A fire ignited in a Mountain View apartment building's kitchen on Fayette Drive last Friday, calling into question the safety practices in our local homes. The blaze was reported at 11:01 p.m. and prompted an immediate response from fire units, who arrived within five minutes. This rapid response likely mitigated further disaster.
Once on the site, firefighters discovered smoke billowing from the first-floor kitchen. Using a fire extinguisher, they extinguished the burgeoning flames emerging from an oven. They surmised that the cause of the incident was the perilous storage of flammable materials inside the oven. In a press release from the City of Mountain View, "The fire was extinguished with no injuries." The residents were absent during the flare-up, sparing them from potential harm; however, the damage amounted to an estimated $15,000.
The Mountain View Police Department, aided by managing traffic fusion for the duration, fire crews surveyed and secured the scene.
The National Fire Protection Association identifies cooking fires as a leading cause of domestic fire incidents and injuries. Simple safety measures such as staying in the kitchen while frying, boiling, grilling, or broiling food and keeping combustibles clear from the stovetop are advocated to forestall such dangers. "Get out and call 9-1-1 if you have any doubts about extinguishing a small fire," warns the association.
