Family of four safely escapes Tuesday afternoon fire in home after cooking mishap

QUINCY — A Quincy family of four safely escaped a fire in their brick home on Tuesday afternoon after a cooking mishap.

The Quincy Fire Department responded at 1:36 p.m. Tuesday, May 6, to a report of a house fire at 614 N. Seventh. The first crew arrived on scene two minutes later and observed moderate smoke coming from the front door. They pulled a hose line and began to advance it to the front door. 

The next crew arrived less than a minute after that and assisted the first crew. The home’s occupants were out and confirmed no one else was in the house. The remaining on-duty crews were in the vicinity and had responded as well, arriving over the next four minutes. Crews secured a water supply from the nearby hydrant as the first crew advanced the hose line into the house and extinguished the fire in the kitchen on the first floor. 

The rest of the crews assisted ventilating the house, removing smoke to increase visibility. Crews looked for hidden fires and found none. Once the house was fully ventilated, QFD Cause and Origin investigators determined the fire was accidental when oil under a pan caught fire during cooking. 

The occupants believed the fire was out, but it caught fire again and burned undiscovered. Upon smelling smoke, the occupants observed flames traveling up the side of the refrigerator and burning the cabinets above. They exited the house and called 9-1-1. The last fire crew left the scene at 4:07 p.m.

No civilians or firefighters were injured at the scene. About half the kitchen was destroyed by fire, and the rest of the two-story house sustained heavy smoke damage. The American Red Cross is assisting the family with temporary lodging.

The Quincy Police Department and Adams County Ambulance were on scene in case they were needed. The QFD Volunteer Rehab Team also responded to assist firefighters recover during their breaks in operations.

The fire department had 16 members on scene from four engines, a quint, the assistant chief and the fire chief.