An accidental fire in West Sedona made the home of seven to nine people unfit for habitation after a toaster caught fire.
By Trista Steers
Larson Newspapers
An accidental fire in West Sedona made the home of seven to nine people unfit for habitation after a toaster caught fire.
On Tuesday, Oct. 2, a toaster fire caused an estimated $40,000 damage to a $400,000 home at 100 Stations West Drive in the Sedona West Subdivision.
The fire damaged the home’s electrical wiring so the electricity and gas had to be shut off, according to Sedona Fire District Fire Marshal Will Loesche.
Based on the number of beds in the home, Loesche said SFD estimated seven to nine people rented the house.
Nobody was home when the fire broke out. A man driving down Mountain Shadows Drive noticed the smoke and stopped to take a look, Loesche said. The man, who had a fire extinguisher in his truck, found flames pouring out the windows. He called SFD and attempted to contain the fire.
SFD got the call at 4:45 p.m. and was on scene by 4:50 p.m. Crews from Uptown, West Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon were able to quickly put the fire out.
"The fire was knocked down within 10 minutes," Loesche said.
The fire was primarily contained to the kitchen but caused smoke damage throughout the home.
Loesche said he found the toaster activated — with the lever in the down position — during his investigation, leaving him to believe it was defective.
The defect is what Loesche believes cause the toaster to catch fire.
During the fire SFD had three other calls as well, which crews handled successfully, SFD Fire Chief Matt Shobert said.
Crews responded to a fall injury on Chavez Ranch Road, a motorcycle versus vehicle accident and transported a patient to Verde Valley Medical Center, in Cottonwood, all within an hour of the fire.
Trista Steers can be reached
at 282-7795, Ext. 129, or
tsteers@larsonnewspapers.com
