Grease fire leaves one man with minor injuries

A kitchen fire last Friday in an apartment above Lee's Clothing left one man with minor burns and the dwelling uninhabitable.

Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department (PVFD) Spokesman David Berg said a man living in the apartment fell asleep after heating a pot of oil on the stove. The oil heated to the point of overflowing and started the fire

"The fire went up the wall and caught the cabinets and ceiling on fire," Berg said. "The smoke was coming down pretty good. He woke up fortunately. He tried to put a cover on the pot but he wasn't able to get close enough so he ran into the hallway and got a fire extinguisher."

The man was able to extinguish the fire and PVFD responders arrived and cooled the hotspots with portable water cans and placed fans in the building to eradicate smoke that had crept into nearby dwelling and the retail stores downstairs.

The man was treated at Petersburg Medical Center for smoke inhalation and first and second-degree burns on his arms and forehead. Two other residents were also treated and released.

"The lesson learned of course is to know where your fire extinguishers are because that's certainly our first line of defense in being able to extinguish a fire quickly," Berg said.

Scott Hurt owns the building and said they are still assessing the damage but estimates repairs will cost less than $5000.

"It's mostly just clean up," Hurt said. "It was a grease fire and it was dirty. We might have to replace some walls but it's mostly just clean up and a little elbow grease."

He said they are still working on moving the man's belongings and other furniture and appliances out of the apartment in order to better assess the damage.