Homemade Meat Smoker Catches Fire, Damaging East Side Home

A Madison man was already attempting to extinguish a fire outside his house when Engine Company 5 and other responding companies arrived on the 5100 block of Starker Avenue.

When firefighters approached the occupant, he was pouring buckets of water on the fire and insisted he had the fire under control. The amount of smoke emanating from the wall and soffit of the building was telling another story, and firefighters informed him they needed to step in.

Engine 5 retrieved its hose line and put a stop to the fire, which melted the exterior vinyl siding. Ladder Company 8 then checked the inside of the house for fire extension while Engine 5 confirmed the exterior side was extinguished.

Firefighters determined the fire originated in a home-built meat smoker. The heating element of the smoker came in contact with the wooden shell of the smoker. The occupant said he started the smoker around 3:00 p.m. that day. A couple hours later, neighbors alerted him that his house was on fire, prompting the call to 911.