Fire damages kitchen at Hazel Dell assisted living facility

Freshly laundered towels caused a kitchen fire early Wednesday at a Hazel Dell assisted living facility, fire officials said.

Crews from Clark County Fire District 6 were called to Arbor Ridge Assisted Living, 9501 N.E. Hazel Dell Ave., at about 3:45 a.m.

The fire started in the facility’s kitchen and was contained by sprinklers, Battalion Chief Larry Reese said. Firefighters aboard four engines, a truck and a rescue vehicle doused the fire with water to completely extinguish the blaze, he said.

The residents were not evacuated, Reese said. Instead, crews asked them to shelter in place to avoid sending them outside and into inclement weather.

Clark County Assistant Fire Marshal Richard Martin said that a stack of freshly laundered kitchen towels spontaneously heated and combusted, causing the fire. The towels, he said, are used to wipe up grease on the grill.

The damage was estimated at $25,000 to the structure and contents, Martin said.