The Houston Fire Department was dispatched to a house fire in the 2500 block of Milwaukee in northwest Houston about 6:30 p.m. last night, January 30, 2012. Firefighters arrived on scene within five minutes and found light smoke coming from the one-story home. A resident had left cooking food unattended. A smoke detector alerted the resident to the fire. Approximately 30 firefighters responded to the incident which was tapped out in a few minutes. The fire caused about $9 thousand in damage. There were no reported injuries.

HFD reminds residents that cooking is the number one cause of residential fires and is preventable by following these safety tips:

• Always, have a working smoke detector!
• Over half the people attempting to extinguish a kitchen fire are injured. Often the best advice is to get everyone out of the house and call the fire department (911) from a neighbor’s house.
• Use a moderate cooking temperature
• Don't overfill the container
• If you must leave the kitchen, turn the burner off (Unattended cooking is the primary cause of kitchen fires. Over half of these are grease/oil fires.)
• Turn pot handles away from the front of the stove. Curious children may reach up and grab the handle, pulling the hot contents down on themselves.
• Don't position handles over another burner, it may catch on fire or burn someone who touches it.
• Wear short sleeves or tight fitting long sleeves when cooking to reduce a clothing fire hazard.
• Shield yourself from scalding steam when lifting lids from hot pans.
• Make sure pot holders are not too close to the stove. They could catch fire!
• Keep ovens, broilers, stove tops, and exhaust ducts free from grease.
• If there is a fire in the oven - Turn off the oven and keep the oven door closed.
• Never try to move the pan, don't throw water on it, and don't put flour on it.
• If you attempt to extinguish the fire, it is best to use a class ABC multipurpose fire extinguisher. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions - stay back 6 to 8 feet and be careful not to spray the grease out of the pan. Baking soda can also smother the fire. Fires can double in size every 30 seconds.