Kannapolis fire officials warn of unattended food causing fires

KANNAPOLIS — Kannapolis fire officials warn residents not to leave cooking food unattended in their homes.

Unattended food on the stove caused two separate incidents over the weekend in Kannapolis, according to the Kannapolis Fire Department.

Kannapolis firefighters responded to Ashby Street in the early hours of Saturday morning. Burning food filled the home with smoke.

On Sunday afternoon, firefighters were called to Beaumont Avenue. There, they found food cooking on the stove while no one was at home.

In both incidents, no one was injured, and there was no serious damage to the dwelling.

Fire officials say they see two basic types of cooking fires. One such fire occurs either on the stove or in the oven when the occupant is home. Distractions occur — the phone rings, children need help with homework, laundry needs to be folded or the television gets your attention.

The other type of kitchen fire occurs when the resident intentionally or accidentally leaves something cooking when she or he leaves.

"It is by far the 'unattended' category which causes the greatest frequency of heavy-loss fires," Kannapolis officials said in a press release Monday. "Today is the day — make it a rule to never leave anything cooking when leaving your home."

And officials caution residents to avoid leaving small kitchen appliances such as toasters, can openers and blenders plugged in. "They have the potential to short out and start a fire when unattended," the Fire Department warns. "It takes only a second to plug in or unplug the appliance, and it is a very small inconvenience when compared with that of a kitchen fire."

For additional kitchen safety information, call the Fire Department's Risk Reduction Division at 704-920-4261.