Firefighters responded to a home at 151 Allen Street, Thursday evening after the stove caught fire.

The resident of the home, David Smith, said he was cooking dinner and went outside. When he returned, the house was filled with smoke. A niece, Latrise King, called 911.

The Mount Airy and Franklin fire departments were dispatched at 5:34 p.m. The Surry County Chapter of the American Red Cross was called to the scene to provide Smith with a hotel room until he can get back on his feet. Meanwhile, Smith has lost all of his clothes, including his work clothes. He wears size 44-32 pants, 3X shirts and size 11 shoes.

Mount Airy Fire Chief Chip Osborne ruled the fire accidental.

“It was clear that this was an unintentional cooking fire. Most of the fire was contained inside the kitchen area. The rest of the home sustained heat and smoke damage. I hate it for the family,” Osborne said.

“The guys worked extremely hard,” Osborne said of the firefighters. “Considering the adverse weather conditions, they got there quickly and extinguished the fire before it spread any further. I’m very pleased. They did a good job.”

In addition to the two fire departments on the scene, the Bannertown and Four-Way volunteer fire departments were placed on stand-by at the two city stations until city crews could clear the scene. The Mount Airy Rescue Squad and Surry County Emergency Services personnel responded for medical stand-by. The Mount Airy Police Department responded to the scene for traffic control.

Smith’s sister, Karen Clark, has homeowner’s insurance on the house, but Smith still lost most of this belongings. For those who would like to donate clothes to Smith, Karen Clark can be reached at 786-9390.

Contact Mondee Tilley at mtilley@mtairynews.com or at 719-1930.