At 12:32 PM on January 9, 2023, the Westport Fire Department received a call from a central monitoring station reporting a smoke detector activation at 22 Berndale Drive. While en route, the alarm company updated fire dispatch that a person on scene reported a fire in the house. 

The assignment was upgraded from 1 engine to: 4 engines, 1 heavy rescue, 1 shift commander, 1 mutual aid truck company from Wilton, Westport EMS, and Westport PD.

First arriving units reported a stove fire with extension to the cabinets above. A hand line was deployed and the fire was extinguished with approximately 20 gallons of water. The fire did not extend beyond the cabinets and the smoke in the house was removed over an hour period using fans. The house sustained smoke and fire damage, but the house remained habitable.

The fire appears to have started by bumping the knob on an electric range top and accidently turning on the burner with items stored on top. The NFPA recommends that you keep anything that can catch fire–oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels, curtains–away from your stovetop. Fire Marshal Terrence Dunn said, “Do not store items on your stovetop. The household had a monitored fire alarm system which significantly reduced the amount fire damage and saved the life of a family pet.”

The last fire department unit cleared the scene at 2:00 PM and no injuries were reported.