At approximately 6:37 AM on March 28, 2018, the Central Dakota Communications Center received a report of cooking fire at an apartment on the 400 block of South Washington Street. The Bismarck Fire Department was dispatched to investigate. The first arriving fire crew reported a two story apartment building with nothing showing from the outside. The fire crew found a fire contained within an oven in one of the apartment units. When the fire was extinguished and the apartment ventilated, the fire crew was met by the occupant of the apartment who stated that he forgot to remove a left over pizza box from his oven before starting the unit. The cause of the fire was determined to be accidental.
At approximately 11:21 AM on March 28, 2018, the Central Dakota Communications Center received a report of cooking fire at an apartment on the 2100 block of Xavier Street. The Bismarck Fire Department was dispatched to investigate. The first arriving fire crew found light smoke conditions in an apartment unit and evidence of a fire that had been contained within an oven. The tenant had been storing cookware and ice cube trays inside the over and forgot to remove those items prior to starting the oven. The cause of the fire was determined to be accidental.
At approximately 2:06 PM on March 28, 2018, the Central Dakota Communications Center received a report of smoke coming from an electrical outlet in a house on the 1400 block of North 16th Street. The Bismarck Fire Department was dispatched to investigate. The first arriving fire crew was met by the homeowner who stated that there was smoke coming from an electrical outlet in the home. The fire crew shut off power at the breaker panel and checked for fire extension. It was determined that there was no fire extension outside of the electrical outlet box. The homeowner was advised to leave the electrical circuit off until the outlet can be checked by a licensed electrician. The cause of the fire was classified as accidental.
Cooking fires are the number one cause of home fires and home injuries. The leading cause of cooking fires is unattended cooking. By being mindful and following a few safety tips you can prevent home cooking fires. Stay in the kitchen while frying, boiling, grilling, or broiling food. If you leave the kitchen even for a short time, turn off the stove. If you are simmering, baking, or roasting food, remain in the home and use a timer to remind you that you are cooking. Keep anything that can catch fire - oven mitts, dish towels, food packaging, wooden utensils, - away from your stovetop. Inspect the interior of your over for combustible materials before turning it on. Avoid using the interior of your oven to as a storage space for any sort of combustible materials.