[Press Release] : Afternoon cooking fire sends one man to hospital

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
Contact: Battalion Chief Steven E. Sapp, Public Information Officer -
(573) 499-7035 

Afternoon cooking fire sends man to hospital

COLUMBIA, MO (February 27, 2009) - The Columbia Fire Department
responded to a report of a fire at 1632 Town Drive, the Concord Complex,
at 3:23 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 27. The dispatch reported that a resident
in the complex heard a smoke alarm sounding and smelled smoke.
Subsequent calls to 9-1-1 reported moderate to heavy smoke on several
floors of the 12-plex. 

Firefighters arrived and confirmed the reports of moderate smoke in the
hallways and located the fire in apartment 2A. Inside the apartment they
found one occupant, Rafie Lee, 53, who appeared to have been sleeping
and was possibly intoxicated. A pan left on the stove unattended had
boiled dry.

Lee was evaluated on the scene for smoke inhalation and was transported
to the University of Missouri Health Care for further evaluation.
Smith’s injury did not appear life threatening. 

Fire damage was confined to the pan on the stove. The apartment where
the fire originated and the hallways on three floors suffered minor
smoke damage. Damage estimates are pegged at less then $1,000 thanks to
working smoke alarms and subsequent calls to 9-1-1. The building was not
equipped with fire sprinklers and they were not required when the
building was built. 

This fire demonstrates clearly that working smoke alarms save lives.
Had the smoke alarm not alerted other residents to evacuate and call
9-1-1, the outcome would have been worse; possibly fatal for the
apartment resident. Working smoke alarms increase your chances of escape
in the event of a fire by 50 percent, according to the National Fire
Protection Association. 

Test your smoke alarms once a month by pressing the test button, change
the battery at least once a year or as needed, and replace your smoke
alarms every 10 years. 

- 30 -
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