Chattanooga firefighters responded to a reported apartment fire around 1:30 p.m. on Monday, at the Dogwood Manor Apartments at 959 Gateway Ave.
Captain Joey Smith, the incident commander, said the fire was located in an apartment on the fourth floor. According to the resident, the fire started in the kitchen. He told firefighters he was heating up some oil to cook French fries, and apparently left the stove unattended. Before he returned to the kitchen, the oil got hot enough to burst into flames. The resident tried to place a towel over the burning pot and received first-degree burns in the process.
Captain Smith said a sprinkler head activated and extinguished the fire before firefighters arrived. Captain Smith said there was minimal fire damage to the kitchen, but there was water damage from the sprinkler system.
The victim, who has not been identified, was transported to a local hospital by Hamilton County EMS and was expected to be treated and released.
Lt. Andrew Waters with the Fire Investigation Division said the cause of the fire appears accidental, due to food being left unattended on the stove.