Grease fire guts residence

A Shelbyville firefighter sprays the rear of the Wanda Nix home near a burning storage building. (T-G Photo by David Melson) [Click to enlarge]

A Davis Street home was largely gutted in a blaze ignited by grease splattered from frying potatoes Thursday night.

The home, occupied by the Wanda Nix family, caught fire shortly after 9 p.m.

"The occupant's son was frying potatoes with grease and left the kitchen for a moment," Inspector Brian Nicholson of the Shelbyville Fire Department said. "He attempted to fight the fire himself and actually expanded the fire."

Fires caused by grease spread easily if water is sprayed on them, Nicholson said.

The inspector said grease fires are best fought by covering them with a lid, if small enough, or using a fire extinguisher.

In this case, the fire spead to two other rooms and through a kitchen window to a storage building, Nicholson said.

Two rooms were gutted and the rest of the home sustained extensive smoke and heat damage, according to Nicholson.

Firefighters arrived three minutes after notification, Nicholson said, but found the home already 50 percent involved and the storage building ablaze.

Seventeen firefighters were at the scene for approximately two and a half hours, Nicholson said.