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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend February 21, 2006 Barbecue-sparked fire guts house Resident says a coal fell to a wooden porch and flames took off By MARK FREEMAN Mail Tribune CENTRAL POINT — After an evening skateboarding in front of his North Third Street apartment, Jason Ricks thought he’d cap the evening by grilling steaks for his family. The grill was placed on the covered wooden porch of the 1900-era house converted long ago into two apartments occupied Monday by Ricks and other extended family. But the coals meant to feed the families instead burned them out of their homes, triggering a Monday evening fire that gutted the house. "A coal fell off the barbecue to the floor," Ricks said as he watched firefighters attack the flames. "It started to burn the wall, then it burned everything inside out," Ricks said. Advertisement No one was injured in the 7:20 p.m. fire, which produced flames visible for three blocks and sent a plume of smoke across town. Firefighters responding to the blaze could see flames well before they reached the house, which was fully involved before a single hose could be trained on the fire. "We weren’t able to get at it from the inside," said Battalion Chief Rod Edwards from Jackson County Fire District No. 3, which handles fire calls inside the Central Point city limits. "We could only get at it from the outside." Flames appeared to have quickly reached the attic, collapsing the roof, Edwards said. "It was a pretty hot, sustained fire," Edwards said. Neighbor Anita Fronek saw the dancing flames through her window and though they were the lights of a police car stopping a speeding motorist. "I came out and realized that whole house was ablaze," Fronek said. Armed with a garden hose, Fronek wetted her roof and backyard hot tub. When she trained water on the fence she shared with the property, it steamed. "I shot water at it until the firemen shot water at me," said Fronek, standing soaked outside her house. The apartments — listed as 321 and 321-A North Third Street — had abutting bedrooms and did not share an entrance, property owner Robert Knight said at the scene. Knight said he has owned the property for more than 20 years. Knight said he noticed the barbecue on the porch before but did not consider it a threat at the time. No loss estimations were available Monday night, and the fire remained under investigation. Edwards said investigators likely will wait until early today to trace the flames’ paths. At least two dozen firefighters manning five engines from Fire District No. 3 and the city of Medford battled the blaze, Edwards said. Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail Barbecue-sparked fire guts house ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Custom Build Computers Computer Security Discount Hotel Reservations Debt Consolidation Generic Viagra Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Online Casino Fundraisers Sudoku Online Casinos Canada Advertisement s Advertisement