On April 3, 2011 at 6:08 P.M., Lincoln County Fire Protection District #1 responded to 136 Darla Court in Moscow Mills for a fire on the outside of a mobile home. Fire units quickly arrived and found the fire had been nearly extinguished with fire damage to landscaping and the plastic skirting of the home. After extinguishing the remaining fire and checking the home for fire extension, firefighters advised the homeowner to extinguish the remaining charcoal in the barbecue grill in order to prevent another fire.

The cause of the fire was accidental. The homeowner had placed charcoal briquettes in a propane barbecue grill on a wooden deck, ignited the charcoal and went inside the home to prepare the food. The homeowner returned and found the ground below the deck, landscaping and plastic skirting of the home on fire. A windblown charcoal ember from the propane barbecue grill started the fire. Improper use of the barbecue grill and 20+mph wind conditions were contributing factors.

At 6:58 P.M. the Fire District was again dispatched to the same residence for an attic fire. Fire units arrived and found the attic of the mobile home on fire. Firefighters quickly extinguished the fire and saved all contents of the home from fire damage. Fire District staff remained on scene until after Midnight to help the homeowner remove valuables and cherished items from the home. In fact, firefighters moved and transported much of the homes contents to a nearby storage unit to help prevent damage from water or falling drywall.

The cause of the attic fire was also accidental and was started by a windblown ember entering the wood eaves on the outside of the home near the location of the first fire. An inspection of the barbecue grill revealed a temperature of 458 degrees, showing it had not been properly extinguished after the first fire.

Lincoln County Fire Protection District #1 reminds residents to use barbecue grills as intended and to monitor weather conditions when using any flame or heat source outdoors. Propane grills are not designed for use with charcoal. In fact, most propane grills have a hole in the bottom with a grease trap below. Use of charcoal can cause glowing embers to escape through the bottom of the grill and start a fire.