New Tool Helps Firefighters Extinguish Two-Alarm Blaze

The Edina Fire Department used a new device Tuesday, Oct. 23, to put out a house fire in the 400 block of Monroe Avenue.

Firefighters used an Ara Safety Pro Fire Attack Tool—which sprays a fire extinguishing agent to hep suppress and contain a fire—for the first time ever Tuesday afternoon. The application was successful and the kitchen fire was put out quickly.

"This device takes seconds to deploy and can really help knock down a fire," Fire Chief Marty Scheerer said. "It helped us suppress the fire and keep it from spreading while the trucks and hoses were deployed. It also means we use less water, which keeps the amount of water damage to a minimum."

The fire started at approximately 1:50 p.m., when a caller told dispatchers a paper bag ignited when a child accidentally turned on a burner on a gas stove. A woman and four children were in the residence at the time and escaped the structure without injury.

The woman reportedly tried to extinguish the fire using a garden hose after evacuating the children, but said the smoke was too thick at the time. The two-alarm fire brought in assistance from nearby Hopkins and St. Louis Park.

Fire Inspector Jeff Garfin said the home suffered from smoke and minor water and structural damage. The bulk of the damage was isolated to the cabinets, stove and refrigerator near the source of the fire.

Scheerer said the family did the right thing by evacuating the structure and calling 9-1-1. He also noted 60 percent of all fires—much like this incident—begin on the stovetop.

"Always keep flammable materials away from cooktops," he said.

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