Toaster oven sparks fire at firefighter’s Arlington Heights home

A kitchen fire likely started by a toaster oven was extinguished Wednesday morning at the family home of an Arlington Heights firefighter who wasn’t there but on duty, authorities said.

Firefighters were dispatched to the house on the 200 block of North Pine Avenue about 7 a.m. with reports of heavy smoke coming from the rear of the building, according to the Arlington Heights Fire Department.

Family members who were home at the time safely evacuated. A first-arriving police officer tried to put out the flames with a fire extinguisher, but was unsuccessful, authorities said.

Firefighters who arrived minutes later said they encountered heavy interior smoke as they rapidly deployed a hose line to the kitchen and initiated suppression efforts.

Additional crews conducted a search of the house and confirmed no other occupants, officials said.

The fire was contained to the kitchen and did not extend beyond a small butler pantry.

While fire department officials said the cause is still under investigation, one of the family members said the toaster oven caught fire while breakfast was being prepared. After unsuccessfully trying to extinguish it, they evacuated and called 911.