Cat caught on camera starting dangerous kitchen fire after jumping on stove and turning on burner
A cat started a fire that caused severe damage to a kitchen in Dallas County, Texas, this week after it was able to turn on the stove, officials said.
The Garland Fire Department responded to the fire on Wednesday and immediately extinguished the blaze, the department said in a release.
Then investigators found home surveillance video that showed a cat jumping up onto the stove, which had items on it, and turned on the stove, igniting the blaze.
In the video, the cat can be seen quickly jumping off the stove after turning on a burner, which then caught the items sitting on top on fire.
A picture of the kitchen after the fire showed it had spread to other appliances, the kitchen door and the ceiling before firefighters were able to put it out.
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There was no damage to the rest of the home.
The department reminded residents to keep combustible items like paper towels or plastic containers off of stovetops, to always turn off burners and ovens, to never leave cooking unattended and to keep the area clutter-free.
It also suggested using safety stove knob covers.
"Even when a stove or cooktop is not actively in use, residual heat or accidental activation can quickly ignite nearby combustible items. A few seconds of prevention can stop a fire from starting," the department said in a release.