At approximately 2:50 p.m. on Thursday, Tucson Fire was dispatched to an apartment in the 3700 block of North Campbell after a resident called 9-1-1 reporting her stove was on fire and the fire was spreading. The resident and her dog were able to evacuate safely.
The first TFD Engine approaching the scene could see black smoke from the complex as they neared the intersection of Prince and Campbell. The firefighters pulled a hose line to the second floor apartment and entered to find a minimal amount of flames in the kitchen area. While TFD units were arriving, two employees of the apartment complex used three fire extinguishers that were on scene and sprayed them from the door of the apartment towards the flames, keeping the fire from spreading and having it almost extinguished as firefighters arrived.
Firefighters extinguished any remaining flames and then used thermal imaging cameras and inspection holes to make sure that the fire did not spread into the small attic space above the kitchen cabinets. The fire damage was contained to the kitchen area but there was smoke damage throughout the apartment.
The building had 8 total apartments in it, with only one being affected by the fire. Building Safety was responding to the scene to decide if the other units were safe to reside in. Two residents, a male in his 30’s and female in her 20’s, were going to be displaced from the apartment but stated that they could stay with family and Red Cross would not be needed.
Fire investigators were on scene to determine the cause of the fire. The initial reports were that the fire had started on the stove after oil that was being warmed up ignited and spread quickly.