Cat triggers oven fire; home saved by quick response

A Michigan homeowner narrowly avoided disaster when a fire broke out in his oven during the night. The Almira Township Fire Department reported that the family cat inadvertently activated the oven's self-clean mode, causing the incident.

The department received an emergency call at 2:30 a.m. on October 1 about a fire at a residence on Burnt Mill Road. According to their Facebook post, "Investigation determined that a family pet had cycled the oven into self-clean mode while residents were asleep, causing the fire."

Fortunately, smoke detectors alerted the home's occupants, and they used a fire extinguisher to contain the flames within the oven. The department commended the homeowner for having functional smoke alarms and an extinguisher.

Brian Adams shared images of his damaged stove on Facebook, highlighting two buttons pressed by his cat's paws. He commented on what he perceived as poor design and explained how bacon grease left in the oven contributed to the blaze.

Daniel Vasilevski of Bright Force Electrical remarked, "Ovens catching fire isn’t new to us," emphasizing how easily accidents can occur with pets around kitchen appliances.

Other individuals also shared similar experiences involving pets activating stoves. To prevent such incidents, Vasilevski recommended using lock features or childproof covers for stove controls and ensuring ovens are empty when not in use.

Mike Leggett from Real Estate Bees advised against storing items in ovens due to potential hazards. Regular cleaning of ovens is essential, according to Vasilevski, as accumulated debris can ignite during high-temperature cycles like self-cleaning.

Steve Lockwood from Mountain State Fire Protection stressed knowing which materials are safe for heating and avoiding using ovens as storage spaces. He urged homeowners to maintain working smoke detectors and have extinguishers readily available.

Keeping pets away from kitchens could also help prevent similar occurrences in homes with comparable stoves.