GASTON – Food left cooking on an unattended stove appears to be the cause of a residential fire here Tuesday.

According to Gaston Fire Chief Ed Porter Jr., units were dispatched around 6:20 p.m. to a home on Broughton Street. Porter said a neighbor had noticed heavy smoke coming from the eves of the home and dialed 911. No one was at the residence during the time of the fire.

Upon arrival, fire crews found smoke coming from the residence. Firefighters forcefully breached the front door to attack and extinguish the fire. Firefighters from both Gaston and Garysburg fire departments helped to extinguish the fire while Gaston EMS provided medical rehab.

Firefighters remained on scene for approximately an hour and a half.

Porter said the cause of the fire appeared to be from unattended food left cooking on the stove. He added that the home sustained fire damage to the kitchen area and smoke damage throughout the entire home.

The occupants, a mother and three children, would be assisted by the American Red Cross.