Thursday afternoon  (March 28), Airdrie fire crews responded to a fire in the city's southeast that ended up being caused by a stovetop burner being left on.

Deputy Chief Garth Rabel described the event.

"On Thursday, March 28 at approximately 12:42 p.m, the Airdrie Fire Department responded to a report of a possible structure fire located on Sprucegrove Way in the city's southeast."

"When crews arrived, they found the lone occupant, a young lady, had collected their family pets and safely evacuated to the street. When crews gained entry into the home, they found light smoke conditions on the main level."

Fortunately, the fire was small and resulted in only minor damage.

"There were no injuries to report, thankfully. Crews did make their way into the kitchen area and they found combustible material had been left on a stovetop which had inadvertently been turned on, and that's what caused the small fire and the smoke afterwards."

Rabel said that kitchen fires are a common cause for fires in residences. 

"Kitchen remain one of the leading causes of residential fires. Of course, there are many things that can go wrong in the kitchen, but there's also many steps we can take to prevent or avoid those things from happening."

These kinds of fires are preventable and Rabel has some tips to avoid potential kitchen fires.

"Not leaving any cooking unattended. Boiling pots, frying pans, if you're cooking you should stay in the kitchen until that task is completed. It's also important that when you leave the home, make sure that all cooking appliances have been sure or, if they can, make sure all appliances (...) have been unplugged."

Luckily, the quick action of both the woman and the fire crews prevented a larger fire.

"Combustible material such as paper or cardboard, that can be stored on too close or on top of stovetops and if the burner, whether it be gas or electric, is inadvertently turned on, of left on, that's what can cause some of those fires. In this case, quick action by calling 9-1-1, the young lady evacuating with her pets, our team going in and taking control of the situation quickly (prevented serious damage), but they can escalate fast and it could have been much worse."

Rabel, of course, reminds everyone to check their smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors.

"As we move into spring, it's important to check our residential smoke alarms and our carbon monoxide detectors to make sure that our batteries are charged and working and to make sure that they're working and functioning properly."

 

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