Food strikes back
I've got more information on the two fires in Spokane Valley yesterday and it's almost enough to make you never want to cook again. The first one in the 12000 block of East 25th was reported in the morning. According to the Spokane Valley Fire Department, the homeowners said they placed pop tarts in the toaster, left the kitchen briefly and when they came back the toaster was on fire. The kitchen was heavily damaged - to the tune of $60,000.
The second fire in the 7000 block of East Second was caused when a woman left a pan on the stove, which caught fire. The woman was sleeping, but was woken up by the smoke. That one could have ended badly, as the woman's smoke detectors were not functioning.
While never cooking again isn't terribly realistic, at the very least people should stick around the kitchen while cooking. You never know when something as simple as heating up a pop tart can go wrong.