Woman suffers severe burns in kitchen fire

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An elderly woman suffered severe burns in a kitchen fire at her home in the Clear Creek area on Tuesday afternoon.

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Firefighters from Norfolk stations in Fairground, Langton, and Port Rowan responded to a reported house fire at about 2:30 p.m.

Occupants of the home extinguished the fire before firefighters arrived.

The woman was transported to hospital for treatment of burns suffered in the cooking fire. Her injuries are serious but not considered life-threatening, said Norfolk County Assistant Fire Chief James Robertson in a media release.

The fire was contained to the kitchen, where it caused about $20,000 damage, he said.  The house and contents are insured.

The incident prompted the fire department to urge residents to take steps to prevent fires in their homes.

“As cooking fires continue to be one of the leading causes of home fires in Ontario, we want everyone to focus on the prevention of cooking fires and staying fire safe in the kitchen,” Robertson said.

SAFETY STEPS

The Norfolk County Fire Department urges people to:

• Always stay in the kitchen when cooking and turn off the stove if you must leave the kitchen.
• Keep a proper fitting lid near the stove. If a pot of oil catches fire, slide the lid over the pot and turn off the stove. Do not move the pot. Never throw water on a burning pot.
• Keep anything that burns – plastic utensils, dishcloths, paper towels – a safe distance from the stove.
• Cook responsibly. To prevent cooking fires, you must be alert. You will not be alert if you have consumed alcohol or drugs.
• Wear tight-fitting or rolled up sleeves when using the stove. Loose, dangling clothing can easily catch fire.
• Keep young children one metre away from the stove. Turn pot handles away from the stoves edge so they can’t be easily knocked off.
• If you burn yourself while cooking, run cool water over the wound for three to five minutes. If the burn is severe, seek medical attention.

(SOURCE: Norfolk County Fire Department)

For more information, contact Norfolk’s fire prevention bureau at 519-426-5870 ext. 2402 weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Details are also available at norfolkcountyfire.ca.