A 91-year-old man left a pan of cooking oil on the stove and caused a fire Sunday afternoon, according to the Chattanooga Fire Department.
Firefighters were called to the 3700 block of Thrushwood Drive around 3 p.m., a news release stated.
The man told firefighters he put a pan of oil on the stove to heat and left the room. The oil caught fire and flames had spread to the cabinets by the time the man came back.
The man tried to put the flames out with a fire extinguisher, but when that failed, he got out of the house and called 911, the release stated. He was not injured.
Capt. George Turley, the incident commander, said the firefighters got the fire out quickly, containing the fire damage to the kitchen area. There was some smoke and water damage to adjacent rooms.
The man will be staying with relatives while his house is repaired.