Smoke alarms, quick response save Chester residence

<span>Smoke alarms and a quick response from first responders saved a Chester residence from extensive damage on Saturday.</span>

<span>Firefighters with the Chester Fire Department were called to the home of former Chester High School football coach Bryan Lee around 12:09 p.m. and arrived to find the house, located at 201 W. Buena Vista St., full of smoke.</span>

<span>Chester Fire Chief Marty Bert told the Herald Tribune that the fire started on the top of an electric stove in the kitchen.</span>

<span>"They were cooking something and they thought they turned it off, but the switch said high," Bert said. "It was just a mental error."</span>

<span>Bert said the family was home at the time and were in different sections of the house, away from the kitchen, getting ready for a party when the smoke alarms alerted them to the fire.</span>

<span>"Smoke alarms saved them," Bert said. "The whole house was full of smoke."</span>

<span>A video Lee posted to his Facebook page showed a small section of a melted ceiling and a blackened area around the stove and adjoining cabinets.</span>

<span>In a status update that accompanied the video, Lee said the kitchen "is probably a loss," but also thanked the CFD, Chester Police Department and sheriff's office for their quick response time.</span>

<span>"There's smoke damage to the whole house," Bert said. "We took the stove out and checked for any extension (of the fire), but we didn't see anything."</span>

<span>Ellis Grove firefighters were initially paged out to provide assistance due to the structure fire call, but were later instructed to stand by at their firehouse while the CFD handled the incident.</span>

<span>Responding units were back in service at 1:22 p.m.</span>