SANTA CRUZ – In response to a kitchen fire in the Beach Hill neighborhood on Friday, firefighters found a cooked meal on the stove and a dog and cat in need of rescuing.
A fire in the eat-in kitchen on Cliff Street in Santa Cruz left a dog and a cat in need of rescue on Friday morning. (Santa Cruz Fire Department – Contribution)
Alerted neighbors began reporting the smell and sight of smoke from a one-story house in the 300 block of Cliff Street at 7 a.m., according to a statement from Santa Cruz Fire Battalion chief Daniel Kline.
According to Kline, the fire appeared to have started after the resident of the house went to work and there was no one inside except the family’s pets. The fire was under control within 15 minutes and was limited to the kitchen. However, the home was severely damaged by smoke, with the total damage estimated at about $ 30,000, Kline said. The cat and dog were rescued by their owner in good health and without distress, he said. No civilians or firefighters were injured.
The cause of the fire was found to be a saucepan on the stove that spread to the kitchen cabinets, Kline said. Two ceiling-mounted smoke alarms went on and went off, alerting neighbors who discovered the fire, he said. The early detection of the fire reportedly helped minimize the spread of the fire and further damage to the home or surrounding homes.
