Firefighters credit quick resident action in avoiding damages

Columbus firefighters are crediting a resident’s quick action with a fire extinguisher in preventing extensive damage at the River Stone Apartments Tuesday afternoon.

Firefighters were called out at about 12:20 p.m. Tuesday afternoon on a kitchen fire, but arrived to find the fire already extinguished. Hot cooking grease left unattended on a stove ignited, scorching the kitchen wall and melting the exterior of a microwave above the stove.

But the resident used a dry chemical fire extinguisher to put out the blaze, before firefighter arrived. The fire caused about $4,000 in damages, but without the quick action, firefighters say it could have been much worse.