A fire early Monday morning at a Hyde Park apartment, 504 S. Wall St., was controlled before it could spread to the rest of the building, a fire chief says.

The fire started from a grease fire on a stove, Harry Threlkeld, Carbondale Fire Department assistant fire chief, said. The man was using grease, and it overheated and ignited. He tried to extinguish it with water, which caused the fire to spread.

The tenant, James Williams, alerted the fire department at 5:05 a.m.

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Two engines and a ladder truck responded to the fire, Threlkeld said. The fire was under control within 30 minutes, and there were no injuries. Threlkeld said the apartment sustained approximately $5,000 in damage.

The kitchen sustained major damage, he said. The rest of the apartment had minor smoke and water damage. There was also minor damage to the rest of the building.

Kallentino Williamson, 23, a tenant at Hyde Park and a student at John A. Logan College, said he was awakened by someone knocking on the door.

The building manager came around to evacuate the building, Williamson said. I got out of my room and saw smoke and flames coming out of the guy’s window.

Threlkeld said the fire could have easily spread to other apartments.

We were real lucky that it was confined to the one apartment, he said. The apartment doors have closers on them so that the door automatically shuts behind you. This prevented the fire from spreading.

Threlkeld said the Fire Department receives many calls for cooking fires.

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Don’t ever throw water on a grease fire. It will make it worse, he said. Use a fire extinguisher, put a lid over the pan or throw baking soda on the fire.