A Columbia man was arrested Saturday after he trespassed into a vacant apartment to cook and forgot to turn off the stove.

The Columbia Fire Department was called at 6:20 p.m. Saturday to the 1000 block of Hardin Street after the unattended stove started a structure fire.

“The duplex fire was in a vacant apartment,” Columbia Police Department spokeswoman Latisha Stroer said. “John Robert Allen entered the vacant apartment without permission and turned on the stove to cook since his apartment didn’t have electricity. Allen forgot the stove was on until the fire alarm went off and he smelled smoke.”

The fire, which occurred in the unoccupied half of a Columbia duplex, was not visible from the outside upon the crew’s arrival. Crews were alerted by the sound of a smoke detector, according to a news release.

The fire damaged the stove, walls and cabinets above the stove. The damage is estimated to be $5,000, according to a news release.

Allen was arrested on suspicion of first-degree trespassing, Stroer said.

A second electrical fire occurred at 8:09 a.m. Saturday in the 4400 block of Oakview Drive.

The detached garage behind the residence was entirely aflame. Crews used a defensive attack after the roof collapsed. The fire was knocked down in approximately 10 minutes, according to a news release.

There were no injuries. The damage is estimated to be $60,000.