Device introduced by Moses Lake

COLUMBIA BASIN — The Moses Lake Fire Department recommends a cost effective device to prevent residential fires.

The safety device introduced in Moses Lake, prevented a residential fire in Ephrata Dec. 28.

Unattended cooking fires are credited for 80 percent of residential fires in Moses Lake, Assistant Fire Chief Brett Bastian said. Knowing this, the department did something about it.

The department received a Federal Emergency Management Agancy (FEMA) grant for more than $17,000 in 2006 for fire prevention programs. The department used 20 percent of the awarded money toward purchasing 75 pairs of the StoveTop FireStop devices. The department installed 75 units to several Grant County Housing Authority homes for free in Moses Lake, he said.

The device is installed above the stovetop under the hood. It is a pressurized cartridge full of baking soda. If a fire occurs, it melts a contraption concealing the baking soda, causing it to fall over the fire, putting it out.

The housing authority decided to install additional units to some residential units in Ephrata.

The device was activated by a stove fire at a residence on Fifth Avenue Southeast and the $55 device saved the home and thousands of dollars for the housing authority, maintenance foreman Doug Larsen said.

"It basically put the fire out instantly," he said.

There was minimal damage, mostly smoke damage to the stove, he added.

For more information, contact the Moses Lake Fire Department at 509-765-2204.