An Oak Ridge man used a water bottle and clothing to put out a fire that started after he fell asleep while cooking chicken fat on his stove early Monday morning, authorities said.
Walter H. Starnes said there was smoke in the home on North Alabama Road when he woke up, and he used a water bottle to extinguish a cabinet fire and clothing to smother a fire in a pot on a stove, according to a report by Oak Ridge Fire Department Battalion Chief Marty Griffith.
Firefighters reported that the fire had extended into a cabinet, but it had been put out, the report said. They found no problems in the attic, and a stove and microwave were unplugged from a wall outlet, with no damage observed to the outlet.
Firefighters advised Starnes to not use the stove or microwave until a technician could examine them.
The fire was reported at about 5:25 a.m. Monday, and it caused an estimated $1,600 in damage, the report said.
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