A Sitkan extinguished a microwave fire on Friday (5-29-26) just before firefighters arrived to help.

Shortly before 2 p.m., the Sitka Fire Department received a call about a microwave fire in a home on Edgecumbe Drive. Fire Engineer Karl Muench said four personnel responded to the scene. Before they arrived, the resident managed to unplug the microwave, removed it from the home, and extinguished the blaze.

Fire hall personnel used thermal imaging technology to confirm that the fire was contained to the microwave.

Muench said the resident did the right thing by unplugging the microwave– if it’s an electrical fire, unplugging the device takes away the initial heat source. Muench also encouraged Sitkans to always be nearby any time something’s cooking in the kitchen.