Unattended cooking blamed for house fire
By Jack Stephens
Published in News on December 4, 2005 2:05 AM
Unattended cooking was blamed Thursday night for a kitchen fire that caused about $25,000 in damages to a home at 305 Lorease Drive near Dudley, fire officials said Friday.
"They had left something on the stove, went to do something else, forgot about it, came back and discovered the kitchen was burned up," Mar Mac Fire Chief Bill Harrell said.
The residents escaped injury. But Assistant Chief Roberto Mendoza said one resident, Loistine Oates, was concerned about awakening her elderly mother and getting her from the home.
The fire was confined to the kitchen, but smoke damaged the entire split-level home.
Ten Mar Mac firefighters responded to the 8:15 p.m. alarm with four trucks. Dudley assisted with three trucks and Mount Olive brought two. They needed about an hour and a half to put out the fire, investigate the cause and finish salvage work.
"They did a good job," Harrell said.
The home, owned by Mrs. Oates and her husband, Darius, who was away at work, was valued at $125,000.
The call came as firefighters were completing another call at Uchiyama America on Arrington Bridge Road.