A St. Catharines resident has been taken to hospital following a kitchen fire at a home in the city’s north end.

Crews were called to the blaze just before 4 p.m. Monday after an unattended pot of cooking oil ignited a fire in the kitchen of a basement apartment.

Fire officials say a resident who lives in the upstairs apartment alerted the person in the basement and both made it outside safely.

However, the basement resident and another person who lives in the home went back inside to try and put out the fire.
During their attempt, the basement resident suffered burns to their hands and face and was transported to Hamilton General Hospital’s burn unit.

Damage is estimated at more than $15,000.

“Fires related to cooking are one of the leading causes of fires in the home,” said Fire Chief Jeff McCormick in a news release. “Residents should always remain attentive to what’s on the stove and around it, they should never leave cooking unattended.”

St. Catharines fire is reminding resident to make sure no flammable items such as rags, plastic utensils, or paper towel are placed near hot surfaces. If a pot does catch fire, fire officials say residents should never try to move it, instead turn off the heat and cover the pot with a lid to extinguish the flames.

McCormick is also reminding residents that you should never risk re-entering a burning building adding, “Once you are out, stay out and wait for the Fire Department to arrive and help.”