Above / A residential fire in the 1700 Block of Brookdale Road is another reason to remind readers of safety precautions while cooking, especially as the holidays approach. To help convey the message that keeping the community safe is everybody’s responsibility, photos of Naperville emergency vehicles are used to attract attention to stories regarding public safety. (PN File Photo)
At 7:19PM on Sun., Nov. 10, 2019, Naperville’s Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) received a 911 call from a resident stating that a fire had started in the kitchen of their residence.
The PSAP call taker advised the residents to evacuate the house immediately and a full still assignment for a cooking fire was immediately dispatched to the location. While companies began to respond, PSAP received additional information that the fire was from cooking oil on the stovetop and that it had spread to the entire kitchen.
Battalion 1 upgraded the alarm to a general alarm before any units arrived on scene. Engine Company 4 arrived on scene within three minutes of receiving the call, and reported nothing showing from the front of the two-story single-family residence. The first arriving company officer quickly determined that there was a working fire on the first floor of the residence and initiated an interior attack in the fire.
The complete general alarm assignment response consisted of three engine companies, two truck companies, one squad company, two ambulances, and two battalion commanders for a total of 24 personnel that responded to the scene of the incident.
Two adults and a dog evacuate residence
Two adult residents and one dog had safely evacuated the residence prior to the arrival of fire department units.
Companies initiated an aggressive, coordinated fire attack and extinguished fire in the first floor living area within
10 minutes. Extra time was taken to extinguish areas with smoldering in the kitchen as well as removal of smoke
from all floors of the residence. Crews continued to perform salvage and overhaul operations for another sixty
minutes after the main fire was extinguished. No injuries to any residents or firefighters operating at the scene were reported during this incident.
A fire investigator was dispatched to the scene to assist with determining the cause of the fire. The investigator
determined that the fire was accidental as the result of unattended stovetop cooking. The house was deemed
uninhabitable for the family after consulting with an inspector from the Naperville Transportation, Engineering, &
Development Department (T.E.D.).
The Naperville Fire Department was assisted at the scene by the Naperville Police Department, NiCor, Naperville Electric Department, and the American Red Cross. Fire station coverage was provided by the Plainfield and West Chicago Fire Protection Districts during the incident.
Report submitted by James C. Kubinski, EMT-P, Bureau Chief – E.M.S., Naperville Fire Department.
