Kitchen Fire Damages Montclair House

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A burning pot on a kitchen stove caused a fire Tuesday that damaged a single-family home in Montclair, according to the Prince William County Fire & Rescue Department.

No injuries were reported in the fire, which displaced the house’s three adult occupants, the fire department said in a statement.

County fire and rescue units were dispatched at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday to the house in the 15400 block of Holleyside Drive, the fire department said. Upon arrival, the firefighters were told that all occupants were safely out of the home.

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Upon entering the house, they saw the burning pot on the stove and the fire extending into the cabinets above the stove. They extinguished the fire, containing it to the kitchen.

According to the county Fire Marshal’s Office, the estimated preliminary damage from the fire totals $40,000. The cause of the blaze was determined to be an accidental cooking fire.

Cooking fires are the leading cause of home fires and injuries. The Prince William County Department of Fire & Rescue would like to remind residents to:

• Stay in the kitchen while you are cooking.
• Use a timer to remind you that you are cooking.
• Turn off the stove, if you leave the kitchen for even a short period of time.
• Keep anything that can catch fire away from your stove, i.e. oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels or curtains.
• Never throw water on a grease fire! If possible, cover the pot/pan with a lid to smother the fire and turn off the stovetop.
• Leave the pan covered until it is completely cooled.
  For oven fires, turn off the heat and keep the door closed.
  
• For microwave fires, leave the door closed, turn the oven off and unplug it.
• If the fire does not go out, get outside and call 911.