Dinner went from the frying pan and into the fire Monday at University Court.

The Charleston Fire Department responded to a small kitchen fire at approximately 6:47 p.m. on Monday in the Ringenberg building of University Court.

There were no injuries reported, but the second and third floors of the building endured significant water damage from the sprinkler system, said Captain Todd Foster of the Charleston Fire Department.

Standing water from the kitchen where the grease fire started had leaked into the apartment on the lower level and the ceiling will need to be repaired, said Kelly Miller, assistant director of University Housing and Dining.

“Fortunately, the two apartments downstairs that flooded were empty,” Miller said. “The sprinkler worked perfectly and we couldn’t ask for a better (outcome) in any fire situation.”

The repair to the ceiling will be done later in the summer, Miller said, and cost estimates will not be available until the work is completed because the repair is mostly dependant on labor wages.

The sprinkler was not turned off until fire officials were at the scene and able to verify a level of safety.

After arriving, the fire department had to cut electricity to the lower two floors of the building because standing water created an electrocution hazard.

Bobbie Mitchell, a resident from the second floor, spent the night with friends who live on the third floor of the building. Because the water was able to get into the electrical system below us, they asked us to stay elsewhere for precautionary reasons,” Mitchell said.

Electricians arrived later Monday night to evaluate the damages, Mitchell said, and electricity on the lower two floors remained off so that repairs could be made. All residents returned to their apartments the next morning.

The only sprinkler that turned on was in the apartment where the fire occurred and neighboring apartments on the second floor were only slightly affected, Foster said.

One person was in the apartment cooking, but the resident thought he had already extinguished the fire when the sprinklers turned on, Foster said. Whether the fire was extinguished or not, Foster said there was still an unsafe amount of heat present because the sprinkler head melted and initiated the water system.

Rick Kambic can be reached at 581-7942 or at rwkambic@eiu.edu.

Charleston Fire crews responded to a kitchen fire at approximately 6:47 p.m. on Monday in the Ringenberg building of the University Court. No injuries were reported, but the building suffered water damaged. (Rick Kambic/The Daily Eastern News)

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