Ocala firefighters were dispatched to a local apartment complex on Tuesday evening after receiving reports of a fire in a second-floor unit.
Shortly after 7:05 p.m., Ocala Fire Rescue crews arrived at the Berkeley Pointe apartment complex located at 2833 NE 7th Street.
Upon arrival, residents of the complex directed firefighters to a second-floor apartment where a stove had reportedly caught on fire. Crews quickly entered the kitchen inside the apartment and observed a stovetop and toaster that were both covered in extinguishing powder.
The apartment’s resident advised that the fire was caused by a burner that “became accidentally energized,” and it proceeded to burn a toaster that was on the stovetop, according to OFR.
Thanks to a fire suppression device that was in the kitchen, OFR stated that the fire was contained and extinguished by the time that firefighters arrived on scene.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, unattended cooking is the leading cause of kitchen fires. OFR encourages residents to always keep an eye on what they are cooking or heating up in the kitchen, and keep any items that can catch on fire away from any heat source.
For more information on how to prevent cooking-related fires, visit the National Fire Protection Association’s cooking safety webpage.