$1000 was the cost of boiling an egg for Queensland woman

A WOMAN boiling an egg in a retirement lodge must pay a $1000 bill for a fire service callout when the alarm sounded.

A WOMAN boiling an egg in a retirement lodge must pay a $1000 bill for a fire service callout when the alarm sounded.

Fay Monica Christina Nielsen was preparing an egg salad in her kitchenette at the Runaway Bay Village about 4pm on May 30, 2012, when the fire alarm was activated.

TriCare staff told the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal that they found smoke emanating from her unit into the passageway when they arrived and saw her trying to dissipate cooking fumes and smoke

Mrs Nielsen said she was unable to explain how boiling an egg had led to the fire alarm going off.

"Mrs Nielsen claims that she has boiled eggs the same way for the last 60 years," QCAT member Graham Quinlivan said in a judgment published this week.

Mrs Nielsen sought relief from paying the $1,020.31 bill for an unwanted fire alarm activation but, after weighing up all the evidence, Mr Quinlivan dismissed the application.