Grease fire sparks attic fire

WEST VALLEY CITY — A grease fire caused heavy damage to a home Friday morning and injured one person.

Just before 7 a.m., a woman put a pan of grease on top of a stove, not knowing the stove was on, said West Valley Assistant Fire Chief Kris Romijn. The woman left to another part of the house, near 4100 West and 3150 South. When she came back the pan was on fire, he said.

The woman tried to extinguish the blaze by putting a wet towel on it, but it only made the situation worse. She suffered a first-degree burn on her index finger when she grabbed the pan handle, Romijn said.

The flames spread throughout the kitchen, causing heavy fire damage. Five people, including three children, evacuated safely.

The kitchen fire was put out relatively quickly, Romijn said. But before crews could douse it, the fire spread to the attic.

The original roof of the house was a flat-top, asphalt roof. A pitch-roof was built right over the top of it with the old asphalt roof left intact, Romijn said. It was that asphalt that caught fire.

"So we had an attic fire after the kitchen fire was out," he said.

Damage to the house was initially estimated at $50,000.

— Pat Reavy