Two recent apartment fires prompt warning about careless cooking

Windsor Fire and Rescue Services are urging the public not to leave their cooking unattended after firefighters responded to two apartment fires on Monday night that both started in the kitchen.

“Two fires tonight, within two blocks of each other, within two hours, both in apartment buildings, both caused by unattended cooking,” chief fire prevention officer John Lee said on Monday night.

The first incident happened shortly after 6:30 p.m. in a firstfloor unit at the Marine City Apartments building at 1666 Ouellette Ave.

The second incident happened around 7:45 p.m. in a third-floor unit at another highrise apartment building in the 1400 block of Ouellette Ave., a few blocks north of the previous incident.

Smoke was visible outside the building.

Both fires were extinguished within minutes of firefighters arriving. No one was injured and damage was considered minimal.

But the nature of the incidents, and the prevalence of residents cooking at home due to COVID -19 orders, motivated a lecture from Windsor Fire and Rescue Services.

The service noted that the Canada Safety Council believes the kitchen is “the most dangerous room in the home when it comes to fire,” and that most kitchen fires are preventable.

According to the Canada Safety Council, cooking is the third leading cause of fire deaths, and a leading cause of injury among senior citizens.

Members of the public are reminded that a serious fire can start in seconds.

“If you have to leave temporarily, shut off the stove and take a cooking utensil with you or drape a tea towel over your shoulder to remind you to return to the kitchen,” Windsor Fire and Rescue Services advised.

Oil or grease should never be left unattended on a stove. Frying, grilling or broiling require you to stay in the kitchen and be attentive.

Anyone who cooks with grease should be aware that water will not extinguish the flames, it will only cause burning oil to splash.

Never put water on a burning pot or try to move it to the sink or outdoors. Instead, keep an appropriate-sized lid on hand to cover the pot.

For more kitchen safety tips visit www.windsorfire.com.