North Bay kitchen fire destroys residence

A fire Thursday morning in North Bay caused heavy damage to a residence, but everyone was able to escape the residence safely, officials said.

Three stations responded around 8:45 a.m. to the fire, which started in a kitchen on Sylvan Crescent.

“Fire crews were on the scene within six minutes,” said a news release from deputy chief Greg Saunders.

“Upon arrival, crews were met with heavy fire conditions and thick black smoke that could be seen from kilometres away. All residents were alerted by the sounding of fire alarms and were able to successfully leave the residence.”

They called 911, as well as alerting neighbours of the rowhouse, who evacuated safely with their pets.

“One resident of the home was taken to the hospital suffering minor injuries and has since been released,” the release said.

“The fire unit is destroyed. However, the quick action by fire crews limited the damage to the adjacent units. The cause of the fire is under investigation, but not deemed suspicious.”

North Bay Fire and Emergency Services urges caution while cooking and to never leave operating cooking appliances unattended.

“Working smoke alarms that are properly located and maintained provide critical early warning as most fatal fires occur in homes with no or nonfunctioning alarms,” the release said.

“They must be installed on every level of the home and outside sleeping areas.”