Grease fire at Almost Home contained to stove

As fellow firefighters investigate a small fire in the kitchen of Almost Home, J.B. Brassard of the Greencastle Fire Department stands in front of the downtown eatery with GFD Engine 1. The fire department briefly investigated the stove fire, which was extinguished when an employee smothered the fire with a bucket of flour.

The owner of Almost Home restaurant credits the calm reaction and quick thinking of an employee in minimizing the damage caused by a Monday afternoon kitchen fire.

The fire was contained to one stove at the restaurant at 17 W. Franklin St., Greencastle.

Owner Gail Smith said some fryer grease had collected under a burner when the employee attempted to light the burner, causing it to flame up.

While the kitchen has both a fire suppression system and fire extinguisher, Smith said the cook came up with a quicker and less messy solution on the spot.

"She was smart enough to get a bucket of flour and toss it on the stove to extinguish it," Smith said.

Although the fire appeared to be out, there was a lot of smoke, so employees called the Greencastle Fire Department to investigate the problem.

Firefighters were dispatched at 4:12 p.m. Within minutes of arrival they confirmed that no fire remained.

Firefighters investigated the scene and shut off the gas to the stove before returning to station at 4:38 p.m.

The restaurant was closed between meals at the time, so the interruption to service was minimal.

Smith said it took employees about 45 minutes to clean up, and the eatery reopened between 5:30 and 5:45 p.m. She said if the fire suppression system had activated, the business would have been closed for at least Monday evening.

The owner, who was on her way to Louisville at the time, credited her employees for their quick reactions and hard work, saying the incident is a reminder of the risks of working with flames.

"It just scares you," Smith said.