Cooking fires damage 2 Sheldon homes

Separate cooking fires destroyed and seriously damaged homes in Sheldon on Sunday, according to fire officials.

The first fire occurred about 1:30 a.m. in the 200 block of Big Estate Road.

When the Sheldon Fire District arrived, the kitchen of the double-wide trailer was fully engulfed in flames, chief Buddy Jones said. The home was called a total loss.

The second blaze followed about 3 p.m. in the 400 block of Keans Neck Road. Firefighters arrived to light smoking from smoldering insulation and had to destroy a portion of the roof to fight the flames that spread to the attic, Jones said.

The fire caused about $8,000 in damage, he said.

Both fires were caused by food left unattended on stovetops.

This story was originally published May 1, 2016 at 8:25 PM with the headline "Cooking fires damage 2 Sheldon homes."