Shoreline Fire Department Responds to Grease Fire

Braison Cook-Keith of Shoreline sat down waiting for the grease to heat up to cook his lunch. That short period of time was enough for the grease to catch on fire. Keeping a cool head, the 12-year-old knew not to put water on a grease fire. Lacking a fire extinguisher, he ran outside and called for help.

“Don’t leave things unattended on the stove,” Shoreline Fire inspector and investigator Ron Burden said. “Next thing you know, there is a kitchen fire.”

“The best thing to do it is try and put a lid over it,” Burden said “If they don’t feel safe or confident to put it out, the best thing to do is get outside and call 911.”

Cook-Keith at first tried to get the fire out before going outside because he didn't have a fire extinguisher.

“My first priority was to get the fire out,” he said. “My second was to get out.”

““I heard him yelling for help,” said neighbor Jennifer Craven. She was in the middle of something when she heard the cries. “I put things down and headed over”

After calling for help, Cook-Keith went back inside to save his dog and went back outside to wait for help.

“He was doing what he should,” Craven said. She went inside to see if she could put the fire out. After turning off the burner, Craven splashed water on the dish towels and the surrounding area. Not having a fire extinguisher or knowing the layout of the kitchen that was the best she could do before help arrived.

The Shoreline Fire Department responded quickly and put the fire out. Anyone driving past would not know there was a fire just a short time ago, but the fire fighters had to break a kitchen window to let the smoke escape and cut into the roof.

 “That kitchen is going to be fixed better than it was before the day started,” Burden said.

The home owner’s insurance will cover the damage to the structure, Burden said, but the renter did not have renter’s insurance so personal items are not covered.

“Renters' insurance is very affordable,” Burden said.

It does not take long for a kitchen fire to break out.

“It’s real frequent that we get fires from food unattended on the stove,” Burden said.

There are links on the Fire Department’s page on how to deal with kitchen fires. If the fire is small, Burden advises to turn off the burner and remove the pan from the heat. Water will make a grease fire worse; the best thing to do is smother the fire by putting on a lid or covering the pan with a cookie sheet. Because of Cook-Keith’s swift action and Craven’s response, the fire was limited to the kitchen.

“We consider it a small fire compared to what we are used to seeing,” Burden said.

“If someone would have called 911 sooner it would have been a lot less bad,” Craven said.