Central Saanich fire fighters were called to an apartment building on Mount Newton Cross Road Monday afternoon, after a resident call in about smelling smoke. They discovered an unattended pot on a stove in an apartment. No one was injured and the fire didn’t spread. (Steven Heywood/News Staff)

Firefighters quickly got the handle on a pot left unattended on a stove in a Central Saanich apartment building.

A resident of the building, east of the Waddling Dog Inn on Mount Newton Cross Road, called the fire department reporting the smell of smoke Monday afternoon at around 4:45 p.m. Central Saanich Fire Inspector Rob Syverson says crews arrived and entered the apartment, where they found a pot smoking on the stove and no one at home at the time.

He said because it building itself is an older wood structure, they were taking no chances in their response. The incident was taken care of quickly and there were no injuries or damage beyond the pot and stove.

On any structure fire call on the Saanich Peninsula, neighbouring fire department in North Saanich and Sidney are asked to respond under a new mutual aid agreement. Syverson added, however, the other departments were sent home after the extent of the incident was realized.

No sooner had the Central Saanich fire department got the situation under control and the paramedics left, another call for first responders came in at a residence on Ferguson Road. A fire truck and ambulance attended that call.