Fairbanks

Fairbanks kitchen fire sends 1 to Seattle with severe burns

A Fairbanks man has been flown to Seattle for treatment of burns he suffered during a kitchen fire Wednesday evening, which fire officials attributed to unattended cooking.

City of Fairbanks spokesperson Tammy Misrasi said in a statement Thursday fire crews were called to a home on Front Street at about 7 p.m.

The residents of the home, who were in the basement at the time of the fire, were alerted by a smoke alarm and able to escape.

"The fire was the result of an unattended pot of oil being heated for cooking," Misrasi wrote. "One male occupant received burns to his arms, hands, and feet as a result of trying to remove the burning pot of oil from the home as he was leaving."

Deputy Fairbanks fire marshal Kyle Green said it wasn't clear how long the cooking had been left unattended before it caught fire.

The injured man was sent to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle later Wednesday "due to the severity of his injuries," Misrasi wrote.

Responders were quickly able to extinguish the fire, because it hadn't spread past the kitchen. Green said there wasn't any immediate estimate of the damage caused by the blaze Thursday morning.

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"When we arrived, the house was full of smoke," Green said. "The crews went inside to investigate; they put out a little bit of fire that was left in the kitchen area."

Damage from the fire was confined to the kitchen, with help from the Fort Wainwright and Steese fire departments. Chena Goldstream Fire and Rescue paramedics also responded to the scene.

Fire officials say people should call 911 and evacuate if a cooking fire like Wednesday's expands beyond the pot in which it begins. Cooking should never be left unattended.

"If you have to leave your cooking, turn the burner off and move it off the heating element," Misrasi wrote. "You should always have an oven mitten and the lid to the pot or pan you are using nearby to cover the pot or pan's contents if it were to catch fire."

Cooking fires are among the most common types of fires in Fairbanks, Green said.

"We have found that cooking fires are a major cause in Fairbanks, right along with our other major causes of heating fires and smoking materials," Green said. "Those are our top three."

Chris Klint

Chris Klint is a former ADN reporter who covered breaking news.

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