Two more apartment kitchen fires made headlines this week. One woman was rescued and hospitalized. Five units were affected in a single incident. Here’s the rundown.
Austin, Texas — July 14
A kitchen fire displaced residents from five apartment units Tuesday night at a North Austin apartment complex. Austin Fire Department crews responded at 8:45 p.m. to 8028 Gessner Drive, where occupants were safely evacuated as firefighters extinguished the blaze. The fire was contained to the kitchen where it started and was quickly put out, but five units were affected. The apartment manager is working with displaced residents to arrange temporary housing. No injuries were reported and the cause is under investigation.
Virginia Beach, Virginia — July 15
Virginia Beach Fire Department and EMS units responded to a multi-family structure fire in the 300 block of 33rd Street around 3:30 a.m. Wednesday morning. Crews arrived to find heavy smoke coming from the two-story apartment and had water on the fire within 10 minutes. One adult female was rescued from the fire, evaluated, treated, and transported to a local hospital. No other injuries to civilians, firefighters, or pets were reported. Investigators determined the fire originated in the kitchen and was an accidental cooking fire.
Two fires in two days. A 3:30 a.m. rescue in Virginia Beach. Five households displaced in Austin from a single kitchen. Different states, same origin point.
If you want to see how FireBot stops a kitchen fire at the stove before it becomes a building problem, take a look at firebotssuppression.com.