03/27/2024
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ElizabethtownFireDepartmentlogoElizabethtown Fire Department responds to a structure fire at 307 Robbins Ave.

The Elizabethtown Fire Department responded to a reported residential structure fire at 307 Robbins Ave this past Wednesday, July 31st. Upon arrival firefighters found heavy smoke showing from a single story brick veneer home.

After an initial scene size up by the fire department incident commander, the fire was located in the kitchen area of the home and it was determined that an offensive fire attack would be used. No one was home at the time and no civilians were in danger. Firefighters were able to quickly force entry into the home and extinguish the fire which damaged the kitchen and attic areas. No neighboring structures were damaged.

The preliminary investigation points to the fire starting on the stove top. The fire investigation is ongoing. The kitchen was a total loss. There was minor heat and smoke damage to the remainder of the home. The fire investigation pointed to the fire starting in the kitchen at the stove and extended into the attic. Damage to the home and contents were estimated at $65,000.00.

The Elizabethtown Fire Department was assisted by several other automatic aid departments. Thank you to members from White Lake, Dublin, Ammon and Clarkton fire departments as well as Bladen County Emergency Management, and Bladen County EMS.

NFPA Facts about unattended cooking fires:
During the five-year period of 2007-2011, U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated average of 156,600 home structure fires in which cooking equipment was involved in the ignition, or in which the fire department used an incident type that identified a cooking fire that did not spread beyond the cooking vessel. Together, these fires caused an average of 400 civilian deaths, 5,080 reported civilian fire injuries, and $853 million in direct property damage per year. Overall, these incidents accounted for two of every five reported home fires.

Cooking Safety:
• Stay in the kitchen while you are frying, grilling, boiling or broiling food.
• If you are simmering, baking or roasting food, check it regularly, remain in the kitchen while food is cooking, and use a timer to remind you that you are cooking.
• Keep anything that can catch fire — oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels or curtains — away from your stove top.
• Always be sure to remove pots and pans from the stove top when not in use. Never leave pots on the stove top.
The Elizabethtown Fire Department was established in 1930, has 5 full time firefighters and 32 volunteers from the Elizabethtown area. The fire department covers approximately 5 square miles in the town fire district and 10 square miles in the county fire district.

The fire department responds to approximately 1200 calls for fire, EMS, and rescue services per year. The Elizabethtown Fire Department shares automatic aid agreements with all fire departments from Bladen County including; White Lake, Ammon, White Oak, Dublin, Clarkton, Bladenboro, Lisbon, and Carvers Creek.

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