Hungry dog may have started Des Plaines house fire

A hungry dog may have started a kitchen fire in Des Plaines on Monday, authorities said.

No one was seriously hurt in the blaze at a house on the 700 block of Manor Court. A female resident was treated on the scene for minor smoke inhalation, Fire Chief Daniel E. Anderson said.

The resident had come home a little before 4 p.m. to discover smoke in the house, Anderson said. She tried to get a loose dog and two caged dogs out of the home but couldn’t, Anderson said.

Firefighters arrived and found smoke and flames in the kitchen. They quickly put out the fire and removed the dogs from the home, Anderson said.

The fire seems to have started when plastic containers containing food that were on the stove ignited, Anderson said.

The dog that was loose may have accidentally turned on the stove while attempting to get to the containers of food, Anderson said. Or, he said, the resident may have bumped the stove and accidentally turned it on before leaving.

Firefighters estimated the fire caused from $12,000 to $15,000 damage. The woman will stay with relatives until the damage is repaired.

Although it’s a common practice, people shouldn’t leave combustible items atop stoves, Anderson said.

“It only takes a short time to heat up a plastic dish or box to the point where it catches fire, (and that) will then quickly extend to the cabinets,” he said.

Anderson also urged people to make sure their homes have working smoke detectors to ensure early detection of potential fires.