Apartment residents waited to call 911 for kitchen fire, official says

A Wichita firefighter received an electric shock while responding to a kitchen fire in an east Wichita apartment on Sunday where the residents waited to call 911.

Firefighters were called at 2:52 p.m. to an apartment in the 200 block of North Rock Road; there was fire and smoke when crews arrived, Wichita fire Lt. Jose Ocadiz said on Tuesday.

The residents had left food cooking unattended in the kitchen, Ocadiz said. Once the fire started, they left the apartment to find a fire extinguisher. When they returned, the extinguisher did not work, and they called 911.

“It is very crucial that you call 911 as soon as you see any type of smoke or fire, regardless of how small you think that fire is, get us en route,” Ocadiz said. “Fire does grow twice its size every minute.”

The fire had extended to the building’s second level and attic by the time firefighters arrived, Ocadiz said, and additional crews were called.

A fire captain received an electric shock while removing the ceiling, Ocadiz said, but was released back to duty the same day by paramedics and station medical staff. No one else was injured.

The fire caused $75,000 in damage to the apartment building and $15,000 in content loss, Ocadiz said.

This story was originally published January 16, 2018 at 1:20 PM with the headline "Apartment residents waited to call 911 for kitchen fire, official says."