Birds' Nest Total Loss After Coming in Contact With Overheated Kitchen Exhaust Fan

A family of birds is displaced after their nest, located in a kitchen exhaust vent, went up in flames.

An occupant flagged firefighters upon their arrival to the 200 block of Kedzie Street and pointed them toward the corner of their house, where smoke was coming from the flue of a hood vent. Engine Co. 3 observed a bird’s nest in the flue. Using a ground ladder, firefighters accessed the flue, removed the bird’s nest, and used a water can extinguisher to put out the fire.

The crew went inside the house to check for fire extension into the home. No extension was found, but there was some electrical arcing occurring around an outlet behind the wall, near the vent fan. Additionally, the vent’s motor was extremely hot. Suspecting this was the ignition source for the fire, firefighters removed the fan and its motor from the wall and took them outside.

Engine 3 again wet down the area with water and checked for more fire extension, finding none.