Fryer fire snuffed at Kingston grocery

Published 9:27 am Monday, November 5, 2012

KINGSTON – A local grocery store deli is temporarily closed after a fryer fire Monday morning, but the incident caused little other damage and the rest of the store remains open for business.

Firefighters are commending deli employees who took the right steps to hold the incident in check. North Kitsap Fire & Rescue, Poulsbo and Bainbridge Island Fire Departments were called to the Albertsons store at State Route 104 and Hansville Road at 6:21 a.m. on Monday after employees smelled “something electrical” burning as they cooked chicken in the store’s huge enclosed fryers. Seeing flames coming from underneath and behind the appliance, the employees called 911 and deployed dry chemical extinguishers to knock down the fire. The hood suppression system did not activate.

Firefighters were on scene within minutes, coming from NKF&R’s headquarters three blocks down the street – and, thanks to the employees’ actions, found the fire under control. They cancelled the resources coming from other areas, returning those crews to their stations, and completed the extinguishing job started by the deli personnel. Firefighters removed the appliance from the store.

There were no injuries to firefighters or civilians, and fire damage was limited to the fryer and immediate surrounding area.