Treat for hummingbirds blamed for Bainbridge fire

Published 3:30 pm Thursday, April 30, 2015

A kitchen in a home on Old Mill Road was damaged in an accidental fire Wednesday morning — but blame the hungry hummingbirds in the neighborhood for the fire.

Bainbridge Island Fire Marshal Luke Carpenter said the fire started when a pot left on a stove boiled over.

“A guy was making sugar water for his hummingbirds and had a pot boiling on the stove,” Carpenter said.

The man left the kitchen for a moment, but then the boiling pot overflowed and caught fire.

The flames then ignited cabinets above the stove.

“The damage was limited to that and quickly extinguished,” Carpenter said.

Firefighters put out the fire with a pump can.

Emergency crews shut down Old Mill Road temporarily and were on-scene for about 40 minutes. Carpenter said he walked through the yard of the home and found dozens of hummingbirds buzzing about.

It looked like they were a bit angry that dinner was late, he said.