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Barbecue to blame for Graton house fire


By KERRY BENEFIELD
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

Published: Monday, July 21, 2008 at 7:01 a.m.
Last Modified: Monday, July 21, 2008 at 8:37 a.m.

A house fire near Graton tied up seven firefighting agencies and crews worked to contain the blaze that is believed to have started in a barbecue grill.

JOHN BURGESS/THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Graton volunteer firefighter Jeff Greene surveys the damage caused by an early morning fire on Vinehill Road. A barbecue apparently is to blame in the blaze that spread to a deck and the home.

The fire spread from the barbecue to the deck and when firefighters responded to the 3:14 a.m. call, the house at 4855 Vinehill Road was engulfed in flames, according to fire officials. A recreation room, kitchen and attic took the brunt of the fire but smoke damage reached throughout the approximately 2,000 square foot house, officials said.

Crews from Cal Fire, Forestville, Rincon Valley, Graton, Windsor and Occidental responded to the fire and Sebastopol crews covered for the units called out from Graton.

At 6:15 a.m., two units were still on scene.


Comments

  1. dburnham says...
    July 21, 2008 7:20:54 pm

    RE: http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20080721/NEWS/382161724

    This could be me. Started about 3 am? How? Why?

    My safety is to, on my big and small Weber (tm)charcoal grills, close bottom vents and top vents as soon as cooking's done. Cool to the touch in 15-20 minutes. Do this BEFORE the wine gets you too mellow, or designate a dripper. By the way, saves useful bricquets for next session.
    A gallon jug of water always by the grill, and the fireplace.
    I start my grill as I learned from a cowboy/saddlemaker of Novato fame: yup, Walt:
    3-4 pages of the PeeDee, shredded and twisted
    20-30 sticks wood, chopstick thru two-finger size in the bowl.
    Important: arrange tinder as a doughnut, for center vent.
    Replace grill, pour bricquets on TOP of grill. Ignite thru bottom vent. The left-over bricquets in the bowl from last session are quite useful- they get recycled now.
    After five minutes of full envelopment in flame, those new bricquets above the grill are good to go. Dump them into the bowl. Gee, ya think gloves would help here? [If you wait 15 minutes, the bricquets are used up.] For this part, of course, you stand by throughout. A side benefit, it's pretty showy.

    NO flammables or explosives, like e.g. charcoal lighter fluid or free long hair, near the grill at any time.

    Workable, tested garden hose and nozzle within reach.

    I want to know what went wrong here! Reporter? Home occupants? Terms of their occupancy? Please advise.

    Graton ought to know better!

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