The self-cleaning oven is a modern convenience most people have and use without a problem.
However, a self-cleaning oven is the suspected source of a fire that destroyed a house belonging to a councillor in a New Brunswick village.
The home is a total loss after flames gutted the single-storey building.
“Oh it's surreal, it's surreal and there's absolutely nothing you can do about it,” said Sharon Loder. “So, you just have to go through your steps and try to rebuild.”
The fire broke out late Monday afternoon.
When firefighters arrived on the scene, the house was fully involved in flames.
The homeowner says that day she put her wall oven on self-cleaning mode -- doing what she normally does.
But, near the end of the cycle, she noticed vapours still coming out of the ventilation system.
“I don't like the odour that you get from that,” Loder said. “So, I opened up the patio door, and opened the garage door and the two end doors on the garage so the air would circulate and get rid of the smell of the vapour.”
She then went outside with her dog to do some yard work.
Later on, she noticed the vapour coming out her garage door -- and the colour had darkened.
“It wasn't right, and when I went into the garage,” Loder said. “There was a dark smoke in the garage, and when I entered the kitchen, the wall that the oven was on was ablaze.”
Acting Sussex Fire Chief Bill Wanamaker says, while self-cleaning ovens are common, fire calls involving them are rare.
“This is probably the second one we've seen in probably 15 years or so,” said Wanamaker.
An investigation is expected to reveal the exact cause of the blaze, and while thankfully there were no injuries, the sense of loss is overwhelming for Loder.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Laura Lyall.
