Two adults and four children escaped unharmed from a kitchen fire in their Pittston home early Saturday morning, thanks to quick action by the homeowner and a 4-year-old girl’s lesson in fire prevention.
The fire, which firefighters said was started by a stove burner inadvertently turned on, could have become worse.
Fire Chief Jason Farris said the fire at 11 Webb Road was reported around 3 a.m. Saturday.
He said it was initially reported there were six people still in the home when the fire call first came in. All the occupants of the home had evacuated when firefighters arrived.
Farris said the fire started when a plastic cutting board, towels and other items on top of the stove were caught on fire from a burner on a gas kitchen stove.
He said the stove burner was inadvertently turned on by someone walking by the stove and bumping into it, apparently knocking the knob that controlled the burner off the stove.
A smoke detector alarm woke up the family.
Farris said homeowner Starla Perico went into the kitchen to turn the stove burner off. When she saw the knob was gone, she alertly pulled a knob off a different burner of the stove and used it to shut down the burner before she left the home.
“That’s pretty quick thinking, especially at 3 in the morning,” Farris said.
The fire caused a few thousand dollars damage, but the family was able to return to the home that morning.
The fire chief said that when the smoke detector was going off, a 4-year-old girl in the home told her mom that the family needed to evacuate and go to their meeting place outside.
Farris said Pittston firefighters teach fire-prevention lessons at the elementary school, including to students in the 4-year-old program, where the girl had learned the fire prevention lessons.
“It’s nice she was able to recall that stuff, exactly word for word,” Farris said of the girl reciting what to do when smoke detectors go off. “It shows smoke detectors save lives, and fire prevention works in schools.”
He said the fire also serves as a reminder items should not be left on top, or inside, of stoves.
Joining Pittston firefighters at the scene were firefighters from Gardiner, Randolph, Farmingdale and West Gardiner.
Keith Edwards — 621-5647
Twitter: @kedwardskj
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