A hot pot caused the evacuation of six apartments on Carney Street in the wee hours of Thursday.
Prince George Fire Rescue Service got the alarm at 4 a.m. from apartment 201 in a six-plex in the 300 block of Carney Street. The alley-facing kitchen was the centre of the emergency.
"Crews noted smoke and flames venting from a second floor window on the south side of the two-story six-plex," said fire chief John Lane. "Firefighters performed a rapid interior attack with simultaneous ventilation, resulting in a very quick knockdown of the fire located in the kitchen area of the second floor unit. Minor exterior damage occurred to the siding and eaves of the area around the venting window, and crews ensured that fire did not extend into the roof."
Lane said 12 residents were home at the time of the fire and all got out safely before the first fire trucks arrived.
The smell of the incident was apparent a block away, even as the last fire truck packed up from the scene. Smoke damage was the main issue for the building, with a small amount of water damage to the unit below the fire site, but that was minimized by interior tarps provided by firefighters. The flames were confined to the kitchen in 201.
Most occupants were able to return home once the firefighters gave the all-clear.
"The fire was caused by an unattended pan of cooking oil left on the stove. The tenant had fallen asleep after turning on the burner to heat the oil," said Lane. "Tragedy was averted by an alert tenant in the apartment beneath the fire unit, who had just come home from work and heard an unusual noise from upstairs. He alerted the occupant of the fire unit and all other building occupants."
Lane stressed the need for full attention to tasks like cooking.
He also reminded all residents of the city that fully functional smoke alarms are required in all dwellings, including mobile homes and rental units of any kind. Property owners should ensure their dwellings comply with these requirements, he said, and tenants should contact their landlords if rental units do not have working smoke alarms installed. This apartment was found to have a hard-wired smoke detector.
Damage to this building is estimated at between $75,000 to $100,000. Thankfully, said Lane, there were no injuries.
