Fire Department

Ladder Company 6 and Medic 6 were first on scene as residents began evacuating an apartment building on Petra Place. The smell of burned food was in the air as firefighters approached the unit where alarms sounded and smoke was seen.

A pot of charred rice was found inside the kitchen sink, reading at 123 degrees Fahrenheit, according to firefighters’ thermal imaging camera. The crew turned on the water to bring down the temperature and proceeded to clear the air.

The occupant later told firefighters she was cooking rice when she fell asleep. She doesn’t remember turning off the stove or placing the pot of rice in the sink, but doing so may have prevented a fire from starting.

Nobody was injured or displaced. Residents were welcomed back inside after the unit was ventilated and free from further hazards.