The tenant told firefighters she stepped outside to do yard work but forgot she had a pan cooking on the stove.
SPRINGFIELD - The spring weather contributed to a kitchen fire at 37 Wellesley St. Tuesday afternoon that caused $5,000 damage to an apartment, a fire official said.
The tenant told firefighters she was starting to heat a pan for dinner but then she was distracted the sunny skies and warm temperatures, and went outside to do yard work, said Dennis Leger, aide to Fire Commissioner Joseph Conant.
When she returned inside, she found the pan had caught fire and flames had spread to the stove and nearby wall, Leger said.
The fire was reported at 4:14 p.m. and the first firefighters were on scene within three minutes.
No one was injured, and the fire was quickly extinguished before it could spread beyond the kitchen, Leger said.
Cooking fires are the leading cause of fires and fire-related injuries in Massachusetts, according to the state Department of Fire Safety.
Leger said it is recommended that people should never leave a stove unattended while food is cooking on the burner.