Emergency vehicles responded to a grease fire Monday night at 821 Crane Drive.

DeKalb Fire Department was called at 11:44 p.m. in response to smoke emanating from DeKalb resident Carolyn Section’s home at University Village. The fire was attributed to a pot with grease accidentally left on the stove.

“They were in the process of cooking and something provided a distraction,” said DeKalb Fire Chief Bruce Harrison . “So it was completely accidental.”

The amount of damage was estimated at $10,000 and no injuries were reported. The smoke generated from the fire gave the tenant enough time to evacuate herself and two young children who were evaluated by emergency personnel on the scene, but not transported to the hospital.

Harrison said that Tuesday, fire department personnel returned to the area and distributed fire education material related to the station’s “Cooking with Care” program.

“We’d like to make a difference with this before something else happens and it gets to be too much,” Harrison said. “This has been a problem in the area and we’d really like to stop it.”

Harrison urges everyone to educate themselves on the dangers of cooking and safety tips to avoid similar circumstances. For more information, contact the DeKalb Fire Department at (815)748-8460.