Kitchen fire leaves Aurora family without a home

A fire originating from the kitchen of a South Aurora home has left five people with nowhere to live this New Year's weekend. 

Crews from the Aurora Fire Department were dispatched to the area of Marguerite Pkwy. and South Chambers Rd. after getting reports of a kitchen fire at around 7 a.m. Saturday. 

Once crews had arrived, the family informed them that they had self-evacuated and all were safe. Through a rapid and aggressive interior attack, first in crews were able to successfully contain the flames. 

Neighbors welcomed the displaced family into their home until the Red Cross arrived to the scene of the fire to provide them with further assistance. Emergency shelter, clothing, comfort items, and food have been offered and accepted by the displaced family, a spokesperson with the Red Cross said in a statement. 

The AFD said on their Facebook page that cooking accidents remain one of the leading causes of home fires. They also want to remind everyone to be aware of safe kitchen practices, have a working fire extinguisher close at hand, and never leave children unattended while they are cooking.