• Article Photo. Firefighters extinguish a shed fire Thursday in Vinton.
    Firefighters extinguish a shed fire Thursday in Vinton.
  • Article Photo. Firefighers found the trail of fire began with the charcoal pile placed near the shed.
    Firefighers found the trail of fire began with the charcoal pile placed near the shed.
  • Article Photo.
  • Article Photo.

A Vinton woman learned an important fire safety lesson the hard way on Thursday morning.

The Vinton Fire Department responded to a shed fire behind the house at 1404 D Avenue in southwest Vinton at around 9:30 a.m. Firefighters extinguished the blaze, then looked for the cause. They found a pile of charcoal next to the east side of the structure. 

The woman, who rents the house, told firefighters she had used that charcoal two days ago in her grill. She said they seemed cold when she dumped them there last evening. 

Firefighters pointed out how the fire rose from directly above the charcoal pile on the exterior wooden wall of the shed. A few items inside were damaged.