Emergency crews hospitalized a man in his 50s after he inhaled smoke during an attempt to extinguish a kitchen fire in the home where he lived Friday afternoon.

The man, who has a history of heart problems, was not seriously injured.

"He tried to put the grease fire out with his own extinguisher," Lone Peak Fire Capt. Craig Carlisle said at the scene. "He said he almost had it licked, too, then it ran out on him."

That's when the man called 911 and started throwing water at it.

Firefighters pulled up to the home at 10031 N. 6800 West within three minutes of the call, but by then "flames were already coming out of the roof in the kitchen area," Carlisle said. "It was defensive right from the get-go."

The 6,700-square-foot home soon erupted with flames reaching 20 feet above the roofline at just after 3 p.m.

"A bunch of flames burst out the window in the front," said Riley Brinkerhoff, next-door neighbor. "They were high ones, too."

More than 100 school children and other passers-by gathered across the street from the blaze in the newer neighborhood and watched the four-alarm size fire consume the older home, which was built in 1972.

The home was built in the middle of 31/2 acres, so firefighters were not overly concerned about it spreading to other structures.

Only minutes into the firefight, the home's roof partially caved in, revealing its fire-filled attic.

Fire crews blasted the flames through the hole from a truck-based, pressurized water cannon mounted to the end of a highly extended ladder. The high-powered stream shot shingles, tar paper and even scraps of roof sheathing several feet into the air for nearly an hour until it was largely extinguished by 4:30 p.m.

The man was using the proper type extinguisher for a grease fire, a class ABC extinguisher, but a wrong one could have spread it faster, according to the U.S. Fire Administration.

The administration suggests on their Web site usfa.dhs.gov that folks should call 911 even before they break out the home extinguisher.

Carlisle said he would rather be called out for a few false alarms than for people who feel the fire needs to be out of hand before they call.

He also recommends home?owners equip every level of the home with a standard Class ABC extinguisher.

E-mail: jhancock@desnews.com

4 common types of extinguishers:

Class A extinguishes common material: paper, wood, cardboard and most plastics.

Class B extinguishes flammable liquids: gasoline, kerosene, grease and oil.

Class C extinguishes electrical equipment: appliances, wiring, circuit breakers and outlets.

Class D extinguishers chemical labs: burning magnesium, titanium, potassium and sodium.