House Damaged After Kitchen Fire: Westport Fire Department

WESTPORT, CT — Firefighters doused a kitchen fire in a Berndale Drive home in Westport Monday afternoon, according to fire officials. No injuries were reported.

The blaze was reported at about 12:30 p.m., first as a smoke detector activation, then as a fire.

"First arriving units reported a stove fire with extension to the cabinets above," said Westport Assistant Chief Philip Hessberger in a statement. "A hand line was deployed and the fire was extinguished with approximately 20 gallons of water."

Hessberger said the fire did not extend beyond the cabinets, but it took about an hour to remove the smoke from the home using fans.

"The house sustained smoke and fire damage, but the house remained habitable," Hessberger said.

The fire appears to have started when a knob on an electric range top was bumped, which accidentally turned on the burner with items stored on top.

The National Fire Protection Association recommends that people do not keep anything that can catch fire, such as oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels or curtains, near a stovetop.

"Do not store items on your stovetop," said Westport Fire Marshal Terrence Dunn. "The household had a monitored fire alarm system which significantly reduced the amount fire damage
and saved the life of a family pet."