A state fire marshal said today a fire that badly burned Pittsburgh Steelers running backs coach Kirby Wilson started as a result of a cooking accident in the kitchen of his Seven Fields townhouse.

Trooper Luke Nelson said Wilson was cooking chicken on his stove about 2:30 a.m. on Jan. 6 when hot grease started the blaze.

Wilson suffered serious burns to more than 50 percent of his body after the fire and was placed in a medically-induced coma by doctors. He remains hospitalized in Pittsburgh and faces a lengthy rehabilitation.

The fire marshal interviewed Wilson by phone recently and said the coach has “little or no memory” of the fire. Therefore, Nelson said he couldn’t glean any information about how Wilson sustained such serious injuries.

But even without Wilson’s firsthand account, Nelson said he can still get a pretty clear picture of the events that morning.

“Even though I couldn’t get any information from him (about the fire), the only way for him to get the injuries he did is by some type of effort to suppress it,” Nelson said.

Nelson also estimated the damages to be in excess of $144,000 to Wilson’s home.