Fire Department

A pair of roommates began baking a pizza in their downtown apartment Tuesday when suddenly one of them noticed flames coming from the bottom drawer of the oven. As one roommate rushed to grab an extinguisher from the hallway, the other dialed 911.
 
Ladder 1 arrived on location and headed to the third-floor apartment. The roommates said the fire was out, and firefighters confirmed that was the case.
 
A toaster, which had been placed in the bottom broiler drawer, heated up when the oven was turned on. The heat melted the plastic in the toaster which then caught on fire. The roommates had mistaken the broiler for a storage area.
 
Other than a totaled toaster, there was no property damage as a result of the fire. The residents cleaned up the extinguisher dust and contacted property management to have the extinguisher serviced. Ladder 1 ventilated the apartment before leaving the scene.
 
As many downtown apartment leases turn over this month, this incident is a reminder to new tenants to double check that the drawer on the bottom of their “new,” unfamiliar oven is truly meant for storage.