Fire severely damages St. Jacob home

A cooking accident is to blame for a fire Thursday afternoon that left a St. Jacob home uninhabitable. However, no one was injured.

St. Jacob firefighters were paged out to a home at 205 St. Jacob Court around 3:30 p.m. When they arrived, smoke was billowing from the roof, said St. Jacob Fire Chief Nic Klaus.

“The fire originated in the kitchen. The son of the owner was cooking, and it just got away from him,” Klaus said.

Firefighters made entry into the home, but by then, the blaze was too far gone, Klaus said. The fire had climbed through the stove’s hood and into the roof.

Firefighters were on the scene until around 9:30 p.m. Highland, Marine and Lebanon firefighters were called in for mutual aid. The home was still standing once the fire was extinguished, but the house was severely damaged and much of its contents were ruined.

“Everything in there is pretty well a loss,” Klaus said.

Firefighters were able to keep the flames from spreading to other nearby structures, and no one was hurt.

“In my eyes, that’s a win when it comes to something like this,” Klaus said.

St. Jacob resident Misty Malone, who witnessed the efforts of the first-responders, said they should all be praised.

“They’re all so under-appreciated these days,” she said.

The homeowner and his son have other family in the area, who are helping them with living arrangements for the time being, Klaus said.

The village clerk said a family member contacted village hall and asked that no donations be made at this time.

This story was originally published June 10, 2016 at 12:06 PM with the headline "Fire severely damages St. Jacob home."