Press releases

Unattended cooking results in another Edina apartment fire

Edina, Minn., July 29, 2010 – Unattended cooking continues to be the leading cause of fires in Edina and across the nation. The Edina Fire Department responded to another cooking fire incident early Wednesday morning.

At 1:05 a.m. on Wednesday, July 28, a resident of an apartment complex in the 7700 block of Cahill Road called 9-1-1 to report a kitchen fire in a first-floor unit. Fire crews arrived and found smoke in a first-floor hallway and a fire burning in the kitchen of the unit.

Firefighters used fire extinguishers to extinguish the fire completely. Crews later learned that a resident in a neighboring apartment had attempted to fight the fire with two fire extinguishers, and was successful in knocking down some of the flames before backing out of the smoke-filled room.

The fire had originated in a pan on the stovetop, and spread to kitchen cabinets above. Crews ventilated smoke from the apartment, and used fans to remove smoke from the hallways on all three floors of the apartment complex.

Upon investigation, crews learned that the resident had started to boil rice on the stovetop before losing track of time – possibly having fallen asleep. The resident discovered the fire about 20 minutes later and attempted to fight it with wet towels before a neighbor came with fire extinguishers.

The apartment will be uninhabitable until cleaned and power is restored.

For more information, visit www.CityofEdina.com/Fire or call the Edina Fire Department at 952-826-0330.