Killeen House Fire

A grease fire forced a pair of Killeen roommates from their home early Thursday morning.
Rolando Martinez Jr., slept inside his rental home in the 500 block of Stewart Street around 10:30 a.m. Thursday. He rested after an early morning fishing trip.

Then a loud shout of “fire” sprang him from his bed. Fire covered his kitchen stove, Martinez said. He ran outside. A neighbor loaned him clothing when firefighters arrived. “All I heard was ‘fire’ and I got out of there,” Martinez said.

The fire rendered the house uninhabitable, Deputy Fire Chief Steve Buchanan said. The fire destroyed the kitchen and damaged the dining room.

Overheated grease ignited the fire, Buchanan said. A roommate heated the grease to fry the fish from the morning’s catch. No one was injured in the fire.

Martinez’ father, Rolando Martinez Sr., also the home’s owner, said his son will stay with family while the home is repaired.
By Victor O’Brien, The Killeen Daily Herald