February 21, 2001

PRESS RELEASE

To: Newsroom

For Immediate Release

Contact: Brian A. Crawford, Public Information Officer

Phone: 673-6652, cell: 455-2609, page: 675-2137

Firefighters Battle Another Early Morning Apartment Fire

■ Kitchen fires said to be cause for recent increase

In what is becoming a routine call, last night Shreveport firefighters were once again called to an apartment complex for a kitchen fire. At 2:40 a.m. this morning, firefighters pulled up in front of the Pier Landing Apartments, 3601 Dee Street, to find downstairs apartment 113 pouring black smoke out its front window. Once inside the intense fire was located and extinguished by the department’s station eleven crew, lead by Captain Clay Townsend.

There was quite a bit of fire when we entered the structure but we were able to contain it to just the kitchen area, minimizing the damage, says Townsend. Adding, "another five minutes and you would have had a serious problem." Fire damage to the apartment was limed to the kitchen area where it is said to be heavy, with the rest of the structure suffering smoke damage.

Occupant Eloise Chambers, 42, told fire investigators that she had turned on the stove in preparation to fry fish when the fire started. The fire is still under investigation by the department’s fire prevention bureau. An upstairs neighbor, Tadd Stout, 26, was attended to but not transported by department paramedics for a fall he sustained when evacuating his apartment.

Last night’s fire marks the third apartment fire in two weeks for the department, more specifically, apartment fires that started in the kitchen. In the early morning hours of February 10, firefighters fought a two-alarm fire at the Stone Vista Apartments, 541 East Stoner Avenue, that started in the kitchen of one of the apartments and quickly spread through the entire building. Later that same morning, crews were called out to the Grimmitt Drive Apartments, 2100 Grimmitt Drive, for yet another kitchen fire. According to officials, most of the fires of this nature are attributed to carelessness, specifically, individuals turning on the stove and then leaving it unattended. The fire department feels fortunate to have had no fatalities or serious injuries concerning the recent rash of apartment fires but cautions area residence to never leave a stove in use unattended. ###