Unattended cooking leads to house fire in Waverley Heights

Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service (WFPS) crews are asking residents to avoid leaving their turkeys unattended this Thanksgiving weekend after a house fire in the city’s Waverley Heights neighbourhood.

In an email to CTV News, a WFPS spokesperson said firefighters were called to a blaze in the 1100 block of Markham Road just before 6 p.m. Saturday. The fire was quickly put out and declared under control at 6:25 p.m.

No one was injured.

Early observations suggest the fire was accidental and was caused by "unattended cooking."

WFPS also offered the following safety tips to reduce the risk of kitchen fires:

• "Always stay in the kitchen while cooking;
• Oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels or curtains should be kept away from the stovetop;
• Oil should be heated slowly. If cooking oil catches fire and the fire is small and manageable, use a kitchen fire extinguisher or cover the top with a metal lid;
• Never use water to put out an oil fire."