Oil heating up on a stove ignited into a blaze that damaged a Turlock apartment Monday morning.
The fire was reported at 10:29 a.m. at a triplex at 1104 N. Olive Ave.
A resident was heating cooking oil in a frying pan on the electric stovetop. The Turlock Fire Department stated the frying pan had too much oil in it on too high of a heat and caught fire.
The fire quickly spread to the adjacent wall and the ceiling and through the hood vent system, the fire department reported.
Three engines and a total of 10 fire personnel responded to the fire and had it under control within five minutes of arrival.
The fire caused damage in the kitchen and smoke damaged other areas of the apartment. The damage was estimated at $5,500, according to the fire department. The other apartments in the triplex were not damaged from the fire.
No injuries were reported in the fire. The Red Cross is assisting the three residents displaced by the fire with temporary housing.
Kitchen fires are a major cause of home fires in the country. The National Fire Protection Agency recommends these safety tips:
• Stay in the kitchen when frying, grilling or broiling food. If leaving the kitchen, even for just a second, turn off the stove.
• If simmering, boiling, roasting, or baking food, check it regularly and remain in the house. Set a timer as a reminder that food is cooking.
• Keep anything that can catch fire, like oven mitts, wooden utensils, and food packaging, towels, and curtains away from the stovetop.
• If a fire ignites, call 911 and leave the house. Close the door to help contain the fire.
• Keep a lid nearby to smother small grease fires. Smother the fire by sliding the lid over the pan and turning off the stovetop. Keep the lid on until the pan is cool.
• For an oven fire turn off the heat and keep the door closed.