Kitchen ‘grease fire’ blamed in Dec. 16 blaze that displaces Bertram couple
FROM STAFF REPORTS
BERTRAM — A house fire, believed to have started from grease on the stove, left a couple without a home Dec. 16 and prompted a warning about fire safety.
Nearby residents reported the fire at about 5 p.m. that day in the 100 block of Henna Street.
“A grease fire on the stove got out of hand, and it spread to the kitchen area and cabinets,” Bertram Police Chief J.J. Wilson said. “(The residence is) heavily damaged.”
No one was inside the two-bedroom, wood-framed home when the fire ignited, Wilson said.
“It wasn’t a danger to any lives,” he said. “(Fire crews) had to remove the stove and some of the cabinets.
“There was a lot of smoke damage in the home and some water damage,” he added. “They shut off the gas and electricity pretty quick. It was contained (to the kitchen).”
At one point, authorities closed Mesquite Street, which runs parallel to Texas 29, so fire crews could extend lines to a water source.
Investigators do not suspect “foul play.”
The incident prompted a reminder about safety in the kitchen.
“Somebody neglected to turn something off or they assumed that it was no longer cooking,” Wilson said. “Make sure, for the holidays, we don’t leave anything unattended or plugged in that could cause a fire hazard or overflow of grease or cooking oils.”