A kitchen fire last month caused approximately $25,000 worth of damage to the Waipahu fire station.

Fire Capt. Terry Seelig said food was left cooking on a stove when on-duty fire crew members responded to an emergency call involving a traffic crash sometime prior to 4 p.m. May 22.
The firefighters had finished their work at the vehicle crash scene and then responded to the call of a fire at their own station house, Seelig said.
“The fire’s cause was attributed to unattended cooking,” Seelig said. “It goes to show that no one is immune.”
Unattended cooking is a common cause of building fires on Oahu, Seelig said.
“We, like everybody else, need to be careful and attentive when cooking,” Seelig said.
The fire caused smoke and heat damage, primarily to the areas of the kitchen that had been scheduled for renovation, Seelig said. The damage has since been repaired.
“The firefighters (at the station) are very chagrined about it. But, again, it just goes to show that it can happen to anyone. That’s why it’s so important to focus on cooking, why it’s so essential never to leave a stove on.”
Seelig said it is not uncommon for firefighters to have their meals or meal preparation efforts interrupted by emergency calls.
Following the fire at the Waipahu Fire Station, a reminder was issued to all firefighters to be sure to turn off cooking equipment when responding to emergencies.