Unattended Cooking Starts Fire, Displaces Resident In Huntington

HUNTINGTON, VA—One resident was injured and displaced after a fire at a Huntington condo Sunday.

Fairfax County Fire and Rescue and the Alexandria Fire Department responded to the 5000 block of Mount Eagle Drive around 2:33 a.m. Units arrived to find no smoke or fire outside the fifteen-story building but discovered a kitchen fire in one unit. The fire was contained and quickly extinguished.

The resident was home at the time, but it was a security guard that discovered the fire when the smoke detector sounded. The security guard observed smoke in the unit and tried to notify the resident. The building's fire alarm system was activated.

The resident went to the hospital for evaluation. No firefighters were injured.

Fire investigators say an unattended hot plate left on a rear burner of the stove started the blaze. Initial damage estimates are $25,000. Red Cross assistance was declined.

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