Kitchen fire leads to attic fire in Concord home

The Contra Costa County Fire Protection District responded to a report of smoke from the eaves of a single story home in the 4600 block of Springwood Way in Concord at approximately 9:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 23rd. The first arriving crew found smoke in the attic. The occupants of the home exited the house upon smelling smoke.

A total of 14 firefighters from four engines, one Battalion Chief, and one Safety Officer were able to control the situation within an hour of their arrival. The cause of the incident was a kitchen fire that occurred at approximately 3:30 p.m. The homeowner extinguished the initial fire in the kitchen and thought the fire was out. They didn’t request the Fire District to respond. The fire, although extinguished in the kitchen, smoldered in the attic all day until the occupants noticed the smell of smoke later in the night. Fire crews opened the ceiling and found charred wood and smoldering insulation above the kitchen. The insulation was blown-in cellulose material that needed to be removed from the fire area and adjacent area. There were no reports of injuries and damage was estimated at approximately $25,000.

Kitchen fires are the leading cause of fires in the Fire District and rank as the leading cause of fires nationwide. Simple precautions can be taken to avoid kitchen fires from starting by following basic safety guidelines. For more information on kitchen fire safety, click here. Kitchen fires can easily spread to the attic of your home – the attic should be thoroughly checked by the Fire District to ensure there is no fire in your attic – never assume the fire is out even if you extinguished whatever was burning on the stove. Call the Fire District even if you think you’ve extinguished the fire.

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