KINGSTON — A Kingston man was airlifted to Seattle’s Harborview Medical Center with burns after a pan of oil caught fire at his home late July 13.

North Kitsap Fire & Rescue crews were dispatched to a report of injuries following a fire that had been extinguished. When firefighters arrived at the scene, they found the man with second-degree burns to his entire right arm, NKF&R spokeswoman Michele Laboda reported. The man told crews that a pan of oil had been set on the stove to heat. After leaving the kitchen for a brief time, the man and his wife returned to find the pan ablaze.

“While his wife went to the home’s electrical panel to secure the stove’s circuit breaker, the man attempted to carry the flaming pan outside and the hot liquid sloshed onto his arm,” Laboda reported. “Damage to the home itself was limited; light smoke and heat damage affected the stove, the stove vent and the cabinets above.

Because of the severity and location of the burn, paramedics called for an Airlift Northwest helicopter; the helicopter landed at David Wolfle Elementary School and transported the man to the regional burn center at Harborview.

“According to the National Fire Protection Association, cooking is the leading cause of fires in the United States,” Laboda reported. “Unattended cooking is the most common factor in these incidents. Firefighters say that these types of fires are best prevented by remaining in the kitchen when using stoves. They recommend keeping a pan lid handy — especially when cooking with oil or grease — and, in the event that fire breaks out, using the lid to smother the flames.