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37 °F Forecast | Road Cams Friday, November 26, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend November 25, 2004 Fire rips through Medford residence Two occupants escape burning house on Mae Street in Medford early Wednesday morning By JACK MORAN Mail Tribune Christopher Grace said he was thankful to be a night owl after an early morning fire ripped through his rented east Medford house Wednesday and destroyed virtually all of its contents. "I was sitting in my room when I heard this popping noise in the kitchen," Grace said. "I opened my door and the place was full of black smoke. Within two minutes, flames were shooting from the house. It was incredible. "I’m just glad I wasn’t asleep." Fire investigators agreed it was fortunate that Grace and a roommate were awake when flames engulfed their home in the 500 block of Mae Street at about 12:40 a.m. Wednesday. There was no working smoke detector in the house, Medford Fire Marshal Dan Patterson said. Advertisement No one was injured in the blaze. After realizing the home was on fire, Grace and the roommate found their way through thick smoke to the front door, Grace said. He went outside and called 9-1-1. "We got out of there as fast as we could," he said. Medford fire crews arrived at the house within minutes and were able to keep the entire structure from burning to the ground. "When our guys got there, there was black smoke pouring out the front door," Patterson said. "It’s pretty much a total loss." Grace, who works as a deejay and hosts a local radio show, said he grabbed a stack of records from the house before exiting. No other personal items were saved. "Everything is toast, literally," said Grace, who spoke Wednesday afternoon from outside the home, where he surveyed the damage through the open front door. From there, he could plainly see a couch and other items in the front room that had been blackened during the blaze. "My computer melted, the TV exploded ... our speakers and pretty much everything else is gone," he said. "To tell you the truth, I‘m still in shock." Patterson said the cause of the fire remains under investigation. Grace said he thought it might have started in the home’s laundry room, but he wasn’t certain. Grace and two other men in their 20s had lived in the house since January. All three are currently staying with family in the Medford area, he said. Reach reporter Jack Moran at 776-4459, or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities