February 4, 2009- Afternoon Fire Damages One Apartment

Another Fire at the University Oak Apartments

The Shreveport Fire Department (SFD) was dispatched to the University Oak Apartments at 4715 Hillary Huckaby Drive at 1:44 PM this afternoon. Fire crews for Fire Station #6 arrived on scene two minutes later and found light smoke coming from the an upstairs apartment. They entered the apartment and the area in the kitchen was on fire. The fire was extinguished and brought under control by 2:02 PM.

Fire damage was contained in the one apartment and smoke did spread to several of the adjacent apartments. Those apartments were ventilated and all the occupants were able to return to them. The one apartment on fire sustained heavy fire damage to the kitchen area. All occupants escaped the apartment building with no injuries. The occupant of the apartment stated she had put some grease on the stove to cook with and had left to visit a friend in the apartment complex. She returned to find the apartment on fire. SFD responded to the same apartment complex on January 26, 2009 for a cooking fire also.

The Shreveport Fire Department would like to remind all citizens that cooking fires are the number one cause of fires in the United States. Many of our recent apartment fires have resulted from cooking fires also. Never leave your cooking unattended. Keep your stove area clear of all combustible material (rags, napkins, etc.), and do not wear loose fitting clothing while cooking as it can easily catch on fire if it gets near the ignition source. Never try to extinguish a grease fire with water. Always smother it by placing a lid over it or use a correctly rated fire extinguisher.