Grand Marais firefighters work to ventilate smoke from the home after the fire.
At 8:28 p.m. on Saturday, November 7, Cook County Law Enforcement received an emergency 911 call reporting a fire at 116 Third Avenue West. Cook County Ambulance and the Grand Marais Fire Department responded to find that an out-of-control grease fire had been extinguished.
Ashley, 18, and Paisley, 15, Howard- Larsen were home alone for the evening and decided to deep-fry wontons. For some reason, possibly moisture in the wontons, the grease exploded into flames. The girls exited the home while calling 911. After a few anxious minutes, Ashley reentered the home and used the kitchen sink sprayer to put out the fire. She again called 911 and was instructed to get out of the house, which she did.
The Fire Department arrived at 8:35 p.m. and pulled the stove away from the wall to ensure that the fire was completely extinguished. The fire scorched the wall and ceiling of the kitchen, causing paint to peel off the walls. The rest of the house did not suffer fire damage, but the home was filled with smoke. The fire department installed a large fan in the front doorway to ventilate the house. The fire department was done at the scene by 9:00 p.m.
Neither Ashley nor Paisley, or the family’s dog and cats, which were home at the time of the fire, were injured. TheHoward- Larsen family is staying with family until the smoke damage is professionally taken care of.
Although the fire fortunately did not spread, using water on a grease fire is
not
recommended. According to www. firesafety.gov, cooking grease should be heated slowly to avoid splattering. Food items should be dried before dipped in the grease. If a cooking fire starts, it should be smothered with a pot lid. Water should not be used as it could cause the fire to explode.
According to www.firesafety.gov, cooking is the leading cause of home fires and home fire injuries in the United States.
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