™
Quick response contains kitchen
fire
By MICHAEL RATCLIFFE
STAFF WRITER
http://www.nj.com
EWING — A prompt response by township firefighters was credited with preventing a blaze that started in a kitchen from destroying the rest of a home in the West Trenton section of town Wednesday night, fire officials and onlookers said.
The fire on Delaware Avenue, off Route 29, was reported shortly before 9:15 p.m. As it happened, township fire chiefs and some other firefighters had just finished a meeting with township officials about fire services in Ewing.
Firefighters from all three Ewing fire companies — West Trenton, Pennington Road and Prospect Heights — soon arrived to find flames shooting from the front of the house.
Fire officials said the blaze broke out when grease ignited on a stovetop. A resident tried to fight it but mistakenly used a portable dry chemical extinguisher. The chemicals from the extinguisher, when sprayed on the flames, splattered the burning liquid and spread the fire throughout the kitchen, officials said.
The fire, which was mostly contained to the kitchen, was brought under control by firefighters in about 20 minutes. Firefighter Robert Jobst Jr. received minor burns on his left wrist, but refused medical attention, police said.
Because of the damage to their home, the residents elected to stay with relatives for the night, police said.
Assisting at the scene were Ewing emergency medical personnel and a crew of firefighters from Lawrence Township's Lawrence Road Fire Co.
For information about cooking fires and what to do in the event of one, visit the National Fire Protection Association's website at www.nfpa.org.
EWING — A prompt response by township firefighters was credited with preventing a blaze that started in a kitchen from destroying the rest of a home in the West Trenton section of town Wednesday night, fire officials and onlookers said.
The fire on Delaware Avenue, off Route 29, was reported shortly before 9:15 p.m. As it happened, township fire chiefs and some other firefighters had just finished a meeting with township officials about fire services in Ewing.
Firefighters from all three Ewing fire companies — West Trenton, Pennington Road and Prospect Heights — soon arrived to find flames shooting from the front of the house.
Fire officials said the blaze broke out when grease ignited on a stovetop. A resident tried to fight it but mistakenly used a portable dry chemical extinguisher. The chemicals from the extinguisher, when sprayed on the flames, splattered the burning liquid and spread the fire throughout the kitchen, officials said.
The fire, which was mostly contained to the kitchen, was brought under control by firefighters in about 20 minutes. Firefighter Robert Jobst Jr. received minor burns on his left wrist, but refused medical attention, police said.
Because of the damage to their home, the residents elected to stay with relatives for the night, police said.
Assisting at the scene were Ewing emergency medical personnel and a crew of firefighters from Lawrence Township's Lawrence Road Fire Co.
For information about cooking fires and what to do in the event of one, visit the National Fire Protection Association's website at www.nfpa.org.
