Beaufort home had a close call: A watched pot never boils — it also won’t start a fire

A Beaufort home was spared a fire Saturday afternoon thanks to a smoke detector and alarm system, according to Burton Fire District.

A pot left on the stove of a Battery Point home was smoking and smoldering when firefighters responded to the fire alarm around 4:30 p.m., according to a fire district news release. No one was home, so firefighters forced their way in and grabbed the pot, which was only minutes from starting a fire, according to the release.

Burton fire officials encourage residents to have monitored fire alarm systems, if possible.

“Officials recount several occasions like these where they were notified by such alarm systems of a growing fire in a home after the residents had left, and were able to quickly respond and extinguish the fire before any damages occurred,” according to the release.

Firefighters helped the homeowner clear smoke from the house when the residents came home. The Beaufort-Port Royal Fire Department also responded to the home.

In March, fire consumed a Battery Point home and killed a family pet when the residents were not home. Burton Fire District and Beaufort-Port Royal Fire Department battled that fire together, as well.

This story was originally published September 3, 2017 at 11:18 AM with the headline "Beaufort home had a close call: A watched pot never boils — it also won’t start a fire."