SUBLETTE COUNTY – Two recent house fires are attributed to unattended causes – one a candle left burning and the other, a meal left on the stove.

Sublette County Unified Fire (SCUF) responded to both, with one home declared a total loss and the second with damages contained to the kitchen.

On June 15 at 10:27 p.m., Sublette County dispatch paged out Battalion #2 from Big Piney/Marbleton and also Battalion #5 from Daniel – with 16 SCUF volunteers – to a single-family house trailer at mile marker 104 on Highway 189. They and arrived on scene to find the two-thirds of the home engulfed and set up command. Afterwards the utilities were disconnected for firefighter safety. Firefighters were on that scene for 4.5 hours or 72 man-hours.  

Then on Wednesday, June 21, at 2:30 p.m., SCUF responded to a reported structure fire on Fremont Street in Pinedale.  Firefighters from Pinedale’s Battalion 1, Boulder’s Battalion 4 and Daniel’s Battalion 5 responded and discovered smoke and flame from an active structure fire in the single-family residence. Firefighters quickly extinguished the fire and contain the damage to the kitchen area.  An investigation determined the fire was caused by unattended cooking materials on the stovetop.

“Sublette County Unified Fire would like to extend their appreciation to the Sublette County Sheriff's Office and Sublette County EMS for their quick response and assistance with the recent structure fires,” said chief warden Shad Cooper on Thursday.  

He pointed to statistics showing that cooking equipment was the leading cause of home fires and fire injuries in the United States, with related fires causing 46 percent of all home fires and resulting in 19 percent of home-fire deaths.

He shared these tips from http://www.nfpa.org/public-education/by-topic/top-causes-of-fire/cooking/safety-messages-about-cooking.

• Be on alert! If you are sleepy or have consumed alcohol, don’t use the stove or stovetop.
• Stay in the kitchen while you are frying, grilling, boiling or broiling food.
• If you are simmering, baking or roasting food, check it regularly, remain in the kitchen while food is cooking and use a timer to remind you that you are cooking.
• Keep anything that can catch fire – oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels or curtains – away from your stovetop.

If you have a cooking fire –

• Just get out! When you leave, close the door behind you to help contain the fire.
• Call 9-1-1or the local emergency number after you leave.
• If you try to fight the fire, be sure others get out and you have a clear way out.
• Keep a lid nearby when you’re cooking to smother small grease fires. Smother it by sliding the lid over the pan and turn off the stovetop. Leave the pan covered until completely cooled.
• For an oven fire, turn off the heat and keep the door closed.