Frozen French fries blamed in part for early morning fire Tuesday

Oak Grove firefighters say a Tuesday morning fire at a residence on Corinth Cemetery Road started when frozen French fries were dropped into hot cooking oil.

Oak Grove and Woodbine firefighters were called to the residence off of U.S. 25W about 2:15 a.m.

“They were preheating the grease to cook the French fries. When the frozen fries hit the hot oil, the grease boiled over and caught fire,” said Oak Grove Fire Chief Kevin Gibbs.

“The only thing the homeowner had within reach was flour,” Gibbs added. “When he dumped that and it didn’t put the fire out, he got the wife and kids out and called us.”

Gibbs said the fire spread up the cabinets and got into the attic space.

Firefighters quickly knocked down the flames, but Gibbs said it took a significant amount of time to ensure the fire was extinguished.

“It was a single-wide trailer that had been added on to,” Gibbs said of the residence.

Firefighters were on the scene from approximately two hours.

Gibbs said while the kitchen area suffered major fire damage, the remainder of the home was limited to smoke damage.

Whitley County EMS also responded to the scene.