Kitchen fire forces evacuation of students and faculty

COLUMBIA — A kitchen fire this morning at the Columbia Public Schools Career Center forced students and faculty to evacuate the building.

According to a news release from the Columbia Fire Department, at about 8:32 a.m., firefighters arrived to the scene at 4204 Providence Road in response to an activated fire alarm. Upon arriving, firefighters found students and faculty had been evacuated from the building, and a faculty member told firefighters about heavy smoke in the kitchen, the release said.

When firefighters entered the building, they found heavy black smoke and fire coming from the top of a gas stove, where a plastic food warmer had been left, the release said. They were able to extinguish the fire using two class “K” extinguishers, specially designed for kitchen fires, that were located in the kitchen.

No one was injured in the fire, according to the release. A cause and origin remains under investigation, and the damage estimate has not yet been determined.

The Columbia Fire Department reminds residents to have an escape plan in case of a fire and to practice it often.