Cooking fire destroys six apartment units in Greenbelt

Six apartment units were destroyed in a cooking fire that broke out early Tuesday morning at a Greenbelt apartment building.

No one was injured in the fire.

Of the six apartments declared uninhabitable, three of the families, four adults and one child, received temporary shelter from the fire department's Citizens Services Unit.

Cooking is the number one cause of fires and fire-related injuries in Prince George's County. In 2007, there were about 250 calls for fires that involved cooking in the county. These caused around $1.25 million in damages and about 20 injuries, most being minor burns, Brady said.

In 2005, cooking equipment caused 40 percent of home fires and 36 percent of home civilian injuries.

Prince George's County Fire⁄EMS Department advised people to stay in the kitchen while they are cooking, keep flammable materials away from the stovetop and wear close-fitting clothing to prevent cooking fires.