Winnipeg bungalow evacuated after fire believed to have started from unattended cooking

The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service reminds the public to reduce the risk of kitchen fires after a home had to be evacuated due to a blaze that authorities believed started from unattended cooking on Saturday. 

Crews responded to reports of a fire in a single-family bungalow on Avila Avenue near King Road at around 11 p.m. on Saturday. 

All occupants had left the house before firefighters arrived, the city said in a news release on Sunday. 

Crews launched an interior fire attack and the blaze was declared under control at around 11:40 p.m. No injuries were reported. 

The city said the fire was accidental and sparked by unattended cooking, based on preliminary observations. 

City officials are reminding residents to stay in the kitchen while cooking and to keep oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels and curtains away from the stovetop. 

The city is also advising people to heat oil slowly, and if it catches on fire and is small, to use an extinguisher or cover the top with a metal lid. 

Never use water to put out an oil fire, the city said. 

Damage estimates on the building are not available yet.