12-1-19 Man burned in cooking accident

On Sunday, December 1, around 7:45 pm, the Chattanooga Fire Department responded to a reported residential fire with entrapment in the 1500 block of Eucalyptus Drive.

Upon arrival, no fire was visible from the outside, but one adult male patient was lying in the front yard.

Fire crews began patient care while other firefighters investigated inside the home. There was very minor damage to the cabinets above the stove.

The patient was taken to the hospital and is expected to make a full recovery.

The patient's family explained that a small grease fire had started while cooking and the patient had attempted to carry the burning pot outside. While carrying the burning pot, the patient suffered moderate burns to the upper body due to splashing grease.

According to the National Fire Protection Association and based on 2013-2017 annual averages, cooking fires are the leading cause of home fires and fire injuries. Cooking fires caused 49% of the home fires and resulted in 21% of the fire deaths and over 45% of the fire related injuries. Frying with grease dominates the cooking fire problem.