Accidental Kitchen Fire Displaces Family

SEBRING - A family of four were left without a place to live Friday morning, after a kitchen fire broke out in their Spring Lake home.

The family of Adolfo Nunez-Rey, at 6101 Wilson Terrace, his wife, another adult and a 3-year-old child, was helped by the American Red Cross of Highlands County.

"Volunteers provided the family - three adults and one child - with temporary shelter, personal hygiene kits, emergency assistance for food and clothing, odor-control concentrate cleaner to help with salvaging items from the home, a Red Cross clean-up kit, landlord verification forms to assist in relocation, and Publix gift cards donated by Florida's Blood Centers," wrote Phil Attinger, Public Relations Director for the Polk County American Red Cross chapter.

There was severe smoke damage at the house, said Art Harriman, service director for the American Red Cross of Highlands County.

Fire officials didn't think many of the household goods could be salvaged, Harriman said.

Harriman said they were able to communicate with the family through an interpreter they obtained through the Highlands Regional Medical Center's human resource department.

"They did have insurance," he said.

"The husband had been cooking and left to go to the grocery store," he added, but he thought he had shut all the burners off. "It's a nice house, they own it. It's a shame. It's going to put they back a lot."
Charles Andrews, fire services supervisor for Highlands County ruled the was fire accidental. He commended the Lorida and DeSoto City volunteer fire departments for containing the fire and keeping the water damage to a minimum.

However, there was a lot of heat and smoke damage he said. Kitchen cabinets were destroyed and some of the trusses above the kitchen were charred. However the fire did not get up into the attic.
Heat damage got down to three or four feet off of the floor he said and he was surprised there was no flare-up caused by the heat.

Fans, fixtures and picture frames were melted throughout the house.

"We had a scare when they first went in," Andrews said, "and they found a baby doll. You can't see much and you're feeling around with your hands."

Andrews believes the fire began as a result of a grease fire from a pan of fried chicken that had been left out.

The husband was cooking when he realized he needed more ingredients and left for the store.
"When he came home, he found us," he said.