Cooking oil ignites, sparks residential fire in Calgary's northwest

A stock photo showing the side of a Calgary Fire Department vehicle.

A northwest Calgary home caught fire Thursday due to a kitchen fire that started with ignited cooking oil.

At about 4:30 p.m., firefighters were called for reports of a fire inside a single-family home on Norfolk Way N.W.

After the oil ignited on the stovetop, it appears to have spread quickly to nearby cabinets.

When the residents weren’t able to quickly extinguish the flames, they fled the home and called for help.

Firefighters arrived to discover smoke coming from the home and entered the structure, where they were able to locate and rescue the family’s 17-year-old Shih Tzu, who is visually impaired.

No injuries were reported.

Coming as it did on the cusp of the holiday season, the Calgary Fire Department would like to share a few tips to help prevent cooking fires, which are the No. 1 cause of residential fires in Calgary. 

•          Stay in the kitchen while frying, broiling, grilling or boiling food;
•          If you must leave, turn off the stove and remove the pot from the stove;
•          Use dry oven mitts and potholders to prevent scalding or burns;
•          Use the stove’s back burners whenever possible and turn potholders inward to reduce the odds of pots being knocked over;
•          Keep any items that can burn away from the stovetop;
•          Clean food and grease from the oven and stovetop once it cools down;·        
•          Keep an oven mitt and lid nearby while cooking. If a small grease fire breaks out in a pan, smother the flames by sliding the lid over the pan;
•          To keep oil from igniting, fry foods in a temperature-controlled deep-fat fryer or skillet designed for a maximum temperature of 200 degrees;
•          In case of a stovetop fire, do not move the pot or throw water on the flames;
•          Turn off the heat and exhaust fan;
•          Have a home escape plan, including the layout of your home. Create and practise escaping with everyone in the family; and
•          For more information, go here.