A grease fire which started as a teenage boy was cooking in a garage caused about $125,000 in damages to a home on the northeast side of Columbus.
Four people were home at a two-story brick and vinyl house owned by Carolyn Jolley at 3205 Heritage Road when the fire was reported at 8:56 p.m. Tuesday. The house is just off North Marr Road near 27th Street in the Crump Estates subdivision.
Smoke was visible above the rooftops when firefighters arrived four minutes after the call and found heavy smoke and fire in an attached garage, said Capt. Mike Wilson, Columbus Fire Department spokesman.
Jolley’s 14-year-old grandson was preparing French fries in the garage on a stove when the grease fire erupted, and the teen yelled out a warning for those inside the home on the upper floors, Wilson said.
The home’s kitchen was being renovated and a stove and other appliances had been moved to the garage while that work was continuing, he said.
James Jolley, the teen’s father, said he heard his son call out that the stove was on fire as Carolyn Jolley heard a smoke alarm sounding inside the home.
James Jolley told firefighters he saw flames on top of the stove that were moving toward nearby storage boxes, Wilson said. He rushed into the garage to try to drag various items and appliances outside the garage as Carolyn Jolley called 911, Wilson said.
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