1 hurt, Charleroi house damaged during grease fire
By TAYLOR BROWN
tbrown@yourmvi.com
Firefighters were called to the scene of a structure fire in the 900 block of Lincoln Avenue in Charleroi early Wednesday morning.
Fire Chief Robert Whiten Jr. said crews were called to a two-story single family residence around 1 a.m.
When they arrived on scene, a moderate amount of smoke was flowing from the front of the structure.
Whiten said two young women, who were not identified, were cooking something using grease when the pan caught on fire.
One woman tried to carry the pan outside, and in the process, splashed hot grease on her arm. She tossed the pan into a nearby utility room.
The female had to be taken by Mon Valley Emergency Medical Services to Monongahela Valley Hospital in Carroll Township to be treated for suspected first-degree burns on her hands and second-degree burns on her foot.
No other injuries were reported from the incident.
While the fire was contained to the utility room and extinguished within five minutes of firefighters arriving on scene, the home sustained thousands of dollars in damage, Whiten estimated.
“By the time you wash all of the furnishings, walls and ceiling, with repairs you are probably looking at between $10,000 to $15,000 in damage,” he said. “That type of greasy smoke can sometimes be hard to clean up after.”
In addition to the Charleroi Volunteer Fire Department and Charleroi Regional Police, crews were assisted on scene by Lock No. 4, Monessen No. 1, Fallowfield Township and Mon Valley EMS.
Stockdale Volunteer Fire Department covered the Charleroi station during the incident.
Bentleyville was originally called to the scene but was ordered to cancel before arrival.
The scene was cleared before 2 a.m.
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