The Jacksonville Fire Department was able to contain a fire in an apartment on the city’s west side Wednesday afternoon.
The Jacksonville Fire Department was called to an apartment complex at 6 Gardendale Drive shortly before 4PM Wednesday. Upon arrival, firefighters determined that an occupant to one apartment was outside of the building and reported there was a fire in their kitchen. Firefighters also quickly worked to secure gas and power utilities to prevent any further risks to the remainder of the apartment complex. Simultaneously, teams conducted searches of adjacent apartments to ensure no occupants or pets remained inside. After the searches confirmed the other apartments were clear, firefighters deployed fire hoses and began an attack on the small blaze inside the apartment that was on fire.
Suppression efforts quickly contained the blaze. The occupant of the apartment that had caught on fire told officials that they had been cooking and when she had left the stove and sat down, she noticed smoke began to billow in the apartment and she immediately evacuated.
Firefighters discovered that an electrical coffee maker, an air fryer and another utensil were plugged into a wall outlet and suffered severe damage to the immediate left of the stove, which still had a knob set to on.
Damage to the apartment and contents was valued around $40,500. No injuries were reported. Fire units left the scene shortly after 5PM Wednesday.