Unattended cooking to blame in Hamilton house fire

The Loudoun County Fire Marshal’s Office has determined that last Tuesday night’s fire in Hamilton was caused by unattended cooking and estimated the damages at approximately $164,740.

Just before 8:45 p.m., Tuesday, April 6, Fire and rescue units from Hamilton, Purcellville, Round Hill, Lovettsville, and LCFR Command units were dispatched for a structure fire in the 17,000 block of Madison Avenue in Hamilton. Firefighters arrived on the scene to find active fire in the kitchen and quickly made entry to extinguish the fire. Additional crews outside the home confirmed that the resident had safely evacuated to a neighboring home. There were no injuries to fire department personnel and one adult resident was transported to a local hospital for observation.

This incident is the ninth significant cooking related fire in Loudoun County since July 2020 and brings the total dollar loss from cooking related fires to roughly $1.865 million! In October of 2019, unattended cooking was responsible for a fatal house fire that took the life of a Sterling man. These fires can be prevented.

Take these steps to prevent cooking fires and know what to do if a fire does occur:

Watch what you heat

• Always remain in the kitchen while cooking, especially on the stovetop. If you leave the kitchen, even briefly, turn off the stove.  If baking, roasting, or broiling, set timers to remind you food is cooking.
•  Maintain a three-foot safety zone for kids and pets around stove and hot appliances.
• Keep combustibles, such as oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels, or curtains, away from your stovetop.

If you have a fire

• On the stovetop, slide a lid on the pan to smother the flames and turn off the burner. Do not remove the lid until the pan is completely cooled. Never pour water on a grease fire 
•  For an oven fire, immediately turn off the heat and close the oven door.
•  When in doubt, get out then call 9-1-1! Close the door behind you to help contain the fire.

Remember, working smoke alarms save lives. Smoke Alarms provide an early warning giving you more time to safely escape. Install smoke alarms on every level, outside the door of any sleeping area, and inside each bedroom. Never disconnect the smoke alarms in your home, especially while cooking. The Loudoun County Combined Fire and Rescue System’s Smoke Alarm Program offers free home safety inspections to all residents. If smoke alarms are broken or outdated, we will replace them with battery powered alarms at no cost and install additional alarms as necessary. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call the smoke alarm hotline 703-737-8093 or visit www.loudoun.gov/smokealarms.