Dog dies in early morning apartment fire on Walnut Ave.
An early morning fire claimed the life of a dog Thursday on Walnut Avenue.
According to the Yuma Fire Department, the fire was reported at 2:30 a.m. at an apartment at 2081 S. Walnut Ave.
Responding personnel found heavy smoke and fire coming from the three-unit apartment building.
The fire had spread from the original apartment into the shared attic space above the other two units.
It took an hour to extinguish the fire, and all three units sustained significant damage, with the roof collapsing in some areas.
However, the fire was contained to the original building, and did not spread to a second three-unit building on the same property.
According to YFD, the fire started on the stove in one of the apartments. The resident fell asleep with food cooking on the stovetop, and awoke to find the apartment on fire. The adult female was able to get out, but was later treated for smoke exposure and was transported to Yuma Regional Medical Center for further evaluation.
All others in the apartment building were able to evacuate safely.
However, a dog was reported to have not gotten out and died as a result.
Approximately 10-15 people were displaced by the fire. The American Red Cross responded to the scene and provided assistance to those in need.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, cooking equipment was the leading cause of home fires and fire injuries, with U.S. fire departments responding to an average of 172,900 home fires per year being cooking related. Stove top fires accounts for three out of every five of these fires. Unattended cooking was a factor in one-third (31%) of reported home cooking fires and more than half (53%) of the associated deaths.