The Fort Frances Fire Department was called to the apartments on Sixth Street West and Webster Avenue around 2 a.m. on Sunday after smoke was reported in an unit there.
The fire department said this morning that a resident there had fallen asleep on the couch in the midst of cooking.
A pot on the stove overheated, and the resulting smoke set off the apartment’s smoke alarm.
A neighbour heard the alarm and went to the apartment to find the resident fast asleep despite the noise and smoke.
The neighbour woke the resident up, then took the pot off the stove himself. The neighbour then called the fire department to deal with the smoke.
Firefighters used a ventilator to blow the smoke out of the apartment building.
There was no damage other than the smoke, and no injuries were reported.
Fire Chief Gerry Armstrong said this morning that late-night cooking, mixed with factors like alcohol, are the leading cause of fires in Ontario. He urged the public to take care when cooking food.
He also stressed the public should check to see their smoke alarms are working. In cases like this one, it alerted a neighbour of the smoke and prevented a potential fire.
The fire department does not, however, encourage the public to take a chance going into an emergency situation themselves. Instead, they should wait for firefighters to arrive.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
