An automatic stovetop device stopped a kitchen fire from spreading in an Oak Ridge apartment Thursday morning, firefighters said.
The fire was reported at about 10:52 a.m. Thursday in an apartment on Teller Village Lane. The first Oak Ridge Fire Department unit arrived within minutes and found smoke inside the apartment, a press release said.
No injuries were reported in the fire. The vent hood system, cabinets, and stovetop in the kitchen were damaged, but the fire was not able to spread because of the automatic stovetop fire suppressor device, the press release said.
An apartment complex representative told fire crews that canisters are placed under the range hoods in the apartments. The canisters automatically activate when flames from a cooking fire make contact with the fuse on the bottom of the device, the release said. The canister then deploys a fire suppression chemical onto the stovetop in order to stop the fire.
If a suppression device had not been in place and working at the time of the fire, the damage could have been much worse, firefighters said.
“The Oak Ridge Fire Department would like to remind everyone to take proper safety precautions when cooking,” the press release said. “Please remember to check smoke alarms regularly and have an extinguisher or other fire suppression tool nearby in case of an accidental fire.”
More information will be added as it becomes available.
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