything that can catch fire (e.g. oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels, etc.) away from your stovetop.