Firefighters respond to heavy smoke from kitchen fire in Dixie Downs

ST. GEORGE — Firefighters and several engines responded to a structure fire at a residence in the Dixie Downs area after the homeowners found heavy smoke coming from the kitchen area on a chilly Monday morning.

Multiple engines respond to a structure fire off 1650 West in Dixie Downs that started in the kitchen area, St. George, Utah, Jan. 6, 2020 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News

Shortly after 8 a.m. firefighters responded to a residence in the 1400 block of 1650 West involving a structure fire that reportedly started in the kitchen area, St. George Fire Chief Robert Stoker said.

A St. George Police officer was first to arrive and reported seeing smoke coming from the home. The residents had already evacuated the home before calling for help.

“When the residents left they closed all of the doors, which limited the spread of the fire,” Stoker said.

Fire crews entered the home and found heavy smoke throughout the residence and were able to extinguish the fire, which appeared to have started on the stove and then spread up toward the microwave and into the kitchen cabinets.

Once extinguished, firefighters began the search to determine if the fire had extended farther up the wall or into the ceiling area, but ultimately all areas were cleared when they found no smoldering areas or burning embers.

St. George Fire Department responds to a structure fire off 1650 West in Dixie Downs that started in the kitchen area, St. George, Utah, Jan. 6, 2020 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News

In the event of a cooking fire, Stoker said, the best thing to do is to put it out with a fire extinguisher if one is available and it is a small fire. Otherwise, exit the home and keep all of the doors closed, which limits the oxygen and slows the spread of the fire.

If a fire starts in a pan while cooking, covering the pot will help smother the fire, Stoker said, but he cautioned to never throw a towel or cloth on top of the pan to smother the flames, which can cause the burning contents to spray back on the person.

Stoker also said that due to the colder temperatures and the abundance of water flowing along the street and sidewalks as a result of their fire suppression efforts, residents in the area of this or other structure fires in the future should use caution, as the risk of sliding off the road or slipping on the sidewalk increases as that water begins to freeze, as was the case Monday with temperatures hovering just above 29 degrees.

There were no injuries reported to firefighters or residents, Stoker said, but while any fire damage was confined to the kitchen area, the home sustained heavy smoke damage throughout.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.

Free News Delivery by Email

Would you like to have the day's news stories delivered right to your inbox every evening? Enter your email below to start!