Press releases

Unattended cooking causes Edina kitchen fire

Edina, Minn., Oct. 17, 2008 –An unattended pan of oil left on a hot stovetop resulted in a kitchen fire in an apartment in the 7200 block of York Avenue South in Edina on Thursday, Oct. 16.

The Edina Fire Department received a call from a resident at 6:48 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 16, indicating that the fire alarm system was sounding in the apartment complex. Within minutes, the department received a second report of a microwave fire in the apartment building.

Upon entering the apartment, fire crews encountered a stovetop fire that had spread to the microwave above and the wood cabinets surrounding the stove. Edina fire crews, with assistance from St. Louis Park and Richfield fire departments, extinguished the flames with a water-under-pressure fire extinguisher. Ventilation was provided to remove smoke from the apartment and hallway. Fire damage was confined to the kitchen, but smoke damage was present throughout the unit. The tenant was advised not to stay in the unit that night.

The tenant had been preparing dinner and had just poured oil into a sauce pan on a hot burner when she received a call from her husband indicating he was stuck in the apartment’s elevator. The woman left the hot oil unattended to assist her husband and fire alarms sounded moments later.

“Grease and oil fires like these can start and burn very fast,” said Edina Fire Marshal Tom Jenson. “People need to stay in the kitchen whenever they are frying, grilling or broiling food. If you do need to leave – even for a short time – turn off the stove.”

The Edina Fire Department has responded to nearly 20 unattended cooking fires this year. Unattended cooking continues to be the primary cause of home fires in Edina and the No. 1 cause of home fires and home fire injuries nationwide.

For more information on kitchen fires and prevention, visit www.CityofEdina.com/Fire or call the Edina Fire Department at 952-826-0378.