Kent, Washington – Home Fire Started by Frying Pan

Kent Washington (March 27, 2019) – At about 8:35 pm this Wednesday evening a frying pan that was being heated and had oil in it started a fire that gutted a triplex at 23400 block of 130th Avenue Southeast. Firefighters were able to put out the flames after assessment, as the flames were contained in the kitchen. Smoke damage affected the whole whole home, but there were no reported injuries nor deaths.

The resident of the house had poured oil into the frying pan and left it to warm up as he went out of the kitchen for a few minutes. He later heard a smoke alarm and returned to find a cabinet in the kitchen on fire. The man then left home and called 911 afterwards. A fire investigator has ruled the fire as accidental.

About Fires

The US Fire Administration has recorded 15 home fire fatalities this year within Washington.  Statistics from the National Fire Protection Association have recorded that cooking equipment were the leading cause of home structure fires, home fire injuries, as well as being the second leading case of home fire deaths. Unattended cooking, like the one in this case, is the leading cause of cooking fires and casualties. Additionally, households that used electrical ranges were said to be at a higher risk for fires and losses compared to households that used gas ranges. While clothing being the first item to be ignited happened in less than  percent of cooking fires, it must be noted that clothing ignitions accounted for 15 percent of deaths in these types of fires. Lastly, more than half of non-fatal injuries happened when people tried to control the fire by themselves.

Fire accidents are best remedied by prevention. Everyone should exercise caution and follow fire safety regulations. Always handle fire with wariness and see to it that fires are always extinguished after use.

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