Firefighters extinguish kitchen fire in Chattanooga

Firefighters respond to a house fire in the 400 block of Roberts Road in Chattanooga.
Firefighters respond to a house fire in the 400 block of Roberts Road in Chattanooga.

Firefighters responded to a house fire in the 400 block of Roberts Road about 2 this afternoon, according to a Chattanooga Fire Department news release.

When the first firefighters arrived on the scene, heavy smoke was visible. Battalion Chief Chris Willmore said the firefighters located the fire in the kitchen and worked quickly to get the fire out. The fire damage was contained to the kitchen, but the rest of the house had some smoke damage.

The cause of the fire is being ruled accidental. A 15-year-old resident of the house told firefighters that he was heating up oil to cook some french fries when the hot oil boiled over and ignited. The youth said he carried the pot out of the kitchen, but the fire had already spread to the kitchen cabinets.

Paramedics with Hamilton County Emergency Medical Services treated the boy on the scene for minor burns to his fingers. He was not taken to a hospital.

Volunteers with the American Red Cross of Southeast Tennessee were called in to provide assistance to the four people who live in the house. Chief Willmore estimated the dollar loss at $5,000.

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