Saturday afternoon at approximately 9:30 a.m. BPS responded to a fire on the 1200 block of Water Street.

The fire was reportedly caused from an unattended pot that was left while cooking. Officer Shaw said there were between six and seven residents inside the home, including a 2-month-old child, but they all were safe upon arrival.

The family noticed the smoke and fire had started in the kitchen and led to the bedroom, so they attempted to escape out of the window. Once outside, the family took the water hose and began spraying the fire through the back door.

Officer Shaw said when the team arrived on scene most of the fire had been extinguished; they just began the smoke removal process.

Fire chief Doyle Welch said the kitchen was destroyed in the process and will take months to repair before it is usable again, but the most important thing is that everyone was safe and got out before they could inhale any smoke.

Officer Shaw reminds everyone in scenarios like this to never leave pots or cooking utensils unattended and always be aware of one’s surroundings. Most importantly, he wants to remind everyone to always have a smoke detector.

This family, unfortunately did not have a smoke detector, but were able to catch the fire in just enough time.