Ten firemen and EMT personnel turned out to assist in the extinguishing of a grease fire at the Goodlance residence at 213 2nd Street in Grand Coulee during the early morning hours Sunday.

Fire Chief Richard Paris stated that the homeowner had put a pan of grease on the stove to cook some french fries and then briefly left the room. The report stated that when the homeowner returned, the grease had caught fire.

The man put the lid on the pan and then spread baking soda on the surrounding area to put the fire out, a smart move

Paris said the quick action of the homeowner probably prevented a more serious fire. He noted that water should never be used to fight a stove fire.

As it was, the damage to the stove and paneling behind the stove was estimated at $5,000 by fire personnel.

The fire call came in at 4:30 a.m. and when firemen arrived they found smoke and fire damage to paneling.

Firemen helped strip paneling off the wall to make certain that the fire hadn’t reached the interior wall or ceiling, and used an infrared camera to look for hidden heat.

All four members of the Goodlance family got out safely and there were no injuries.

Firefighters were on the scene about 30 minutes.