Grease Fire Destroys Fairbury Home

There was no loss of life but a house was completely destroyed as a result of a grease fire Friday evening.Shortly after 11 p.m. on Nov. 10, Fairbury Rural Fire was dispatched to the scene of a house fire at 8th and B Streets in Fairbury. Dispatch initially reported the fire began as a grease fire in the kitchen. Assistant Fire Chief Barry Schwab, the Incident Commander, reported, “On our arrival, the residents stated that everyone had gotten out of the house safely, but the house was already well-involved. The initial attack prevented further spread on the main floor. However, most rooms on the main floor had extensive damage already, and we observed that the fire was still spreading in the attic space.” Jansen Rural Fire was called in. Schwab noted, “We had Jansen Fire at the incident per our standing automatic mutual aid agreement for structure fires.” Schwab said, “After we secured a continuous water supply, we were able to go after the fire in the attic more aggressively. Some of it had self-ventilated, so that made it a little easier to manage. We also attacked it from the roof and from inside the house, being mindful all the while of the compromised integrity of the structure.” “We considered the fire to be under control about an hour or so in. Overhaul work continued for the next couple of hours, though,” said Schwab. At 12:30 a.m., Dispatch called for more manpower, and, at 12:35 a.m., Diller Rural Fire and Rescue was called. Schwab explained, “We also requested Diller for help when it became clear that we were going to need some fresh personnel to keep at it. All told we had around 25 firefighters working the scene.The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office was on hand for scene safety and traffic control, and Ambulance District #33 assisted with firefighter rehab. The Nebraska State Fire Marshal fire investigator was called in due to the extent of the damage. The investigator confirmed that a kitchen grease fire was the source of ignition, which concurred with the residents’ narrative. A suspended ceiling in the kitchen had ignited when the residents were unable to extinguish the grease fire, and it quickly ran across the ceiling and into the space above. Once it was into that ceiling space, the fire had unrestricted access to the rest of the house. Schwab said, “It was unusual to see structural members like ceiling joists and roof rafters burn so thoroughly in such a short span of time, but then again, fire never ceases to amaze.” The house is a total loss. The American Red Cross is helping to provide for the short-term needs of the displaced residents. A campaign to help out the residents has already begun on social media. Schwab said, “I’m sure that any assistance the community can provide to get the family back on its feet would be greatly appreciated.”

Roger Bundy

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