Kitchen Fire Displaces Hercules Family

By Bay City News Service

A number of Contra Costa County fire departments teamed up to put out a kitchen fire that forced a Hercules family to seek shelter on Saturday, a battalion chief said.

Crews from the Pinole, Rodeo-Hercules, Contra Costa, Crockett-Carquinez and El Cerrito fire departments responded to a call reporting a fire at 118 Bellflower Court at 9:39 a.m., Battalion Chief Brian Lowry said.

Four juveniles were in the house at the time of the fire, the chief said. They were displaced and none were injured, Lowry said. The blaze was caused accidentally when a frying pan with oil was left unattended on a stove burner that was turned on, the battalion chief said.

"On the stove, a frying pan with oil in it had been left on accidentally," according to a release issued by Lowry. "The pan of oil ignited and the fire spread to the cabinets. Upon activation of the smoke alarm, one of the teenagers reacted immediately, discovered the fire, and evacuated his siblings to safety."

There were no injuries in the incident.

The one-alarm blaze was extinguished by 9:50 a.m., Lowry said.

The two-story home is estimated to have $25,000 in damage, Lowry
said. The home is uninhabitable and American Red Cross was called to
provide temporary housing for the residents, he said.

"The Rodeo Hercules Fire District determined that this fire could have potentially had a tragic outcome had there not been a working smoke alarm in the house and had the juveniles not reacted immediately to the alarm," read the statement. "The Fire District reminds all resident to test their smoke alarms monthly and practice home fire drills."

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