Mother, two daughters escape apartment fire thanks to sprinkler system (Ithaca, NY)

An unattended pan left on the stove caught fire Wednesday evening in the West Hill Circle apartment complex but was quickly knocked down by the unit’s sprinkler system, according to Ithaca firefighters. A mother was home with her two young children when she left the kitchen. Firefighters said cooking oil left in an unattended pan ignited, causing a flash fire on the stove and the surrounding cabinets. The apartment was equipped with an automatic sprinkler system, and the head in the apartment's kitchen immediately activated, extinguishing the fire.