Splattering grease from a turkey fryer caused a fire that destroyed the house that Wes and Lanette Todd spent two years building.
No one was injured in the fire, which started about 8 p.m. Sunday.
Wes Todd was frying a turkey on the porch of the couple's home at 1605 Pleasant View Church Road while Lanette Todd was inside fixing the rest of their supper and watching a movie.
Grease from the turkey fryer bubbled out and ignited when it landed on the open flame of the propane burner heating the fryer.
The fire spread quickly, Lanette Todd said. By the time she got outside, the whole front of the house was on fire.
The Todds called 911. Firefighters responded right away, she said, but, by the time they arrived, "the whole house was engulfed."
About 40 firefighters from the Danbury, Northeast Stokes, Lawsonville and South Stokes volunteer fire departments responded, said Jeff Whitaker, the assistant fire marshal for Stokes County.
"People need to be very careful with those turkey fryers," he said.
"The grease gets really hot. The grease will splatter."
Lanette Todd said that they had moved into the house about five months ago after spending two years building it.
"We did the work on it ourselves," she said.
The single-story, three-bedroom house had 2,030 square feet. They were insured, she said.
She made a point to thank the firefighters and the people from the Red Cross.
"They all were very, very helpful.… I was scared to death."
The firefighters stayed for hours, she said. "They all worked very hard."
Lanette Todd said that they were still in shock, and it was too early to say whether they would rebuild.
■ Kim Underwood can be reached at 727-7389 or at kunderwood@wsjournal.com.
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