A late morning fire in downtown damaged an apartment on Clinton Avenue, according to fire officials.  A post on the Stamford Fire Department web site stated that, at 11:40 a.m., the city’s 9-1-1 center received an automatic fire alarm for 40 Clinton Ave., a downtown high rise apartment building.  The post said that arriving firefighters were advised that water was coming from an apartment on the fifth floor. When firefighters arrived on the floor they reportedly encountered lots of smoke and found an activated sprinkler in an apartment.

Other fire companies were called to the scene while firefighters stretched a hose from the standpipe to the fire apartment, the post read.  Fire officials said investigators discovered that cooking oil had ignited and, when the occupant attempted to extinguish the fire with water, the fire flared up and activated a sprinkler overhead and fire was extinguished. The fire was declared under control at 11:52 a.m. The occupant of the apartment had evacuated prior to fire department arrival and suffered no injuries.

The two occupants of the apartment were displaced and will be staying with friends and family. A total of four engine companies, one truck company, the heavy rescue company, and the duty deputy chief responded with a total of 27 firefighters. Stamford Police responded as well to provide traffic control. The city fire marshal’s office responded for cause and origin determination. The final fire department unit left the scene at 1 p.m.

The National Fire Protection Association reports that cooking fires are the top cause of home fires and injuries, and the leading cause of fires in the kitchen is unattended cooking.