Leaving stove-top meals unattended in the kitchen continues to be one of the leading causes of residential fires in Chilliwack and North America.
The Chilliwack Fire Department is reminding residents to "stay in the kitchen when cooking and make sure all appliances are shut off" following a kitchen fire in a four-storey apartment complex early Wednesday morning.
Three occupants of a suite on the fourth floor, two adults and a small child, were seen leaving the apartment building in the 46000-block Bole Avenue as firefighters responded to a 2 a.m. smoke alarm.
No one was injured in the fire, except one man who was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation.
"Fire crews entered the suite and found a pot on the stove had activated a sprinkler head," said Jeff Ullyot, assistant fire chief.
"The sprinkler controlled and extinguished the fire, preventing it from extending beyond the stove," he said.
Minor fire and smoke damage was limited to a microwave and an area of the upper cupboards.
Ullyot said sprinkler systems continue to prove their worth by limiting fire damage and preventing fire-related injuries and deaths.