fireA house fire broke out at 255 Lucille Dr. at Walker Lake on Oct. 30 but a quick thinking resident is to thank for grabbing a fire extinguisher before the flames spread throughout the home.

Tracie Ham, the resident, called 911 just minutes after 12:30 p.m. to report that she had a fire in her kitchen.

Responding to the scene, Mineral County Sheriff’s Deputy Kyle Leslie found Ham outside the residence but armed himself with a fire extinguisher and went into the home to try to extinguish the fire, which was as reported. Unable to keep up with the fire, Leslie backed out of the residence as Walker Lake Volunteer Fire Department arrived. The firefighters were able to keep the fire contained to the kitchen, but smoke damage occurred throughout the whole home.

Undersheriff Steve McBride gives credit to Ham. “She first called 911 then tried to knock down the flames with her home extinguisher. Tracie handled the situation correctly.”

Both Red Cross and CAHS were notified of the second fire that Mineral County has endured over the last few months.

With fall weather quickly moving to winter, homeowners are urged to have their chimney’s cleaned and like Ham, purchase a fire extinguisher to use in cases of emergency. Luckily, no one was injured and the pets both survived unharmed.

If you have questions about how to deal with a home fire, contact your local fire department. The paid and volunteer staff are on hand to help those who have inquiries of what to do in an emergency.