LITTLE BOSTON – A family is displaced but all – including a dog, rescued by firefighters – are safe after a fire sparked by unattended cooking scorched a home here May 27.
North Kitsap Fire & Rescue and Poulsbo Fire Department crews were called to the Kloomachin Place home just after 11 p.m.; the first unit arrived on scene in just over eight minutes, North Kitsap Fire & Rescue spokeswoman Michele Laboda reported.
“Though flames were not visible from outside the 800 SF double-wide trailer, it was quickly apparent that a fire was burning in the spaces between the home’s ceiling and roof,” Laboda reported. “There was very little smoke in the house’s living areas. Firefighters tore open the hidden spaces to reach and extinguish the flames, and had the fire out within 30 minutes of their arrival.”
Two adults and four children lived at the home; one adult and two children were at home at the time of the fire.
The adult at home told crews that he’d been making french fries on the stove when a leaking appliance briefly drew his attention away from the pan on the stove. His daughter yelled “Fire!,” and he got the two children out of the home and used a fire extinguisher to attack the flames on the stove, slowing the fire’s growth. Neighbors called 911.
While working inside the home, crews followed the sound of a dog’s bark to locate and rescue a female Chihuahua named Daisy. Because there was so little smoke or fire damage in the area Daisy was found, firefighters believe that she escaped injury in the ordeal.
Though fire affected about one-quarter of the small home’s overhead spaces, the remainder of the house and the family’s possessions were affected by water damage alone, Laboda reported. The family was uninsured and is staying with relatives nearby; the American Red Cross will also be providing assistance. There were no injuries to firefighters or civilians.
An investigator from the Kitsap County Fire Marshal’s Office went to the scene, and determined that the fire started was started by the pan on the stove. Flames spread from that point through the stove vent into the overheads to cause the most significant damage. Officials say that type of fire is not uncommon – in Kitsap County or in the nation. According to the National Fire Protection Association, unattended cooking is the No. 1 cause of home fires in the United States.
“In Kitsap County, firefighters have responded to multiple cooking fires in the last couple of weeks,” Laboda reported. “The most effective way to prevent these types of incidents is to stay in the kitchen whenever items are cooking on the stove.”
