Unattended Cooking Causes Fire Displacing Three People

On 02/10/23 Madison Fire Department Ladder 6 was dispatched to investigate a fire alarm at an apartment building in the 1000 block of Moorland Rd.

While enroute the call was upgraded to a full structure fire response. A resident from the apartment building called and reported there was a fire on the stove top, that spread to the cabinets and ceiling in his unit. The resident reported discharging a fire extinguisher, but the fire was not completely out.

Upon arrival the Ladder 6 crew was approached by a resident who reported the fire was in the kitchen in his apartment.

When the Ladder 6 crew opened the exterior door leading into the apartment, smoke started coming out of apartment. When the Ladder 6 crew made entry, they found the kitchen cabinets were still smoldering. Crews used a water can to cool the hot spots and removed cabinet doors. The cabinet doors were taken outside and fully extinguished by placing them in the snow.

During the Ladder 6 crew’s investigation, the resident reported while frying food on the stove top, he stepped away going into a bedroom in the back of the apartment. When the resident heard the smoke alarm in his unit sounding, he returned to the kitchen to find a fire on the stove top. The resident told his family to evacuate the apartment and retrieved a fire extinguisher. The resident reported the smoke was getting thick and the fire spread to the cabinets and ceiling in the kitchen. The resident discharged the fire extinguisher, then left the apartment, closing the door behind him.

The Ladder 6 crew ventilated the apartment and other areas in the building where smoke was present.

The cause of the fire is unattended cooking. The initial damage estimate is $50,000. Two adults, one child and one dog were displaced by the fire. The American Red Cross responded to provide assistance.